Always liked this truckstop, good, cheap and plentyful food…until today!
Stopped there today at lunchtime, I wanted ham, eggs and chips, but no chips? err this is lunchtime and no chips? ok says I, what are you offering as an alternative? the youngish good looking one says (with a real strop on) i don’t know, what do you want? all the time huffing and puffing.
I opted for a number 2 breakfast with bread, so i got a sausage, 2 bacon, a rock hard egg, 7 slices of mushrooms and HALF a spoonfull of beans that tasted like they had been on the go all day, half way through my brekkie i had to go and ask for my bread, guess when I got it, yep! when i had finnished
Now when Rob slated the place and the girls, I defended them, but I have to agree with him now, the past couple of times i’ve been in there the staff all seem to have the raving hump all the time and i have to say come accross as down right rude.
I have even written to the local council to lodge my support for them (Mothertruckers campaign) but i don’t think i’ll be stopping there again, i honestly think i will be better off stopping at south mimms, at least you get a decent portion there
I just posted a little diary about the same time you made this post and Junction 26 is mentioned in it. I was in there on Monday and while the food was fine the service was terrible, and the young one seemed to have the hump on Monday as well. I also had to remind them about the bread and the impression I got was the young one would rather have been chatting to a couple of blokes she knew than be inconvenienced by serving a customer. I have used it before on quite a few occasions, and will give it another chance, but if it continues in its current form then I would stop using it.
I dropped in there recently and can only echo the sentiments about the staff. Can’t say for the food.I didn’t sign the petition because of that.I want enough truck stops but not if they’re like this.
I wrote a post about the place on 4th July (on the thread MT started) but the site crashed as I posted. I don’t think it made it and I couldn’t be bothered typing it all again (I had gone quite into detail).
I’ll summarise what I said;
I found the place to be very very dissapointing! I was served by the older (but, evidently just as grumpy) woman. My sausage & egg roll was minging and I didn’t get my ‘not very nice at all’ cup of tea until I reminded them about it (for which I got the ‘tutting’ attitude.
The service was really slow and I left about 80% of my food and all of my tea. As I got up to leave, the ‘old one’ was just sitting down on the next table to me to read the paper. She looked at my table and called across to me as I was walking out “Are you leaving that?!!” in a rather ‘annoyed’ tone of voice. I resisted the temptation of a full and complete retort and just gave her a simple ‘yep!’
My thoughts on the place are that a truckstop is needed in that location - just not that one. I hope that some one buys them out and makes a decent place of it.
BTW, the ‘posh car of the day’ outside was a very nice (and shiney) looking Porche!!
I stopped there a few weeks ago and everything was fine…thye food …the service etc…and the toilets/washroom was very clean…however…one week ago and how things change…no soap in the washroom…the staff seemed as if they couldnt be bothered…and yes…i had the problem with the bread as well …maybe the staff have been told… if the petition isnt successful...your out of work…but like coffee…i too will give it another chance…as its very handy after a tip in waltham point.
What can I say??
I go there too and I agree that the service is leaves a lot to be desired.
Started off well enough and I was happy that the place had opened but we must hope for improvement on speed of service and organisation.
I dont think the girls have grasped the simple fact that truckers dont have all day to wait around and ‘fast’ food is important.
I still strongly believe in supporting this venue simply because we need a truckstop in this place and will continue to support it - and also pass on your comments in the hope that the service improves.
ive been off the road for a while so forgive my ignorence but has this truckstop replaced the snack van that used to sit at the side of the road off of the walthem abbey junction .i always used to stop at the van for food and it were great but my mate told me its not been there for nearly a year know.
The snack van is still there from late evening to overnight. The truckstop is directly opposite. Through the gate over the road and swing to the left into the parking area.
Yes Mothertrucker I agree, we do need a truckstop in that location and yes it did start out very well, good service, friendly staff (all smiles and cheery chit chat even), clean toilets and plentiful and very good food, which is why i put myself out to lodge my support with the local council…BUT
I like everyone else wouldn’t keep returning to a restaraunt if the service, food and toilets weren’t good enough and the staff come across as if you are a nuisance and interupting their day, so why would I keep going there? because it’s a truckstop and not a restaraunt? I don’t think so
I will await coffee’s and truckboy’s feedback as they are going to give it another chance and will be very interested in what they have report
I think the general tone from these post, and from my personal experience, is that it started out very well but is on a downward slide. Has the enthusiasim worn off?
Another thing you might suggest to them mothertrucker, is to stop customers who seem to be well known to them just wandering into the area behind the counter. Apart from hygine issues, this causes them to stop preparing the food and have long conversations with their mates. Meanwhile the queue gets longer and so does the wait for food.
OK, I bit the bullet and called in again this morning.
No queue when I arrived although quite a few people in there sitting at the tables. I ordered breakfast and was told there was no mushrooms and was offered something else such as an extra sausage instead, I agreed to the extra banger. It took just under 25 minutes for the food to arrive, and the bread arrived at the same time on this occasion. The food was fine, no complaints in that department. During the 25 minutes it took for my breakfast to arrive they actually only served 3 other meals, 2 take away sandwiches and 1 other breakfast so they weren’t exactly rushed of their feet. Even allowing for it to be freshly cooked, 25 minutes seems a tad excessive.
I checked out the toilets/washroom when I left and they were clean. Based on today I will still use it, for the moment, but only when I know I have the time to wait for the food to arrive.
Coffeeholic:
It took just under 25 minutes for the food to arrive,
If I only had 45 mins to spare, that would only leave me 20 mins to scoff. Sounds like i’d be rushing to eat a big breakfast in that time . . . . . and I’d be bound to get indigestion an hour or so later!
Coffeeholic:
It took just under 25 minutes for the food to arrive,
If I only had 45 mins to spare, that would only leave me 20 mins to scoff. Sounds like i’d be rushing to eat a big breakfast in that time . . . . . and I’d be bound to get indigestion an hour or so later!
i had plenty of time so it wasn’t an issue, if i only had time to take a 45 i would think twice about stopping.
Agree to most of the above. Handy position but the service is poor. Grumpy girls and too long to wait.
The sausages are cheap and nasty. Wouldnt hurt their profits to buy decent ones.
Maybe it would be a good idea to mention these complaints to the staff while you are in there. I always find its the best way to complain direct - at least you stand a chance of getting things changed if you say something rather than grumbling and not actually lodging a complaint. It may just make things improve. Anythings worth a try I reckon.
I am certainly going to let them know that some cusomers are not happy and hope it will bring about an improvement. I find the place very handy so would like it to stay there - I would also like faster service and better sausages by the way!
Mothertrucker:
Maybe it would be a good idea to mention these complaints to the staff while you are in there.
Two things there: firstly that ‘oh so British thing’ that we don’t like to complain and secondly (and more worrying/important) if we get those miserable looks and mardy attitude just for ordering I dread to think what will happen to the first one to actually complain!!
So go on then, who’s going to be first??
I’ll volunteer Neil (Coffee) which I think is real nice of me!! I reckon you maybe pass-by the place more often than me and i’m sure you’ll be more of a ‘diplomat’ when the ‘going gets tough’!!
I have beaten you to it.
I printed off all the complaints and got other half to hand them in this morning.
I have an appointment tomorrow morning myself but will make my way down there by around 12noon (High Noon!!) and have a word on your behalfs.
If they have a strop at me - well too bad - but I will make sure that they know that this is not just whinging truckers being big girls and moaning, it is legitimate complaints from working guys trying to get on with the job.
Leave it with me.
(Or you could all stand behind me if you wish!)
The food was fine, no complaints in that department. 
