Family spent £600 on luxurious lunch however needed to cease for KFC on the way in which residence

The group claims the food was “cold and unappealing” and served three hours late on Christmas Day last year and they were so hungry after they left they had to stop for more food on their way home

A mum who spent £600 on a hotel Christmas Day meal for her family was so disgusted by the food that was served she had to go to KFC afterwards because her kids were still hungry.

Victoria Bates, her husband Gary and their three young children booked a meal on December 25, 2024 along with three of her friends at The Park Hotel in Liverpool.

It was the first time they had chosen to eat out on Christmas Day but the experience ruined their festive fun when the food was “cold and unappealing” and more than three hours late.

Victoria claims the beef was like “pink mash” and freezing but, after it had been sent back to be warmed up, returned “burnt to a crisp”.

Some of the dining party were so unhappy with what they were served they didn’t eat any of the £600 meal.

The mum-of-three from Liverpool said: “The vegetables were black and the Yorkshire puddings crumbled in your hands.

“I wouldn’t have fed that food to my dog. I thought I was in a nightmare.

“I have three kids under five and they were served chicken goujons. They were freezing but they were so hungry that they had to eat them.

“The thing that broke my heart the most was coming in to see my son trying to get food off the scrap trolley in the corridor.

“My kids kept saying ‘mum, I’m so hungry, can you feed me?’ I started crying and sobbing – my kids were starving.”

The family were so hungry after their experience at The Park Hotel they had to get a KFC drive-thru on the way home.

Victoria claims she has repeatedly contacted The Park Hotel since the meal and, on February 13, she was eventually offered a hotel credit of £297.50 to be used on accommodation and events.

She said: “I’ve been messaging and calling. They finally got back to me this month and offered us credit to stay at the hotel, which was their ‘final offer’ – we don’t want to stay there. I just don’t want this happening to another family this year. It was a disaster.”

An online brochure for The Park Hotel’s Christmas Day dinner advertises a ‘delicious three course dinner with a live acoustic singer’, priced at £99 per person.

A spokesperson for The Park Hotel said: “Guests enjoyed a 3-course meal in three hours, which was a 2-3 hour Christmas Lunch sitting, that included festive entertainment.

“Subsequent investigation revealed that some of the guests’ meals were not as per our own expectations.

“Unfortunately, the behaviour to our staff of the guest mentioned has fallen below the reasonable exceptions of societal norms on multiple occasions even though we have been in regular communication in an attempt to resolve this issue.

“In the interest of balance, please be aware that we have had a considerable number of guests rebook for Christmas 2025 following their 2024 Christmas day experience.”

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