Families were left distraught after arriving at the West Midlands pub for their pre-paid Christmas Day bookings only to be told the restaurant had closed and customers were told to leave
Families were left fuming and had to go without their Christmas dinner after they arrived at a pub only to be met with pandemonium. They were told that the pub was simply unable to keep up with orders and were closing on the big day.
One group explained that upon arriving for lunch at the White Horse in Balsall Common, not far from Birmingham, they were told by other customers that the restaurant had shut its doors. It was also appearing to turn punters away, leaving dozens of people out of pocket.
The establishment issued an apology to its diners, attributing the chaos to “major technical issues” which set off a “domino effect”. However, the closure has now resulted in a furore amongst customers, who are now demanding refunds for their dinners.
Rebecca Martin expressed her extreme disappointment over the ordeal, which reduced one of her family members to tears. She had made reservations for a Christmas lunch for eight people, but described the situation as descending into ‘chaos’.
“We had paid in full, in advance. On arrival, however, we were met with complete chaos,” Rebecca told Birmingham Live.
“Before even entering the pub, other diners in the car park informed us the restaurant had been closed and customers were being turned away. Inside, the scene was exactly as you might imagine — a restaurant full of angry and distressed diners, all being told no-one could be served.
“There had been no phone call, no prior communication of any kind, and to date no refund has been issued. No alternative arrangements were offered either.”
Rebecca added that the dinner mix-up caused by the pub had left a mark on the family’s plans to celebrate the big day. She revealed that her family was left in tears as she felt like the special meal was ruined; the family ultimately switched to a nearby Toby Carvery to have their meal.
“They managed to squeeze us in at very short notice and were absolutely fantastic — a real credit to their team. I wanted to alert anyone who may have bookings coming up for New Year’s Eve and beyond,” she said.
“This situation was handled extremely poorly, and the lack of communication and contingency planning was unacceptable, particularly given the importance of Christmas Day for so many families.” Other punters were also not happy with the business’ service, as they confirmed it was total chaos in the bar in scathing TripAdvisor reviews.
A post from Daejon, believed to be the pub’s manager, on the White Horse’s Facebook page apologised for the incident and seemed to attribute the problems to technical and staffing issues. He explained that delays in processing orders created a ‘domino effect’ from which the establishment couldn’t recover.
He stated: “Hello all, I hope everyone is well and keeping their spirits high during the holiday times. I wish to start by expressing my and the team’s apologies sincerely for what happened yesterday with Christmas lunch bookings, and you all deserve an explanation.
“We had some major technical issues at the start with the pre-orders everyone so kindly provided us with. As a result, we required a last-minute manual input of all orders, causing delays in receiving the seated guest’s order that were required at that time.
“The staff tried their best to stay on top of the orders as well as the communication with the kitchen. From there, it was simply a domino effect.”
Daejon revealed the establishment had faced personnel problems and hit back at claims that management were staying away from the chaos. He explained that the pub was trying to keep itself afloat on such an important day but simply couldn’t do so.
He went on to say that following a major staff walkout in the kitchen, it has been Daejon himself who has been trying to keep the food service going in the pub. He expressed his deep regret for letting down the village, stating: “Again, this has impacted you all greatly and I understand why it has better than anyone, as I feel like I personally disappointed our village.
“And the lovely people that trusted myself and the team to provide them with the best level of service, especially on such a special day. For those impacted yesterday, we will be issuing a full refund to all and will be extending an invite to you at a later date, once our kitchen is sorted.”
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