Toby Carvery

My friend Nat & I went to ‘The Toby Carvery’ where Nat & I eventually (After a bit of haggling) got a table for two NEAR the window, as the waitress Kelly wouldn’t allow us to have one in the window, to people watch (Even though they were practically empty) We ordered two Diet Cokes, after getting Waitress Kelly to assure us, it was bottled, and NOT pump Diet Coke. I asked Kelly if the Vegetarian Carvery listed on the menu, was just the veg without the meat? Or if there was a nut roast, that went with it? She said no it was just the Carvery vegetables. Then we got up to join the queue for the Carvery. Nat had the Gammon & I just had a load of veg & roast veg yumm!!! The Roast Potato’s & Roast Parsnips (A fave of mine) were yummy! Nat was less impressed with his Gammon. The old couple on the table adjacent, were totally absorbed in Nat & I, and our conversations, and were not subtle in their eavesdropping either, which was amusing. We were half way through our meal & our two Diet Cokes had still not arrived, to our table (We had expected them to have been on our table, by the time we’d got back from our queue, at the Carvery, as the place was practically empty!!) Eventually, we finally managed to get Kelly’s attention & asked about our drinks?! She said they were just being made (Ahh so they were not just pouring out, two bottles, into two glasses then? They make their own Coke? Wow so that’s why it had taken, well over 15mins, since ordering them, for them to arrive!!?) Sarcasm The two glasses of Coke EVENTUALLY arrived, in dirty glasses, with lipstick on Nat’s glass & some grey, lint like, fluff, attached to the glass, on the rim of mine. After trying repeatedly (Without success) to get Kelly’s attention (Despite there being only 8 tables, maximum, with patrons on & we serve ourselves from the Carvery) So there was only the non Carvery dishes, drinks & desserts, that needed to be served, by the BUNCH of waitresses. So really THEY were not that busy, not to notice, flaying arms, of customers. In the end, tired of trying to catch ANYONE’S attention, Nat got up & took the dirty glasses, up to the bar area & pointed out, that the glasses were filthy & we wanted new drinks, in CLEAN glasses. Some time later, when our meal was almost finished, the waitress emerged with the drinks, the glasses were clean, but it was certainly NOT Coke from a bottle we were drinking, but flat-​ish Coke, or Pepsi, from a pump, that obviously, needed the gas canister changing (Seems it’s not just staff at Julia, that lie in Luton) We caught up on gossip as we allowed the 1^st course to go down. After taking ages, to get our waitress Kelly’s attention (Even impossible, when she was walking away from the table, right next to ours) We finally, after much arm waving, managed to order a cappuccino for me & a Mr Whippy like, ice cream, for Nat, with chocolate sauce & honeycomb sprinkles, which I shared a few spoonfuls of. After another long spell, of trying to get Kelly’s attention, despite there NOW being about only 4 tables in the place, that were occupied. We managed to get the bill, which was wrong, as she charged for two FULL Carvery’s, not one Full & one Vegetarian, despite me having the whole ‘Vegetarian Carvery’ conversation, with Kelly earlier, when we had ordered our ‘Bottled’ Diet Cokes! While waiting for her to re-​emerge, a tall man with a beard cleared the table next to us (The manager we think) where the old couple had been, while talking over our heads to friends or colleagues, sat at a table in the window, which was distracting, annoying, and rude. Dessert over & wishing to leave a restaurant where we felt our custom wasn’t valued, we continued to wait for Kelly to emerge (From wherever she kept vanishing to) in the now almost empty dinning area. Bored waiting for Kelly, I went to the ladies, while Nat went in search of her, to pay. We then left, my veg was tasty, hence why Toby Carvery gets 1* (1 Star) But for attentiveness, service with a smile, consideration, feeling valued, being constantly ignored, unclean glasses & cutlery, atmosphere, and for not being allowed a window seat, in a near empty restaurant, the Toby Carvery gets a big fat Zero stars from me. Nat I hear is writing a letter of complaint to the company!

This is an enrichment for Luton. It makes the St. George Square look a little bit more modern. A nice new restaurant good located. The Toby Carvery is a chain and offers as the name says mostly carvery, which you pick up yourself at the buffet But the chef cuts it for you. The price is fantastic: 6,95 on weekdays, including the carvery, Yorkshire Pudding, 8 different vegetables (which you can reload as often as you want) and sauces. I tried all 4 carveries: turkey, beef, pork and hammon all were very tasty and it was a lot if it.
(See photo below)
One modern restaurant in chicken-​Luton that’ a great success for the town. I hope there are more to follow!