The Vanguard

A converted church with seating inside and out. Table service. A typical pub grub place with simple food. The waitress who took our orders was excellent, not so the two others who brought food to our table. The kitchen obviously have problems as it took a long time for our food to come even though the place was only half full. The food was OK, apart from the Goats Cheese Salad, where the goats cheese is spread so thinly, they might as well have not bothered. We did complain and got loads more goats cheese. One of our party got a frozen cheesecake for desert, this was quickly replaced.

This place is awful and is getting worse. twice we have eaten here and twice we have complained to head office. The food is all microwaved/​grilled and usually burnt offerings. When complaining each time Head office have informed me that the Kitchen staff were to have more training is this why they are always advertising for kitchen staff?
The staff are surly, never attentive to their Customers and the tables both inside and out are usually filthy piled with glasses/​uneaten food (hardly suprising) and ashtrays (outside) are usually full of extinguished cigarettes and whatever other rubbish people feel the need to leave behind.
There also appears a certain group that hang around outside frequentlty often shouting obscene remarks to passers by if I was Management this would not be tolerated at any level. The whole place is a sham and on market day debris is often all over the outside area because no one has been asked to clear it up as if you would need telling, but pay peanuts.

Converted church with an added on glass part, seating area out front.
Friendly Staff, quick service, but it was during the day & quiet. The chilli was great, really enjoyed. Must admit do not get the straw in front of the bar area?

Not a great experience today. Looked like waitress service (I could see waitresses taking orders) in the restaurant bit, but no waitress attended (even in the time I went to order at the bar no waitress attended). Went to the bar to order food and 3 other people got served first even though they arrived after me. Then a grumpy «are you waiting to be served» from the staff member took my order. Followed by being told that none of the kids drinks on the menu were available, only lemonade or cola, they had no straws, and no kids drawing packs. The server had to check each time if they had the straw and kids drawing pack.
Sit down wait, wait, wait. Waitress then comes over 20mins later to tell us that they dont have any kids spag boll. Surely the bar staff taking the food order could have told me that when I ordered.
Listen I could rant lots more. I was on a 1hr lunch break it was it in between christmas and new year. But if you cannot get some basic serving skills, politeness, communication skills and serving to the capacity of the dining area, DO NOT bother serving food. You will give yourself a bad reputation.
The only saving grace for this place is that it is lively in the evening. But the side affect is that it takes a while to get served. There is no efficiency and the staff are generally miserable and not enjoying their job.
I get better service, better beer in the cheaper Wetherspoons pub 20 metres down the road

I think the problem with the Vanguard is that they have the right amount of staff but forever cut down shifts when it’s quiet, so there’ll be one person to clean 100 tables, serve food AND serve. This is why the place is filthy and the food is always cold.
Also, a friend of mine worked there and she phoned in with a stomach bug as they did not put soap in the toilets for a week or so. The manager told her to come in anyways or she would be letting the team down, so she had to alternate between serving food and vomiting into a bin out back. Nice.

Huge variation in the quality of food and the cleanliness of the place. Leaves alot to be desired. The manageress is obnoxious and refuses to serve people at will. She was heard tonight swearing at her staff who were short in numbers and working as hard as they could !
She also removed legitimate ID from a friend of ours and handed it to the police, only for them to have to give it back. On the whole it could be a wonderful venue as the building is lovely but the whole ethos and mangement of the place needs overhauling.
So if the owners are reading this, sack your managers, speak to your young staff and get the truth about how they have been treat. Clean the place properly and reconsider your menu and food provision. You are wasting the potential in this pub/​function venue by allowing your managers to run it into the ground. I have never heard a good thing spoken about this place by colleagues who have been in and may I say ‘never returned’. Not good business sense is it?

we visited the vaguard at the begining of the month, for a prebooked meal, the service and the food were terrible, i personally will never eat there again

The vanguard is a lovely place, especially if you sit in the converted church part (although this is often closed off or reserved for private parties). I have never been on a Friday or Saturday night, so my review is based on afternoon drinks/​lunch and midweek evenings. I find the Vanguard to be quiet during the day, and a little livlier in the evenings. The food is super, with both light bites and more substantial meals. There is plenty of variety, the staff are friendly and helpful and the food always arrives fairly quickly. It’s a nice place to drop in for a drink if you’re doing a bit of shopping in the town centre.

I have only visited the Vanguard a couple of times on a Friday night, and only for drinks. I felt it was a cattle market downstairs with plenty of people eyeing one another up. So for a night on the pull great, otherwise I would not recommend. The drinks were quite expensive, and the floor was sticky and the loos not nice! It can be quite nice if you can stand or sit at the tables outside or go upstairs and during the daytime the tables outside are cleaned regularly and it can be a very pleasant afternoon sitting in the sunshine. Expect to queue as it can get very busy.

Lovely pub, whether with friends or family. welcomes young children and food is reasonable.

I have eaten here on a number of occasions. Food is good although its a bit of a typical formula. It’s a good layout inside, particularly in the converted church. It does tend to get busy during the lunch time session particularly if its a bit wet outside.
I have got to say that all of my meals have been warm and very enjoyable. Service is quick and polite and the staff are very good.
Overall I think it does what it says on the tin, town centre grub reasonably priced with decent beer (also reasonably priced)

I have eaten here on several occassions and like the above reviewer I have to say the food was very good and great value when it first opened, since then it seems to depend on when I visit, whether during the day or in the evening to the quality of the food (evening has been better).
The atmosphere is pretty good and great for a works do, there is a great selection of spirits behind the bar, so should be something to suit all.
At the front there are tables with heaters (for all the smokers out there)

Been in this restaurant/​bar 3 times and each time the meals have been different. The first time when it first opened it was a lovely meal, the second time it had gone downhill and was cold, the third time, it was OK but had had better. I wouldn’t say it was value for money except the food is piled on the plate. On the plus side the staff are helpful and very polite and it is nearly always packed.