Squires Garden Centre (Wokingham)

Arrived in high spirits, bouyed by the wonderful company of my partner whom had given a glowing recommendation for the Squires cafe. We had even heard that people celebrate thier birthdays in the establishment, indeed this was found to be true as one was in session as we arrived. Once again our hopes were raised; we were now salivating with expectation. This is unfortunately where the story changes and all hopes are now unrealised. We arrived at approximately 14:45. We stood at the doorway awaiting to be seated as per the instructions on the sign. We waiting for 10mins. Note, it was not very busy at all. I am hearing impaired, as such my wonderful partner whom is always accommodating asked for a booth. We were denied, the waitress stating it had to be held in case a party of 6 walks in. We relented. We were sat under the air conditioning where I nearly froze. Again waiting for over 10mins before a waitress came to take our order. The time now 15:05. When i requested a fishfinger sandwich we were informed for the first time that the kitchen closed at 15:00!!! This was diabolical. Not only were we not at any time informed of the closing time, it did not appear on the menu or on any signs at the door. Regardless, if the staff had not made us wait for over 20mins before taking our order we would have been within time and I would be enjoying a fishfinger sandwich. We were able to order scones which were dry and crumbling. Not as per our expectations. For shame. To go from our hights of expectation to the lows of the reality is beyond disappointing. I shall never come back. Steven, aged 91.

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We booked an afternoon tea for 5. The food was lovely - a variety of sandwiches, cakes, and of course a scone with cream and jam. The team allowed a hot drink of our choice, not just breakfast tea. Emma, our host and server, was incredibly hospitable, warm, and funny! She also took some lovely photos of us, without us needing to ask her to. 10/10 experience, the service really made it.

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We just had a super breakfast in the cafe. Emma who served us was absolutely lovely and incredibly attentive to not just us, but everyone. She is a wonderful character and really made our breakfast a super experience. It makes all the difference when you go somewhere and the staff are brilliant. Thank you and we will be back soon. Mac & family (who’s spilt the drink 🤦🏻‍♂️)

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My grandson and I today attended a so-called “event” : “plant a tasty veg pot”. What an absolute rip off! Part of their narrative was “decorate your pot with stickers” What stickers? We arrived on time, the male member of staff checked our names and simply said “here’s a pot, fill it to this level, choose your 3 veg plants ( the only choice being tomatoes or peppers) and put them in”. And that was that: 5 minutes in total for which I paid £16. This beggars belief. He said nothing further, no mention of stickers. My grandson and I were so disappointed. We didn’t need tomato plants or peppers as we had potted some at home. This was utterly pointless and a waste of time and money. As we were exiting the centre via the checkout, a female member of staff offered my grandson one sticker and a flimsy piece of paper with a word search probably not suitable for a high percentage of 5 year olds. I certainly won’t be wasting anymore money at Squires. I shall stick with Longacres.

· via Google