The Dutton Arms Blackpool Welcomes You Or Not as the Case May Be
It was a long hot Sunday yesterday after the very well attended Blackpool Air Show.
The Red Arrows put on a great show ans there was a rare appearance by a Vulcan Bomber the only one left in the world that is permitted to fly.
Pictures will be posted elsewhere on this blog in due course.
So after an Airshow that lasted over 2 hours on a hot and sunny Blackpool afternoon it was natural to top things off with a cooling pint.
At this juncture I should point out that the crowds that came to Blackpool were on the part huge perhaps the biggest deluge of people the resort has seen for quite some years as a result all the pubs along the front were very busy with large ques at the bar and standing elbow room only.
Anyway The Dutton Arms which stands at the Junction of Waterloo Road and the Promenade looked favourite as not only was it on my way home but becuase I was also partial to a little lunch from their menu which on average I sample once a week.
The que for the bar was 2 or 3 deep and it took around 10 minutes before I could reach the front and utter the immortal words can I have a pint of Stella and a Diet Coke please. At that very moment there was some sort of commotion to my left which was unseen by me and the chap to my right butted in and shouted his order. I asked why I was not being served and was told by Cheryl Rawlinson who it turns out is the assistant manager ( I learnt all this later) that I had not said please and that I was rude, and therefore she would not serve me. She went up the bar to fetch this other chaps pint and elicited support from the other bar staff who had no idea what had occurred (same as me really) but the visual messages told me I was on a loser to getting a pint. For the record I did say please and this was confirmed to Cheryl by both my partner and the lady stood to my left, Cheryl sadly was not having it though. Bit annoying as the bloke that pushed in was clearly intoxicated and she chose to serve him!!
Anyway to give her her due Cheryl as were the other 2 staff on duty were unduly stressed and given the level of work rate they were being exposed to that afternoon clearly felt they had to expouse some retribution of some sort on an honest customer who simply wanted a pint.
Whatever happened to the Customer always being right?
So beware the Big Blackpool Welcome they tell you will get at The Dutton Arms in Blackpool may not actually be such a welcome at all. Be sure to grovel accordingly particulary if it is a hot and busy day and if Cheryl is on duty or you may not get a drink.
To be fair The Dutton Arms has been going downhill since last Winter when they undercut the prices at the Wetherspoons around the corner to lay claim to the sparse trade available in the colder weather. Selling Fosters lager at £1.49 a pint in Blackpool ensured that they did get a steady trade but sadly it was the sort of trade that sits all day every day in the pub drinking beer. God knows parts of Blackpool has enough of them anyway and most of them decended you know where.
So thanks Cheryl I was looking for a reason to ditch the DA weekly lunchtime appointment and I now have it. Please ask your managers to no longer send me any promotional literature as I feel I cannot reccomend either the DA or the nearby Yates to any of my customers in case you refuse to serve them for not speaking loudly enough or giving you the wrong change or some other non reason.
So Cheryl Rawlinson Thanks for giving me the opportunity to write about you and the terrible service available at The Dutton Arms Blackpool.
It seems poor service is not the only claim to fame the DA has.
There is a whole page here dedicated to the terrible state of the loos in the pub. The picture on the right is not untypical and features s0me discarded shreddies and a bowl full of urine..
Perhaps somebody was playing the role of ‘good Samaritan’ and thought someone else could benefit from a spare pair of crusties?
I used to work for The Dutton Arms until the winter they slashed their prices. I had 3 1/2 very happy years there. The landlord and his mrs did their best to keep out the wino’s and would’ve definately kicked out any intoxicated people! We valued our nicer, polite, sober customers. But when the landlord n mrs left my last few months there went down hill. I used to love that pub and would’ve gladly put my wages back in the till every week. The pub has gone bad and I don’t see myself going back in there anytime soon. The crew 2005 – 2008 were the best crew and I’m sad that we’re not still together.
thankfully, given the above comments the duttons is now closed. I have also come across this ‘said’ cheryl when she worked at the litten tree – she is AWFUL and really shouldnt be working with the public – she appears to hate them
The dutton arms now has a new manager and I would highly stress anyone who has had a bad time they in the past to please give the place another look. All the crap staff have been shipped out and all staff now are new. The pub has had a very big facelift and looks stunning. Come in and check it out
i now work at The Dutton Arms and can honestly say that it is a much better place and should definitely be given another chance!
Me and my family were unfortunate enough to visit the Dutton Arms on Thursday 22/9/11.
The staff were very friendly and I have no complaints at all about the service we received from them.
The toilets on the other hand were appalling, they were absolutely disgusting. The few toilet cubicles that would lock were, to say the least, would be a health hazard.
Maybe the staff were too busy to clean them but that then throws up questions about the punters…..
If you are one of those people who use public toilets and find it necessary to wipe your arse across the wall, you should consider drinking at home instead of subjecting the rest of us to your infantile toilet habits.
Get a life and some toilet paper!
visited the Dutton Arms this week-end really enjoyed our visit .Best sunday lunch in Blackpool and only £4.99 a bargain.
we look forward to visiting you on boxing day this xmaswe are family of 3 adults and 1 kid hope food and drink offres are still on as we travel from cumbria every year to spend boxing day in your company thanx shirley skelton from cumbria,