The Rutland Arms Hotel, Bakewell

"Slightly Disappointed"

I booked lunch for my birthday. I was looking forward to eating in the hotel's dining room. However, when we arrived we were told a wedding party had gathered in the dining room waiting to be seated in one of the function areas. Because of this, we were given the choice of taking a seat in the dining room, which was noisy, or having a seat in the bar instead. Although disappointed, I opted for the bar as I wasn't sure how long it would take to clear the waiting wedding guests. The waitress showed us to a table and we were given menus. She took our order for drinks very promptly and left it at the bar. However, because of the constant arrival of people from the lounge area and outside (it was a hot, sunny day) arriving at the bar to order, our drinks were delayed. The ordering of the meal and its arrival was prompt and it was clear the staff were extremely busy in all areas. I did get a discount for my birthday meal, but it would have been so much nicer to have eaten in the dining room. We arrived for one, and were told the wedding party had been there since 12.30, clearly not in a hurry to vacate the dining area. Had we been told the dining room would be cleared in 5 - 10 minutes we would have been happy to wait. I did enjoy my lunch, the staff were friendly, efficient and hard working, but I would say wedding parties need to be dispersed to their function area as soon as possible so as not to spoil the day for others who are there to celebrate.

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