Dobbies Garden Centre Aylesbury in Aylesbury Vale

Having been coming here for over 25 years (that I can remember!) And through several name changes I always remember the cafe being busy but fast service, however in the last few years the service has gone down hill massively. Today we waited for 40 minutes for 2 paninis and chips, the chips were clearly forgottwn about and despite being told they were in the frier, it was still over 20 minutes until they arrived. I could understand if the restaurant was busy but it was half empty and the staff looked over worked and stressed. When the food did arrive it was very nice but have been put off due to the time it took. The shop itself has also lost its charm and seems to have alot less stock than it use to have. Unfortunately after all these years I will not be returning any time soon.

Expensive and service painfully slow. Only one cook on! Waited 30 mins from ordering to be served. Terrible food service, not staffed correctly.

Went to the garden centre and decided to have lunch in their restaurant. I have never seen front of house seating so badly stained, I doubt the chairs have been cleaned in years. Utterly disgusting and all the seating around us was mostly the same.

When arriving at the restaurant, we waited to seated. Not one member of staff said "we won't be a moment" when finally seated there was one lady who was taking orders and the bills. The others were all just standing looking around. Not one member of staff smiled or said "hello". When our drinks came out the cups and glasses where filthy! I complained and the girl rolled her eyes. We had 3 roasts and a cheese sandwich, the roasts weren't drastic but my son's cheese sandwich was only half a sandwich, big clump of cheese and stale bread on a warm plate! We have only ever visited Santa here before but after our experience today and seeing how bad the Santa trail was last year we won't be returning! My mum who was with us works at a garden centre in Wales and she was shocked with the level of customer service!!

Need more staff! 15 min wait at till just 2 young girls making coffees and serving is not enough at weekends. The Coffee very weak was like hot milk had to take it back. Cakes prices are ridiculous! Visit regularly for plants and butcher but restaurant not great. Most of the products are not priced ?!? How lazy is that. Autumn wreaths no price , neither are all the accessories to put on them. Lots of lovely dog statues for the garden again not priced. Must be loosing a fortune cause people just won’t bother with them.

I have been to Dobbies over many years both when it was Worlds End and since it became Dobbies. It has gone down hill consistently over the years. Today we went to the restaurant for lunch. The lady who served us (who has been there for many years) was kind and efficient. The food was good. The restaurant itself was unclean. The seats are dirty and marked. Table were left with empty used cups and plates, making the room look untidy and grotty. The toilets are absolutely disgusting, untidy, unclean and the walls were marked and unclean. We then went to the inside gift area. Everything was either in the sale or shelves were empty. To top it all, the checkout assistant refused to accept a Scottish £10 note because of a Fraud risk. Absolutely ridiculous, if it says 'Sterling' on the note it must be accepted. I am appalled by the state of the place. I doubt that the owners/ management will even read this or give a jot for my comments but I hope customers will.

Filthy, utterly disgusting place. Today I witnessed people with their dogs sat next to them on the fabric sofa's. They were feeding the dogs pieces of cake for them to eat off of the sofa. We couldnt find anywhere to sit that wasnt covered in stains and filth.

We visited and had 2x luxury afternoon tea and a children’s afternoon tea. After waiting to be seated, we were presented with a reserved table with a tablecloth and floral plates. Staff were friendly and the amount of food was huge, a lot of selection and it was lovely. This was for a birthday and it didn’t disappoint!! The staff had done a great job and we had a great experience. We’ve never visited before and the restaurant/cafe was busy - always a good sign - but this didn’t matter to us as we’d booked on the website (very straightforward to do). The other food coming out looked good and they seemed to do lunch bags for chn, which seemed popular. There is a very small soft play, £2 for an hour, which was a good added bonus as once my 4 year old finished munching her way through the feast she was presented with, we could chat and finish our ours while she played. A great experience and I’d recommend without hesitation.

Booked afternoon tea. The amount of food was huge and delicious. However there seemed a lack of communication from the staff and we had to wait ages before being asked what tea we wanted. No one proactively asked us when we were ready to eat, how our food was, etc when we were sat at the table. When I called up to say we’ll be a few minutes late the guy on the phone did not thank me for letting me know and sounded very disappointed. When food arrived we had to query when we were getting the rest of the food. Just needed better communication from the staff, and better customer service training.

Too echoey. Acoustics are awful so doesn't make for a relaxing visit especially if it's busy and loud. They need to do something about it. Food options nothing like they used to be either. Gone downhill big time. We walked out last time and didn't bother ordering.

Took my family here for lunch, I have very fussy siblings and there was somthing on the menu that catered for all of them, the staff were incredibly polite and very helpfull they also loved the soft play area and got to see lots of doggy’s in their dog friendly seating area, will be coming back thank you for such a Lovley experience

I visited this restaurant for some teas and coffees with my family and was extremely happy with their selection of hot and cold drinks, cake and snacks! They also have an extensive menu and soft play for children. They have a dog section with lounging sofas (which are very comfortable) right at the front! The staff here are very welcoming and attentive. It is clean and buzzing with happy customers - I would recommend this restaurant to everyone.

Wonderful trip to Dobbies as always. Had some summer drinks at the restaurant and some sweets. Everything were really nice and the best the staff, friendly and helpful!! Conning back soon!!!

I visited this afternoon and was looking forward to having a spot of lunch, only to be told there was no more hot food as there was a shortage of staff and they could not offer table service. I joined the very long queue to order a coffee. The lady who informed me there was no more hot good did reapproach me and offered to take my order as she could serve me as the last customer albeit there was a limited menu. I was very grateful for her taking the initiative and in my view she provided excellent customer service and saved the day. However, she was rushed off her feet but despite this was doing her best to serve customers and clear tables on her own. The staff behind the coffee counter sadly let the side down by looking thoroughly fed up and miserable, this does not make for a good customer experience. However, if staff are under pressure and feel unsupported that would account for their lack of enthusiasm. Staffing issues lay at the door of management, this isn't the first time I have visited Dobbies cafe in Wendover when there were staff shortages. When staff are struggling to cope in my opinion management should roll up their sleeves and step in to support them. Pull together as a team! Customers won't return if they have a poor experience. There is plenty of competition out there so in order to retain customers Dobbies really needs to pull out all the stops to deliver! Happy customers will make a return visit and will tell their friends that Dobbies is well worth a visit.

We decided to try the breakfast. We ordered egg,bacon, ash brown, beans sausage, toast and beans. after trying the bacon and sausage the bacon over cooked and hard- the sausage undercooked, other than the egg the rest was lukewarm. i sent the breakfast back and ask for a replacement, unbelievably it come back just heated up in the microwave even the toast. needless to say it was all rock hard .

What a dump. We went for coffee and cake. I would guess 80% of the tables still had dirty plates on them. So it was difficult to find a table even though the restaurant was less than third full. One person behind the till, and one clearing apparently. Even the tables cleared were still sticky.

It's a complete joke 38min to get a hot drink this was on the drink and cake till, wouldn't mind if it was busy but there was only 4 customers infront of me. Ask for drinks extra hot as you don't even have to wait for them to cool. I haven't been there in about 4 months it reminded me why

Went to the cafe here terrible service there was only 1 person serving so waited a while for a drink Then when found a table to sit at all tables had people’s left over food n drink trays Also they allow dogs in which is fine but all along side of the sliding doors are covered in dog wee certainly would never eat here sitting amongst dog wee wasn’t pleasant experience at all Then the person serving whilst a queue was formed walked off with no explanation to her waiting customers Thankfully ah has just served me

Terrible. The restaurant was 1/3/full. 2/3 empty. There were many clean tables. The lady in charge who was doing nothing but walk around said we had to wait for a table to be cleaned. We waited 15 minutes. All the staff were on a slow time. We eventually sat at a dirty table, not cleaned properly. We waited a further 10 minutes, no order taken. The lady in charge said we had to wait our turn, but we ere ready to order! She was rude, started shouting at us. We left and went to Marks and Spencer cafe. Cheaper better and we were seated with our food in 10 minutes. There were 4 members of restaurant staff, there was only one other table who wanted food, nobody was served within 25 minutes. Another point, cleaning 1 table should not take 15 minutes. Staff are hopeless. It was painful to watch them.

I treated (!) my family to a visit to Santa followed by afternoon, booked and paid for weeks beforehand. The forest walk through was dismal. The elves were lovely and Santa was fantastic! Presents were very good. The gift shops looked like they were closing down! With lots of empty shelves. No prices on most items. On to the restaurant.... My son in law and a grandaughter had joined us and wanted a hot meal. A roast beef dinner and ham, eggs and chips were ordered. I have never known my son in law leave food, ever! Most of his roast was untouched as was just not nice. My grandaughter had a hair in one yolk and both yolks were hard. All she ate were a couple of chips. My other 2 grandaughters had chicken nugget meals, which were free with adult meals. These came almost cold and most was left. I asked if our afternoon tea could be served near to this time so we could all eat together. This meant no tablecloth setting I understand. ( the one I had seen earlier did look nice). The tea platters arrived. I had ordered one children's, one festive and two normal with two small bottles of prosecco. When I asked where second platter was , I was told one platter had 2 lots of sandwiches and cakes on, so obviously less food. The sandwiches looked like they had been thrown on, crusts on which were stale. The festive platter sandwiches were better with crusts removed. So disappointed with most of the sandwiches. The prosecco arrived, I needed this! After some time, I had to ask for our pots of tea and cups etc. No sugar ever arrived. The staff were lovely but not enough of them. At one point, I counted 15 uncleared tables! I have to mention Lyn who was absolutely lovely. She has always been a treasure in the restaurant. Some Christmas treat this wasnt! I will not be returning. Wyevale Christmas was brilliant. Dobbies don't seem to care.

Half an hour queue for a table and then once seated it another 30min wait for we got our order of sausages and mash with vegetables x2 The sausages were barely cooked , the mash was just mush bordering on slurry could only eaten with a spoon. I've visited about a year ago and it was not great then, sadly its got a whole lot worse. Should have learned my lesson! Complete waste of money.

I had been for coffee & a toastie previously and thought it was OK, so thought we would try the breakfast one morning. I even registered for a dobbies card! Maybe that was a bad omen. It was possibly the worse breakfast Ive ever had the misfortune to experience. The somewhat small breakfast arrived stone cold, poached eggs were rock hard and tasted of vinegar, the sausages were either half cooked or over cooked, bread was strangely rubbery..I could go on. The place itself, possibly due to under staffing, was unkempt and dirty. It looked like they had experienced flooding in the whole establishment as everything was in disarray everywhere but still no excuse for what is on offer here. The staff did their best but the whole experience was as bad as it gets, we won't be returning. What a shame.

Appalling - the Christmas lunch was soggy, overcooked, (re-?)microwaved carrots and parsnips which were limp, soft roasted potatoes and a slice of turkey off a round tube of same. There were also a couple of tubs of luke warm sauces. It looked very sad and tasted worse. And they charge for this! The baked potato was rock hard and quite small. You could not cut the skin with the knife provided. The Christmas pudding was rubbery, microwaved again - how many times? with a small pot of sauce. It all reminded me a bit of school dinners in the 1950's at boarding school. The lady at the next table had scampi and chips and flicked the chips around and left most of them. How can they charge for this rubbish. The service was slow and the staff seemed miserable but I guess they would be serving up this 'food'.

Waited 25 minutes before leaving as unable to wait any longer to be served as this was my lunch break. Only wanted a sandwich! Asked staff clearing tables twice to be served & Indicated two further times to the only waitress who appeared to be taking orders that we would like to be served. She Acknowledged this before proceeding to tidy the menus!! Not enough staff for a lunchtime!

Visited with daughter, very upsetting as have lived in area for 50 years and this was such a lovely place. Cafe had 4 tables by main door stacked high with plates, cups and crockery etc. Ladies toilets, awful smell (not sewage), first cubicle had loo paper all over the floor, second cubicle lock broken and lying on the floor, third cubicle was dirty. 2 other ladies in the toilets complaining too. Kitchen department by the butchery looked as if the carpet hadn’t been hoovered in days! Why is it now like this, has completely lost its friendly, warm , clean and comfortable atmosphere!!!

Oh dear! One person serving on the tea, coffee and cakes counter and a very long queue which didn't go down. I eventually had a cheese scone which certainly had cheese on the outside but none in the inside, which tasted a little on the sweet side. Half the restuarant was 'wait here to be seated' and you certainly did wait. There seemed to be a few people 'working' in this half of the restaurant but I wasn't sure if they were on a go-slow or not. Not much seemed to happen in this half. Don't waste your time if you are in a hurry.

The food and drink was very tasty. Me and my partner were impressed with the speed it was delivered. There was a long queue and staff were lovely but clearly overwhelmed with what was a normal level of business for a Saturday afternoon. This place could be great if a bit of money was spent on the ambience and increased staffing it would be a destination

Perfect place and location for the business meetings. Staff is very officiant .This is by far the most suitable place in Aylesbury for my weekly business meetings .Thank you !

We had breakfast with the Easter Bunny today, and it was fabulous. We do this every year, as it's a magical experience for our children. The kids got to plant carrots, colour, play Bunny Bingo, play Bunny Says (like Simon Says), do an Easter Egg Hunt around the garden centre, and enjoy the soft play. The food was excellent. The staff were very helpful and friendly. We couldn't ask for more. It was a fabulous morning.

We did the Easter event here today at the restaurant and it was FANTASTIC. We have been coming to this garden centre for years. The food is amazing and the staff super friendly. The Easter event today was put on by Lynn and Daniella and was incredible. The children had a visit from the Easter bunny, a hot breakfast and Easter hunt. A highlight was planting carrot seeds. Brilliant value for money and kept the children entertained. There was also the soft play for after all the activities. Really couldn't fault the place at all! You should all visit!

Came for afternoon tea with friends. Excellent value, really nice selection. The staff, Lynn and Natalie were very friendly and helpful providing excellent service. Nothing was to much trouble. This is my second afternoon tea and will definitely becoming again

Myself and my mum came to the restaurant for a coffee. Seemed like a nice place, we sat down and I went to order the coffees. 2 x MEDIUM coffees cost us £6.10. When we got them my mum sat down I nipped to the ladies for 5 minutes...came back the coffee was stone cold and tasted so weak like no coffee in it.. It should be hot! for that price!! I also noticed they are charging £2.10 for a can of drink! Disgraceful! A\ll young girls serving not an adult in sight... wouldn't give their coffee to my dog if I had one... YUK! we just left didn't want to cause a fuss.. NEVER GOING BACK!. If there was a MINUS would have scored it.

Echoing previous reviews gone to “hell” under Dobbies…. Arrived for breakfast, sat down, waited , waited, ignored by staff, eventually told no “team members ” to operate breakfast service . Whatever happened to “short staffed”.! Don’t blame the kids on duty but not a single adult manager to be seen… Could understand this if they had a sign in the car park but no make walk have a mile to be ignored and waste everyone’s time. Shut the place down or refund your regular customers. Total disgrace.