Dobbies Tewkesbury in Cotswold

I go to this Dobbies quite often as it's very local and a good place to take my husband who needs little outings (limited in his range these days.) However, they have gone DOG MAD. Dogs are allowed all over the store INcluding the restaurant (!! this would have been unthinkable 5, 10 years ago?) and people take them at their word and you genuinely can hardly move some days for dogs on long leads forming a trip hazard in front of you. The dog owners seem to annoy even each OTHER as, their dogs being dogs, they try to suss each other out with hackles and sniffings and sizing one another up, causing blockages in the aisles. Lots of small children in this Dobbies too - about the same head-height as a dog - I'm sure parents must find this an extra stress. And in the restaurant it's VERY offputting to have a dog about three feet from your table. Dogs are not clean, no matter how much their owners pretend they are - they have no place in public food outlets, and WHY, JUST WHY? how and why did we get to this point where dogs and owners can never be separated? It's quite a recent thing, last 5, ten years? Now obviously Dobbies have done their sums, and so aggressively marketing themselves as DOG FRIENDLY (latest ad: "if your dog wants to help choose your new lawnmower, now he can!" - clue - no he doesn't) must mean they think they get more trade from dog-lovers than lose it from those who think dogs have no place in stores and particularly food outlets (kudos the Waitrose outlet and butchers in-store, who don't allow dogs in their section.) So I realise the battle is lost, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way. I don't even think the dogs themselves can be enjoying this, it must be a stressful environment for them. I'm not a dog hater - I've owned and loved dogs - but this tide of 'dogs must be allowed everywhere and if you aren't happy about it, go elsewhere' is depressing.

Slow service in the restaurant waiting to be seated then to have our orders taken and then for the hot drinks to arrive. After another long wait once we’d finished our drinks the food arrived. Ordered hot roast beef with horseradish sandwich on white and hot roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sandwich on brown. When they arrived they were both dull uninteresting and unimaginative. One slice of cold beef or turkey on 2 slices of buttered sliced loaf with a pot of luke warm gravy and horseradish or cranberry and a small ball of stuffing rolling around on the plate. It was a case of build your own cold sandwich and pour luke warm gravy over to turn it into a ‘hot’ sandwich.

This isn't a garden centre, it's a shopping warehouse with a few plants thrown in and an echoing soundscape that makes conversation all but impossible. Not recommended if you are looking for a good plant selection. Or conversation.

Long queue for coffee and cake. The slice of cake was the smallest piece we have ever had. At £3.99 - daylight robbery! Staff were very slow and looked tired and uninterested. This place needs a bit of a shake up or people will go elsewhere

I meet my friend who has a disability for coffee every few weeks. We come here because disabled parking is good. The cafe service was so slow. I joined the queue at 2.28pm, I reached the till at 2.47... the 3 members of staff were very slow. There were no smiles from them just very poor service. Once at the till it was another 7 mins for my coffee to be prepared. Come on Dobbies you can do better.

Roast sandwiches....to be avoided. The bread was so dry, the pork was the ends of the joint snd so very hard. The stuffing (one small ball), just on the plate randomly....you could have used it as s golf ball..! No apple sauce. All in all very very poor. Our fault we didn't send back. Sometimes we don't learn and put up with very very poor quality.

Lovely coffee and bun BUT chairs and tables ALL dirty, dusty, full of crumbs. We eventually settled on thd 3rd lounge chair and brushed the crumbs off. The table had wipeable stains. The hang down lighting was extremely dusty (as were all the other ones!) and had cobwebs. It eas a quiet Monday. No excuse for not checking the environment. What a shame, because, as I say, the coffee etc was fine.

If you want a cake & cuppa or any hot food...GO ELSE WHERE. Cafe...slow and disorganised. How long does it take to press buttons on a,machine!!! Restaurant...only certain staff take orders,certain staff deliver drinks,certain staff deliver food!!! No one know who's doing what. Mr Dobbie or your shareholders...suggest you do under cover boss and see what's happening. Waitrose food area empty. Not maximised tucked away in the corner.

Wow, what a disaster!! The shopping area itself is ok but lacks personality. The restaurant, is a whole different kettle of fish, and not in a good way! I took my mum, who is in a wheelchair, as she wanted to look round and buy plants etc. First issue happened before we'd set foot in the building - NO wheelchair trolleys!!! They supply wheelchairs if you need one but no trolleys!! This is a big problem for the disabled community and carers/relatives who accompany them! Next the restaurant - the staff were obviously very stressed. The place was rammed and they were running around like headless chickens. We were told it would be a 30 minute wait for hot food – the waitress took our order, then re-took it and missed of my friends meal. The food was awful – jkt pot very small and cold – my ‘hot roast’ sandwich was cold, the bread was dried up (obviously been sat under the heat lamp) and there was one thin slice of beef in it, the veggie burger, arrived after we’d finished our food (only because I asked where it was) and was very very dry. We waited 45 mins to receive this rubbish. Food was being sent back, left right and center, one table had their meal cancelled after they’d been sat there waiting for it for at least half an hour!! The waiting staff were rushing everywhere and dropping cutlery, milk jugs, leftover food etc on the floor as they went. The toilets are also a disgrace – half were out of order, along with half the sinks. Also, no toilet roll in any of the cubicles. It was generally dirty. For a place that has been open for 18 months – it has a lot of work to do on its appearance and customer service. I won’t be back

Lovely shopping centre, but the food court is very disorganised with staff running round like headless chickens forgetting this is a customer service. Over 20 minutes just to order food. I had to prompt 3 times to place an order. I won't be eatting here again in a hurry. Seems like a lot of staff hanging around the kitchen area. Why on earth only certain staff can take orders in ludicrous!! Sat I'm store right now if a manager wants a chat about my experience and of other I've witnessed sat round me!

The cake and tea were ok, but service chaotic, miserable staff who looked like it was a chore being there. Not a welcoming atmosphere.

Arrived at lunchtime at cafe. Only two staff serving, one making coffee. Long wait in queue. Exactly like a year ago on my last visit.. a skeleton staff. No large cakes under glass domes. Only veggie sausage rolls. Infinite no of small cakes at £3.99 each! Would give zero stars except for the fact the cake I bought was delicious. Wont recommend or go back.

Very nice garden centre with friendly staff and a good range of plants, however… The coffee shop always seems to let the rest of the shop down. They have a wide selection of cakes, although we were disappointed to find that our favourites have not been included in the new summer menu. There always seems to be a long wait for the drinks. The coffee machines look impressive, but they do seem to take an age to make any drinks, meanwhile customers are left standing in a busy queue for far too long. The staff are friendly enough, but their lack of food hygiene knowledge is a real concern to me. Food is sometimes displayed directly on the restaurant trays, without a plate. Staff have no thought about where they should hold a customers cup or glass, picking them up around the rim, where you drink from, or even putting their hands inside the cups. I would expect food hygiene training to be mandatory for all staff in a catering establishment, but Dobbies seems to be lacking here.

Have been several times for coffe and as we were in the area went for Sunday lunch, awful. Got seated quickly enough but then waited sooo long for our meals. Plus waited over 45 mins for a glass of water. The Sunday lunch was very poor, veg rock hard, beef cold, to give them their due we weren’t charged but the lunch should really have been eatable and hot, Will go again but not for Sunday lunch

Our third visit and probably our last the restaurant has gone down hill very quickly after opening. we were seated promptly and our order taken however that was the end of the slick service although our hot drinks arrived they were cold when our food arrived 30 minutes later this after speaking with a member of staff, On previous occasions a good quality mixed side salad was provided now apparently this is not an option instead a portion of diced cucumber and half a fairly under ripe tomato was served with the so called toasted panini which turned out to be a soft section of bread stick. I noticed that whilst waiting for our food very few tables were cleared or wiped down although there appeared to be sufficient staff on duty and the restaurant not being as busy as we have seen it. Sorry Dobbies but what started out as a pleasant place to spend some time and money over lunch is now somewhere we shall avoid for quite a long time

the cafe staff service was appalling. Two people serving a massive queue at lunchtime. One guy on till and getting the orders in and one girl/lady on making coffee's but nothing else. She gave me the wrong coffee. I told her I hadn't ordered the one she gave me - she tutted and threw the cup into the sink. Made the correct one - sloshed it down on tray spilling everywhere and walked away. Awful customer service. The girl on the checkout till for plants was absolutely lovely though!

Interesting place, had coffee and them lunch, which was good and the service was excellent. I loved the fact that it was very dog friendly, but I couldn't find a dog poo bin anywhere?

Decided to visit for lunch. Food was great. All the staff were very helpful and cheerful. Will definitely be returning.

Just off the motorway with a large car park makes this an ideal place to stop for breakfast. The food is better than that served at motorway service stations and you can eat in a pleasanter environment

Travelled from Malvern to Tewkesbury, decided to explore as this Garden Centre looked ‘inviting’ queued at restaurant entrance, waited about 10 minutes there, not happy about having to wait that long, we note they were not busy at all in the Restaurant, menu nothing special, waitress who EVENTUALLY! took our order was pleasant ordered 2 Oat Milk Lattes to start both coffees NOT HOT! 2nd waitress gave impression she grew the coffee beans HERSELF! We felt like we had to be ETERNALLY GRATEFUL for her service ordered 2 Jacket Potatoes with beans, 3rd WAITER practically THREW the food down in front of us, absolutely disgusted with his service, food portion siz was a complete joke would suit a child I would say lacked flavour got a dry taste in our mouths post consumption, needed to drink lots of water at that POINT!!! We paid £22.48 to the NICE waitress who took our order, it really PAINED! me to part with our money, totally ripped off, will never go again, advise anyone thinking of dining there, a DEFINITE NO!

Just left Donnie’s very disappointed, we are travelling from Wales to Stratford-upon-Avon thought we would pop in to have a coffee and cake and a wander around the new garden centre, the queue for the coffee shop had at least fifteen people in front of...

We did breakfast then soft play The sign clearly says Baby area under 2’s Parents need to watch and remind their over 2’s that the baby area is for the younger ones and then we won’t see over 3’s plus run and dive !!!!

Very poor customer service! We travelled 30 miles to attend the 2:30 walk-in soft play session. When we arrived, we were notified that a party had been booked and there would be no session that day. We left our details for a manager to call...

This is the best place to stop for breakfast near the motorway . There is plenty of parking , a large restaurant and a full breakfast is served speedily .It's cheaper and better than any of the motorway service areas

Disappointing cakes, long queues,slow service. We had a problem with our cakes and the way this was addressed was appalling. Won't be revisiting

Local, decided to visit for breakfast! Amazed at huge size of restaurant 🍃 and such comfy chairs. They allow dogs!!!! Great, but we’d left hours at home. Average price for breakfasts, very nice (except my fried tomato was the bit you’d cut off and discard...

Tried this instead of using Gloucester Services which has gone downhill. Large restaurant with separate coffee shop. Good selection of refreshments at a more reasonable price. Work required to maintain the new appearance and keep everything looking good.

Well run / organised soft play it’s not Hugh but enough for under 8 year olds for an hour at £3.00 limited numbers which is great. You can drunk eat whilst you watch them and a private toilet just for soft play users Evan better....

Went here with a friend for a look, possible Christmas shopping and a coffee. Well it took ages to get the coffee which was was average and the cakes ok but not outstanding, given that there were three people serving and it wasn’t busy it...

Brilliant value and a wonderful experience. The staff are friendly and responsive … well done Dobbies

Beautiful Place. Brilliant Presentation. But oh dear, so slow at the Cafe. Loads of people patiently waiting for their Break, although standard and cleanliness are pretty damn good.

Turkey rolls great. Afternoon tea lush and half price if most places. Shop very expensive only go for lunches

Went to Dobbies for a festive afternoon tea. Cakes were quite nice but mince pie just out a packet and we had to ask twice for our tea then get out of our seat to ask again. Seated by a nice lady but she never...

The garden centre has some nice stuff but a little pricier than others. The restaurant food was below par. Waited a long time for it to arrive Staff are attentive Had a soup and a sandwich. Soup was tomato and basil and inedible. It was...

Excellent store very good service staff very knowledgeable superb range of christmas decoration and helpful ideas for presents

We called into this cafe for coffee and a cake on our visit to the store, there as a big queue and only one young lady serving,, she was really busy taking orders and money making coffee changing the milk box in the machine which...

The staff and surroundings are pleasant but overall the “restaurant” (which they are keen to call it as there is confusingly an attached “cafe”) is disappointing. Food arrived quickly but drinks came when we’d almost finished our food. The waiter delivering the drinks was apologetic...

Decided to stop here and grab some lunch. Seemed to take ages to be taken to a table, even though there were loads free. Took over half an hour for the food to arrive and when it did…… Cumberland sausage, chips and veg. The sausage...

Waited to be seated a long time after few members of the staff avoided us with their eyes fixed on the floor. Ordered food quickly as we knew that the service is always slow. Waited 50 min for our meals. Food was below average. After...

Arrived at the restaurant at 11.35. A woman with a dog kept taking it in & out of the very, very large double auto doors, each time a huge blast of cold air swept right across the restaurant, so we moved to the back area...

Met up with family for a lunch. Tewkesbury works out half way between us and sadly we decided to go. A quiet restaurant on a Sunday should have warned us. My daughter ordered tomato and basil soup with a cheese sandwich. The sandwich had dried...

Not applicable, but a nice atmosphere with friendly staff (for the most part, although the tea/coffee staff are a bit slow)

I do not understand was a bad reviews , go there on normal day and find it better . Len is good with customers taking them there seats and see ok with them . the manger is with new staff on same day as they...

I have visited twice now for a coffee and both times disappointed by the experience. The coffee area could be lovely but tables are not cleared and the rack you can stack your used tray in is always full so people do not bother to...

Four of us (two adults and two children) visited for breakfast. None of our meals were hot, even the tea arrived lukewarm! The coffee was hot though and very nice. Nobody checked if all was ok and we did try to eat the food but...

Great position just off the M5 at the A46 junction .Plenty of parking and seating. Serves a much better and cheaper breakfast than the motorway service centres and yet is convenient to the motorway

This is an excellent destination. The first thing that struck me was how spacious it was. Mainly we came for lunch, but also did a bit of shopping. Lunch is good value with a varied menu, something for everyone. Would definitely come again and Sunday...

Staff pleasant but disorganised service so very slow and appeared chaotic. Quiche and lasagne both disappointing. Salad very sad and not too fresh

Really tasty breakfast and lovely staff but....... where were all the staff? Quite disappointing to see very little staff available and lots of hungry customers waiting to be served. So delays in being served and noticeable that tables needed clearing.

Called in the way back from Tewkesbury, the place is large with a large Waitrose food hall. Lots of plants but not much in the way of clothing. The cafe is very large with plenty of seating. The service was self service and we had...