Marks And Spencer in Medway

Coffee is disgusting as now made from push button machine. Atmosphere terrible as crammed in more tables at comforts expense. Food ok but pricey.

I previously left a poor review of this cafe due to its glacial speed of service, however since its had its refurb to ordering screens and table trackers, i am delighted to say everytime ive been since the service has been super quick and excellent - is now a firm fave when we're in hempstead!

The cafe was filthy . Barely any of the tables had been cleared. Service was slow. No saucers any more. Felt like it was a 3rd rate transport cafe. Only 3 of the 6 ladies toilets were working . Very poor and disappointing experience.

Awful cafe. Paper plates and cups. There was absolutely no selection on the menu as everything had run out. It does not compare in anyway to other M&S cafes i have been. This is the worst

For the last 2 weeks this so called flag ship restaurant has had numerous problems. Last week the dish washer broke so paper cups and most things off the menu. Went back yesterday looking forward to brunch and latte. This time no milk could be heated and 70 % of menu unavailable. Just been back this morning for latte. Huge queue at payment/order machines and nothing again. They must be losing a fortune . Not good enough Marks. Also tables not cleared and sticky and dirty. I never write bad reviews but this needed one. Get your act together managers!!!!!

All the tables were dirty, staff reluctant to clean one so we could sit down, run out of milk alternative and many food choices - grimy, messy, slovenly and very poor.

we have been going to Marks and Spencer’s for quite a few years for a light lunch, but since the re-vamp it is not now an enjoyable place to eat. For instance, my partner ordered a salmon and egg roll, and it arrived in a box!! For the cost was just not worth buying. Also the table was dirty, my chair had a puddle of tea on it!! had to swap that over. What has it come to now, not even the nicety of a saucer. So now go to Tesco cafe, better quality of food, and the chunky chips are superb, much better value. Sorry M.S Two more customers defected. Vee and H.

Hempstead Valley has faired well over the years and is still a pleasant place to do the weekly shop and get a light lunch. There are a number of optiosn for lunch, but M & S is now off the list until they make some serious changes. It was never good as the queue was always long (not now though!) and the cakes tempting (now you cant even see them!) although the service was always slow and so obviously disorganised. Now we cant see the food, the coffee comes out of a machine (mine was bitter and i only drank half of it) and worst of all you have to pay by machine, you can use cash!! What on earth made you decide to go down that route? its not a kiddies fast food outlet, and many of your customers do not even have a phone and certainly will not know how to use a screen to order. I had to file a complaint directly with head office last year about the slow service etc, and if you think this is what was needed you had better think again. This last visit had no queue and only around 25% of the normal customer count. I look forward to returning in a few months to see those screens removed and the customer proven right! Stay away until they go back to proper customer service and cash accpetance.

Revamp is awful, not the actual seating etc which hasn't actually changed much but it now resembles a motorway services with touch screens on wall to place your order instead of a counter service and ordering from an actual person. You can't pay by cash either which is outrageous. I've always had a flat white before revamp but now, yuk, weaker and never hot enough. I've been twice now and coffee the same both times. Such a shame they've ruined it and lost a lot of their regulars. There are plenty of other coffee shops at Hempstead Valley and we now use Jamaica Blue for the much nicer coffee and being served by an actual live person. Please change it back M&S, everyone makes mistakes!

The revamp to the restaurant has done no favours to the store my wife and I was regular visitors at least 4 times a week but after today's experience I'm afraid to say they have lost our custom. It's ok if you are a robot. No interaction with the staff as before no food to look at and choose coffee comes from a machine not made as before by staff. Very disappointed we never stayed we went straight to Costa for a person made coffee. Seems a lot of customers feel the same way as we see some regulars in Costa who were regularly in m&s. What you playing at m&s.

First visit day after the revamp. Not an improvement unfortunately. Much the same inside really, just less space as they seem to have crammed in loads more tables, many just inches apart. Bit like a canteen now. Table we sat at was dirty, grubby, needed a good clean, food on floor too. We moved tables. Not nice. You have to order via computer screens in entrance now, no counter service, and NO CASH, card only, can’t even use a gift card to pay. Very impersonal, like a fast food takeaway restaurant. Got half way through placing our order before I found out Cheese Scones out of stock. Only thing I wanted. The new layout with no food on display is such a shame, you can’t see the food now, nothing to be tempted with, used to be a nice treat experience with all the sandwiches and lovely cakes on display to choose from. Now it’s like a fast food restaurant where you need to know exactly what you want and navigate to it, just not the treat it was, no interaction, no nice experience, purely functional. Found the stand with teaspoons, sugar, napkins and water across other side of restaurant, but no knives or forks for cake. The staff bring your order to your table and take the tray away so nowhere to put wet teaspoon etc, and napkins have to lay on the grubby table which is not hygienic. Ordered a packaged flapjack but given no plate, not sure if you’d get a plate if you buy a sandwich. There’s only one tiny, tiny positive, absence of the sometimes longish queue, always thought it was so unnecessary anyway, and could have been resolved easily with one doing drinks and one or two serving. Always looked chaotic behind the counter! Overall very disappointed. Was a regular here, but not in a rush to go there anymore. I think they will have alienated a vast section of their regular customers simply by being cashless, don’t know what they were thinking about, and others who loved the treat experience of choosing a lovely slice of cake or selecting from the yummy looking sandwiches, or interaction with staff (and there is none now), but won’t love the fast food lookalike restaurant. Like me. Even fast food places you have a choice of screens or counter, cash or card.

Appalling customer service for people with allergies. Told we are no longer able to eat there as their new cashless touch screen system does not facilitate options for people with allergies. The person we spoke to could not care any less about customer care and was more interested in chatting to colleagues than providing a basic level of care. Shockingly poor and will never use their facilities again.

This cafe definitely needs a re-think and re-design!! On arrival a 20 minute queue just to order food and drinks!! No surprise there with only two disgruntled staff serving, they also have to make all the hot drinks as the orders are taken, why there is not a designated coffee/drinks maker to alleviate the unnecessary massive queue is beyond me!! Also the service hatch being right beside the queue so badly designed, whilst you are waiting in the long and winding queue the overrun food delivery staff are playing dodge with the queue. On receiving my hot food almost as soon as i sit down has my receipts plonked straight into the food. Yuk!! I would say the staff are miserable however; that is not their fault due to the lack of staffing!! I would feel miserable working there too!!

It appears that m&s pride themselves on having some of the slowest speeds of service ever witnessed in a cafe or indeed their shops. There is no sense of urgency to get things done, the staff move at a glacial pace. I sympathise with the staffing situation many stores find themselves in at the current time, i myself also work in a cafe. But gosh, would it be too much to ask that they speed up a little, or at least look like they're trying to tackle a queue?! That said, as it is an affliction affecting multiple stores, i suggest it is actually poor deployment. On a busy saturday lunchtime, i really dont think only having 2 people behind the counter serving, getting food and making drinks, while there are 3-4 people clearing dining area, is appropriate. They are fighting a losing battle! Perhaps better training and distribution of staff would help. However if you can cope with the queue and wait times, the food and drink is delicious as you would expect from m&s.

Trays on entrance were dirty with old food, salt wrappers etc. I went through about 15 trays and found an okay looking tray, which was so greasy it left my finger smears visible… I gave a tray a miss. Food and drink ordered - No issues with this at all. Prices and portions as would expect, food good. Seating area is dirty. Tables have ingrained dirt, walls/partition has dirty smear marks over it. Table base stands again very dirty. Cleaning staff witnessed to use the same bit of blue roll to clean 20+ trays without cleaning product - May explain above tray observation! Cleaning staff focused on chatting to one another and moaning about the workplace as opposed to clearing and adequately cleaning the seating area. Disappointing visit and simply unhygienic.

Very noisy and lots of tables left uncleared. Surprised at the lack of staffing on the visit. Prices are in line with most coffee places.

Starting at the beginning, the lift to the cafe level was installed less than 12 months ago. However the handrails are loose and the lift car creaks and groans rather alarmingly for people who have no alternative. This is disconcerting as we bore in mind...

There was a long wait in the queue and the overworked cashier told us that it is always the same. Zero ambience - not particularly comfortable chairs and tables, and very noisy. When we finally got the food, it was fine, but I would not...

Wanted the scrambled eggs and bacon but we were too late for breakfast so had mushroom and spinach Frittatas instead and they were delicious. All you need for lunch, followed by their wonderful lattes. A bit noisy at lunchtime but quite popular. Large store for...

Hi Had a toasted sandwich bit the underneath was still white no hint of colour. Disappointed it was hot but I like it a little crispier. Then you have to ask for free biscuit with coffee now. Surely you should ask customer if they won't...

Can be very good, can be average. Coffee okay as is the food. Always busy andc an run out of things quickly limiting choice

spacious restaurant, lots of seating areas, staff friendly, good choice, had special table of cake, proceeds went to macmillan cancer,good choice of drinks, had tea & cake, nice relaxed atmosphere, good view of shopping mall, highly recommend for break from shopping

It's taken some months to revamp M&S in Hempstead Valley and though some elements have improved the food section is a big disappointment. Not sure who designed it. There has been little or no attempt to reinvent other than install self service tills. Hard to...

wow Cream tea is excellent Cheaper than getting a pack of sanwiches cakes tea etc for 2 comes on a stand choice of 3 sandwiches each plain or fruit scone with jam and cream some dainty cakes only problem the wait in the q

Have visited here often when shopping at Hempstea Valley. The choices are good and the quality is also as to be expected in an M&S store.

Surprised only two staff for the very busy coffee shop. As a result, coffee wasn't good. Usually, coffee there is excellent and plenty of staff. One was clearly harassed. I noticed the air conditioning units were filthy and there are older customers. Otherwise the staff...