M&S Cafe in Basingstoke and Deane

I don't mind the self service, but the options were so limited. I'm gluten free and I basically couldn't get anything that wasn't available in the food court, and it was a significant mark up in price. Spent £20 for 2 sandwiches and a coffee! The high chairs were dirty, even though they'd been stacked. Not up to usual M&S standard.

The staff were friendly but yuk, it's all automated like McDonald's as others have said. First M&S cafe I've seen that has done this. Seriously, M&S think their typical customer wants this? No, they want a friendly smile and good service as is normally the case in other branches.

Ordered 2 hot drinks and a scon, nothing arrived after 30mins so we asked about it. We were told no idea how long it will be as they were backlogged. Waited 45mins before getting a refund. Apparently one of the hot chocolate syrups had run out but instead of letting us k ow they just didn't serve us.

Only wanted a coffee,asked the waitress how long they had the new system of ordering,a year she said. The queue was building behind me,Sorry,order complete,sat and waited. Another customer took her jacket potato back,it was cold,the counter staff just took it back,no comment,no sorry,not interested in customer service at all.The lady gathering plates on a trolley wore a hair net,very sensible,but the staff handling food,didn’t,surely this should be the other way round?

Perfectly ok food and drink but ruined by a bizarre requirement to use their overcomplicated food ordering machines instead of just telling someone what you want.

First and last time we will be using this cafe. Uninspiring and soulless. Also noisy and dirty. Takes forever to order on the ridiculous electronic menu and order panel. Would be great to have a paper menu to browse. Food took 20 minutes to arrive, dried up looking fish in batter and a tepid jacket potato with a salad. Unsure why the salad had a sickly sweet dressing on it. Zero human interaction, the serving person didn't even make eye contact when she dumped our try of food at our table.

I really don't know why they can't get the basics right. £6.30 for limp 'toast' and cold coffee. I really won't be returning!

Fancied a cuppa and a pastry after some heavy duty retail therapy on a Sunday lunchtime. Navigated through the various menu options on the new self-service electronic menus, whereupon you then take a bleeping mini flying saucer to your chosen table which alerts the waitress when the order is ready. However, on selecting a "biscuit" tea for a change it came up with "out of stock". Fair enough, we picked an ordinary tea, "out of stock" was again displayed. We went to the counter and the lady confirmed they had no tea! Couldn't someone have gone downstairs and "borrowed" some from the shop floor? Very poor planning for a newly refurbished cafe situated in a store which sells tea to run out during a high footfall shopping period. We went home and made our own and thus saved a few quid. I hope someone is held to account for this failure

Really disappointed with the new look café, disability unfriendly for those who have hidden disabilities and no longer up to M&S standards. At least McDonalds have kept the option of a manned till to cater for all needs. I have aphasia following a stroke a few years ago whilst in my 40's and struggle with the digital menu. Using the accessibility button made it worse as it was smaller and the screen was lowered to the height for a wheelchair user, surely M&S staff are trained in all areas of disability! Staff appeared to be no longer interested in customers. Once seated I then had to go back to the counter to collect my drink, leaving my shopping unattended at the table. Come on M&S you're better than this.

I go to M&S cafe for the general family friendly vibe. Typically I’ve gone in the past with my mum and more recently with my little one for a pit stop sandwich. Due to work I will often pay with a gift card which is very relevant . Returned after the revamp to find the 3 McDonald’s machines which left me stumped - I asked if I’d be able to use a gift card and I was told I’d have to order through the machine, they’d have to scan a discount card to void it off, then we’d need to go over to the actual till and put it all through again. Very strange, took ages, and still true as I have done this again since and was still as chaotic . Whilst there 3 more elderly women had to leave - 2 because they only carried cash and it was card only and 1 was willing to complain. The 3rd just didn’t understand the system. In terms of the choice all there was to choose from in July was basically toasties and coffee - thankfully I bought something for my LO. When I went in recently the menu looked expanded but I can’t see this helping older users . Personally I’d send them somewhere like morissons café that is still vaguely family friendly

Saddened to visit the cafe today to find the installation of self service terminals (one of which was inoperable). Many old people frequent the cafe and also rely on cash and you have made their visits harder by automating the ordering and payment process (and not accepting cash). Whilst I was in a long queue to order, I witnessed many older people requiring help to work the terminals and someone who was wheelchair bound who couldn’t reach the terminals. Whilst a member of staff is available to assist, it slows the whole queue down and defeats the object. I feel you have alienated a lot of customers with this move and that it doesn’t sit with M&S’s homely and reliable brand. I saw some people waiting in the queue for so long, only to give up and subsequently saw them sat in patisserie Valerie as I walked past. I will opt for another cafe next time I visit the town centre.

Visited for the first time after its “revamp.” Selection of sandwiches, cakes etc no longer on display for customer’s to choose as displays now replaced by touch screens for ordering. Harassed mums trying to navigate them to find what their children would like and elderly groups of friends totally bemused. No customer service, interaction and smaller seating area. Seems like M&S have lost all semblance of customer service. I walked out, as did four potential customers in front of me. Plenty of other coffee shops to choose from and I suspect that with this “innovation” M&S is hoping to close its cafes in favour of more retail floor space. Won’t be returning.

Always visited M&S cafe in Basingstoke on our weekly visit to Basingstoke but will never go again. They have introduced a complex ordering system similar to McDonalds, except in McDonalds you can still order from the counter. What has happened to the service supplied by M&S. They obviously no longer care for the more older customer, sadly younger people still regard M&S as not with it. Wake up M&S before you loose all your customers.

I was very disappointed with my visit to the cafe in the M&S Basingstoke town centre branch. I am wheelchair bound and found the new ordering system difficult to use. The print was too small, the display too high and it was impossible for me to collect my order. I used to enjoy visiting the cafe but won’t be going again.

Poor selection of food. Staff do their best. Ok for coffee and cake, but choice of two different sandwiches was a little limiting. Coffee on a par with other M&S cafes. I wanted the speciality one, but signing implied all was speciality. It wasn’t!

Ordered scrambled eggs with salmon for breakfast today - have seen the picture of it on the menu and it has looked really yummy. But when the food arrived - what a joke! Dry and powdery yellowish something - probably their kind of eggs. Blah, disgusting and the only thing eatable was the smoked salmon. Never ever!!

We are regular users of M & S cafes. Today we visited Basingstoke and decided to have lunch in the M & S cafe there. What a mistake! To start off with there were no trays. I asked a waitress for one and was told that they were all in the dishwasher. I struggled along to the counter with my cold drinks, sandwiches for toasting and spiced buns. Eventually I was handed a tray. The person behind the counter took payment for my lunch and immediately started taking her apron off and left without completing my transaction. I had to ask somebody else to give me my receipt and food number. I realised that I hadn't been given any glasses for our drinks so went to find an assistant. I was told that I would have to join the queue again as the glasses were kept under the counter. I decided to make do with straws. I sat with my partner and waited for our food. When it came we didn't have any cutlery. At the next table there was lady struggling to eat her toasted sandwich with a fork and spoon which I thought was a little strange. As I went to find some knives for us, the assistant I had asked about glasses suddenly appeared with two glasses in her hand. I declined the offer of the glasses and continued my mission to find cutlery. When I found the cutlery trays there were no knives. I found an assistant and asked for some only to be told that they were all in the dishwasher! Not wanting our food to get cold we decided to pick our toasted sandwiches up to eat them. Unfortunately we found the customer service sadly lacking and certainly not up to the standard we have come to expect from M & S. We will not be using this particular cafe again.

Quiet stark and cold surroundings I felt . Very small portion of chilli on my small serving of jacket potato :( Staff nice prices ok

Cucumber, Avocado and Lime ... what an odd combination. Nevertheless I decided to give it a go. I don't think I'll make the same mistake twice. The cucumber just didn't work for me, and overpowered the other flavours slightly. Also bits at the bottom where it hadn't been blended properly. The drinks are generally fairly priced but some of the cakes are a bit expensive. Introducing a sizing system for the drinks could further improve things. There was no pastries today and a limited supply of cake. Nice enough atmosphere but toilets inadequate and staff are not quick to clear clutter from tables in all cases, chairs should also be wiped down between uses to prevent crumbs. It's about time the window stickers are renewed as they haven't been maintained. The staff are very friendly, well-trained and happy to help but I wasn't thanked on my way out. The sparks card is well-promoted and acts as a loyalty scheme. I will return, but I'll order a different drink next time!

Lovely menu helpful staff . I ordered a wrap and after finding out after it was cooked it had sweet corn in it that wasent listed in the ingredients they swapped it with no problem for a different wrap . Great spot for people watching over festival place

The watermelon and papaya smoothie I had was fairly good, the chocolate twist was also nice. I initially wanted the Cucumber and Avocado one, but they had ran out. Additionally, there was no hot food due to a technical fault, seems commonplace by some of the other reviews here. There were very few cakes left. Effectively, all they had was hot drinks, two smoothies, pastries, and pre-packaged sandwiches on offer. Quite poor.The woman behind the counter was quite friendly and the drink was brought to the table. The place provided good value, due to the sparks card being well promoted and originally low prices.The atmosphere was modern but depressing to sit in ... I was the only customer and all I could hear was the staff members from behind the counter talking to each other about how they don't like working in retail. No background music or anything of the sort. While plates were cleared quickly by staff members the tables were not wiped leading to many having crumbs and there was also some crumbs on the floor. The cafe had an untidy feel due to the amount of untucked chairs. The toilets were a bit grotty ... why are there 4 ladies toilets but only 1 mens toilet?I wasn't thanked on the way out.Would I return: well I did get a lot of work done, scene as it was so quiet. But there is a lot of competition in the area, so possibly not.

Went to have lunch with my daughter today. Looked in the cafe which had been refurbished since we were last there, there was a huge notice board outside cafe with lots of lovely food listed. I queued to be served but the man 'roy' who served me honestly appeared to be trying not to sell anything. The first 5 things I ordered he replied with 'no, you can't have that', they were out of stock it appeared of most things. I asked if there were any salads left. 'No' he said again, 'only pasta'.... Mmm not great for a diabetic trying to avoid carbs. Very unhelpful and not very 'marks and Spencer's' if you know what I mean? I then gave him my charge card and guess what he said, 'no you can't use that'. Thankful we (and the growing queue) were rescued by someone else, but Roy really needs to learn some customer service skills.

I visited earlier today (20th March) looking for macarons.I originally went up to the Cafe and could not find any and so went down to the food hall looking. I couldn't find any and so I asked a staff member called Victoria who was stacking shelves. I said 'Do you sell Macarons' and she said 'Do you mean Macaroons?' I found this quite rude and unnecessary, as she knew what I meant and they are actually both correct pronunciations if you google it. Beyond this, she was helpful and had good knowledge of what the store sells and where.The only Macarons that they sold were refrigerated and they did not sell any that were ambient, they also didn't sell any that were baked in store which was really disappointing. They only came in a packet of 12, which wasn't ideal for me because I only wanted to try a couple. For £6, I think that they were quite expensive. This is a price trend throughout the store.They have a 5/5 hygiene rating and the supermarket seemed quite clean. The selection is generally satisfactory however they only stock M&S and not branded items which would be cheaper. Towards the end of the day, the bakery becomes poorly stocked. I only brought a pack of midget gems in the end, and used the self-scanner which worked fine - the quality of the prepackaged items is good.Overall, I would expect better for the price that they charge. The selection and politeness of staff requires improvement.

Good for a coffee stop or bite to eat at lunchtime, but their counter service is very slow. Snacks only.

The food section of the store is great, a tiny bit overpriced but considering it's M and S it's not so bad. The store was generally very clean and well located. I was particularly impressed with the bakery section, be sure to go later in the day, as everything with a 1 day best before date is considerably reduced. The bread rolls that I brought were 20p for two and tasted great. 5/5 hygiene rating is great. The woman on the till was very friendly with a minimal wait. While I did not visit the cafe, it looked modern and clean.Overall, I would highly recommend the store section. To secure further improvement, you should try to further reduce the price of general products and ensure that the Percy pigs at the front of the store are labeled with a price.

Yes the place has been refitted but it still lacks atmosphere and there always seems to be a queue (which I guess could be con trued as a sign of popularity!) but for me it's a put-off. I noticed that quite a few people buy their sandwiches downstairs in the food hall and eat them in the restaurant which saves them a fair bit of cash. One can't complain about the coffee or the food as it's what you'd expect from M&S, good quality but I now prefer the restaurant at the new Waitrose.

Very polite staff and reasonable prices, good quality too. A very varieable choices to choose from both hot and cold meals, sandwiches and cakes, also full range of drinks.

The drinks and food are good but the newly designed layout is cold and unfriendly as the café is long and thin. All it needs is a display of the bus times to complete its naff new look.

very poor service long wait to be served when food came it was very poor quality won't make the same mistake twice

We made a return visit to this Café which is constantly beset by problems, our visit on Friday afternoon once again highlighted returning issues were plaguing this operation. Paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery were being offered as the Dishwasher had failed. The plates were of the cheapest quality, put a slice a cake on and you had to ensure to fully supported the entire area of the plate to prevent the cake ending up on the floor. Now at a stretch this might have been acceptable to some people if the breakdown was recent, however this situation had been ongoing since Monday a full five days. As this Dishwasher has been suffering constant failures, it might be reasonable to expect M&S to replace it, thus avoiding customer disappointment and the continuing loss of trade, as many people ourselves included opted to spend our money elsewhere. This Café usually does good trade despite the fixtures and furnishings remaining in desperate need of renewal and repairs, time for the Commercial Manager Foods to step down, as incidents such as this, clearly indicate they are not up to the task of running such an operation. Likewise the Section Manager for this Café has clearly demonstrated their inability to manager this operation and constantly like her CM Foods actively avoid customers who wish to voice their concerns over the running of this Café. Spend the money M&S on equipment and not gimmicks or expensive advertising or close the operation down.

Firstly the furnishing and fittings are in need of refurbishment as plastic tape is holding in place parts of the seating trims and sealing tares in the seating. Having visited many times there always appears to be problems ranging from insufficient staff to clear tables and load the dishwasher, plastic cutlery was offered to use on a toasted sandwich. Refrigeration breakdown was the most recent problem, so no sandwiches or toasties could be displayed, were there any available? No notice put up to explain the situation. Long queues are commonplace as the Café layout does lend itself to speedy service. Management response noted as being disinterested in customers suffering problems in the Café, it took several attempts to get the operation help recently when there was serious staff shortages at peak lunchtime period, with tables full of dirty crockery and discarded food.