OK Diner in Rutland

Avoid, didn't even make it through the door due to customer queue. Needed to use the facilities also so had to make a dash across to the service station and left. Apparently they operate a penalty charge scheme in the car park that is not clearly marked. Also reports that even if you do enter your registration into their login tablet you still get fined - I travelled with a disabled person and used one of the marked disabled bays displaying the appropriate badge and received £100 fine for 10min!!!

If you park in the parking area, without paying, when going to the diner you will get a fine of £60 levied by a company called Smart Parking. If you appeal the fine you will get no answer from Smart Parking (it transpired that Smart Parking does not even have a customer interaction capability). The matter is then referred by Smart Parking to Debt Recovery Plus who will threaten you with court proceedings. Despite the lack of any appeal procedure the fine is then increased to £170. This is clearly unjust. I suggest that we should all avoid this diner in the hope that they will review their arrangements with Smart Parking.

I stopped at tickencote for a toilet break on 8/10 and saw the diner whilst I was stopped there for precisely 11mins 11 secs. I liked the look so much that I stopped there the following week for a all day breakfast which was lovely. Great service all good!. I then got a £60 parking ticket for my first stop at the establishment the previous week. Now if i hadn't had stopped that first week I would not have seen the place and would not have decided to stop for lunch. I travel this route regulalry now so it was nice to find somewhere I could stop along the way for a bite to eat that isn;t a burger of kfc. Regreatably the parking fines will result in me not stopping at any of the OK Diner facilities in the area and I will be steering well clear of them in futre. More Welcome Breaks for me then!

Stopped by en route up north. Have often passed by and remarked on the name of this diner. Sadly, it lived up to its name. Its wasn’t great, or fabulous, just “ok”. I had fried eggs and bacon and sautéed potatoes, but the bacon was a really funny colour and looked very unappealing. Service was ok, we were reminded to enter our vehicle registration on entry so hope we don’t get a parking fine like many others have mentioned. Menu was extensive and the place was busy, but would not visit again.

This is fun scene with good food. Milk shakes are gorgeous. Endless coffee flow. Lovely staff

Dreadful food, dreadful service. AVOID. Three of us met up to have lunch on the way North on A1. Waited 15mins to be seated even though they weren't busy. Rude waitress took our order and we waited 40mins for food to arrive but it didn't. Chased-up our food order to be told it would take 15mins. When it arrived it was luke warm and 2 of us sent it back. Duty Manger not helpful or understanding. I'm not sure what's going on here, but I will never be coming back.

Food was subpar and the place was very unhygienic. Cutlery and cups should be more cleaner.

Excellent food hot and tasty. Great service and at a reasonable price 👍

Cheap eats and plenty of choice. Great quick service and a great atmosphere. Get the milkshakes!

Burgers are spot on and definitely the best on the A1. Service was quick & efficient, value for money as I stopped on a Wednesday (burger offer day) will definitely stop here again.

We go the long way home to Derbyshire from Santapod Raceway to be able to stop at the OK Diner near Stamford on the A1 northbound. Not the biggest of places but being a 50's American style diner it is just perfect. 50's American picture's, signs and neon's all add to the experience. The food is fantastic and the milkshakes are out of this world. The staff are always very friendly, helpful and professional at all times and go over and above to ensure you have the perfect visit. Definitely worth joining the OK diner rocks club for discounts. Been many times, never a bad experience yet and intend to visit as many more times as I can. I love it, you may not, but that's what makes us all different. Give it a try.

I always stop at this diner on the way home. Burgers are great

Always love a trip to the OK Diner. Great food great service great music 🤠

Happened to pull in for a break on a long journey and discovered this little gem for anyone loving an American diner experience. Great decor, very filling breakfast, friendly staff.

Nice people nice food great atmosphere However when I walked in to a diner on 52 street in new York and asked for a burger and chips i got burger and crisps the Americans have a different language back in 1967

Good experience if your on the A1 deffenetly pop in for a break in your jorney

There's not really enough room, but a couple of skating waitresses with beehives and ra-ra skirts wouldn't go amiss. Otherwise it's pretty much what you'd expect from a diner alongside the A1. Convenient and clean.

We've driven past these restaurants a couple of times and today we decided to give one a try. We had to wait for a while to be greeted and as my partner and my daughter were in a rush to use the restroom I told them to just go and I would wait in the queue. As soon as my partner started to walk towards the restroom, we were acknowledged by staff, as well as the family in front of us, and instead of greeting us, the waitress just shouted to stop filming as this was not allowed. This woman didn't even question my partner if she was filming or in a chat but because she was in a rush to take our daughter to the toilet she just put her phone in the pocket and carried on. I was seated straight away after that and while waiting, I contemplated the dinner. You could see cleanliness was not the strongest of the place but, not horrible at this point. The waitress took our order, not long after, food was served but nothing different from a takeaway, except the short white hair I found in chips and this funny smell on my sprite glass... 🤨 I'm not one to complain purely out if the fact I hate sending food back coz we never know... I've asked a chicken spice burger (not that spicy and could really see the spice relish...) a double BBQ burger and a chicken and chips from kids menu (kids portion of chicken was really tender and fresh) I've asked an afogato and a pancake for our daughter. Pancake was just amazing. Afogato, not so much... You could taste the dried ice. If I would go back? Definitely not, food was expensive for the quality but also due to the fact we were greeted in a way that we felt disrespectful. There was no sign to say we couldn't film and although we were actually getting a recording of the restaurant for our normal restaurant reviews in social media... We can't show the amazing pancake and how the food looked because we were just stopped at the door.

I made a mistake stopping here. I wanted a quick stop and a coffee but the car park was crowded, I had to wait for 20 minutes to be seated, 10 minutes to be served. The menu must make a significant contribution to the 65% of the UK population who are overweight or obese. Never again.

A cool place to eat and spend some time just nice place to eat

Great burgers and shakes. Super friendly staff

Parked for 10 minutes to go to the petrol station, no clear signs and we thought it was the same parking for the petrol station as it was a service in the main motorway and now we have received a very expensive parking ticket...thanks I suppose. Maybe update your sings and make it clear!

Stopped at tickencote for lunch, spent 15 minutes waiting to be seated while a number of staff walked by without even acknowledging me, left after 15 minutes then received a parking fine 2 weeks later for parking and not dining, £170 for receiving no service at all, disgusting

Warning warning warning !!!! Ensure your vehicle is booked in as you enter or you will be fined £100 from the big brother cameras that photo your arrival and departure from the ok diner car park. Great way to show their appreciation for your custom, not.

What a way to treat customers, I called in for a coffee while on the road and it cost me a lot more than I planned. £60 fine turned up in the post 2 weeks later, who is parking in your car park other people who want visit you, its a motorway service location. This act of leveraging money off customers is bad practice and will cost you customers/ business in the long run.

AVOID THIS PLACE!! Parking scam in operation- you will be fined £100 for parking here even if you put your reg number in and eat at the diner despite it being 'free for customers'.Tried appealing but got rejected.

Service was slow, I ordered a drink to balance out the fact that I had used the bathroom on my way home. 2 weeks later I have been sent a fine for £100 for having used the car park over 10 mins. I didn’t see any signs for parking so guess this happens on the regular but also how does it take over 10 mins to make a single overpriced milkshake Update: after proving I’d been here with bank statements the car park charge was not dropped and in fact almost doubles for going over 28 days… when we were assured they would pause the account until review Disgusting predatory charging at its finest!

We nearly always stop here if travelling north on the A1, which shows they are consistently good. Last visit was second breakfast on the way to Scotland. We had the usual friendly greeting and efficient service and they made sure we knew we had to enter our car reg. for free parking. The food was good, as always. My only complaint is it's not closer to home, otherwise we'd be more regular visitors.

We were regular visitors enjoying an all day breakfast which is in fairness a difficult meal to mess up. It was usually acceptable. However, they have passed their parking regulation on their car park to a company who make a living by handing out parking fines, for which I received one for £100 following our visit in August. My appeal was rejected despite providing proof of purchase at the establishment at that time, which they acknowledged but still laughably didn’t cancel the fine but offered me a discount for prompt payment. Never, ever again. Ever. And I urge people to avoid the place.

So my review is based on the unfriendliness we experienced resulting in a parking fine. We were travelling back from London with my elderly parents and pulled in here to use the facilities as they are both in there 80's and need frequent loo stops. We had already eaten and drank, so was just needing the loo's. We went into the dinner and asked if they could both use the loo,'svand were very unfriendly as we said we didn't need a table, just the loo. They told us we had to walk over to the garage station. We left the car where it was as it was a stones throw. Was never told by the staff that we would receive a fine if we left the car where it was. The garage was a stones throw away, my parents can't walk far. The fine we got of £60 or £100 if we don't pay within two weeks was issued to us (which is disgusting) and says that we entered the car park at 15:54pm and left at 16:07pm. 13 minutes and the carpark was practically empty. I don't think I've ever seen these American dinners thriving with customers and guess this might be why, and also how they manage to keep open making money from car park fines.

For using a service station on the motorway it’s a shame they charged me with a parking ticket. None of the staff members, mentioned we need to register our car details. This is the only thing in this car park. Anyway cost me extra fine. I would never recommend to use this one.

Well.. today me and my girlfriend decided to go for some lunch, thinking we’d have some nice food and a drink but it really wasn’t what we expected. When the drinks were bought over it appeared there was some unclean glasses so I decided to wipe it off with the napkin, and to my surprise it had grease and hair on it, this is highly unprofessional. And because of that it put me off the whole thing especially when my food arrived I saw my burger had two sesame seed buns 😂 but to top it all off there was a poorly sliced pickle placed on top which was cold and soggy.. To put it short everything was cold, service was good anyways.

Does the best milkshakes in the world, ever!

Extortion in Disguise – Avoid OK Diner in Tickencote at All Costs! I visited the OK Diner in Tickencote, and while the food and atmosphere were fine, my overall experience has left me absolutely furious. Here’s why: After parking outside their building—where large signs clearly state, “Parking for OK Diner customers only!”—I went inside, ordered my meal, and took it to-go as I needed to get back on the road. The shock came weeks later when I received a £100 parking fine for simply using their own parking lot! Before parking, I checked their Google Maps information page, which clearly states, “Free of charge, Street parking, Free parking lot, Plenty of parking.” Nowhere does it say you need to jump through hoops to avoid being slapped with an outrageous fine. When I called the diner to clarify, I was told that you need to register your car to avoid a fine. What a joke! Not once while ordering, paying, or receiving my food did anyone mention this. It seems like a sneaky, underhanded way to trap customers. To add insult to injury, I was told I could get the fine nullified if I had my receipt, but since I paid cash and didn’t keep a receipt from almost a month ago, I'm apparently out of luck. So, here I am, £100 poorer and incredibly frustrated. The food? Was OK. The atmosphere? Just OK. But the complete failure to inform customers about something as crucial as registering their car for parking is unforgivable. This isn’t just poor customer service—it feels like a deliberate scheme to take advantage of diners. I will NEVER return, and I suggest you avoid this place unless you enjoy unexpected fines and a total lack of communication. This diner is aptly named because everything about it, including their service and treatment of customers, is just "OK" at best—except for the hidden parking trap, which is disgraceful.

A wonderful place somewhat hidden off a motorway. Food, service and decor were nice. The burger patties are thick and juice, the chips fresh and crispy, and the shakes, oh my, so thick and plentiful. This is what you hope for when you step into a diner, and we’ve been to quite a few.

The service was excellent & we were looked after really well. Highly recommended & 100% superb staff. Same service & great food. No complaints. Get the ok diner discount card you save 15% off your bill. JUST DO IT! 😂

Don't appreciate being threatened by parking fines when I pull off to a service area for a rest.

Popped in with my wife and two grown children. First greeted by “we’re closed”. Next person came along and offered us a table. Food came. Nothing special, but we needed to eat. Each had a meal and a drink. Bill £63.00 What a ripoff. For a burger bar. Never again

Was so impressed with the food and staff. The service was excellent. The diner is a tad bit outdated and needs a tidy up. But highly reccomend

Nice place, very busy, just had a coffee

American style place. Food was costlier than its worth although the service was reasonable. Ordered some pancakes, juice and coffee. Only the coffee was upto the mark. Definitely would prefer some other place to spend same money to get something better quality wise. Vegetarian options are not very good as well.

If you need to fill up this is the place, reasonably priced and very friendly staff. It does get busy though

The poor quality sausages and soggy hash brown ruined what could have been an excellent breakfast.

Signs in the car park just say private for ok dinner only. No where to pay, no prices shown. I ate in the dinner with my mum on the way back from peterborough hospital to grantham. I have rang the dinner and they say no charge to park if you eat there which we did. I wasn't asked for my registration in the dinner. I have no receipt and my mum paid but can't find the bank statement. You can't fine someone for parking when you don't show there will be a fine. Very expensive place to eat when everyone gets a parking ticket

Haven’t been for years , service is excellent food is great and fast service even when busy.

Nothing special, just fried everything

Rare piece of Americana in England. American 50's stlye diner with great burgers and shakes. From the decor to the music, you'll feel back in time. Nice place to stop and enjoy right off the freeway while traveling through the country.

Disgusted by the daylight robbery related to the car park. We parked to go to the restaurant but decided to leave as there were no tables available. We were parked for less than 15 minutes. Enough to receive a PCN. I don't remember any signage, which obviously means it's poor signage, of course, so they can rob people. A lot of people even go in and still get a PCN, so avoid this place and let them make money just out of fines.

Avoid this scammers. 15 minutes parking as we were queuing but the place looks dodgy and decided to leave. Haven't paid for parking because we didn't know (which means there aren't enough signs). This is how they make their money, clearly.

This shouldn't be allowed. How do I have to pay a £ 60 fine to spend 10 minutes to grab a coffee? What business model is this?

Ridiculous parking system. No signs saying you have to pay, stopped for a few minutes to grab coffee and guess what? £ 60 fine for not paying for parking. In 2024. Avoid this scammers.

Went on a Saturday afternoon. Took ages to get seated, even though the place was about 20% full and I counted 7 staff working out front. Service was friendly but so slow, the menus were also pretty dirty. When the food arrived they'd got one of the orders wrong, I couldn't be bothered to point it out and then wait an age for a new order. The food was just ok so matched the name :-) certainly not massive american sized portions to fit an american diner theme though. The atmosphere is nice as were the staff so I hope they can get some help speeding up service as I dread to think how they cope when the place actually has a lot of customers.

Water was leaking to our chair and the table. Informed to one of staff but seems like they don’t care. Foods not good either. Had to wait 15 minutes just to make the payment and leave the place. Not recommending to anyone

Amazing food!! Random stops while we drive to bamburgh, but it's definitely worth stopping at. The food is fantastic and milkshakes are brilliant, You get 2 glasses from the one order as there is so much thanks for starting my holiday with a positive 😊

An excellent choice of pit stop. Food is always top draw.

We were like the OK diners and always make time for a stop when we are traveling to the south and back. Food is always good and love that they top up your coffee

Great food and nice taste of 50s nostalgia

Scammed with a £60 parking fine for stopping 10 minutes in the car park!!! No signage anywhere

Come here as often as I can I love the food, the diner and service is amazing, never have poor experience here

Not the best, terrible food. Service very slow

Great milkshakes!!! Just remember to validate your parking before leaving to avoid a fine.

Great quality ingredients and lots of it , best motorway service food we've ever ha

Recently discovered this place as we were travelling back up North, 2 very hungry travellers thoroughly enjoyed their food :) staff were friendly and made sure we had everything we needed, food was fresh and cooked perfectly.

Went here a couple days ago, and it has changed so much the food used to be amazing but this time round we was disappointed. The food was cold, the beans were cold they tasted like water. Pulled pork also cold, The lady serving the 2 of us didn’t get our orders right. Instead of spirals we had chips. Asked for no salad received salad, asked for no chilli received chili. Very quick to take our orders but not so quick when asking about the food and providing us with the bill. The plates were disgusting not clean at all the bottom of the plates had residue on, the cutlery was filthy. They promote selling 'free range eggs’ I as a chicken farmer they are 100% not free range. The portions are tiny but the prices are reasonable for a dine in place. Highly do not recommend and I would avoid at all costs.

Stop for tea and a snack on a 3 hour journey.Parking easy, suitable for anyone disabled too. Very efficient service. It was quite crowded but order taken quickly and delivered promptly. Menu looked inviting for a proper meal but we were booked elsewhere for later.

Just stopped off to feed the little ones, nice food and friendly staff.

Had cheeseburger and chip and milkshakes. The milkshake were awesome. The burgers on the other hand sorry to say worst I've every eaten. American it was not taste was bland and rubbery. £40 I hate to say it as always fancied it. Massive fail over cooked too thick too chewy. No flavour no nothing not an American dinner apart from thick shakes. Wasted my money very disappointing. Meal deal from spar would of been a far better option. I've eaten in most places amd well travelled this is bottom of a vast list...... never again.....

We found this on our way to our friend wedding it’s a amazing and cute wedding only had take away latte it was nice and the atmosphere was fab

Terrible place. Disgusting parking policy. Don’t recommend anyone eats here unless you want to leave with a bad feeling

Arrived an hour before closing to a packed restaurant, however the staff had us seated and took our order within ten minutes. Food was excellent, service was second to none. No pressure from staff as closing time approached. Excellent experience and well done to the staff who were obviously at the end of a very busy day.

Avoid! Service is horrible. Added to this there are no signs that you have to pay to park and no prewarnings from staff. Went in and out due to rubbish service, no customer care. Just under a month later get a pcn from smart parking. Disgusting. Save yourself the benefit and go somewhere else

I was shocked to know it's an American outlet and surprised with all they had to offer. I had oat porridge though it wasn't much, I enjoyed the fact that it was hot. I expected a medium-sized bowl of porridge . (I'm African)

The staff members are extremely rude, and had a stinking attitude towards my girlfriend and myself. So we left without dining. And later my girlfriend got a £100 fine for parking up and using the toilet after a long trip from London. We had plans to stay and dine. But after the way we were spoke to by the two female staff members, we left and refused to dine there. I'd advise anyone who is planning on dining there, DO NOT. I havint even gave them ANY rating, as they are not worth it.

Went for lunch last week after a long drive from London. Ordered a full English breakfast and Vanilla milkshake. Also ordered 2 classic burgers for my travel companions. Meal was delicious. Milkshake is heaven. Would recommend. A little reminder to give them your vehicle registration number so they can log you on site otherwise a nasty fine.

Was going to dine here but staff were awful, unwelcoming and very rude. Poor customer service from what should be a place of hospitality. Because of the staff I left upset and stressed without taking the needed break from my journey. Very poor indeed

Not sure I can qualify it as the ultimate American Diner. It has some vibes like the deco etc. I didn't want to spoil my American Diner experience so I didn't order anything but my family did and they ate it all up.

Service was way below par on this visit food came out scattered like 10 minutes apart. Coffee refills didn't exist cold drinks refills didn't happen. Had to request more cutlery. The food was good though but did forget the coleslaw. Waited 45 minutes almost after finishing food to wait for desserts. No one still didn't come over even though the plates were all stacked up ready to take away. Had to go up to kitchen and request the bill at that point enough was enough. Hopefully the staff on the floor on Sunday could have a refresher on training? It was very off putting as the service on the floor fell way below the quality of the food we recieved.

Not quite as unique as it once was, perhaps due for a scrub up and fresh approach.

Bloody brilliant. Stopped her instead of McDonald's for breakfast and so glad we did. Fast service, great people.

Will not come back again Shocking money stealing from ok diner and smart parking Not worth the hassle, and much better places on the A1

Had a £3.50 coffee here recently and just received a £60.00 parking ticket in the post today, as my vehicle hadn't been registered whilst using the cafe. This is an attempted corporate scam basically. I've appealed against this utter nonsense and sent them proof of a receipt that I was using the cafe. No staff told me I needed to register my vehicle first, and there were no signs either. How not to run a business in 2024.

Great American diner! Lots of choice on the menu for anytime of the day, amazing food, plus the best ice cream milkshakes ever. If you need refreshments on the A1 and fancy a 50s American Diner experience, skip the service stations and come here!

Comfort food when most needed. Staff did well managing busy period. Felt welcome and well served.

BE VERY CAREFUL - PLEASE READ. We stopped in here to get a meal and parked the car outside. We stood in a queue for 15 mins with no acknowledgment or the queue moving. We gave up and left. A few weeks later were sent a £60 ticket from some scam like parking company for not having paid to park there. Be aware - looking at the reviews we are not the first to be ripped off by this scam.

Sorry but very disappointed. The food was lukewarm and not very appertsing. The side salad was warm, so I left it. Service was ok but slow. I was so hungry initially, and both my son and I were not too pleased. We both ended up going home hungry. I'll visit the restaurant again in about a months time - I'll then write another review. In my opinion, more staff are needed!

Brilliant driven from Spain 🇪🇸 and the waitress was a breath of fresh air and the full English Breakfast was fantastic first class service and food spot on ,Thankyou

we were fined £60 for just stopping to see if there was room in the diner, which there wasn't. this is a brilliant business plan and i'm sure that other regulars like us will be flocking back for more

Easy going, good service from the waitresses & very enjoyable food too

Loved the American theam, nice place to stop.

Stopped here on the way back from a week away with the family. What a choice! I chose a hot BLT sandwich which was served with fries and coleslaw. It was very substantial and tasty too. This cost around £12.00. American themed diner with the usual decor and fifties jukebox music playing. My only disappointment was that Clarke Kent didn't walk in and start a fight!

I came in this place second time. Expecting again be tranfer to olden american days... But it disapoint me alot. Glasses was dirty in my fanta was swimming black, brown things as well. Food look nice but not flavour... I will never come back there again..

Loved this dine, great food, friendly staff Fresh coffee. The diner was clean so was the toilets. Will differently be eating there again.

Picked up take away on way home as ha nothing in house. Much faster and tastier than expected. Would go back

Beware of the parking charge scam. Pulled in to the car park then changed our mind and left. Got a penalty charge notice for £100 for not paying for parking. What a racket.

An amazing experience. The food was excellent and the service was great too (though I can't remember our waitress' name). Well worth a visit

If I could give this minus 5 stars I would. So artificial and why smother everything in salt and sauce. Left without finishing and went for proper food elsewhere.

Disgustingly rude member of staff, will not be returning.

I attended the OK diner on Sunday the 28th of July, at approx 1:30pm, the weather was warm and sunny. We asked for a table of 7, and was told to wait to be seated. Just before being seated I was asked if I had any other clothing to wear because my top was inappropriate and a bikini top, my top was merely a vest top which was slightly cropped, due to it being about 24 degrees outside. I had full length jeans on and flip flops as well. The confrontation took place in front of several other customers and members of staff which is not only highly embarrassing but also unprofessional. The discussion could have taken place to one side and in a respectful manner, even though I find it highly confusing as to why this discussion needed to take place in the first place. Highly disappointed at this behaviour and will not be visiting again.

Let’s start with the good, milkshakes were great and we got 2 free refills put on our table. The hot chocolate was good too. Friendly staff and seated quickly. That was probably the best part. The bad part, one of the waiters had been plastered in deep heat. Yes deep heat. It was overwhelming and gave me and my friend a headache. The food is average, especially at £15 for a “ mixed grill “ but I guess it’s the American diner experience. Also no blinds on the windows and the sun was bright and hot beaming through them.

Really bad customer service.....told to wait at the door...no one told us why or for how long...stopped 2 waitresses who said be with you soon...20 minutes waiting by the door when there were tables we could be sitting at viewing the menu ....