Welcome Break Keele in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Thank you Ruby for helping with downloading the Starbucks app, made me feel welcome. The best experience Starbucks experience I’ve had.

Terrible breakfast. Poor quality ingredients badly cooked and definitely the worst value I have ever had. Appalling.

Without doubt one of the worst breakfast rolls. The roll was stale and inedible. The bacon was undercooked and the sausages were flavourless. Avoid the food if at possible. A positive note was the happy attitude of the staff, however I suspect this was down to them not being able to eat the food they serve. Lucky people.

Porridge was 2/3 of a small mug sized pot for £2.99, with small serving of honey. I complained asking for a full pot but was told they only fill it that much so that there is space when the honey is added. As there was less than a spoonful of honey, this was disingenuous to say the least. All in all, a total rip off.

All hot food was closed at 10pm, only whsmith was open where there was no heating, we almost froze from the cold. I feel sorry for those employees who work there at night, it was in my car that day - 8C. It is not right to let people work terribly in such a cold 😢

We stopped here for a breakfast barm, we ordered two egg, bacon,sausage barms at £5.99 each the barms were not at all fresh & you cud smell them they were stale i had a word with the staff she agreed with me but said they were fresh in that morning but she wud complain about them we were offered no refund which i think we shud have got we often travel that way but we won't buy there again.

Northbound.... The services that time and heating forgot. Windows were broken open... Everywhere needed a good clean and it appeared unloved. However the staff were lovely - shame about the place.

Arrived at this establishment on a Thursday evening on my back from the airport and have to say I was appalled, The car park had an awful layout and was very difficult to see at night. I asked for my coffee to have sugar in it and was shocked to discover there was none in my cup. As I sipped the coffee my mood went right down. I complained to the staff and they were unhelpful and told me 'I would have to buy another one to get some sugar.' which is unacceptable and I'm not paying 4 pounds for some sugar! After that, I popped to the toilet to discover screwed and torn up of what I presume were pieces of wet toilet roll stuck to the ceiling this is very unhygienic and disgusting. After that, I made my way back to the car and there was major traffic as I left! I was late for my appointment at the GP so was very annoyed and upset!

Once you are safe in the building its ok, could be sexier but most services have their limitations. The problem is in the car park where each time I have visited these services I have a near-death experience navigating from the car to the front door of the services. The way round the carpark is not clearly marked, cars coming from all directions and reversing out of their spots. Additionally if you need to use the services first and buy petrol after you have to go the wrong way out of the car park as the exit then by-passes the petrol station. Crossing a stream of traffic by going out of the entrance (one way) was nail biting. I could not see any other way of getting to the petrol and I was down to 50 miles in the tank.

Everything and everywhere is scruffy chewing gum on the edge of the tables the entrance is filthy the toilets are dirty the subway is scruffy it all needs a good wash

To start off with, on the first visit up towards the Lakes, they had a faulty fire alarm. I’ll just say Northbound and Southbound I don’t think were talking. Southbound at the time didn’t know about the other. [been in contact with site managment already and are trying to get things sorted. On a major note, there is no wheelchair access to the bridge, apparently there’s no space for a lift. I will admit I think there is in the middle of the stair square. No other accessibility issues. All staff very friendly.

decided to try "the good breakfast" it was not good at all! sausage & bacon bap - dry slightly stale bap, no butter on it, luke warm bacon & sausage. weak coffee. never again, I'll hold on for a mcdonalds!

Easy parking and lots of different outlets to choose from, it served its purpose, quick drink and on my way.

toilets revolting staff uninterested in the services or customers queues everywhere but slow staff i would only come back if i had to

Awful place. Touch screens never work at KFC or Burger King. Stand waiting to be served & had to shout to attract staff.

Central area very small and busy. Toilets tucked away in the corner with lots of people stood outside waiting for others to come out. Shop areas in Smiths and Waitrose very tight and congested. Starbucks watered down coffee

Having stopped at a number of services during Covid pandemic, this is by far the worst. Whoever designed this building and carpark needs a new job as it's awful. The walkways are small and force you to be close to others and walk through whole place to get to the toilet which is off food outlets so not very hygienic. Absolutely no effort to help social distancing or one way systems. Terrible place.

Family trip up North decided to stop off for a break and bit of lunch. The carpark was dire ; the marking and directions were unclear. The petrol and diesel was extortionate ! Hand sanitiser and COVID marking on the floor at the entrance of the service station. The toilets were ok. Headed upstairs for some food - there was one staff cleaning the tables, emptying the bins etc … I kindly asked if I could use the disinfectant spray and wipes to clear and clean a table - he kindly offer to do it for me despite having lots of do. However there was NO hand sanitiser stations upstairs, NO extra disinfectant or wipes to clean the table if you didn’t mind doing it yourself. Not much social distancing in place. The place felt grubby requires a good decent clean and more staff to keep on top of it all especially in COVID times.

We visited this place for a quick lunch-in-the-car break on our way to Lake District from London. The place was clean and there were clear markings for entry and exit all over to enable Covid-safe navigation. It was busy, as people were out, like us, in hordes for the long weekend break. I straightaway made a beeline for the Subway kiosk. Though the queue was managed very well, when it was time to order, I realised there was a newbie making the sandwiches. He made sure to literally put no more than 2-3 slices of each veggie in my sandwich, it almost seemed like he was counting out the slices! Considering that I only had veggies in my sandwich, needless to say, I was not satisfied with my sandwich. :(

stopped off last night for a quick break whilst travelling between wales and Cumbria. Thought I’d timed it just in time I.e at 9:50 - before everything shuts down but when I asked for a mocha in Starbucks I was told no because they’d already turned off the machine for cleaning as they were closing in ten minutes. It’s bad enough that everything closes at ten but at least provide service until closing.

One of the worst services I've ever been to. Car park so badly laid out and the inside felt very grubby. Only give two stars because the staff we came into contact with were friendly. One to avoid and will never stop there again.

We visited on a November evening. The main memory of the experience was the chaos encountered in parking. We found lorries parked up in the areas designated for cars and vehicles parked generally haphazardly in the car park. The white lines designating parking bays had faded so bad as to be indecipherable and so parking and leaving your car turned out to be a very stressful experience. The facilities inside were as expected apart from the rather odd location of the toilets, which required some tenacity to locate. Returning to the car there were no visible indication of the exit points and drivers were left to guess how to move off and back onto the motorway. There are real health and safety issues here with clearly inadequate management. Unless desperate, it's probably best to avoid these northbound services and go onto the next.

We stopped on the M6 at Keele Services Northbound side as I was desperate for the bathroom .... normally the conveniences are quite close to the entrance of many services but be aware that Keele’s are a massive walk from the front door..... as a disabled person I found the walk extremely difficult, made worse by the fact I was desperate for the toilet .... also the disabled toilet is in the entrance way to the gents toilets which isn’t ideal .... just not a good experience at all and won’t be back

Facilities inside as expected but car park & road markings a shambles. Cars parked three deep trapping unwary motorists.

Travelling home from meetings, I had been held up in traffic jams and was running low on fuel. I never buy fuel at motorway services because of the extortionate cost but on this occasion I had no choice (£1.53 per litre). I hadn’t eaten, so pulled into the services, used the ladies, shopped in Waitrose and then went up to KFC for a mediocre meal. I then made a few phone calls and checked my emails before leaving. Fuel £35, food for one £7.50 a Waitrose shop of £18 (all heavily overpriced) .... then today, one week later, a £100 fine for staying ten minutes over two hours (reduced to £60 if I pay within two weeks). Last time I will ever use any service station under this brand. Why are they called services if you are penalised for using them?

Stopped for a break on a wet night & hoped to get a vegetarian snack and was pleasantly surprised to find that Subway does a vegan Sub. It was huge & really good value and there were several salads pickles and sauces to add. It was brilliant and I could taste it for ages as we drove on. The young guy who served us was so helpful too. Well done Subway!

Stopped here for breakfast and we chose Subway. Unfortunately they didn’t have any eggs so we had a 6” bacon & cheese and a 6” sausage & cheese, I had a portion of hash browns and we both had Americano coffees. Both the 6” subs were good as was the coffees, the hash browns were a bit soggy should have been cooked longer (The girl took them out of the oven before the time was up).Good parking spaces for our Motorhome.Great choice of places to eat.Toilets looked new and were clean.Easy on/off the motorway.

Visited south bound services and chose subway which was pleasant. Toilets were clean and queues for food were short

No motorway service station is ever going to hit high ratings; after all, everyone who uses it is jaded, tired, fractious and dying for a wee.But Keele Northbound is perfectly acceptable - clean loos, a choice of eating and drinking and well-maintained.What's odd, at least when I visited, was how empty everything was... especially the branch of Subway, which is only accessed on the long, long traipse round endless corridors to get the loos. It was like the Mary Celeste.

Stopped in here on Sunday night on the way home. While the services themselves are decent the car park has got to be one of, if not THE worst ever!If you're coming up on the Northbound carriage, you'd be better off visiting another one. The lighting in the car park is terrible and the parking bays are so faded that you have to guess where to park. To make things worse, there is a water channel that cuts across the entire car park and you have to drive over (or rather through) it. Due to the poor lighting in the car park its difficult to spot this in the dark until you've actually driven through it by which time its too late as we found to our expense.i'm now having to have a broken rear spring replaced on my car as a result. And just for the record i was on going 5mph when i drove over it.

I stopped here for a break whilst driving south, The services station was clean except for the toilets which is normal for services the staff were friendly and polite

Stopped at Keele services for a break and a quick lunch. Decided to have a burger at Burger King, queue was short, but only one person serving, so service was slow. Meal was OK, but a little expensive.

I stopped because my dog needed a quick walk to stretch his legs. The "Dog Walking Area" is approx 1mtr wide, with a steep bank to the side. I'm disabled, so couldn't climb the bank, so the walking 'path' was by the side of the wagon park where drivers had thrown their waste. Anything from rotting food to used condoms, even some empty packets of "legal highs". This is by far the worse stop I've made for my companion on an extensively travelled motorway network. I don't think it's been cleared in a long, long time. Shame on you Welcome Break.... An Assistance Dog could seriously hurt itself on your land.

I called at these southbound services to use the toilets, which were spotlessly clean and tidy, and o buy a meal at Harry Ramsden's. The meal was tasty and reasonable value, and reflected he usual HR standard. The staff member was efficient, bu could have been more friendly. I will certainly return if I am on he M6 at a meal time in the future. I have always enjoyed HR meals, but all the other restaurants I have used (Merry Hill, Sheldon, M6 Hilton Park) .have closed down.

Absolutely disgusting fish burger and chips. Fish was half the size of the bun and all tasted like fryer hasn't been cleaned in weeks. Threw it away. Disgrace to fish and chips. Gross.

We stopped at Keele for a small bit of shopping at Waitrose, which was fine, but we found the coffee outlets overpriced and very slow service. We bought a cold drink at another store in the end and drank it in the car.

Stopped here on pur way to Wolverhampton. Large toilet facilities. KFC. Burger King. Starbucks and Subway. Ample seating inside and outside. Two hours free parking. Outside smoking shelter available. Smith's news agents.

Had to stop here to feed babies and change nappies,took our own picnic into the upstairs restaurant,couldn't find a lift so I found it a problem getting up there,no problem eating our own food and the staff were very helpful.the baby changing facilities downstairs were fantastic with a changing platform large enough to take an adult and was moved by electric controller,they were lovely and clean, smelled great and were well maintained

Tried to order steak and cheese nachos which I manage to do at every other store I have ever been in to.....to be told they couldn’t do it this time as its not on the til! Funny given it wasn’t an issue on the Southbound side 3 days ago!! Not impressed having stood in the queue waiting! Obviously the staff working there today are incapable of using their brain to say let’s put it through on til as plain nachos with an extra like everywhere else does! That’s fine....I’ll remember to not bother frequenting the store from now on!

A rather old and tired service station. Has a average range of cafes, subway and other standard places. A expensive Waitrose. Average toilets Not great.

I paid my £25 to stay overnight at the WH Smith store as per the instructions to do so. Only to get a PCN for £60 for not doing so. I have my receipt and have appealed accordingly. WARNING to all keep that receipt for parking. Parkingeye are hoping that you don't in order to charge you the fine!! You've been warned.

Toilets were clean which is always a positive. We were desperate for a drink after a long coach journey. Burger King had RUN OUT of coffee and milk shakes. Subway would not allow you to purchase a drink WITHOUT buying food (what a rip off). We ended up at KFC and there were 2 young people serving (doing their best) but behind the counter (where cooking takes place) were 2 more young employees who were laughing, screaming and generally mucking about rather than helping the 2 servers or cooking. It was an EMBARRASSMENT to the company and to the services itself.

As above. I've visited the welcome break keele after a many hours of journey so I had hope to take a nice warm shower in there.I was very disappointed when I've entered to ladies shower. Firstly water in shower is just leaking so it's impossible even to wash long hair and secondly there is not working a tap in the sink so I had to go brush my tooth to main toilet so customers could see me in this uncomfortable situation.Also there is no dryer to dry hair or plugin for haidryer,there is only for shaver (what for in ladies shower?) and no bin for rubbish.

My partner and I stopped off here on our way from Manchester to London, both the ladies and gents toilets were clean and tidy. We went upstairs to grab a bite at Burger King, a bit more expensive than a high street BK, but food was fine. The reason I am leaving this comment is because of the two staff members that served us in the BK could not have been more courteous or helpful. We got there around 11.20 am on 24/05/18. Adam, and the young lady, unfortunately we didn't get the young ladies name but she had red hair, were really good. Adam brought out a bottle of milk for my partners coffee as they had run out of milk sachets and it seemed that nothing was too much for either of them to do. The whole area upstairs was clean and tidy, what more can you ask for?

Based on the reviews supplied by previous patrons, my friends and I had our doubts about visiting keele services. I have to say those doubts were duly put to bed. Keeley services has toilets in which a shy man can hide. There were plenty of spaces in the car park. The selection of travel food was good. There were no ques for the food. The highlight of the stop was certainly the delightful lady in whsmith who kindly donated ear plugs to a desperate man in fear of a bad nights sleep. Keele services is a service station that provides services for people who are travelling.

Stopped here for a cappuccino and a panini and as ever was well looked after here.

I had to stop at this service station and have to say it was a terrible experience. Cold, no choices of anything other than fast food and a Starbucks that smells horrendous. Begrudgingly purchased a Harry Ramsden’s fish burger with virtually no fish! Never again.

If you are disabled not worth stopping here or if you have a food intolerance. We was on our way home on Wednesday the 22nd of November firstly they have two floors with shop upstairs with no lift for disabled or mums with prams and nothing for people with food intolerances my wife wanted something hot they have nothing to offer. I did speak to a supervisor of the services but he was as much use as a wet paper bag. So we left and waited for another services but my wife became unwell due to not eating and I had taken my insulin at the services before we went in and I was not going to sit there and eat while my wife could not as that would not be very kind as it's not a good thing to not eat after taking insulin. We will never stop here again. Very bad discrimination against the disabled and those with children and those who have food allergies.

Came in here in July for a quick stop, there is a gaming area inside the front door with bright flashing lights and machines making noise. My 6 year old literally looked at the one nearest the door (didn't even attempt to touch it) while holding her dads hand and a staff member came running over waving her arms and shouting at her to not touch it, it was for over 18s only. Child burst into tears at the shout and staff member told both me and my husband off. Could understand if she had actually touched a machine or ran towards one, but the staff member acted as if we had sat her up on the machine with a cigarette in one hand, a gin in the other and let her gamble away!

If you have a disability avoid Keele Services on the M6. All hot food is to be found on the 1st floor but if you are in a wheelchair or very poor mobility you wont get any. There NO lifts. Why this company [Wecome Break] still does not comply with the Equlities Act, is beyond my comprehension. Disabled and want hot food - well sad to say you wont get it at Keele Services

Plenty free parking, but remember to read the rules!, café was unusually quiet, coffee and snacks were tasty, have been to worse service areas.

Viaje al sur con mi compañero y nos detuvimos para el almuerzo el Jueves simplemente han desaparecido. Los inodoros para ser justos se están reformando sin embargo en caminar en la instalaciones temporales había el olor más penetrante de amoníaco de la orina. Este lugar estaba sucio y en condiciones poco higiénicas, Dios sabe la última vez que fue limpiado y, encima, no había jabón en el dispensador.

No hay ascensor, que hace que la estación de servicio inaccesible. Me dieron arriba a través de la escalera mecánica, pero cuando intenté ir a Waitrose no había escalera, así que me quedé atrapado arriba. Yo hablé con alguien sobre el tema y él invirtió...

Just out on holiday to Shropshire but on the way Parked up as usual for a break and a meal...

Cuando aparcar su vehículo tenga cuidado ya que hay un montón de baches en la carretera. Una persona que había caído y me ayudó la pierna. trenzado Mi esposa usaron los inodoros que estaban sucias y había acabado de papel higiénico. Tiene las tiendas habituales...

One of the better places on the M6. Old fashioned yes (it has an enclosed bridge across the M6) just love those.And you can sit right by the lanes whizzing by so its kind of different and it has a Waitrose for decent food to grab.

Fingers but he said he had to,dirty habit, poor hygiene won t go back,the fish is the only thing cooked fresh

OK services, toilets were awfull....typical services though, busy with people so difficult to keep on top of all the time.

This Welcome Break was he first service station on our journey up the M6 back to Scotland.Just needed a break and a snack to keep us going.Never eaten at a Subway before, and wondered about the quality in the past.Not disappointed as they had a large selection of breads to choose from, plus many salad top ups.Had a heated ham and a tuna melt which were far better than expected, so we have nothing but praise for them. Would recommend it to any motorist needing such a snack who has never been in a Subway before...

The facilities here are okay and reasonably clean. Not the best and not the worst. There are a several food options to choose from established chains.

We nipped in here in the early hours and found everything very clean. The guy in Starbucks was polite and professional and the hot chocolates at 3am were much needed. Also managed to get some milk from the shop for our coffee at home. Toilets were clean as well.

This has a lot of good shops and the area is nice and clean and welcoming, great for a quick break after travelling a long way.

This was a pleasant stop on a very busy motorway. There is a Starbucks for good quality coffee, several fast food outlets and a good retail food store. Service was friendly and fast which is a bonus when you are only wanting a quick stop. The toilets were clean - another bonus! We would certainly stop here again.

We stopped for breakfast at Harry Ramsdens. The full English breakfast was most enjoyable and better than others we've had at motorway services. Toilets were clean.

Stopped off en route south - clean and plentiful toilet facilities - well signposted. As we ate in KFC the food was reasonably priced. TIP : Don't use the auto set up but pay a real person at the desk. The auto facility is fraught with difficulty in our limited experience and unmanned. ALL the items I looked at in WHS were in the true motorway services tradition - overpriced but if you're desperate ....

A bit of a trek to the restaurant, but, service was helpful and efficient. Given that we were on a working holday and needed several receipts, staff were 'on the ball' and dealt with our varying confusing requests very well. Food was as it should be, actually, very nice KFC !!

Visited this Welcome Break service station on the way back from Blackpool via the M6 Motorway and decided to stop off at Keele Services to have a toilet break.The toilets were quite clean but did smell a little bit of urine which wasn't that pleasant but was being cleaned when we was in the toilets.Being around lunchtime too, me and my dad decided to have a Burger King and my mam had a Subway salad. Both meals were lovely and filling ready to face the rest of the long drive via the M6 Toll road! Highly recommended if you needed a toilet/food break near Keele.- Thomas, aged 11

Probably the most disgustingly filthy toilets I've come across in recent years. Put me off eating here given the toilets reflect management attitudes to hygiene generally so I moved on. Will certainly plan my journeys to skip this one in future.

Stopped here this afternoon intending to use the toilets, get something to eat and refuel the car. The whole place is shabby and the toilets were disgusting so I got back in the car and drove on. Time to up your game, Welcome Break.

When travelling on a long journey all you want is a rest and to strrletch your legs. And at welcome break Keele you have it all. Freindly staff and clean amenities. A little pricey but it what you expect at these places. All in all a great stop

I should have read the earlier report that said do not stop here unless your car is on fire. My advice, do not stop here even if your car is on fire.We had coffee in Starbucks , unfortunately the one on first floor was closed so we had to use one on ground floor, tables were not cleared, staff impolite and cake was stale! A visit to the toilets did not improve situation! This Service area was one that gives a very bad name to these stops where many have vastly improved over the last few years

This service area has a variety of food outlets, Waitrose and Five ! Starbucks. Both sides have a drive through in the car park and on in the main entrance and there's one more upstairs along with KFC & Burger King.. Papa johns and subway are downstairs along with dunkin doughnuts.. Take your pick.

This service station has everything you need and more. Very clean and tidy. All prices are competitive as service stations go. And with the up and coming Starbucks drive though. It's meeting with the times.

After a disappointing stop at Abington Services earlier in the day, this was like a breath of fresh air.Plenty of room and good chips at Ramsden's.Note to manager- dodgy flush on disabled toilet, otherwise all good!

Big thanks to Joseph in Harry ranmsdens , fantastic customer service, fabulous food, this young man will go far

Unless your car is on fire or you would rather be dragged into the courts over unfair parking charges for innocent customers then I would as a normal member of society - avoid at all costs.As part of a long early hours journey I stopped off for a comfort break and rest, I bought a bottle of water and continued this took 30mins over the free 2 hour parking. I was sent £100 bill which I appealed but cannot provide a receipt for the bottle of water I bought and have had numerous threats of legal action whilst my appeal continues.Avoid these legal bullies at all cost. Stop at sandbach or Stafford which are close enough!

This is a motorway service station so it's not cheap, however, the Subway and Harry Ramsden's are the same prices as the high street ones and the food at both is of an excellent quality. There are also Papa Johns outlets both sides if Pizza is your bag. On the bridge there is KFC and Burger King and a Starbucks lounge where you can sit and work or just plain old relax mid journey. Free WiFi is available across the site with an easy log in procedure. There are also Starbucks coffee shops offering sit in or out facilities and also take away,If you prefer Costa there are machines in the WH Smith shops, if you can't find what you are after in the Smiths shops there is a Waitrose store on the north side which also sells alcohol. Both sides of the services offer Shell fuel forecourts and if you just want a quick stop they both sell hot food, pasties sausage rolls and the like and also sandwiches subs as well as the normal sweets, chocolates and crisps. There are also Costa coffee machines here too.All in all pretty much something for all types of traveller be it business people, truckers or families travelling to holiday destinations.