Gary Usher has taken to social media to publicly defend a staff member at his Cheshire pub after a customer targeted her with a negative review.
The celebrated chef, who is behind the Elite Bistros group that has restaurants across the north west, said that he would happily be blocking the customers in question from booking in again.
Gary took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to show his support of 21-year-old waiter Jemma, who he said is ‘an absolute credit’ to The White Horse in Churton.
His post was prompted by a one-star review of the pub that was left online, which described Jemma as having a ‘horrible attitude’ and that the service charge added to the bill was ‘incredibly rude, conniving and deceitful’.
The negative review also said the portion sizes and the ‘thimble full of gravy’ served at Sunday lunch were ‘ostentatious’.
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But Gary Usher himself has now waded in and said that he will ban anyone from his pub who is ‘upsetting any of the team here or in any Elite Bistros’.
He added that the guests had been ‘absolutely vile’ to Jemma during their visit.
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Food at The White Horse at Churton, a Cheshire pub opened by Gary Usher. Credit: The Manc Group
As well as encouraging social media users to compliment Jemma – ‘an absolute credit to The White Horse, to her parents and to the hospitality industry’ – he then made sure to offer her tickets to the pub’s next guest chef night.
Gary wrote: “Gary here. Non Polite notice to anyone upsetting any of the team here or in any @Elite_Bistros. I will block your number & details on our system from being able to book again & trust me I do it regularly.
“It’s music to my ears when arseholes end a review saying they won’t be returning but I like to call them to confirm.
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“Now let’s quickly compliment Jemma because at 21 years old she’s an absolute credit to The White Horse, to her parents & to the hospitality industry. Jemma I’m sorry these people upset you yesterday & on their behalf instead of working the next guest chef night you can have two tickets to come & enjoy it instead. Much love from us all here at The White Horse X.”
Gary here, Non Polite notice to anyone upsetting any of the team here or in any @Elite_Bistros. I will block your number & details on our system from being able to book again & trust me I do it regularly. It’s music to my ears when arseholes end a review saying they won’t be… pic.twitter.com/xO5RXg5WA3
— The White Horse Pub (@TheWhiteHorsePu) April 8, 2024
He then added: “Just for more context. My reaction is nothing to do with the ‘review’. The ‘guests’ were absolutely vile to Jemma yesterday.”
One person has replied: “As someone who was looked after by Jemma in the pub I can say that this is bollocks. Jemma was wonderful, polite, professional, enthusiastic. She was and is everything good about hospitality and a massive credit to you all at Elite Bistros, especially in The White Horse.”
Another wrote: “Jemma has served us the last couple of times we’ve visited and has been absolutely brilliant. I hope she doesn’t take to heart what this post says because it is so far wide of the mark.”
And another said: “Makes my blood boil when people think it’s OK to be rude & abusive to FoH staff & to treat them like personal skivvies rather than fellow humans. Once again Gary @GaryUsher_ your leadership & support of your staff are inspirational. Hope Jemma has a great time at guest chef night.”
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I went to The White Horse for dinner last evening. The food and the service (from Gemma) was absolutely wonderful and the gravy certainly was not a “thimble full”. pic.twitter.com/daHHVr4vWb
The original reviewer had written: “After trying The White Horse Churton once again for Sunday lunch, it ended up being just as miserable. A lot of hype about how well it performed as a Gastro Pub etc but once again the reception from staff was poor.
“Jemma was our server and she coincidentally served us on our first visit an equally horrible attitude and my specific issue is trying to add a service charge on to the bill without showing a receipt. Incredibly rude, conniving and deceitful.
“I thankfully asked for clarity and a copy of the receipt only to be shown the same receipt before the voucher was deduced but after much discussion and attempted confusion she reluctantly went to the bar the 3rd time to remove the service charge.
“I do not feel bad removing this whatsoever as the service did not warrant an extra charge, the food was nice but the portion size and additional charge for gravy when you get a thimble full on your meal initially is ostentatious. As previously mentioned by others, we will not be returning and we will not be recommending. What a shame.”
Beloved Manchester pizzeria Nell’s to give one lucky person FREE pizza for a year
Emily Sergeant
A beloved Manchester pizza place is offering one lucky person the chance to win free pizza for an entire year.
That’s right, how does a year’s worth of free Nell’s sound to you?
Since first opening inside Common in Manchester‘s Northern Quarter back in 2020, Nell’s Pizza has gone from strength to strength, and has since opened two other successful sites over in Chorlton and down at the city centre waterside neighbourhood, KAMPUS – serving up its signature NYC-style pizzas, slices, ice cream sandwiches, and so much more.
And now, another new Nell’s chapter is set to begin, as the eatery will be opening the doors to its brand-new site in Altrincham in the Stamford Quarter’s ‘Foundation’ building this weekend.
The new Nell’s will be located on the ground floor of Foundation, and will feature a large bar and outdoor terrace.
Nell’s is giving one lucky person free pizza for a full year / Credit: The Manc Group
To celebrate the exciting launch later this year, the new Nell’s Altrincham site will be serving up a whopping 250 ice cream sandwiches to hungry shoppers from midday right through until 2pm this Saturday 14 September.
There’ll be hundreds of ‘everyones a winner’ golden tickets for people to claim with their ice cream sandwiches too, with prizes like a round of drinks, and a free slice of Nell’s enormous 22” NYC-style pizza – but the grand prize everyone will be hoping to get their hands on is the golden ice cream sandwich that gives one lucky person free Nell’s every month for a full year.
“People know about our pizza, but we also hand-make an incredible range of ice cream sandwiches too,” said Nell’s founder Jonny Heyes, ahead of the event this Saturday.
“This event is a really fun way to get the people of Altrincham to try them before our arrival later this year.”
Speaking on the launch of the new Nell’s Pizza site inside the Stamford Quarter, James Tootle, who is the Head of Retail and Leisure at Bruntwood – which manages the Foundation building – said: “We’re really excited to welcome Nell’s to the Stamford Quarter. Not only will they be serving up the best NYC-style pizza around, but they’ll also bring a great sense of fun and community feeling, which is exactly what this giveaway is all about.
“Stamford Square has been revitalised into a fantastic new space where the local community can come together, and we’re thrilled to partner with businesses like Nell’s to bring it more to life.”
Head on down to Nell’s Altrincham from 12pm on Saturday 14 September for freebies.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Eats
Maray’s Middle Eastern-inspired Sunday roasts are returning to Manchester – and they’re FREE for one day only
Danny Jones
We know Sunday roasts very much fall into the ‘if ain’t broke don’t fix it’ category of British food -and rightly so, they’re absolutely glorious – but every now and again they’re made fresh and exciting again, and that’s exactly what Maray have done with theirs.
Plus, who on Earth is ignoring a FREE roast dinner?
That’s right, not only are Maray’s incredible Middle-Eastern twists on the classic carvery combination of lovingly cooked joints of meat, exquisitely cooked vegetables and their take on firm favourites like the potato (the best bit, let’s be honest), but they’re also going to be dishing them out for absolutely nothing.
What better way to celebrate one of the best Sunday roasts in Manchester than by serving up heaping plates at absolutely no cost to the hordes of customers bound to line up regardless?
Now, if you’re wondering what exactly it is that makes a Sunday roast from Maray so special and, crucially, showcases those Middle-Eastern influences, then let us tell you: crispy fenugreek roasties, butternut squash Tershi and, the true star of the show, the truly immense protein options.
Whether you want a simple roast beef picanha sirloin that would slot in perfectly on any roast dinner around the country, a spiced chickpea nut roast for the plant-free patrons, or the quite frankly stunning lemon, za’atar and saffron spiced chicken, either way, your collective mouths will be absolutely singing.
But they’re doing much more than just the standard staples of a Sunday plate. Along with proper Yorkshire puddings as big as your head and the addition of the new ‘disco’ cauliflower cheese side, you can also start and end your meal with a true taste of the East.
Be it a selection of traditional mezze such as whipped goats’ cheese with pickled apple, dukkah and basil oil; creamy hummus, complemented with aromatic falafels or scooped up with soft flatbreads to start, or the peoples’ favourite Baklava cheesecake whilst polishing off a bottle of red, Sunday truly is a holy day once again.
As for copping a complimentary one, it’s all very straightforward…
Waves of free Sunday roasts will be dished up by the staff at Maray over on 14 Brazennose St (just between Albert and Lincoln Square) on a first-come-first-served basis from midday on 22 September.
It’s strictly no bookings, just walk-ins and they’ll be giving away the freebies until they run out, so you best get there early to secure a spot and some Sunday goodness.
The same deal is happening over in Liverpool a week later their roast offerings will be available at each restaurant from these respective dates onwards starting from £19pp. Simple as that.
There’s a reason this roast was named one of the best in the country back in January – it genuinely lives up to the hype and it’s definitely the go-to option if you’re looking to mix up your roast dinner game. Don’t miss out, seriously.
Daisy Jackson -
9th April 2024 
