It seems the problems I have identified with the Three Stags are nothing new.

The Spital hostelry has apparently been a black sheep for many, many years.

I recently received this fascinating email.....

"hey there.

so stumbling accross your blog has been a great source of ammusement for me, and i shall certainly be pointing the old man in it's direction."

This has set me thinking....perhaps the Three Stags is cursed?

Maybe it is destined always to be the home of poor service.

So, what can be done?

How about...

* A change of name as part of a complete re-brand

* Turn it into a nice restaurant (Spital could do with one)

* Flog off the site and build apartments in its place

Your thoughts are very much welcomed....

PW

So the Three Stags has had its makeover.

So what are we to make of the new, improved hostelry?

Well, there's been a lick of paint here.

And there's a patch of new carpet there.

Not forgetting, the posh tables and chairs (soon to become sticky and stained).

But on a recent visit, I found the fundamental problem still hasn't been addressed.

There are too few staff - and it takes an age to get served.

So the "customer experience", as it is called, is still absolutely crap.

It's all style over substance.

Keep your tales of woe from the new-look Three Stags coming in to me.

My email address is pub-watcher@hotmail.co.uk

PW
 
PS: Latest stats show that the number of people logging on to this site is constant - around 600 unique visits every month.
Type in Three Stags to Google and this site comes up among the top results. Thank you for your support!
 

Roll up! Roll up!

Fancy a sticky table?

A cigarette singed chair?

Or a few cans of fake sun tan spray supplied by Little Miss Orange?

Then get yourself down to the Three Stags sharpish - because they're selling off the stock!

The clearance is in preparation for the long awaited - and much needed - refurbishment.

It is a last ditch attempt by Ember Inns to fight off stiff competition from local rivals the Dibbensdale and the Chronicle which have decimated business over the last few months.

People have almost been crushed in the stampede as customers have scrambled out of the car park in their relief at finding somewhere else to go rather than enduring the surly staff, warm beer and poor quality food on offer at the Three Stags.

So it's out with the old and in with the new.

Apart from the staff - they couldn't even give them away!

PW

Like the good scout that I am, I paid a visit to the new look Dib-binsdale (geddit?!).

And all I can say is 'wow'!

A refresh was long overdue for this cosy pub.

And, oh boy, have Thwaites delivered.

Stylish.

Comfortable.

Sophisticated.

Big smiles from the staff. 

A decent menu of food.
 
A good range of ales.

All the things you don't get from the Stags at the moment.

The Dynamic Duo should be afraid.

Very afraid.

PW

Regular readers - and can I say hello to the Dynamic Duo at this point - will know that Pubwatcher was looking forward to the Three Stags getting a refit.

Something to bring it up to the standard of the local competition.

You know the type of work....

* sticky tables replaced

* a new carpet without cigarette burns

* a lick of paints on the walls

* and new tiling in the toilets

But months on, there's no sign of Bob the Builder (above) arriving in Spital.

Rumours are rife that management at Ember Inns have put a hold on the work due to plummeting takings.

Perhaps that explains the entrance fee over Christmas and New Year.

Was it a desperate attempt to fleece more money out of the remaining customers?

Next thing you know, they'll be launching a re-fit fund.....

....the type of thing you get when the local church needs the roof repairing.

It'll need a catchy title though.

How about: Stags Hole In the Takings fund

Shortened to...well, you know what I mean.

PW

Scrooge is still alive and well in 2008 - and living in Spital.

That's certainly how it appeared to regulars at the Three Stags over Christmas.

Pubwatcher has received several angry emails from disgruntled customers who found they had to PAY to get into their local hostelry on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve!

Once inside, they found that, apart from a few festive decorations dotted here and there, there was the usual mix of warm beer and long waits at the bar due to too few staff.

To cap it all, loyal patrons hoping for an escape from To the Manor Born and relatives they detest on Christmas Day night could only stand outside with their faces pressed up to the glass watching staff inside have their own party. Un. Bel. Iev. Able!

Merry Christmas - bah humbug!

PW

Greetings!

Sorry I've been away.

Have you missed me?

I've been spending some time at the nearby Chronicle.

And I even visited that other local Ember Inns establishment - The Acorn - until I experienced muppetry of the highest order from the bar manager, the supervisor, the bar girl and the kitchen. I've refused to go in since each one of them in turn refused to serve me a baked potato rather than chips with a meal deal, despite the menu promising a healthier alternative with every choice. Jobsworths.

Anyhow, I popped into the Three Stags recently and who was behind the bar but Little Miss Orange! I even got a smile as she glowed while pouring me a pint.

Incidentally, it was a choice of Worthingtons, Worthingtons or more Worthingtons as they had no other draught bitters on. Hmm... 

I felt a bit sorry for the tanned one, as she was run off her feet and there were only a couple of other staff on.

There was no sign of the Dynamic Duo....

.....nor Grotbags (*)

I get the feeling standards are slipping again...let's hope the re-fit and some more local competition improves things.

PW

(*)The Area Manager
 

It seems that TV's Kim and Aggie have been giving some tips to the Three Stags.

Last time I was in the place was an awful lot cleaner.

The tables are far less sticky.

The toilets are in good working order.

And I can reveal the Three Stags is to be given a new look in the not too distant future - no doubt to help it compete with its recently opened rival, The Chronicle, which has been pinching custom for the last couple of months.

Keep it up boys!

PW

I would like to apologise to Little Miss Orange.

Over the last few months, I have made repeated references to her healthy glow and suggested that it is a result of a fake tan.

I have been assured by her that this is not true.
 
Indeed, she has even offered to allow me to lick her arm to prove it!

As pleasant a thought as that is (and one which was rather a turn on for Pubwatcher), I have no reason to disbelieve her.

I am happy to set the record straight.

But am confused as to why she hasn't heard the warnings about using sunbeds.

PW

The Dynamic Duo have hit the ground running at the Three Stags.

They're getting really stuck in and the difference is noticeable.

Smiles from the staff, tables get wiped regularly, glasses are collected and they serve when there's a rush on.

Even Little Miss Orange is forcing a smile, which is as dazzling as her tan!

And it's rumoured that the back room is out of bounds!

Sadly though, their good work is being undone when they are not around as staff slip into their old ways.

They need to hire their own eyes and ears to make sure the service is consistent.

But well done boys - you're going great guns so far!

PW

I just could not believe it!

I was greeted by friendly, attentive staff who took my order within 30 seconds of arriving at the crowded bar.

There was a good range of beers and lager all ready to be served - with every single pump primed for action.

The bar men and women were exchanging banter with the customers rather than each other.

My food and drink order was taken and paid for within two minutes.

And there was a clean table ready and waiting for me to sit at.

Sadly, this was not an overnight transformation of the Three Stags.

No, I was actually up the road at the new rival establishment, The Chronicle.

The Dynamic Duo should pay a visit to find out why the new kid in town is doing so well.

PW

The Dynamic Duo are now in position at the Three Stags - but things didn't got off to a very good start on their first shift in charge when the pub opened for the lunchtime rush yesterday.

And this time the problem wasn't with bar staff milling around yapping to each other, but with the kitchen.

One group of customers have already vowed never to return after their lunch order took an age to arrive. It meant one of those in the party had to return to work having had no beef sandwich. When the grub did finally arrive it was cold. Yum, yum!

A complaint did at least result in free coffees all round, which is an improvement on the usual shrug of the shoulders from the couldn't-care-less staff.

So, not the most promising of starts, and let's hope they really dig in and don't make a dogs breakfast of improving the service (geddit?). 

PW 

The staff at the Three Stags have been a bit quiet of late.

No angry posts telling yours truly to go forth and multiply with himself.

Even Little Miss Orange seems to have been gagged.

I understand it is because they have been told in no uncertain terms not to post anything on this site.

And rightly so, as they were making complete fools of themselves and merely proving the points that I was making about the disgraceful service and attitude towards customers.

So we await with interest the impact of the new management team who have got such an uphill battle to drive up standards and teach the staff some basic customer service skills.

My message is: Good Luck - because you'll need it!

PW

Stone the crows!

Sacrebleu!

Oh my giddy aunt!

Make sure you are seated before reading this.....

.....the area manager was in the Three Stags last night.

And what is more - she even got stuck in herself and helped out!

Another success for www.threestags.blog.co.uk!

The manifesto has had an immediate impact.

Just make sure it's not the last time, eh?

PW

Comrades,

I proudly present my manifesto for change at the Three Stags in Spital....

• A change in the standards of service
• A change in the behaviour of staff
• A change in the time taken to get served

.....a change for the better.

After a great deal of thought, and many contributions to pub-watcher@hotmail.co.uk, here are my ten election winning recommendations....

1: Staff shalt concentrate on serving customers rather than chatting to themselves and disappearing out the back

2: Staff shalt make sure that every single beer keg is kept topped up so that it doesn't run out

3: The area manager shalt carry out regular spot checks to make sure service is tip-top

4: The quizmaster shalt be eloquent and articulate and not mumble and rush his/her way through the proceedings
 
5: The music shalt be kept at a reasonable level, particularly when people are eating meals and enjoying a quiet conversation

6: Regular communication shalt take place between the bar and the kitchen to make sure the correct meals are served

7: A food order point shalt be installed so customers don't have to wait while half a dozen old duffers order three course meals together with drinks and then decide to pay seperately

8: The bar manager shalt be of sufficient maturity and experience to guide new starters and provide a decent role model

9: There shalt be enough card readers to handle the number of people who pay with credit and debit cards

10: Glass collectors shalt be employed so customers don't have to clear tables themselves

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for change.

It's time for the new improved Three Stags!
 
I thank you.

PW

As David Bowie once sang, word reaches me of ch-ch-ch-changes afoot at the Three Stags.

And, dear reader, there may be light at the end of the www.threestags.blog.co.uk tunnel!

For it emerges that a new management team are heading for the Ember Inns parish of Spital.

And it's a case of out with the old, in with the new.

Will Tom Cruise and Little Miss Orange survive, we wonder?

There is, of course, great speculation about who the new Dynamic Duo will be.

Will it be a Den and Ang combo with fireworks behind the bar?

Or a dream team of Bet and Alec Gilroy?

Perhaps a long shot is the prospect of an Amos Brearly and Mr Wilks double act behind the bar at "these licensed premises"....nay!!!

Whoever it is, they've got a tough job on their hands to get the Three Stags sorted.

So, being the ever so helpful type, Pubwatcher will be supplying his own manifesto to improve the Three Stags.

Gordon Brown and David Cameron eat your heart out!

If you would like to contribute, send your ideas to pub-watcher@hotmail.co.uk or post them on the blog.

And you can be certain that the new management team will get to see them.

Because - and I know this for certain - this blog is now daily required reading for everyone who works there...

PW

A post has appeared, in support of the Three Stags, from Jennie...

i 4 one love the stags! i think the atmosphere at the stags on the busy nights is great and have never seen a pub that packed and buzzing before. although there are a few complaints on this site im sure they r all people over the age of 30 who would rather sit in a quiet pub! i would also like to say the music is not to loud!!! us young people love it and love the fact there is so many other young people there (duh thats why we go every single weekend) and i 4 1 do not want the stags to change one little bit or it would not be the pub us young people know and love! please dont let this site change anything about the stags! if the service changes it will prob mean that it is not busy and has turned into a boring old mans pub like everyother pub on the wirral!

so please pub watcher. instead of posting wot ''people'' or wot u have made up pretending to be from 'katie' or 'colin', y dont u post this comment on you main page and we will see how many ppl agree with me?? i dare u!

Your wish is my command, dear Jennie.

But let's get a few things straight.

* I too don't want to see the Three Stags as a "boring old mans pub". But I don't want rude, surly, slow, incompetent people behind the bar.

* I don't mind waiting a few minutes when the bar is packed. But I find I have to wait a considerable amount of time even when the bar is extremely quiet.

* Not one of the emails or posts that I have placed on this site has been invented, made up or created by me - despite what bar staff might claim. They are all 100% genuine and demonstrate the strength of feeling on this issue.

All I, and others who have posted on this site, want is decent, courteous and swift service. It's not too much to ask.

Of course, you are perfectly entitled to start your own blog to keep the appalling service at the Three Stags the way it is, if you so desire.

PW

More familiar observations from another customer. This time it's Colin who has been in touch...

"I agree with every1 else on this site! the stags is awfull! i like going there as its full of people you know and the atmosphere is usually good but i think they need to employ more staff to sort out the problem with the queues its not good waiting 20mins @ the bar for a drink and even if you do get served its not by a happy, pleasent staff member! i find the staff rude and unhelpful. plus when @ the bar a couple of weeks ago i was spoken to rudely and tutted at because i waited for my change and did not tip the particular staff member i though this was terrible and if the service had of been better i would have tipped the girl in particular!
something definitely has to be done!"

Thanks for your comments Colin.
 
If you want to contribute, post your views on the site. Alternatively, email me at pub-watcher@hotmail.co.uk if you want to remain anonymous.

I've been totalling up the web statistics, and we've just gone over the 1,000 visitors mark - with almost 4,000 page views since we launched. In fact, we've had more visitors so far this month than the rest of the time we've been up and running. It's a fantastic achievement and word is clearly spreading about the campaign.

So, tell your friends and family to visit www.threestags.blog.co.uk and together we'll improve service at the Three Stags. Talking of which, word reaches me that there are management changes afoot. More details coming soon in a www.threestags.blog.co.uk exclusive!

PW

There is a common theme developing with all of the people who share my concerns about the service at the Three Stags.

They seem to believe the blame doesn't lie with the manager, but with others.

This recent posting from Ange is typical...

The Stags is just like any other business, i'm sure if you went to another pub you would find it the same there. ofcourse it does depend on the management, and i feel so sorry for the manageress right now, having to see all of this, as she has built a very successful business over the years. and i think that the area management is letting her down by sending such idiotic, incompatent, rude, and lazy assistant management to work for her in her pub! when im having a drink in there all i see is them running around acting all important, yet nothing seems to get done. tables are filthy dirty, with plates, glasses, bits of food and napkins all over the place. in the day time, you see the waiting on staff collecting glasses off tables, and bar staff are no where to be seen! at the night time, come 9, when food isnt served, you expect to be sat at a nice clean table, but no, you have to sit at a table which is still full of plates, food and napkins....sometimes all night. not very nice when i'm doing the quiz! Maybe what that manageress needs is a whole lot of new staff! maybe a bit older, who cares more about their job, and respects the management!

But the question is, what is being done about it?

Watch this space!
  

PW

The following description of the Ember Inns 'brand' , taken from the website of parent company Mitchell and Butler, has some essential information missing from it. So, I've added it in italics...

Ember Inns offer desirable domestic surroundings you'd want at home and genuine friendliness, making them the best pubs for comfortable and relaxed conversation. You will particularly enjoy it if you like waiting ages at the bar, overhearing staff swearing and slagging off customers and having your conversation drowned out by the music at 9pm.

The brand was awarded the Retailer's Retailer Award in 2003 for Best Newcomer and also won The Publican Magazine's 2002 Retail Brand of the Year prize for being the best new brand concept. But not the reality.

Furnished with comfortable leather sofas, wooden floors, easy chairs, real fires and lots of cosy corners, Ember Inns are the place to meet for a relaxing drink and to enjoy a great warm atmosphere. Warm as in hot, rather than friendly.

The pubs are located in prominent residential locations around the UK and appeal to a wide range of age groups. Ember Inns pride themselves on the highest levels of drink, food, service and genuine hospitality, creating a real ''home from home'' feel. If your wife always scowls at you and takes ages to get dinner on the table.

Guests can enjoy a relaxing visit without the distraction of younger children, as Ember Inns only welcome children over the age of 14 when they are eating a meal with an adult. The only exception is the maturity of our staff.

Ember Inns offer a wide selection of wines, cask ales, beers and spirits.As well as the wide selection of drinks, the delicious menu is served daily from 12pm until 8pm and includes traditional dishes such as fish and chips, as well more aspirational dishes such as Mediterranean Topped Trout. If you would prefer a snack, Ember Inns has a wide selection of baguettes, salads and jacket potatoes guaranteed to help you refuel over lunch. But do remember to bring cash with you as the chances are the card reader won't be working.

Ember Inns are an ideal meeting place and with quiz nights being held up to twice a week, are a great place for friends to meet and catch up on news while testing out their general knowledge!  But don't get there too early as it always starts late. Remember you will have to ask the quizmaster the question again several times AND he'll race through the answers so quickly you won't be able to total up an accurate score.

 
PW