THE 'HAYWAIN' PUBLIC HOUSE AND ITS RESTAURANT IS SITUATED AT THE ROUNDABOUT OF THE BRISTOL ROAD, QUEDGELEY, GLOUCESTER, AND ADJOINS THE ENTRANCE TO 'TESCO EXTRA' QUEDGELEY BRANCH SUPERSTORE. THE HAYWAIN IS A MANAGED HOUSE OWNED BY MARSTONS BREWERY I DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL, BUT MY COLLEAGUE AND I DO ENJOY GOING TO A PUBLIC HOUSE, FOR THE OCCASIONAL PUB MEAL. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED EATING OUT AT OVER A WIDE EXPANSE OF NOT ONLY GLOUCESTER, BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. WE DO NOT OVERDO IT ON THE EXPENSE,BUT WHAT WE LIKE AND ENJOY, WE ARE ALWAYS PREPARED TO PAY FOR. WE ARE NOT LAVISH ON THE KIND OF MEALS WE EAT, AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT WILL ORDER THE BASIC LOW COST MEALS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON THE MENU, OR SEPARATELY LISTED ON A POSTER, OR UP ON A CHALK BOARD. DURING MID YEAR AND 2011, WE STARTED GOING TO THE 'HAIWAIN' PUBLIC HOUSE, BRISTOL ROAD, GLOUCESTER, AND BEING GREAT LOVERS OF 'FISH, PEAS AND CHIPS', WE DECIDED TO ORDER TWO MEALS. THE MENU ADVERTISED THEN, AS IT DOES NOW, "TWO MAIN MAILS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE ", WHICH IS NOTHING NEW AT SEVERAL PUBS AND RESTAURANTS. THERE WAS IN ITS LISTINGS OF MEALS, A MEAL REFERRED TO AS "WHALE OF A FISH" (HADDOCK ACCOMPANIED BY CHIPS AND A PORTION OF PEAS). HAVING ORDERED TWO MEALS, WE SOON DISCOVERED AS TO WHY IT WAS REFERRED TO AS "WHALE OF A FISH ". IN ALL FAIRNESS, THE SIZE OF THE FISH WAS INDEED QUITE LARGE, AS OPPOSED TO WHAT YOU WOULD OTHERWISE EXPECT. HOWEVER, THAT COULD NOT BE SAID FOR THE PORTION OF CHIPS. THE 'TWO MEALS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE', TOTALLED £12.75, AND WE FOUND THAT TO BE REASONABLE AND TOTALLY ACCEPTABLE. THE BATTERED FISH TASTED 'OUT OF THIS WORLD', PERFECTLY DEEP FRIED AND FULL COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF. HOWEVER, THE SAME COULD NOT BE SAID FOR THE PORTION OF CHIPS THAT CAME ON THE SAME PLATE WITH IT. THE GENERAL MANAGER, AT THE HAYWAIN ALWAYS SHOWED INTEREST IN HIS CUSTOMERS, AND CONCERNED HIMSELF WITH CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. HE WOULD OFTEN APPROACH YOU WHILST EATING AND BRIEFLY ASK IF EVERYTHING WAS OKAY....AND SO IT ALWAYS WAS, AND COULD NOT BE MORE DELICIOUS; SO MUCH SO THAT WE COULD NOT RESIST EATING ANY OTHER MEAL THAN THE "WHALE OF A FISH" EACH TIME WE VISITED THE 'HAYWAIN'. IN LATE APRIL OF THIS YEAR 2013, WE AGAIN ATTENDED THE 'HAYWAIN' FOR OUR USUAL MEAL, BUT IN WANTING MORE CHIPS,ORDERED AN EXTRA PORTION, WHICH WAS LISTED ON THE MENU AT A COST OF £2.00 PER PORTION. IT WASN'T SO MUCH THE COST OF THE EXTRA PORTION OF CHIPS,BUT THE SIZE OF THE PORTION. I SIMPLY COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES WHEN THEY BROUGHT AND PLACED ON THE TABLE IN FRONT OF ME. OF COURSE, I APPRECIATE THAT A PORTION OF CHIPS CAN NEVER BE AN ACCURATE MEASURE EACH TIME, BUT THERE IS A LOWER EXTREMITY OF PORTION WHICH IS REGARDED AS 'MEASLY' AND UNACCEPTABLE FOR THE PRICE PAID. THE PORTION WAS SO SMALL,THAT THEY WOULD HAVE FITTED INTO A WAISTCOAT POCKET. WE SIMPLY FELT COMPELLED TO TAKE A FEW PHOTOGRAPHS OF IT,NOT TOUCH THEM, AND THEN CALL UPON THE WAITRESS AGAIN, TO WHOM I COMPLAINED. SHE REFERRED MY COMPLAINT TO THE GENERAL MANAGER, WHO IN TURN OPENLY AGREED THAT THE EXTRA PORTION OF CHIPS I HAD BEEN SERVED, WAS WAY BELOW FAIR AND SATISFACTORY FOR £2.00. HE IMMEDIATELY INFORMED THE WAITRESS TO REMOVE THE COST OF £2.00 FROM OUR TOTAL BILL. HE WAS VERY APOLOGETIC, AND SINCERE, SAID HE WOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO SEE THAT IT DID NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. HE HAD ALWAYS COME OVER TO US AS BEING A REALLY GOOD SOCIABLE AND WELCOMING MANAGER,AND THUS WE ALLOWED THE MATTER TO REST AT THAT, ASSURING HIM THAT IT HAD IN NO WAY DETERRED US FROM RETURNING TO THE HAIWAIN AGAIN. IN MAY WE AGAIN RETURNED TO THE HAYWAIN FOR OUR FAVOURITE "WHALE OF A FISH". THE GENERAL MANAGER WAS NOT PRESENT IN THE RESTAURANT WHEN WE CALLED. HOWEVER, AS WE ENTERED AND SAT AT OUR USUAL TABLE, WE SAW FIVE MEMBERS OF STAFF STANDING AND TALKING AT THE BAR. THE PLACE WAS CONSIDERABLY QUIET. THE WAITRESS WHO HAD PREVIOUSY SERVED ME WITH THE SMALL PORTION OF CHIPS WHICH I HAD COMPLAINED OF, SAW US WAITING AT THE TABLE TO PLACE OUR USUAL ORDER. SHE THEN SAID SOMETHING TO THE OTHER FIVE STAFF, FOLLOWING WHICH THEY ALL IN TURN LOOKED ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARDS US, GIVING US THE IMPRESSION THAT SHE HAD VERBALLY POINTED US OUT AS BEING THE TWO WHOM HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT THE PORTION OF CHIPS DURING OR PREVIOUS VISIT. THE GROUP OF FIVE STAFF BROKE UP AND WENT THEIR OWN WAYS. SOME INTO THE KTCHEN,ANOTHER BEHIND THE BAR, AND THE WAITRESS HERSELF SIMPLY CONTINUED TO STAND AT THE BAR, IN THE FULL KNOWLEDGE THAT WE WERE WAITING FOR TO MAKE AN ORDER. SHE CONTINUED TO STAND IDLE FOR TEN LONG MINUTES DOING NOTHING, AND THEN CAME ACROSS TO US, AND SAID, "SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT". WE REQUESTED OUR USUAL "WHALE OF A FISH". SHE WENT INTO THE KITCHEN WITH THE ORDER, AND RETURNED TO TELL US THAT THERE WAS NONE IN STOCK. YOU COULD CUT THE ATMOSPHERE WITH A KNIFE. WE DID NOT PLACE A DIFFERENT ORDER AND SO LEFT. THE FOLLOWING WEEK, WE RETURNED TO THE HAYWAIN YET AGAIN, AND SURE ENOUGH, WE RECEIVED THE SAME TREATMENT. "TWO WHALE OF A FISH " PLEASE.....SORRY THERE IS NONE IN STOCK. WE AGAIN LEFT WITHOUT CHOOSING A DIFFERENT MEAL. JUST A SHORT WHILE LATER, WE ARRANGED FOR 2 FRIENDS TO ATTEND THE HAYWAIN FOR TWO MEALS OF "WHALE OF A FISH". THE STAFF TOOK THE BAIT AND SERVED EXACTLY THAT, WHICH THEY HAD A VERY SHORT WHILE EARLIER STATED THEY WERE OUT OF STOCK. FROM THIS, WE COULD ONLY DEDUCE THAT THE GENERAL MANAGER HAD SPOKEN FIRMLY TO THE KITCHEN STAFF ABOUT THE SMALL PORTION OF CHIPS THAT WE WERE SERVED WITH ON A PREVIOUS OCCASION, AND A FEW HEADS ROLLED. AS A RESULT OF MAKING THE COMPLAINT, THE STAFF CHOSE THE BEST AND EASIEST WAY POSSIBLE OF NOT WANTING US TO RETURN TO TE HAYWAIN. THEY KNEW THAT WE ALWAYS CONFINED OUR ORDER TO THE "WHALE OF A FISH", AND IN ITS ABSENCE, WE WOULD NOTCHOOSE A DIFFERENT MEAL, AND THUS LEAVE. IT WAS THEIR WAY OF SPITE, FOR MAKING A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE SERVICE OF A MEASLY PORTION OF CHIPS AT THE COST OF £2.00. SINCE THAT TIME, IT HAS LEFT MY COLLEAGUE AND I, AS TO WHOM IS RUNNING THE 'HAWAIN' AT BRISTOL ROAD, QUEDGELEY, GLOUCESTER....THE GENERAL MANAGER OR THE KITCHEN STAFF AND WAITRESSES. MARSTONS BREWERY HEAD OFFICE, ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SUCH COMPLAINTS, THEY MERELY PASS THE COMPLAINT BACK TO WHERE IT ORIGINATED FOR THE GENERAL MANAGERS TO DEAL WITH, WHICH IN THIS CASE HAS BEEN THE KTCHEN STAFF AND THE WAITRESSES AT THE HAYWAIN. I FEEL SORRY FOR THE REAL GENERAL MANAGER NOT HAVING CONTROL OVER HIS OWN STAFF, AS SHOULD BE THE CASE. WHATEVER YOU DO, WHEREVER YOU GO, AND EVEN IF YOU DO CHOOSE TO GO TO THE HAYWAIN,BEWARE OF THE EXTRA PORTION OF CHIPS FOR £2.00, THAT YOU MAY CHOOSE TO ORDER, AS I RECEIVED A PORTION OF CHIPS WHICH NEARLY ADDED UP TO A DOZEN SMALL AND THIN ONES. A POUND EXTRA, AND I COULD HAVE BOUGHT A SACK FULL OF POTATOES.