Cherry Lane Garden Centres - Riverside Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Friendly and efficient staff throughout."
• "Staff always helpful loading the car."
• "Extremely good service here."
• "Staff are really friendly, knowledgeable & keen to help."
• "Staff were wonderful and accommodating to our greyhound Edd."
• "The staff do a great job even though it's very busy."
• "All the staff were very helpful."

Cons:

• "It was pretty manic with staff flying around looking very stressed."
• "Took an item back as didn’t work... Totally ignorant."
• "The staff are noticeably unfriendly, dare I say a bit snobby(!)."
• "No one came to see if we were ok or needed anything, while three waitresses stood around talking."
• "Most, if not all of the staff who worked in the garden centre have now left."
• "Found the staff don’t want to make eye contact."
• "Felt like I got told off by a member of the floor staff."

Facility and Layout

Pros:

• "The garden centre was excellent with a wide choice of both plants and accessories, will plan a further visit."
• "A large garden centre which is very neatly laid out with obvious separate sections."
• "Lovely nursery in a really nice setting, all the plants for sale look healthy and well looked after."
• "The garden centre was full of colour, store looked great."
• "It's fully wheelchair accessible."
• "This garden centre has now been extended, even better than before."
• "Wide choice of plants and plenty of gift ideas."

Cons:

• "It's not a garden centre anymore - it's just some random tat market."
• "This store does not accommodate for the elderly and disabled customer."
• "Now when you enter Cherry Lane it is like entering into a hangar-like indoor market full of household goods."
• "The new area with the garden furniture and water features is unbearably hot."
• "Still a bit cramped inside amongst all the nice Christmas gifts."
• "Be prepared for an extremely hot shop."
• "The gift section has all but gone and I feel as though it’s lost it’s identity."

Food and Restaurant

Pros:

• "The lunches were lovely but the cakes were something else."
• "Had lunch in the restaurant last week. The quality and value for money is demonstrated by the fact that if you don’t get there early you have to queue."
• "Really good quality plants, we also ate in the restaurant, the staff were amazing, helpful and friendly(even though they were very busy). The food was excellent."
• "The in-house cafe, which offers lots of delicious food too."
• "The food was varied, delivered quickly, hot and tasty."
• "The pork roast dinner was plentiful and tasty."
• "The food was absolutely fantastic, fresh, hot, and served with love and a smile."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately they delivered this to the wrong table where the occupants started to eat it."
• "The bacon and beans were just warm, sausage was precooked then reheated in a microwave."
• "I ordered the vegetable lasagne. I was disappointed as I could not see/taste the pasta sheets between each layer."
• "And the food in the cafe was overpriced & microwave prepared (& the service was AWFUL)."
• "Waited half an hour before being asked what drinks we wanted."
• "Kids were upset they couldn’t have their food and we had to cancel ours as took too long."
• "Very disappointed today to find they have changed their lunch menu."

Management and Changes

Pros:

• "What a fabulous little find! Plants, shrubs, trees available at prices cheaper than I've found anywhere & they are hardy - blooming in my garden from day 1."
• "Lovely garden centre Lovely day out vast range of plants, beautiful gifts/home wear etc."
• "Brilliant garden centre, cafe, with lots of goodies, biscuits, sweets and more... wellies, soil, pots, plants."
• "Lovely lovely staff who do way more than normal/go extra mile."
• "Very nice place to walk round, not too crowded and plenty of xmas ornaments that you dont find at other garden centres."
• "Great allergy awareness and knowledge."
• "Lovely gifts. Didn't look at the plants but going by the gift section assume they're good. Polite and helpful staff."

Cons:

• "I did love this place but once it changed hands its so different.. the place is like a supermarket now."
• "Seems they've been taken over by a new company, and the garden centre has become more like a supermarket."
• "Our quaint garden centre that we so much enjoyed visiting has become a bit of a junk shop."
• "Horrified to see what the new owners (Cherry Lane) have done to this once brilliant nursery/garden centre."
• "Wonder what on earth they are doing, with what was a brilliant nursery?"
• "Very disappointed that Riverside garden centre has been taken over by Cherry Lane and has changed into a supermarket !!!"
• "The place is like a supermarket now where you can but washing powder... biscuits... clothing and plants seem an after thought."