Miller & Carter Hockley Heath was forced to close down on December 25 – with some customers only finding out they wouldn’t have their £105pp dinners until just before their booking
Hundreds of people eagerly awaiting a slap-up Christmas steak dinner were left devastated after they paid more than £100 per person – only to have the venue close on them.
Families living in and around Hockley Heath in Solihull, the West Midlands, had booked coveted spaces for Miller & Carter’s famous Christmas day dinner on December 25. The set menu typically costs £105 per person, and a source told the Mirror that “hundreds” were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to have a tasty dinner without any of the dreaded clean up responsibility.
But the Hockley Heath management team left them devastated when, on the big day, it was forced to close due to an extractor fan issue, leading one family to “write off” their Christmas Day.
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Miller & Carter posted a message to families at 1pm on December 25 saying the location would have to close its doors after experiencing an “unexpected electrical issue” that shorted its entire extractor fan system. A spokesperson wrote on its Facebook page saying that, while engineers had been promptly called out, they were unable to resolve the issue.
They wrote: “There is no easy way to say this but Miller & Carter Hockley Heath has had to close our doors today due to an unexpected electrical issue in our kitchen meaning that our extractor fan system is not working.
“We have had engineers working all morning to try and resolve this issue but unfortunately are unable to do so. This means we are unable to open our kitchens today. Our management team are currently contacting all bookings to advise them of this closure. We apologise for any inconvenience and those affected will be contacted by senior management in the next couple of days.”
The Facebook message was posted at 1.20pm, more than an hour after some people said they had slots booked at the restaurant. One diner, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Mirror the club had “hundreds” of customers who had already booked and paid.
They said: “This is disastrous. I know the pub and hundreds have booked and paid £105 per head for dinner. Now they will have no food in for their own Christmas dinner and have had their plans scuppered. What will they do? It’s a huge blow this Christmas, and I feel sorry for these families.”
Among those left short-changed by the cancellation was James Munro, who booked a 12pm slot at the restaurant for himself and 12 members of his family.
Speaking to the Mirror, Mr Munro said he had booked the group meal after his sister travelled up from Devon to spend the big day with his family, and were left with a “write off” of a Christmas after Miller & Carter failed to inform them of the closure. He explained: “There were 13 of us, including my sister’s family, a friends family of four and my wife’s mother.
“We heard the news about half an hour before our booking. Initially we were sceptical and assumed they would sort the problem out, so myself and my brother-in-law decided to walk over at midday.
“We were then told the news was true and that the extraction unit had failed and they couldn’t get the part. Apparently the ovens won’t turn on without the extractor as a safety measure. I questioned why we hand’t received a call and they claimed they had tried to call my sister, yet she had no missed calls or voicemails so evidently that wasn’t true.”
“They offered no solution and essentially apologised saying there’s nothing they could do. I though we should at the very least have been offered a drink or perhaps even some food to take away to cook at home.”
Mr Munro explained that the closure and late contact meant that he and his family hadn’t even had the chance to cobble together scraps for their own dinner, saying: “Safe to say the day has been a write off, perhaps if we had been informed early enough we might have had time to pull some scraps together.”
Other people following Miller & Carter’s page commented under the restaurant’s post announcing the closure, with some suggesting it should have provided booked diners with food for their own dinner.
One commenter said: “Could they have not just given all the food to the booked customers to take home and cook? Not ideal situation but could of helped in a way.” Another added: “I can only imagine or the stock and prepped food that will be wasted.” A third, who was less fussed about the cancellation, said: “We were booked for Christmas lunch today but these things happen occasionally.”
The Daily Mirror has reached out to Miller & Carter Hockley Heath and Mitchells & Butlers, the parent company of Miller & Carter, for comment.
