A new cafe at a popular beauty spot has been hit with scathing reviews from unhappy customers.
The Hide Coffee House opened at Pennington Flash in Leigh, Wigan, at the beginning of March, offering visitors a relaxing place to eat and drink with stunning views across the water.
It sells a range of drinks and snacks, from cold sandwiches, paninis and breakfast barms, to pancakes, waffles, scones and cakes.
But while some customers have welcomed the new eatery, others have been less than impressed - slating the venue's card-only policy and saying they were disappointed with the 'overpriced' and 'inedible' food, claiming the toasties, costing £6.45, taste 'like rubber'.
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Leaving a review on The Hide's Facebook page, one customer said: "Visited the cafe for the first time yesterday and unfortunately really disappointed with the cafe. The cafe itself is lovely, however the food is very poor and extremely overpriced.
"They only had toasties left for lunch when we got there at 1pm, it was tasteless and like rubber. £23 for three toasties a coffee and water, extortionate.
"The worst thing they have done was getting rid of the burger, doughnut and ice cream vans. The burger van was brilliant and food good. It was a treat for the children we looked forward to it. Going forward I think it’s best to take a picnic."
Another shared a photo of her toastie from there and said: "Such a shame, we were really looking forward to this opening, a lot of the food is horrendously overpriced and really inedible. £6.45 for a sourdough ham and cheese and it was awful.
"Maybe just a hot drink and cake if there’s a next time. Can’t fault most of the staff and they were friendly and kind and offered a refund when they saw the sandwich, but it’s a shame as there’s a massive part of the community here being excluded as they don’t accept cash either.
"No way it can stay open long charging what it does for a dry reheated bacon barm and microwaved sourdough toastie."
She wasn't the only one to complain about not being able to use cash to buy the products, which include lattes for £3.25, smoothies from £3.75, bacon or sausage barms for £3.75, cakes and scones from £2.75 and kids lunch packs for £4.50.
Just days after it opened, one customer reacted, saying: "It doesn’t take into consideration that some people do not have cards! I know a few walkers who walk around the flash and would love a warm drink but they don’t have cards and the same applies to most teenagers.
"Watch this space everyone because when the internet goes down and it will…… you’ll be up the creek without a paddle."
The café, which is operated by Leigh Sports Village on behalf of Wigan Council and has created 30 jobs, is open seven days a week, open 9am-7pm from April to October and 9am-4pm from November to March.
Along with the visitors centre, it is part of a £2.7m council makeover of facilities at the nature reserve, with new accessible toilets installed along with upgrades to parking - including electric vehicle charging points.
A new adventure playground is also being built, with swings, slides, climbing frames and a central 'toddler lake' blue area for younger children.
The inclusive, nature-themed attraction has been designed with the help of feedback from local families and is due to open in June.
Not everyone is as disappointed with the offerings at the café. Others have left positive reviews, including those with dogs who have taken them along for a puppuccino. And it's been praised for its vegan and gluten free options.
"Was really busy but we managed to get a table," said one customer. "We ordered two hot sandwiches and a coffee. Really good options for vegan and gluten free, as well as the usual café stuff. We enjoyed our sandwiches. Will try the smoothies when it's warmer out. A nice pit stop for visitors to the flash."
Another said: "We enjoyed a lovely coffee and brownie today after our walk with the pooch. Friendly service even though the staff were super busy and it was so lovely to be able to sit and enjoy the views. Will definitely be back."
A spokesperson for Leigh Sports Village said: “The team have taken all the feedback we have received on board and are working hard to create the best possible experience for our valued customers.
“We’ve been incredibly busy since our highly-anticipated grand opening and it’s only natural for us to have faced a few teething problems during the early days of our new venture.
“While we’re disappointed that not everybody has had the best experience to date, we’re also really pleased at how many people have already been enjoying what The Hide Coffee House has to offer."
He added: “Our menu draws upon a range of local suppliers and, we feel, represents good value in the context of Pennington Flash’s status as a popular visitor attraction - part of Greater Manchester’s first and only National Nature Reserve, the Flashes of Wigan and Leigh. All profits go back into protecting and developing this incredible destination for future generations.
“Although we understand that some people do sometimes prefer to pay with cash, the decision to operate as a card-only venue was made with the safety and best interests of our staff in mind.
“This is such an exciting time for Pennington Flash, with new accessible toilets, improved parking and a brand-new adventure playground also currently in development as part of our £2.7m investment into creating the best possible visitor experience.
“We value customer feedback and want to encourage all our visitors to leave a review and let us know what their experience is like.”
Have you visited the new café yet? What did you think? Does it bother you if a venue is card-only? Let us know in the comments. And if you have a family-friendly café or pub you'd recommend, share that with us too.
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