Our guests of The Duke of Wellington were definitely in the right time at the right place on Monday 21st September when they were surprised and delighted to find out that the bill for their visit had already been picked up.
After enjoying a delicious bite to eat at the pub, each of the lucky guests had the food and soft drinks on their bill paid for them by Mastercard. We were delighted to be take part in Mastercard and OpenTable’s Priceless Surprise campaign, giving guests the the chance to eat for free in their local.
The Dine Local campaign gave guests an incentive to eating our again, once Eat Out To Help Out had ended. Sian’s September gift, gave guests £5 off their bill, per person, when the dined any Monday-Wednesday in September.
With a busy eatery all day on Monday, General Manager Sian Lewis was able to give thrilled guests the fantastic news that they were being treated to their food and drink. We were completely bowled over when OpenTable approached us and asked us to be part. We’d already signed up to be part of Dine Local and wanted to do as much as we possibly could to encourage diners to eat out again. To give our guests their meals completely complimentary though was beyond our expectations, such an amazing gesture and incredibly generous. We ‘re thrilled to be part of the celebration and knew our guests would love it, too.
Sian couldn’t believe the reactions from the guests, beaming faces when they found out when they came to pay that they had been treated to their meal. 
Among the guests treated to dinner, were Kevin and Linda Hall from East Horsley. Kevin told us what a great surprise it was to have had their bill taken care of! A very generous offer which was totally unexpected, and something that rewards their loyalty, and told us it had made them feel appreciated. “Everyone likes a surprise, particularly in these uncertain times”.
The Duke launched their new Autumn menu this week too, with a wide selection of seasonal dishes created by Head Chef Nic Baba. Nic has used the bounty of the season – berries and mushrooms, apples and pears, game, pies and hearty slow braises – to put a wealth of deliciously warming plates of food onto the table.
Guests can enjoy the pub safely whenever they visit us, as we all following the guidance. It’s easy to order from mobiles and have food and drinks brought directly to the table, all payments are cashless and there is clear signage directing guests around the pub to make their visit as welcoming as possible. You can find out more about what we’ve done to keep the pub safe at www.dukeofwellingtoneasthorsley.co.uk/yourvisit
Here is what some of the guests that came to see us had to say;
Brian – “Thank you – we really do appreciate the fact that we’re always well catered for. We are keen to come here and have always felt safe post-lockdown. Lots of thought has been put into making you feel safe here and that’s very valuable.”
Phillip – “Sian and her team are brilliant. It’s a nice, close team. We come here because it’s an easy journey for us from Dorking but also because the food is very good and good value for money. The service is good too.”
Bernadette – “It’s a lovely idea! We’ve eaten ourselves to a standstill tonight! And when I got the bill, I thought, am I reading it right? It was a lovely surprise and we were not expecting it at all. How wonderful to get a genuine surprise too – there’s no catch!”
Tony – “It’s the first time we have got together and eaten out as friends in eight months, so we are all very happy that this happened tonight. It was very surprising and we are all very grateful. It’s a great initiative that rewards loyalty to regulars. I like to support local – I live 15o yards away from the pub – and I spend a lot of money here eating out. So it was lucky that we came here this evening.”
We hope next time you’re in the area, we’ll stop by, although we can’t guarantee a free lunch!