Danczuk hits out at ‘poor service’ slur on Rochdale

Rochdale Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Simon Danczuk

Rochdale’s Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Simon Danczuk, has angrily condemned a Manchester-based businessman’s slur on Rochdale being a ‘poor service’ town.

In a recent interview with Crain’s business magazine, Howard Raynor, chief executive of World Class Service, said that Manchester needed to compete more effectively against its European tourism rivals because levels of service were “more Rochdale than London” even in some of the City’s top hotels.

Branding the comparison an unnecessary cheap shot at Rochdale, Mr Danczuk insisted that Rochdale doesn’t need to take any lessons from London on customer service, arguing that London’s hospitality industry could learn a thing or two from the many excellent hotels and restaurants in Rochdale.

“I’ve no doubt Mr Raynor is having a cheap shot at Rochdale in a desperate attempt to grab some headlines to promote his business,” he said. “Well his shot is wide of the mark and he should be ashamed of himself. I spend most of my time in Rochdale but also work in Manchester and often visit London on business. I occasionally eat out and stay in hotels in all three places. I can assure Mr Raynor that the level of service, the quality of food and the attitude of staff is excellent in Rochdale, they’re not only a credit to our town, they’re a credit to our region.

“Only last week I ate at the Miah Restaurant in Yorkshire Street, for the first time, and the whole experience was fantastic. The staff were very welcoming, the food was great, you couldn’t ask for anything more. Earlier that week I’d been in London and ate in China town in the West End. To put it bluntly I wouldn’t return if I were paid. The toilets were filthy, they brought all the courses at the same time; it was a disgrace. To top it all I stayed in a hotel there that discounted the bill by 40 per cent because of the poor service. Compare that to the Moss Lodge hotel in Rochdale, which recently won a silver accolade from Visit Britain, and you can see why I think Mr Raynor’s comparison is an ill-informed generalisation.”

Mr Raynor’s business, based on Oxford Street in Manchester, invites hotels to subscribe to his Manchester Standard — a set of rules for face-to-face customer service. The business sends its own audit team to subscribing hotels to compile a report for management.

Speaking about customer service in Manchester, he said: “Service in Manchester is warm and friendly, but not very professional. It's as if the prices are set in London, but the service is set in Rochdale.”

Slamming the remarks as an insult to the professionalism and dedication of people in Rochdale working in the hospitality sector, Mr Danczuk is now urging Mr Raynor to retract his remarks.

“I hope he’ll have the decency to apologise because I know people will be offended by this daft statement, which tries to make out that Rochdale is a byword for unprofessional service” he said. “Perhaps he should get out of his Manchester office a bit more and come and visit Rochdale. I would like to see him tell the award winning chef, Andrew Nutter that his restaurant is not up to scratch and that he’s offering an unprofessional service. Rochdale has a lot to be proud of and this level of ignorance needs to be strongly challenged at every opportunity.”