The Orchard Theatre Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 1ED

"The Orchard has a lot to offer for all age's. They have so much variety I wouldn't be able to list them all, however I can say children love the pantomimes and seeing their favourite books or TV shows coming to life. Now for the adults they have a wide variety from 80s dance nights, comedian, musicals and so much more. There is a great restaurant that you can book ahead of the performances or you can order smaller versions in the bar area. The price's are resemble and there is a good variety, you can choose from 6 starters, a beautiful range of bread chunks, then the show stopping mains the desert is served for you during the interval however you would have to go back up to the dining area. Or you can get the ice cream tubs from the ushers and front of house they have a super variety of ice cream and sorbet. There is one huge downfall I wish the ice cream staff in the foyer would clean the scoop more because let's be fair I'm gluten free due to an allergy and I've had sorbet that had the chocolate brownie ice cream on it. I get there is a lot of people to serve but cross contamination isn't right! I have eaten here on many occasions and the food has been great until the new menu came in a few weeks ago and omg the food is spicy! So if you can't handle spicy foods tell the staff so an alternative can be sorted. For me I wished they kept the Jambalaya chicken and I know others have said they hoped the beer battered fish would have stayed. I like other people would love to have a separate menu that was for persons like myself that are Gluten Free or have allergies so we know what foods we are able to have instead of asking the waiter or manager what is available and them have to go back and forth. It would be great to order at the same time as the persons you come with. Sorry I might add if you are unable to get upstairs due to mobility issues you wouldn't be able to sit in the restaurant however the staff are absolutely amazing and welcoming to have your meal in the bar. The staff I can never fault them they are always super helpful and accommodating even to the point a customer that was unable to go to the restaurant for their desert a wounderful young lady that works front of house went a got the food and bought it to the person during the interval where they sat. So the staff are great! Some of a few photos I've taken!"

"The Cher Show itself was fantastic, first class entertainment, as was the Russell Brand show, that we came to see here in 2021. But the customer service skills of certain members of staff was disgusting! We arrived and were greeted by a very nice young man, very professional and polite who checked our tickets, then another fella in the coffee shop, who again was faultless. But as we walk into the auditorium, a horrible lady (who turned out to be the duty manager) shouted "Can you get out, we're not open!". Feeling like school children, we turned around, with others that had followed us and my wife replies "Sorry the door was open?", And again she responded with "No the we are clearly closed so you can't come in!" We were shocked at the treatment we had received, and complained to another lady outside. It's a shame because the show was faultless, but we spent most of it being very angry about the treatment we received! Then another lady tried to snatched the tickets from my wife's hand when we attempted to go back in a while later. We assume they both went on the same customer service training?? Don't think we'll be coming back, think it's worth paying extra and going into the West end tbh. You get a much better experience!"

"Comfortable seating, enough leg room for a 6' person to sit comfortably, and the seats are raked at good angle. We sat in row M and the view of the stage was excellent. The theatre is clean and tidy throughout, friendly staff, and plenty of parking nearby. I've only given 4 stars as the refreshments from the coffee kiosk are ridiculously overpriced."

"A great theatre with good facilities and close, convenient parking. They seem to get a decent share of good shows and prices are reasonable, saves an expensive trip into London. Photos are from Oti Mabuse, I Am Here show"

"Great overall experience from start to finish. There was queuing outside before entering but it was very quick to get to the entrance. Fast and efficient processing by staff. Very easy to follow direction once inside and staff were very helpful and efficient. The show was amazing and had an great time. The space inside was just right. Not too big or too small. Just right. The seating was okay but long legs at the front near the side would struggle to be comfortable with the lack of room to sit. Apart from that a superb overall experience."