General Chat

I was prompted to write the following after a recent visit to a pubco chain eatery. Naturally, I would never dream of publicly posting the name of said chain.

Sir
I recently had the misfortune to visit the above outlet and was absolutely appalled.
The occasion was a family reunion which should have been a most joyous occasion but in reality was not.
I have chosen to complain via this means rather than during our visit because one member of our party was an elderly lady in her mid-70s and I did not wish to tackle the issue with her in attendance for reasons I am sure you can appreciate.
The menus were in a most unhygienic condition with smears of old food covering them. Indeed, in some instances it was a problem merely trying to ascertain whether we were looking at promotional photography of the various dishes on offer or just the remains of the previous diners' plates. However, we were eventually able to separate the crusts and smears from the "Mains" and "Snacks" and duly placed our respective orders.
When the meals arrived my suspicions were confirmed and it became apparent why previous diners had chosen to offload some of their meals onto the menus. In my case, I had ordered the All Day Breakfast because this is usually a dish which only the most inexperienced and inept of commis chefs can ruin. Oh how wrong I was. I knew I was eating sausages and a burger only because that is what it said on the menu and not because my tastebuds were relaying that information to my brain. Likewise, the breaded mushrooms had less taste and more cardboard content than the food spattered menu. Meanwhile, the grilled tomato was demonstrating a distinct aversion to grills. Still I persevered as I eyed up the lake of baked beans because surely nobody and nothing could have marred the taste perfected by Heinz since those first imports from the snowy wastelands of Canada back in 1886 (incidentally, if you are going to proudly use the Heinz logo on your menus you may also wish to check out how this company actually spells beans these days unless I was misreading it because of a food stain). I was wrong yet again because they were tepid at best. Mind you, the bread and butter was quite tasty.
I will not go into further detail, but other members of my party showed a similar lack of satisfaction after their meals.
I trust that you will tackle this issue with the same fervour that should be shown by your staff in maintaining clean menus!
Yours faithfully

so whats the complaint?------Exactly?

did you get a reply?
Ros xx

name and shame them , Errol

No ketchup, Bob lol

I expect they'll send you a voucher for another meal

Did yah leave a tip?

I think it is a chain of catering outlets.. in pubs?
Ours is actually a nice place to eat... poeple make or break a place don't they?

Deanna X

We had a family get together at a local chain eatery in January. Had been booked for ages for 10 people. We had to move tables twice. Then everything we ordered, the waiter said oh sorry we run out of that. So we all had something we didnt really like. When we complained the Manager, very apologetic said we didnt have to pay and all drinks were on the house. Fair enough but what a disaster of a night.

Ros, I only sent it today so won't expect a response for a while yet.
Claire, why do these places think that a free meal will recompense you for an appalling one?
It reminds me of a recent trip to a theme park. Daughter (then about 8), friend and mother got stuck right at the top of the rollercoaster ride when it broke down and were left for a considerable length of time looking straight down at the ground. As recompense they were presented with a free photo fridge magnet of them coming back down - complete with daughter screaming pmsl

Deanna, it is a chain of food pubs - I usually call them McDonalds with beer.

From your description of your pub it sounds a little unfair on McDonalds. Its not always the chain pubs either I have eaten in some pretty uninspiring free houses as well

sorry Errol...........thought it was a windup....

me culpa.......
Bob

Colin I meant as a general term - fast food and beer.

Not the chain that begins with a W by any chance?

lol no problem Bob

The problem with food pub chains is just because one has excellent food, hygiene and service doesn't mean they all will have.

Unfortunately, Claire is probably right. You'll most likely end up with a voucher for a free meal but nothing will be done about the pub itself, except maybe a slap on the wrist to keep the menus cleaner.

Although I will not name them publicly Colin, no it isn't that one. If you tell me whereabouts in Staffordshire you are I will give you a clue (are you Tamworth direction?).

Have a look at:

http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/countries/england/

Some good recommendations and if you visit a pub that doesnt live up to your expectations you can register and post your review and rating - we use it all the time to try and avoid the pubs that rely on freezers and mircowaves

Hi Errol,

Yes Tamworth and you are talking about two of my favourite subjects - food and pubs, so give me a clue

Colin if you know your beers then it is a chain run by the same company that brews Abbot ales but the pub in question is the opposite end of the county to you.
If you want a good recommendation and a day out PM me

Know the chain you are referring to...hmmm would imagine that they will take your complaint seriously...have pm'd you too