[Misc] No more food

[SeagullinExile]

We went out to Worthing's excellent Egremont pub last night for drinks and something to eat.

When I went to the bar for our first drinks, I asked either one of these (I can't remember my exact words):

"Are you still doing food?", or "Are you still serving food?"

The barman checked the clock, it was a little after 8, and said something like "Yes, until 9."

We perused the menu over our first drinks and around 8:40 I went to the bar to get another round of drinks and order some food whereupon I was told they'd finished food and were taking no more orders. I checked my watch and it was 8:44.

I posted this on a Worthing food & drink page on FB, and it sparked a fair bit of debate, with some thinking I was in the wrong and I was ordering too late. Even if the barman was stating that food was served until 9, at no point did he indicate I'd need to order by a certain time in order to get food.

Given what I have described, would you expect to still be able to order food at 8:44?

You are not in the wrong. If any of my staff did that they would be suspended pending a disciplinary. Food delivery is all about consistency, you never chop and change the timings. If a table of ten orders with us at 20:59 it gets done without question.

If a premises says it does food until 21:00 then they should do it!

Makes my blood boil grrr!

Complain to the management/company. You will have a free meal in the bank if they know what they're doing.

 

[Bwian]

My annoyance has upped a notch when last night FB decided to tell me that I had received a direct message thing.

The message was from the chef and had been sent early Sunday morning. It seemed to be accusing me of fibbing - "I am truly sorry but I was working last night and can confirm the kitchen was open until 9pm! " and was asking me to delete my message on the Worthing Food & Drink group on FB.

As it turned out, I'd long since deleted it, as it was all going very strangely. I typed quite a long reply to the chef only for it to be rejected as she has chosen not to receive direct messages.

I wish I hadn't deleted it now, although...

View attachment 89514

Put it back up adding that the chef left you a comment but made it impossible for you to respond and your only way to respond is publicly. Then have a bit of fun with them [emoji4]

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[LlcoolJ]

This thread is GOLD.

I started reading it thinking "how boring, Bozza was clearly in the right and nobody will disagree" but true to form NSC delivers!

 

[essbee1]

This thread is GOLD.

I started reading it thinking "how boring, Bozza was clearly in the right and nobody will disagree" but true to form NSC delivers!

I always disagree with Bozza. Sometimes I agree - but only very begrudgingly.

 

[Yes Chef]

My annoyance has upped a notch when last night FB decided to tell me that I had received a direct message thing.

The message was from the chef and had been sent early Sunday morning. It seemed to be accusing me of fibbing - "I am truly sorry but I was working last night and can confirm the kitchen was open until 9pm! " and was asking me to delete my message on the Worthing Food & Drink group on FB.

As it turned out, I'd long since deleted it, as it was all going very strangely. I typed quite a long reply to the chef only for it to be rejected as she has chosen not to receive direct messages.

I wish I hadn't deleted it now, although...

View attachment 89514

If you really want to make their shit itch, stick a review on Tripadvisor.

 

[sydney]

You are not in the wrong. If any of my staff did that they would be suspended pending a disciplinary. Food delivery is all about consistency, you never chop and change the timings. If a table of ten orders with us at 20:59 it gets done without question.

If a premises says it does food until 21:00 then they should do it!

Makes my blood boil grrr!

Complain to the management/company. You will have a free meal in the bank if they know what they're doing.

the owner is a local bloke ....he will probably say the chef got a nose bleed or the oven broke.

 

[vegster]

You are not in the wrong. If any of my staff did that they would be suspended pending a disciplinary. Food delivery is all about consistency, you never chop and change the timings. If a table of ten orders with us at 20:59 it gets done without question.

If a premises says it does food until 21:00 then they should do it!

Makes my blood boil grrr!

Complain to the management/company. You will have a free meal in the bank if they know what they're doing.

I think that would be chancing it, I'd expect the landlord and the chef taking turns to empty their nostrils in your soup if you demanded a freebie.

 

[pearl]

We went out to Worthing's excellent Egremont pub last night for drinks and something to eat.

When I went to the bar for our first drinks, I asked either one of these (I can't remember my exact words):

"Are you still doing food?", or "Are you still serving food?"

The barman checked the clock, it was a little after 8, and said something like "Yes, until 9."

We perused the menu over our first drinks and around 8:40 I went to the bar to get another round of drinks and order some food whereupon I was told they'd finished food and were taking no more orders. I checked my watch and it was 8:44.

I posted this on a Worthing food & drink page on FB, and it sparked a fair bit of debate, with some thinking I was in the wrong and I was ordering too late. Even if the barman was stating that food was served until 9, at no point did he indicate I'd need to order by a certain time in order to get food.

Given what I have described, would you expect to still be able to order food at 8:44?

yes
sounds like an episode of Fawlty Towers

 

[mylesfdo]

Having worked in catering industry for ages this is ridiculous.....many a time when we close at say 10pm checks have started coming out the printer at 9.57+ and the kitchen just deal with it!!

I actually had similar at the new Fusion Sushi place(name escapes me) near Norfolk Square the other week. Was deciding what to have for dinner at about 9.45pm and saw that they closed at 10....walked in and up to counter only to be told they closed!! Checked time and sign again and pointed out to owner only to be told 'kitchen actually closes at 10!'.........shite customer service and shant be going back even if it does get great reviews!!

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

Do we need to reserve a table for dinner? Dinner? Yes.
Problem? - Well, it is after 9:00.
- So? Well, we do actually stop serving at 9:00.
9:00? If you could go straight in We've driven five hours to get here.
We'd like to freshen up, have a drink first, you know? You couldn't do that afterwards? Do what? You mean have our drink-before-dinner after dinner, freshen up, and go to bed? If you could, it would make things easier for us.
Shall we go to bed now, would that make it easier for you? We're a little tired, fella.
We want to clean up, be down in a few minutes.
Yes, but the chef does actually stop at 9:00.
9:00! 9:00! Humph! So why does your chef stop at 9:00, huh? He got something terminal? No, but that's when he, in fact, stops.
Uh-huh.
Now, look, we drove from London to stay here, right? Are you telling me that you can't stay open a few minutes longer so that we can eat properly? Well, we can do you sandwiches.
Ham cheese - We want something hot.
- Toasted sandwiches? - You're joking?! - Not really.
"Not really.
" Can you believe this? What the hell's wrong with this country? You can't get a drink after 3:00, you can't eat after 9:00! Is the war still on? - No, but it's the staff, you see.
- Oh, it's the staff.
- We have to get the staff - How much? How much of this Mickey Mouse money do you want to keep the chef on for half an hour? One, two, three £20, huh? That enough? - I'll see what I can do.
- Thank you.
Uh, excuse me.
Pardon! Pardon! Excuse me, please! This way! Por aquÃ*.
This way, please.
Gosh, that does look absolutely marvelous, doesn't it? Oh, um, Terry, I almost forgot.
Some guests have just arrived, right at the last moment, as usual.
I'm sorry, but this puts us out just as much as it puts you out.
- It don't put me out, Mr.
Fawlty.
- No, but they want some dinner, and they insist first on scraping off some of the filth that somehow got caked to them cruising down the M5.
Well, I got my class tonight, Mr.
Fawlty.
- I'm ready, Terry! - Right-o, Poll.
No! Wait! Did I say I will make it up to you? Out of my own pocket.
It's not the money, Mr.
Fawlty.
My karate means a lot to me.
Half an hour's overtime and a taxi.
Mr.
Fawlty, if I miss a week, next week I don't get out in one piece.
An hour's overtime.
Sorry, Mr.
Fawlty.
What am I going to say to them? Two hours.
- What? - Two hours overtime.
I thought you said it wasn't the money.
It ain't, but I can't think what you're gonna say to your guests.
Terry, I'd pay you two hours overtime if I could afford it! Sorry, Mr.
Fawlty.
An hour and a half.
- Cash? - Cash.
An hour and a half, but I go at half past 9:00, - then I still get some of me class, right? - And I do the washing up? - You know how it is, Mr.
Fawlty.
- Yes, I pay you for an hour and a half, you clear off after half an hour, that's how it is.
That's socialism.
Oh, no, that's the free market.
Come on, Terry.
Musn't keep the lady waiting.
The lady? She's from Finland, Mr.
Fawlty, and very pretty.
Tall, blonde This Finnish floozy is your karate teacher, is she? Well, it's a sort of karate, ain't it? - Right, give me that.
- What? I pay you overtime to miss a class, not to keep some bit of crumpet hanging around.
No, it's all right! I'm washing up, I'll do the cooking, too.
Go off and enjoy yourself.
Don't worry about me.
Go have a good time.
I'll be all right.
Go and have a bit of fun with a Finn! Come along, Manuel! Where are you? Polly? Where Hey, wait for me! If you'd care to sit over there.
Thank you.
Good evening.
- Evening.
- Good evening.
Is your room to your liking? - Yes, it's very nice.
- Very nice, thank you.
Oh, good.
I'll get you tonight's menu.
Oh, would you care for a drink before your meal? Scotch and water and a screwdriver, please.
And for you, madam? The screwdriver's for me.
I see.
Would you like it now, or after the meal? Now, please.
There's nothing I can put right? - What? - Absolutely.
So it's one scotch, and a screwdriver.
I think I'll join you.
Make that two screwdrivers, would you? You'd like a screwdriver, as well? You got it.
So, it's one scotch, and you each need a screwdriver.
No.
Forget the scotch.
Two screwdrivers.
I understand, and you'll leave the drinks.
- What? - Nothing to drink? What do you mean, "Nothing to drink"? Well, you can't drink your screwdrivers, can you? What else would you suggest that we do with them? - Vodka and orange juice.
- Ah.
Certainly, madam.
Make that two and forget about the screwdrivers.
You sure? We can manage without them.
As you wish.
"Relax in the carefree atmosphere of old English charm" - Shh! - "When you're there" Shh! Hope we're not intruding on your dinner hour.
Oh, not at all, no.
You're American.
That's right.
Where are you from? California.
How lovely.
You're English, though.
Yes, but I've been over there 10 years now.
10 years.
Do you ever get homesick? Oh, yes, but I love it there.
The climate's so wonderful.
You can swim and sunbathe, and then after lunch, drive up into the mountains and ski.
How wonderful.
I like England and the English people, but I sure couldn't take this climate.
Harry finds it too gloomy.
Oh, I don't find it too gloomy.
Do you, Sybil? Yes, I do, Basil.
My wife finds it too gloomy.
I find it rather bracing.
What do you find bracing, Basil, the damp, the drizzle, the fog? It's not always like this.
It changes.
My husband's like the climate.
He changes.
This morning he went on for two hours about the bloody weather.
Yes, it has been unusually damp this week, in fact, but normally we're rather spoiled down here on the English Riviera.
Mr.
And Mrs.
Hamilton were telling me about California.
You can swim in the morning, and then in the afternoon, you can drive up into the mountains and ski.
Must be rather tiring.
Well, one has a choice.
I don't think it would suit me.
I like it down here.
It's very mild all year round.
We have palm trees here in Torquay.
Do you have palm trees in California? Burt Lancaster had one, they say.
But I don't believe them.
What the hell is that? Vodka and orange juice.
Orange juice? I'm afraid it's not fresh.
- Isn't it? - No.
We've just opened the bottle.
Fresh means it comes out of an orange, not a bottle.
You'd like freshly squeezed orange juice.
As opposed to freshly unscrewed orange juice.
Leave it to me.
I'll get chef onto it straightaway.
Sorry about that.
A lot of English people are used to the flavor of the bottle.
It's all right.
It's just that back home, fresh orange juice comes like running water.
Does it really? It's so good for your skin, isn't it? I'd love to go to California someday.
Looks so exciting.
"Never Love a Stranger.
" Do you like it? I love all Harold Robbins.
I've read this one three times.
"The Pirates" is his best, I think.
I read them when Harry's away.
I don't seem to have the time when he's home.
Who needs Harold Robbins when you got the real thing? How long have you been married, Mrs.
Fawlty? Oh, since 1485.
There we are.
Fresh orange juice.
Thank you.
But seriously, though, his men are all so interesting.
Ruthless and sexy and powerful.
Who's this then, dear? Proust? E.
M.
Forster? - Harold Robbins.
- Oh, yes, of course.
My wife likes Harold Robbins.
After a hard day slaving under the hair dryer, she needs to unwind with a few aimless thrills.
Basil! Have you ever read any? It really is the most awful American well, not American Transatlantic tripe.
A sort of pornographic muzak.
Still, it keeps my wife off the streets.
We both like him.
Oh, oh, R-Rob-bins?! - What? - Harold Rob-bins?! I thought you meant that awful man what's his name? Ah Harold Robinson! Have you read any Harold Robinson? Ah! Painful! How about Waldorf salad? Was that one? You're absolutely right.
That was a shocker! Could you make me a Waldorf salad? Waldorf salad.
I think we're just out of Waldorfs.
- I don't believe this.
- It's not very well known here, Harry.
May I recommend tonight I'm sure your chef knows how to fix me a Waldorf salad.
I wouldn't be too sure - He's a chef, isn't he? - You wouldn't prefer Find out! Go see if he knows how to fix me a Waldorf salad! Of course, yes.
He's not positive he's almost got it.
It's lettuce and tomato No, no! It's celery, apples, walnuts, grapes! In a mayonnaise sauce.
Incidentally, he did ask me to say that he does especially recommend the paté tonight.
- I don't want paté.
- Or the grapefruit? The grapefruit? How's it done? Well, it's halved, with a cherry in the center.
Look! I haven't paid you £20 to have some guy cut a grapefruit in half and stick a cherry in the center! Exactly.
I want a Waldorf salad! Absolutely.
One Waldorf salad.
- And a green salad for me.
- And one green salad.
And if we can't manage the Waldorf salad? I want a Waldorf salad! And to follow, a couple of filet mignons! Steaks! Steaks! Done rare! Not out of a bottle! Not out of a bottle, right.
Would you care to see the wine list? Thank you.
May I ask, did you say you paid £20? Yes.
But it's, uh not the money.
My wife and I, we wanted dinner and This can't be right.
There's no reason chef couldn't stay.
I'm awfully sorry.
He's forgotten already.
Uh, walnuts, cheese? No! No cheese! It's celery, apples, walnuts, grapes! - Right! - In mayonnaise! Right! Now, come on! Uh would you excuse me one moment? Uh, excuse me.
Bottle of Volnay, please.
Of course.
Thank you.
What's this about £20, Basil? There's no celery! Would you believe it? I'll find the celery.
What about this £20? He gave me £20 to keep the kitchen open.
Chef wouldn't tell me where does he put things? - If you'd just look.
- I have looked! There's no celery, there's no grapes.
Walnuts! That's a laugh! Easier to find a packet of sliced hippopotamus in suitcase sauce than a walnut in this bloody kitchen! - We've got apples.
- Terrific! We'll celebrate.
We'll have an apple party.
Everybody brings an apple and stuffs it down somebody's throat! Basil, I will find everything.
Just go and get a bottle of Volnay.
What's a Waldorf, anyway? A walnut that's gone off? It's the hotel, Basil.
The Waldorf Hotel in New York.
Wait! Wait.
Basil! Everything all right? Yes, thank you.
Never been better.
Oh, good.
And by the way, I wonder, have you by any chance ever tried a Ritz salad? Ritz salad? It's a traditional Olde English thing.
It's apples, grapefruit, and potatoes in a mayonnaise sauce.
No, I don't think I ever tried that.
Don't think I ever will, either.
That's probably pretty sound.
About this Waldorf salad of yours Yes? Been having a bit of a tete-a-tete with chef.
We're all right on the apples, absolutely no problem with them at all.
Now, on the celery front, uh perhaps I should explain, we normally get our celery delivered on a Wednesday, along with our cabbages, onions, walnuts, grapes - But this week, the driver - Mr.
Fawlty - He was putting - I'm not interested.
He slipped forward, and the van door caught his arm and may have fractured it.
- You don't have any.
- They did the x-rays, and we'll know tomorrow if they'll have to operate, and to cut a long story short, we don't have any, no.
But, um so, makes you think how lucky you are! Doesn't it? I mean, here we all are, with all our limbs functioning.
Quite frankly, if you've got your health, what else matters? What a bunch of crap! Oh, do you think so? I always feel What the hell's going on here?! It says "Hotel" outside! Now, is this a hotel or isn't it? Well, within reason.
You know something, fella? If this was back in the States, I wouldn't board my dog here.
Fussy is he? Poodle? Poodle? I'm not getting through to you, am I? I stay in hotels all over the world.
This is the first time I've had to bribe a chef to cook me a meal, then find out he doesn't even have the basic goddamn ingredients! Holy cow, can't you see what a crummy dump this is? - You listening to this, are you - I'm talking to you! - Terry, you can get out - Shut up and listen to me! - Can't you see this ain't good enough? - I see what you mean.
Then you give me some half-assed story about some delivery guy busting his arm.
Look, Fawlty, if your chef couldn't find the ingredients from that guy, why didn't he get them from somebody else? - Exactly.
Hopeless.
- What? - Completely hopeless.
- Right.
You're the manager, aren't you? You're responsible.
So what are you going to do about it? I'll have a word with him.
Have a word with him? Man, you gotta tell him, lay it on the line! Lay it on the line.
Tell him if he doesn't get on the ball, you're gonna bust his ass! - Bust his? - I'll tell him! No, I'll tell him! Leave it to me! I've got it.
I've got it.
- Bust his? - Ass! Oh, that! And two green salads.
Here we are.
One green salad, and one Waldorf salad.
But I thought, uh Yes? Would you excuse me one moment? It's not good enough! Do you hear me? It's not good enough! But Mr.
Robinson hurt his arm! That's a bunch of ass! It's fine.
Why can't you make a Waldorf salad? - Waldorf salad? - Yeah.
Tomorrow you get the ingredients for a Waldorf salad, or I'm going to break your bottom! Oh, no! You can't! No, I mean it! - Everything all right? - Yes, thank you.
- Everything all right? - Yes, thank you.
You're sure there's nothing? No, it's very good.
Oh, good.
Oh, um - your chef.
- Yes? Has he been with you long? About six months.
He used to work at Dorchester.
At the Dorchester? No.
In Dorchester, about 14 miles away.
Here we are.
Two green salads.
Basil.
Yes, dear? Mr.
Hamilton has his Waldorf salad, dear.
No, chef couldn't make it.
He didn't have the ingredients.
I just smashed his backside about it.
But there it is.
What? There's the Waldorf salad.
Chef found the ingredients.
It's fine.
Well, if he found the ingredients, why didn't he tell me? Has he been struck dumb? Has somebody torn his tongue out in the last two minutes? Maybe Robinson's arm got better.
I'm sorry about this.
It's all right.
- No, it isn't.
- It doesn't matter.
- It matters to me.
- I got my Waldorf salad.
- Excuse me.
- For God's sake! - Chef, what's this? - Bring that back immediately! I'm so sorry.
I'll get it back for you.
Sorry? I'll give you sorry! - Get off your knees! - Basil! I haven't finished with chef yet, Sybil.
Why didn't you tell me you had found them, you stupid cow?! Eh, chef? I haven't finished! You can have it in a Oof! Sorry about that little confusion.
Chef hasn't been with us very long.
We've just reorganized the kitchen.
Thank you.
Oh, you haven't got your wine yet.
Basil! Won't be a moment! Basil! Yes, my sweet? Mr.
And Mrs.
Hamilton haven't got their wine.
- Fine.
- And, Basil? Has chef put the steaks on yet? I'll tell him.
Is your husband all right? Oh, yes.
He's just had rather a long day.
There's just the two of you here, right? We haven't had a proper holiday for eight years.
Eight years? Yes.
I have to get away occasionally just for a few hours.
Even if it's just down to the hairdresser, or a round of golf, or a bridge evening with some of the girls, drive in the country sometimes, just on my own.
Pop down to Cornwall for the day sometimes.
It's beautiful there.
Your Volnay, sir.
You must visit Cornwall while you're here.
Incidentally, I've been talking to chef, and we've sorted out what happened.
Um, apparently he thought that he'd, uh That's very nice.
Thank you.
got two orders for Waldorf salad, and in fact, he had the ingredients, until he made one, he realized that he didn't have enough for the second.
Don't let it bother you.
This will explain everything.
- What's that? - A letter.
- A letter? - A letter from the chef.
It explains everything.
- A letter from the chef? - He wanted to apologize personally, but I didn't want him wasting your time Look, just forget about it, will you? - I'll read it for you.
- I want my steak! Won't be a moment.
"Dear Mr.
And Mrs.
Hamilton, I hope you are well.
This is just a brief note to say that I take full responsibility for the dreadful mess-ups tonight.
If I'd only listened to Mr.
Fawlty, none of this fiasco would have occurred.
I'd just like to tell you that such a cock-up has never occurred in my career before, and that now everything has been sorted out, I'll be back to my very best form.
Signed, Terr" What are you doing?! What do you mean, you've burned it? I've had just about enough of this.
Harry How could you forget about it? I was making another Waldorf Making another Waldorf salad?! What are you making another Waldorf salad for?! Careful, I'm only a little bloke! What do you think Mr.
And Mrs.
Hamilton must think Mr.
Hamilton, may I introduce Terry Where did he go? Where's he gone? Did you see him? Maybe he went to get something to eat.
- Come on, honey.
- What is it, Harry? - We're leaving.
- What's happened? I'll tell you later.
Yes, your steak will be ready in a moment.
He must have heard you coming, panicked, and run out into the yard.
You know, after all the problems we've Humph! How big a butterball do you take me for?! Butterb? You think I don't know what's been going on out there?! Oh, bit of a debacle, I'm afraid.
I'm talking about you taking £20 off me to keep the chef on, letting him go, cooking the meal yourself, then pretending he's still out there! - Oh, that.
- Yes, that! And I'd be interested to know what you've got to say about it.
- Good evening.
- I asked you a question.
I'm sorry that your meal has not been satisfactory this evening.
Huh! What I am suggesting is that this place is the crummiest, shoddiest, worst-run hotel in the whole of Western Europe! No! No! I won't have that! There's a place in Eastbourne What's its name? And that you are the British Tourist Board's answer to Donald Duck! Look, I know things have gone wrong this evening, but you must remember that we have had thousands of satisfied customers All right, let's ask them, eh? - What? - Let's ask them.
Are you all satisfied? You are you satisfied? Major, are you satisfied? You've been here seven years.
Oh, yes.
I love it here - Ladies, are you satisfied? - Yes, thank you, Mr.
Fawlty.
- Thank you for asking.
- Not at all.
- Mr.
Arrad, are you satisfied? - Well, yes.
- Mrs.
Gurke, you? - Very nice, yes.
You see? Satisfied customers.
Of course, if this little hotel is not to your taste, then you are free to say so, that is your privilege.
And I shall of course refund your money.
I know how important it is to you Americans.
But you must remember that here in Britain, there are things that we value more, things that perhaps in America you've rather forgotten about, but which to we British are far, far more important I'm not satisfied.
Wh-what? I'm not satisfied! No, we're not satisfied! Well, people like you never are, are you? What? There's nothing I could do to please a pair like you short of putting straw in the rooms.
I think you're the rudest man I've ever met! I haven't started yet.
And you're not going to.
You're going to stand here nice and quiet while these people say whether or not they're satisfied.
You move off that spot, Fawlty, and I'm going to bust your ass! Everything's bottoms, isn't it? Yes, sir? I think this is probably the worst hotel we've ever stayed in.
Yes, it is.
The service here is an absolute disgrace! - I agree.
- You do? Yes.
We had to wait nearly half an hour for our main course, and when it arrived, it was wrong.
When I complained, he fobbed me off with some rubbish about My prawns were off.
When I told him, there was an argument.
And her meat was awfully poor.
And I asked you to fix my radiator three times, and nothing's been done! Satisfied customers, huh? Hot dog.
This is typical.
Absolutely typical.
The kind of ass I've had to put up with from you people! You ponce in here expecting to be hand-waited on hand and foot! I'm trying to run a hotel here! Have you any idea of how much there is to do? Do you ever think of that? Of course not! You're too busy sticking your noses into every corner, poking about for things to complain about, aren't you? Well, let me tell you something! This is exactly how Nazi Germany started! A lot of layabouts with nothing better to do than to cause trouble! I've had 15 years of pandering to the likes of you, and I've had enough! I've had it!

 

[BensGrandad]

Interesting that on More Radio on Thursday morning Anna Bingham was advertising their quiz night held every Thursday and in so doing said that good food was available every day until 9.00pm and I thought of this thread