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Original poster

Diners at the next table must have had a completely different menu

78 replies

StuntNun · 14/03/2015 21:05

DH and I booked a luxury one-night stay in a hotel as our last chance holiday without the kids before our fourth is born next month. The deal was Â£160 for one night in the hotel, a four-course dinner and a cooked breakfast. When we got to the restaurant we were given a menu which was rather pedestrian but we made the best of it. DH had a bit of trouble as he is allergic to prawns and two of the four starters had prawns so he was limited to soup or melon. The main courses were nice enough if a bit boring and came with a side of potato wedges, boiled potatoes, steamed broccoli and steamed carrots. I was also quite annoyed that their 'four-course' menu had tea and coffee as one of the courses. Imagine my surprise when the people at the next table were brought prawn cocktail and pate starters (not on our menu), then for the main courses they were served scampi (also not on our menu) with chips, onion rings, mash and sautÃ©ed mushrooms. I feel cheated that there was a decent menu that we didn't know about and I said to DH that I wanted to check out and go home but he didn't want me to spoil our one night to ourselves. I just feel that I have wasted the money and we could have gone out to a really lovely restaurant and spent half the money without having to arrange overnight childcare for our kids. So tell me Mumsnet, WWYD?

OP posts:

MegMogandOwlToo · 14/03/2015 21:08

It looks like there is a set menu, and a standard menu, and you'd ended up with the set menu because you had booked a package.

I'd be really annoyed if it wasn't made clear, and would definitely complain.

monkeysaymoo · 14/03/2015 21:09

Well I think it would be a bit petty to check out and go home tbh. I would enjoy you hotel stay and possibly query it with reception in the morning. I'm not that surprised that there is a specific menu for a set deal, fairly common place I think but they should have been clear on that when you booked.

seaoflove · 14/03/2015 21:09

Yep, if it was a special deal it was probably a set menu. That should have been clear at the time of booking, though.

pieceofpurplesky · 14/03/2015 21:10

You're jealous of prawn cocktail and scampi

Passmethecrisps · 14/03/2015 21:14

I agree that this looks like a different menu depending on your booking. This would really annoy me if it wasn't made clear that there were options.

However, dinner is down now so I would be inclined to let it go and make the most of it.

Ask yourself this - what if you had never seen the other table's order?

BrianButterfield · 14/03/2015 21:28

Honestly, it's common to have a limited menu in that situation. The proper one doesn't sound all that either! (Chips and mash? Not on the same plate I hope!)

A good restaurant still serves nice dishes on the set menu, just with cheaper ingredients as the focus or smaller amounts of nicer ingredients (so chicken risotto rather than chicken breast for example).

Elizadoesdolittle · 14/03/2015 21:31

I'm not sure there's much you can do. It's fairly common place to have a different menu if you've booked a package deal. I would have expected to be offered the other menu at a supplement though. Although it wouldn't really have bothered me. A kid free night in a hotel with breakfast would have more than pleased me and I certainly wouldn't be thinking about checking out. But it's obviously upset you so it might be worth mentioning it to the hotel. Good luck.

CaTsMaMmA · 14/03/2015 21:35

tea and coffee is not "a course"

and this is why you talk to waiting staff, make friends of them and also scope out the menus before you go anywhere.

Don't flounce off home for the lack of scampi and a cup of tea
....eat all the things at breakfast to teach them a lesson !

BuggersMuddle · 14/03/2015 22:23

This is pretty standard with a deal.

The better food still sounds like pub grub, so it doesn't sound great, but that said £80 a head dinner, bed and breakfast on a weekend night isn't a vast amount. Whether what you've received for that money is reasonable will of course depend on a number of factors including the quality of accommodation, amenities, meals etc.

If you don't think it's of the standard you expected then by all means complain, but I'd do it based on the quality you expected vs the cost, not the (fairly standard) approach of providing set menus when offering a package.

I personally prefer it when the set is a subset of the main menu, or you can pay a surcharge to upgrade to a la carte / surcharge for more expensive items. Of course that depends on whether the hotel can support this approach as the set menu will allow the chefs to buy with the number of package guests in mind.

mrstowers · 14/03/2015 22:27

I would have checked before booking what the actual deal consisted of. We often do these sort of deals and always check beforehand what we'll be getting. And to be honest I actually laughed that you were offended that you weren't offered scampi! I think you are hugely over reacting and need to chill out and enjoy your evening.

thenightsky · 14/03/2015 22:28

but your DH couldn't have eaten Prawn cocktail or scampi anyway

Original poster

StuntNun · 15/03/2015 07:11

I suppose my issue is that the menu was disappointing and I would have happily paid extra to access the secret menu but only found out after we had already eaten. I don't think it's unreasonable, when promised a luxury short stay break, to cry into my boiled potatoes at the sight of steak and onion rings at the next table.

OP posts:

wearing · 15/03/2015 07:18

Ermmmmmm what would I do?

I'd enjoy my dinner I think. And if I really didn't like the menu I'd ask the waiting staff if we could pay a bit extra for the other menu.

What I wouldn't do is stalk off in a huffy, thus ruining my weekend away! Who are you hurting there? It seems a rather toddlerific response tbh.

ProfYaffle · 15/03/2015 07:22

As pp have said this is really common with a 'deal' at a Hotel like that. I once paid for one for my Mum and Dad as a present, Dad tried to pay extra to access the 'normal' menu which really confused the waiting staff who were adamant it just wasn't possible. Counting tea and coffee as a course is annoying too.

Not sure what you can do other than give feedback to the Hotel saying you were disappointed and suggest they offer people in your position the option to upgrade the menu for an extra charge.

Original poster

StuntNun · 15/03/2015 07:39

It may have all been worth it to get my first ever MN biscuit.

OP posts:

tak1ngchances · 15/03/2015 08:41

It's not a bleddy secret menu. It's the a la carte. You were on a set menu...fairly simple concept????

Janethegirl · 15/03/2015 08:49

Most decent hotels have a set menu and an a la carte menu. Generally db&b rates include the set menu.

Messygirl · 15/03/2015 08:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

StuntNun · 15/03/2015 08:55

I don't stay in hotels often enough to know these ins and outs. Never mind, the breakfast was lovely, I've never been offered a three-course breakfast before.

OP posts:

NoArmaniNoPunani · 15/03/2015 08:56

I would have asked to upgrade to the better menu. If they had any sense they would have given you both menus and told you the price to upgrade.

AlpacaMyBags · 15/03/2015 09:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ApplesinmyPocket · 15/03/2015 09:11

Sneering at things other posters say they like - is this the new MN put-down game? -seen a lot of it this past day or two. Nothing wrong with scampi or prawn cocktail, it may not be the idea of fancy fine dining these days, but they're tasty to eat, no? I chose a dish called simply "Seafood" at a 'posh' hotel recently and when it came it was three, mercifully small, slices of completely raw fishes with some raw onion and radish peels. It looked beautiful as a spring flower but was horrible to eat. I'd have killed for either scampi or a prawn cocktail!

OP, it's standard to offer two menus in a hotel - one for guests on a package and one with extra choices for people who just come to dine and who pay for each course. But I'm sorry your special night out wasn't memorable in the dining department! I hope breakfast was good

improbablesaint · 15/03/2015 09:12

lol at wedges on a restaurant menu - were you at a berni inn?

improbablesaint · 15/03/2015 09:13

HELLO! the 1970s called, they want their menu back

giggles mercilessly

wearing · 15/03/2015 09:54

Ah StuntNun did you get the regular MN biscuit or the secret special MN biscuit?

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