providing lunch for builders?

[vguil]

we’ve got builders in for three weeks replacing a kitchen.
We’ve set them up with a kettle and coffee/sugar/tea bags/milk and biscuits. There are three or four of them.
They’ve just asked my husband for lunch/ sandwiches. Is this the done thing; the expected thing?

They are cheeky fuckers. Hell no.

No this isn’t normal!

As with any job, they’re responsible for bringing their own lunch! How cheeky.

I’ve also left tea/coffee/sugar out for builders before and told them to help themselves, “milk is in the fridge”, and they’ve always fed themselves at lunch time! They usually go outside and sit or their van or whatever (not that I’d have minded them eating indoors, but I guess it gives them time away from ‘the client’).

It’s very cheeky of your builders to be expecting to be fed every day for three weeks! I would set them straight right now so you don’t have to go through this every day.

@vguil So what happened OP?
You said no, and they reacted how?

God no. husband is a builder he brings his own lunch same with everyone that work for him do too. an odd time they might get scones or nice biscuits given to them or once at the end a lovely Indian family made them all a curry dinner as a thank you. but what you are being asked for is defo very cheeky

Yeah @AplineDaisies - we need to know, enough with the "no they're CFs" ; we all agree on that - So what happened; did they down tools until they'd been provided with cheese and tomatoe? Does the OP live miles from anywhere? Did the DH mishear?

No it’s not the done thing, Cheeky fuckers.

No way. How would they expect lunch if you weren't around? And would they expect any dietary requirements to be taken into account? Damn cheeky!

Could they just be “pulling his leg”?!

not really serious, but trying to engage in a bit of cheeky banter?!

No

in last 5 years had 3 bathrooms, 2 kitchens and a week long garden job done. Each project took weeks (building work/electrics required) and we only provided tea/coffee/water/Diet Coke/squash & biscuits (top tier ones 😂). Never offered or were asked for lunch.

had all sorts of building works done since 1986 when I bought my first property and never in all those years have I ever provided food save biscuits 😳. Never heard of any friends or family providing lunch either

Lunch?! Absolutely not! Tea / coffee, squash, a few cakes and biscuits is all I've provided. Absolute cheek of them! Are you running a cafe?!

@vguil
How did you handle it? Because it must be quite hard to say “no, bring your own.”

I grew up with a proper “home maker” for a mum and whenever we had trades in, she would have bacon sandwiches laid out for them arriving, and she’s make a lunch like a stew, roast chicken, a honey gammon, or doorstop sandwiches etc. Then a home made cake in the afternoon. So I thought it was totally the norm until I grew up, moved out and had workers in and I was doing it all ans the guys were like, “this is great and we really appreciate it but we bring lunch with us so you really don’t have to unless you really want to, we don’t want you running about mad to feed us.” But I thought it was normal!

Ridiculous. You don't even have a functioning kitchen so of course you can't make lunch for them. It's like the bathroom fitter asking if he can have a bath?!

I've never heard of such a thing. You offer tea/coffee, cold drink, biscuits. Not meals?! They're being paid a fortune or at least their boss is no doubt so buy your own bloody lunch/sandwiches!

Unless you're based on a farm 100 miles from the nearest shop or something? Even then they should've brought a pack up.

Hell no on the lunches. I probably wouldn’t offer them tea or biscuits either, my experience of trades people is that most do one or all of the following: unreliable time keeping, using your house as storage for their scaffolding, taking a fraction of the time the job was meant to take (with the advised time being solely to justify the exorbitant quote), poor workmanship.

Cheek. I had a carpet company once droning on about how a wonderful lady had provided bacon butties etc. I explained there and then I wasn’t a cafe and it would be tea or coffee.
They can take themselves off to the nearest place to buy something.

Husband is a builder, definitely not a thing, to be honest, if he got what you have put out he would be very happy

Tell them "sure,I'll just write up the credit note so you can deduct it from the bill"

Nope. In fact the electrician who rewired our house bought my OH lunch!
They're taking the mick. You've been more than generous already.

The cheek!
We always make builders their first tea/ coffee of the day (and sometimes one at lunchtime) but leave stuff out so they can make themselves other drinks throughout the day.
When we were having a big project done (taking 12 weeks), I left 3 packets of biscuits out on the first day thinking they'd last a week or few days at least. They ate them all on the 1st day! I wasn't going to keep that up, so just left out biscuits on a Friday after that!

Exactly what I do. The only time I give workmen lunch throughout a job is if it’s my brother and his men.

FGS No! tea, coffee, biscuits, cold drinks. I've never had any request sandwiches for God's sake, most bring a packed lunch or go to a local cafe. I did on one occasion ask one who turned up quite early if he'd like toast with his first tea of the day to which he said yes, but that's about it.

They're being incredibly cheeky. I've employed scores of builders over the years and have never provided food, with the exception of a Christmas Lunch for one group. I set them up with kettle and cups, as I'm not going to be making refreshments.

Audacious. You don't have to cater to them.

Having said that, the last builders we had were brilliant, so I did prepare a selection of snacks throughout the day.

@vguil our builders get tea, coffee, milk, sugar, biscuits, and free access to the bog, unlike many MNetters. If they want cold drinks other than corporation pop, they can bring them. Once, about 40 years ago, a builder ventures that I could make him a sarnie "sorry mate, no bread, I can give you cheese and ryvita, perhaps bring a packed lunch tomorrow if you want more".

Absolutely NOT!