To expect free butter when ordering a jacket potato in debenhams?

[hophophippidtyhop]

We went into Debenhams cafe last week. Under the name of the cafe, originally titled 'Deli', was written 'Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, Jackets'. Decided to have a jacket potato for lunch, got to the counter to be told you have to wait 25 mintues for jacket potatoes. Am I being unreasonable to expect a cafe that has them written up as a main attraction to have them ready to serve? Most places have them ready to go, unless they have run out - not the case here.
AIBU to also expect two of those tiny wrapped pats of butter with it included in the price - they wanted an extra 8p a pat for these?
And another gripe while I'm at it - they had the children's meals written up as being served with 'potato and vegetables' -am I being pendantic when I ask for beans and broccoli to be told "you can only have 1 vegetable" ?
In the grand scheme of things it's not that important, but Dp and I sat there whinging like a couple of victor meldrews and wondered if it was just us, or if it was a justified gripe! Couldn't be arsed to complain, I really would have felt like a grumpy old woman, but would like to know I wouldn't have been the only moany one!

I have had some nice lunches in Debenhams.....It seems like I am the only one. Our branch is fairly clean, fresh baguettes and lovely lunches. Maybe I just have low standards.

But then I do think being charged for butter for your jacket spud it absolutely disgusting - I suppose they will charge you for the loan of the knife and fork to cut it with.

I once found the opposite of the 'one vegetable rule'...when I was working in a large, northern hospital, the canteen food was, quite frankly, shite (and I'm only talking 18 months ago, not in the 60's...) and hideously overpriced. I only used to go in occasionally when circumsances meant I didn't bring my own lunch but they had a 'Meal Deal' offer of main course with potatoes/chips and vegetables and a drink for something like £4.99. One day the woman asked me waht vegetables I wanted and I told her I only wanted the one thing (as all the rest looked mutant and over cooked). She then informed me that the deal was only valid if you had TWO kinds of vegetables...if you only had the one type, it would cost me about 6 quid to pay for everything seperately!

Needless to say, most of my lunches included the vegetable I actually wanted and a single, solitary sprout, which I then threw away as quickly as possible. I'm sure people that run restaurants and canteens are just a very special sort of person.....

there is a whole world outside the UK of people NOT eating a sandwich or baked spud for lunch, instead they have a proper meal. You know, like some fish, vegetables and rice, or soup followed by meat and veg, or even pasta for heaven's sake, anything really.

Shouldn't be such an alien concept really

I think people here snack so much (biscuits, crisps, choc bars) because the spud or sandwich meal wasn't satisfying. Fair point? I guess a baked potato could be a "meal" if served with a nice filling and a proper salad though.

I just find it so disappointing that people eat such unimaginative food so often, and yet they seem so cheerful about it, so what do I know really...

Debenhams cafes are really rubbish and expensive. I took my 2 year old for afternoon tea for a treat - there was nothing really suitable for kids - all eclairs and scones - I asked if the brownies had any nuts- no they didn't I was told- so I paid and opened only to find it full of whole almonds. They wouldn't refund it.
Now ds is not allergic to nuts he just won't eat anything with them in it if they are visible. I was really cross as it was sooo dear.

i guess i eat a potaote for lunch and my oh so exciting (not) pasta for dinner.

if i eat at lunch time i cant eat dinner and then im starving by 9pm.

if your spud is boring then you arent cooking it right. maybe i find pasta and rice boring but love a potato for heavens sake?

why do you find so much issue with what i decide to have for lunch? i like it, you can fuck off thank you!

Chandon I don't know why it bothers you, to be honest. For me personally, the list of meals you mentioned would be far too filling for lunch and would make me want to go to sleep in the afternoon so I tend to eat salad or cous cous but there seem to be a great many Brits enjoying sandwiches and jkt spuds for lunch, judging by how many cafes offer them on the menu. And as you say, they seem cheerful about it so I see no problem.

When in France, I have often seen people eating the types of meal you describe, at lunch time and I am never sure whether they then eat a cooked meal in the evening as well.

Are you just a wee bit of a snob, perhaps?

And of course cooked meals are not an alien concept Chandon, just not common in this country at lunch time, at least not these days. When I was a child, I used to have cooked meals at lunch time and then 'tea' in the evening which was a cold spread of bread and butter, fruit etc. I think that was more common then but it seems to have changed round now.

Chanodon, what's 'unimaginative' about sandwiches/baked potato? I rarely bother to do baked potatoes and when I remember, they're delicious and a treat. Maybe you just eat them too often and get bored?

Bleugh at jacket potato and marge though. I'm still fed up with the woman in a cafe in York who told me 'oh, you can't taste the difference love, I'm giving you marge but you can't tell'.

Erm, I'll bloody tell you if I can tell teh difference you twit!

LRD quite right.

Jacket pot done in oven properly, with crispy crunchy skin and all soft on the inside, with proper salted butter and (for me) a generous portion of grated strong cheddar, and a generous side salad with proper things like beetroot as opposed to a couple of limp out of date lettuce leaves....

Hmm heaven

orangehat YES PLEASE -perfect

yanbu went to Debenhams cafe and was not impressed with the quality of the food, it tasted crap, MacDs could do better.

And of course cooked meals at lunch time are fine if you can then have a siesta in the afternoon, not rush straight back to work or wherever you have to be.

orangehat yes!

That is exactly how I like mine.

I am not a fan of baked pots done in foil, yuck -tastes like hot flavourless air!

Our nearest Debenhams cafe is pretty rubbish too, if I'm out shopping with mum we tend to take dd into the Asda cafe as its much better. Mind you I like the cheap and cheerful places like 'The Corner' near us, its always clean, food is always great and the staff are really helpful and friendly. (and know our order off by heart now I think!)

Yanbu

don't know if I'm a snob. I just prefer a hot meal, partly so I don't end up snacking.

I guess that before moving to the UK I was used to having a cheap, freshly cooked lunch in a caf, and sandwiches seems a sad substitute somehow.

I guess to me a sandwich is more like a snack, not a meal

I must be unusual then, because if I have a filling in my potato, I don't want butter. So I'd be delighted that it was extra, and I wasn't paying for it and not needing it (which is what usually happens.

YANBU!!
When I was 17, I worked as a waitress in a hotel chain (then called Jarvis, not sure what they are now) restaurant and the chef was known throughout the chain as 'GP Jim' as he had the best gross profit in the country in their hotel restaurants. It was really terrible , not to mention, embarrassing and we had to do things like charge for gravy. I was always in trouble for giving stuff away (like butter).

Our local debenhams have a sandwich bar where you choose your bread/roll/bagutte and filling and they make it for you. I asked for a childs cheese sandwich, she made it for me - just 2 triangles of white bread on a plate, no crisps, no garnish and she charged me £4.50

Total overpriced shite, I havent been back since!

Yanbu. I hate Debenhams. Really over-priced place. Give me a proper restaurant or a greasy caff anyday. Pretentious, naff place.

Debenhams is so full (of shit stuff no one wants)

Debenhams is such a piece of crap store, and expensive. I walk through it to get to the other shops. When John Lewis finally opens in Brum next year, Debenhams might shape up, but I'm not confident.