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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Sainsbury's cafe

272 replies

SpoonBender · 15/07/2014 16:51

Was out shopping today with DD at our local Sainsbury's when decided we would have some lunch in the cafe. I ordered my DD who is only 11months old some toast to munch on. The lady rudely told me that breakfast had stopped at 11.30 and as it was now 1pm they couldn't do toast. I calmly explained that it was for my dd. She point blank refused, and when I ask why she said it was company policy. I was fuming that they couldn't put some toast in...it wasn't like I was asking for a bacon cob!!! We left and went to morrisons where they happily provided DD with some toast. Would it be ok to ring and complain. Still mad now!

OP posts:
SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 16/07/2014 11:18

StoneTheFlamingCrows - do we know for sure that the woman in the cafe did 'refuse point blank', without offering or suggesting any other options? I suggest that, as we only have the OP's version of events, we can't know that for sure.

Just like we can't be sure that the woman really did 'rudely' tell her that breakfast stopped at 11.30 - that could be a tad of exaggeration on the part of the OP, in an attempt to garner more sympathy.

Because, let's face it, if she had said initially "The lady said unfortunately they couldn't do breakfast items after 11.30am, but offered X, Y or Z instead", she would have got even less support than she has done.

If the Sainsburys cafe lady was not 'rude' there is a lot less scope for the OP to fume and complain.

StoneTheFlamingCrows · 16/07/2014 11:33

Well, I take the thread and face value, as we can never be sure about any op can we?!HmmConfused

If the op is correct, the woman was being rude and IMO, the op is nbu to be a little miffed and take her business elsewhere. Not sure I would start a thread on here tbh, but I may offer some constructive feedback to customer services. Why piss of a customer for the sake of making a piece of toast. It is the service industry FFs.

Floggingmolly · 16/07/2014 11:48

Op's business is hardly worth hanging onto, though; wandering in at their busiest time of day and asking for a slice of toast.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 16/07/2014 11:50

Well - as others have already said, it is likely that the toaster is a big, catering one that would take ages to heat up, or that gets bits taken off and washed after the breakfast service is over, so would need reassembly before the toast could be made, or that might even be put away once breakfast is over - so it is not as simple as just making a slice of toast would be in my kitchen, for example, where the toaster is always there, and takes very little time to make a slice.

And I do know that some cafes will make toast at any hour of the day - but different cafes have different policies, kitchen set-ups, equipment etc etc.

Maybe the member of staff was on their own in the cafe, and couldn't leave the till for the time it would take to set up the toaster and make the toast.

Tbh - if the OP had come on and asked if she was being unreasonable to contact Sainsburys and suggest that their cafes change their policy so toast is available all day, I imagine she would have got a resounding YANBU - but complaining because they wouldn't make her pfb some toast, when it wasn't on the menu at that point in the day, and when this is not the sort of establishment where the staff will be encouraged to cook things off-menu just smacks of entitledness. As does her apparent refusal to contemplate any of the other items that were available, to nourish her child.

StoneTheFlamingCrows · 16/07/2014 12:52

Lots of places provide cheap simple food forchildren to keep their customers happy.

BloodyNaffedOff · 16/07/2014 18:14

I've worked in catering to and always tried to give the customer what they wanted if possible or suggest alternatives where it wasn't.

And shoot me, I've even been known to sort out a bowl of Ice cream for kids when kitchens been closed and they hadn't realised.

Are you David Brent GilesWithAChainsaw ?

Gileswithachainsaw · 16/07/2014 18:55

No, I just think it's tight when a family have spent £30 odd quid on a meal to turn round and say their kids can't have a pudding because they just missed it.

Or to put a scoop or two in a little bowl free of charge because the toddler can't eat the large glass fluted dishes of ice cream his sister and brother have.

Gileswithachainsaw · 16/07/2014 18:56

If I didn't bother the chefs they didn't mind :o

Wink
MrsFruitcake · 16/07/2014 18:59

Hardly surprising they said no - last time I went there with the DCs they told me DD couldn't have the jacket potato on the kids menu because they had run out of cheese.

This was at Sainsburys cafe, yes, the one attached to an actual Sainsburys supermarket! We haven't been back since.

Cantbelievethisishappening · 16/07/2014 19:03

I got a very mild feeling of déjà vu when I read the OP....only mild though Grin

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 16/07/2014 19:04

As a previous poster has said, the cafés will not be sourcing their ingredients from the supermarket - it will be bought in from a catering supplier, so yes, they can run out of things that the supermarket sells. The staff probably don't have the authority to go and buy more cheese or tea lakes or whatever from the supermarket - and if they did, without permission, they might not get reimbursed.

I assume no-one woild argue that the cafe workers should pay for supplies that have run out, so someone can have a tea cake or cheesy baked potato?

They couldn't take the money out of the till either - that woild be a sackable offence!

Common sense would dictate a petty cash budget that could be used in-store, to make up deficiencies in supplies, but if that is not in place, it is hardly the cafe workers' fault.

MrsFruitcake · 16/07/2014 19:10

I get that, but it is ridiculous that a chain like Sainsburys cannot get their ordering right so that any recipe involving cheese is effectively unavailable until they get another delivery. I didn't moan about it actually, just went elsewhere....

Anyhoo, I have seen cafe workers in Morrisons collecting eggs, bacon and such like from the store shelves so not all supermarkets have central delivery systems.

BillnTedsMostFeministAdventure · 16/07/2014 19:14

"cannot get their ordering right so that any recipe involving cheese "

Perishables are tough. Sainsburys will have a lot of data about what sells and how much, but those will be trends - a given day could be different, or perhaps a bag of grated cheese was left out and had to be binned for safety.

Gileswithachainsaw · 16/07/2014 19:25

Perishables?

Cheese lasts weeks doesn't it? :o

TheIronGnome · 16/07/2014 19:30

She's 11 months old! She could have almost anything on the menu...

Perhaps you could have given her a Biscuit ??!!

ithoughtofitfirst · 16/07/2014 19:37

Lol

Sainsbury's cafe
Staywithme · 16/07/2014 20:11

ithoughttofitfirst

Grin naughty but very funny

SpoonBender · 16/07/2014 20:48

www.shinyshiny.tv/2009/02/the_portable_to.html
My life is now complete.

OP posts:
secrethero123 · 18/02/2015 21:41

I can tell you now as someone who works in the cafe that the way it is run is Rediculous! It is very easy to put in toast past a certain time but if we do or click on anything that comes under breakfast were immediately told off for it. its unfair on us and you as a customer. We are even told to lie about the way our food is cooked (the majority of which (lasagne and even the omelletes to name a few) are cooked in a microwave! About half the menu is. Sainsbury's is a very dishonest company and I advise you don't eat there.

colabucks · 18/02/2015 22:56

I work at a morrisons cafe! nice to hear we're 'superior' to those RIVAL supermarkets Wink our sausage sandwiches are bloody good not gonna lie

PeachyParisian · 19/02/2015 00:06

Zombie thread Angry

ithoughtofitfirst · 19/02/2015 00:59

I made a funny Grin

Why on earth was this resurrected?!

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