To give a family run Hotel a Poor Review

[MistressMia]

I stayed at a family run hotel earlier this week in the Midlands and while on the whole it was a nice place a few things bugged me, notably the vegetarian / vegan option or lack off.

It was only 1 night with breakfast included.

Perhaps I'm just too used to London standards, but it really amazes me that things like soya milk / soya yoghurt are not available as standard.

I'm not fully vegan, but haven't drunk milk for ages now, so couldn't have the breakfast cereals.

The hot breakfast consisted of bacon / eggs / beans / mushrooms & grilled tomato. I don't eat eggs. Don't usually have a problem as used to having the option of hash browns. and other veggie alternatives.

AIBU unreasonable to expect establishments to fully cater for those with different diets ? It really peeves me off, considering the charge is the same and veg options don't cost more.

I have never stayed in a venue that on advance request wouldn't fully cater for any requirement

This must be the first example I've seen of a vegan not telling

Best post of a brilliant thread!

For many small establishments they are 'out there

As stated before this is not 'small' in the sense you might be thinking.

Middling size. Holds weddings etc

*telling everybody!

OP, your lack of choice is down to your decisions. Not the hotels fault.

Personally I hate sausages, hash browns and mushrooms but wouldn't give a hotel a bad review because my choice is restricted because I choose not to eat these foods.

Small hotels cannot afford the overheads of providing an extensive choice for every dietary especially when you don't even warn them in advance. There was plenty for you to eat, and expecting soya milk as standard is ridiculous.

You can't expect a small family run establishment to keep soya milk and vegan items in on the off chance. The waste would be ruinous.

All you had to was make a quick phone call or take some soya milk and ask them to refrigerate it for you.

YABVU. I'm sure everyone else has already pointed out several reasons why.

YABU

You didn't give them the opportunity to show you what they put in place when people declare their dietry requirements before arriving!

They might have put on a fabulous spread for you had you let them know. They might not have who knows? But you didn't let them know so you don't know how well they do or don't cater for dietry requirements. So YABU

Hash browns are minging

"Business conference attendees", wow, you attend business conferences? How amazingly important you must be.....

I occasional have to attend events, but given that you tend to have to book these things in advance, I usually get my assistant to book accommodation at the same time.

Why should a non meat eater paying exactly the same as a meat eater have less choice

Because you have restricted your own choices. You pay the same, and they offer you the same. Just because you choose not to eat some of what they offer, that isn't their responsibility.

By your argument why should a coeliac, vegan, nut free individual who doesn't like mushrooms or fruit have any less choice? Every establishment everywhere should obviously cater without notice to such a person, if they should do so for you?

I don't understand why you didn't speak to the hotel directly or pass them your requirements before hand but your quite happy to tell the world about it in a review. No wonder hotel and restaurant owners get the hump with people.

IME I find if at breakfast time you want something different and ask for it they accommodate you, there are certain things I don't eat and always ask for what I want at breakfast time and every single time I have asked the hotel has said it's not a problem. If you don't want toast with butter - ASK, if you want another sausage instead of bacon - ASK... It's not hard, you open your mouth and the words come out...

Sorry I don't understand your angst about this.

What's your view on waste? Hotel has one nearly vegan staying so they buy a carton of soya milk. NV has an inch out the top, rest goes in bin.

Have you answered the question as to why you couldn't have nipped into one of the dozens of supermarkets around Birmingham and grabbed a carton of your own?

Why don't you just email the hotel to tell them your thoughts and suggestions?

I really do not like baked beans. We are staying in a hotel next weekend. I wonder if they'll give me a discount on my breakfast because I choose to be a non-bean eater?

Cut and pasted from www.vegansociety.com/about-us/key-facts

"The Vegan Society estimated in 2006 that there are 150,000 vegans in the UK. However, due to ever-rising interest in veganism, demonstrated by tools such as Google Trends that track the increased interest in vegan and related search terms, this number is now likely to be larger."

"The Department for Health and Food Standards Agency's (FSA) 'National Diet and Nutrition Survey' 2012 put the level of vegans at less than 1% based on a survey of 1,582 children (1.5-18 years) and 1,491 adults. The same survey puts the level of vegetarians (ie. those eating eggs and or dairy products in addition to vegan foods) at 2% of adults and children. The same study was conducted in 2010 and 2011 and the figures for vegetarianism and veganism remained stable throughout that period at 2% and less than 1% respectively."

So less than 1% of the population is vegan. And 150,000 in 2006, in a UK population of 60.85 million = 0.0025%, but we'll let 'less than 1%' stand. Let's compare that to your statement , *"I still don't think however that these are that 'way out' that they should now just be part of a standard offering."^ I think the figures disagree with you.

And your comment "Perhaps I'm just too used to London standards" - seriously, that was a really patronising comment and makes you look a bit dim.

You can buy long-life soya milk for 59p, and Linda McCartney frozen vegan sausages for £1.95. Not exactly ruinous costs- even if they did need to be chucked after a year or so.

You should get 50% off at least Evans. Worth an ask.

Sparkling

MrsJayy Most of a cooked breakfast is vegetarian except for 2 items?

I know I'm missing the point and going off topic (and over-invested in this) but you clearly have breakfast amnesia.

• black pudding
• white pudding
• sausages
• bacon
• hash browns cooked in pig fat

I don't like hash browns, tinned tomatoes, black pudding or runny eggs. I am going to ask to stay for free.

Are you this guest?

I don't know what white pudding is but I don't like it.

What's your view on waste? Hotel has one nearly vegan staying so they buy a carton of soya milk. NV has an inch out the top, rest goes in bin

I've already answered. The bacon, sausages etc that I'm not eating costs far more than this soya milk

Have you answered the question as to why you couldn't have nipped into one of the dozens of supermarkets around Birmingham and grabbed a carton of your own?

Why should I have to do this ? I'm paying for the convenience of staying in a hotel. Dairy free milk is not some obscure exotic offering. You can get long life versions that can be stored indefinitely.

If places put more thought and effort to providing more choice as standard, then they would reap the rewards of increased custom and loyalty.

It isn't that difficult. You're thinking of vegan & vegetarian as being foodstuff that only certain people eat, but as a recent thread on buffet catering pointed out, all the meat eaters said how they thought it was unreasonable that vegetarians were having a go at them for eating the veg food.

Yabu