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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To give a family run Hotel a Poor Review

568 replies

MistressMia · 30/04/2016 09:55

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.

OP posts:
OMGSame · 01/05/2016 11:46

I'm off to that there Lunnon Town soon, from my hovel up north. I must remember to ring the hotel and check they have full fat milk, enough lard to deep fry my breakfast and my preferred brand of cheap fags. Being a northerner I couldn't give a shiny shite about ethics or health, see.

Oysterbabe · 01/05/2016 11:48

Make sure you ask them to get you some tap water, unicorn tears come as standard in London.

GarthNader · 01/05/2016 11:51

I think that expecting a family business to cater for every dietary need is unreasonable. I would, however, expect a family business to cater for vegetarian purely because it is so common these days that it should be expected in a reasonable amount of customers, plus it is a diet that shares a lot of ingredients with a "standard" diet. For things like halal, gluten free, vegan, lactose intolerance, I would ring ahead and inform them of the requirements. If they say they can cater for you and then do a poor job then it would be reasonable to leave a bad review.

EvansOvalPies · 01/05/2016 12:08

OP - All the major coffee chains now offer soya in their outlets the breadth of the UK

Would those be the same 'major coffee chains' who don't fairly pay their Corporate Taxes? Unlike a Family Run Business, of course who undoubtedly will be doing, otherwise they will be heavily fined. Confused

And as another poster pointed out - they are in the business of providing only hot beverages. So it would make sense for them, naturally, to provide a plethora of alternative milks.

rookiemere · 01/05/2016 12:25

Interesting concept this:
I simply declined the breakfast options offered and stated why. I didn't ask or demand alternatives. Didn't complain. In my mind a good and forward thinking establishment at this point would have said 'no problem - we have x, y or z as an alternative'.

It's a bit like going to a restaurant and then saying you won't eat anything on the menu as you're vegan and then expecting them to produce something magical and special for you. May work in some establishments where they know what that means and can cater accordingly, but certainly not in chains or most smaller places unless they have a working knowledge of that that means.

I still don't know why you didn't request it in advance, 12 hrs would have given them ample time to get something in, and why now you won't send them a polite email with some vegetarian and vegan suggestions for items that they can keep in stock at reasonable convenience.

Provinces aren't going to get better unless they're told - are they?

petitpois55 · 01/05/2016 12:32

I have read all the thread now, and I have to say while I think the OP may well have been shortsighted in not informing the B&B of her request for Soya milk, I think she would be well within her rights to mention this in a review, while acknowledging that she hadn't actually asked them to provide it.

Personally, i think that all businesses need to up their game (even small ones) to compete in the current market. Veggie Sausages and Soya Milk are hardly exotic in this day and age.
I'm a meat eater, but rarely eat processed meat, so don't often choose Bacon or Sausages, but i may well choose Veggie Sausage packed eggs, porridge.
I think the piling in to insult the OP is really unbecoming. Seems like a bit of a mob mentality tbh..

Marynary · 01/05/2016 12:36

If you don't eat eggs why would you want hash browns

I was wondering that too. Perhaps OP has never realised they often use eggs when making them. I wonder if she has ever asked. Good job she is not "fully" vegan...

WyldChyld · 01/05/2016 12:42

Hang on...

"I simply declined the breakfast options offered and stated why. I didn't ask or demand alternatives. Didn't complain."

So you didn't even ask for something else - you just assumed that the waiter / waitress would have their psychic cap on and work out from osmosis that you would want something different?

That's like me saying "no fried egg for me, thanks, I'm not a fan of them" and then getting exceptionally indignant when they don't realise that actually I really wanted scrambled eggs.

You go on about being a business woman and a business owner and all of this, maybe you should have opened your mouth and asked. You've not been backwards about coming forwards on here so I do not understand for the life of me what the issue is with just ASKING. Before you checked in, at check in, at breakfast - use your words!!!

FirstWeTakeManhattan · 01/05/2016 12:45

For one awful excitingmoment it crossed my mind that the OP's business is themed parties, but the posting style isn't quite there.

pennwood · 01/05/2016 13:53

I would review on the good points but mention potential clients need to notify the hotel of any special diet requirements when booking to give a fair report.

katkit · 01/05/2016 13:56

Yabu, likely as not they would have catered for,your needs if they had known. They aren't psychic.

CaptainCrunch · 01/05/2016 13:57

All the real (as opposed to joke) vegans I know wouldn't touch Linda McCartney processed crap with a bargepole. Also I'm pretty sure Quorn contains egg and isn't vegan either.

You're thread is entertaining because of your spectacularly obtuse posting style, for your own sake I hope you're a construct as you sound truly awful to work with.

Drinkstoomuchcoffee · 01/05/2016 14:02

Would you expect a small family run hotel to cater for kosher or halal requirements? Er.......nt if you did not ask in advance.

YABVU.

Spaghettii · 01/05/2016 14:15

ROFL at 'nearly vegan' and the link provided Grin

OP you have a sneery attitude towards anything outside of London. The funny thing is as someone posted upthread, you are originally from Yorkshire! keeping up appearances dear.

You are caught up in your own self importance and your oh so important business credentials. I wonder what your colleagues really think of working with you.

This has to be one of those....''Situations that are so obviously unreasonable that its astounding that anyone needs to ask".

Oh the irony! Grin

You really cant see the woods for the trees can you Grin

Oh, need I say....YABU

derxa · 01/05/2016 14:26

This reminds me of the Vegducken thread this Christmas for some reason.

lurked101 · 01/05/2016 14:39

I didn't read that she's originally from Yorkshire. Oh dear OP you're one of those people..I bet you go back home and all you ever talk about is London.

ScreenshottingIsNotJournalism · 01/05/2016 14:43

She's a hyacinth bucket about her own northernness/fancy move to london with fancy talked up job Grin with her outdated ideas of what's trendy in health foods (hint: it's not soya and fake meats)

Marynary · 01/05/2016 14:57

All the real (as opposed to joke) vegans I know wouldn't touch Linda McCartney processed crap with a bargepole. Also I'm pretty sure Quorn contains egg and isn't vegan either.

Yes, Quorn does have egg in it which is interesting considering that OP states she doesn't eat egg and that this isn't usually a problem because she normally eats hash browns (which often contains egg) and other "veggie options" (which probably have egg to).

Marynary · 01/05/2016 14:57

to too

trixymalixy · 01/05/2016 15:02

YABU, my DS is allergic to cow's milk and we always have to take a durable milk for him when we stay in hotels. We always contact them in advance to make sure they can cater for him.

Lweji · 01/05/2016 15:09

It would actually make more sense for a small hotel to have halal than vegan options.
Vegans: estimated as 150,000
Muslims: 2,700,000

Milk is just one type of food, it's not obligatory. Nor are eggs, or toast, or juice. If you don't like the type of milk, just go without. You don't like eggs, don't eat them. There are egg substitutes, should the hotel also store them?

harverina · 01/05/2016 15:15

DD1 has allergies so can't have dairy and we always take soya milk with us when we are staying away. We ask for it to be stored in the fridge so that it is nice and cold for breakfast.

I don't think the OP is being unreasonable about the veggie options. Surely restaurants always factor in for vegetarians? I would think that this was pretty standard to be honest.

I can't imagine you are the first person to have raised this issue with them. I would add a review and I wouldn't give them the 5* as they didn't meet your expectations. If I was a veggie I would want to know in advance if I could get a decent breakfast!

Lweji · 01/05/2016 15:17

As pointed out many times along this thread, the OP could have had a decent vegan breakfast. Just not with milk.

Gabilan · 01/05/2016 15:25

She could have had cereal with juice, toast, jam, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes. There were vegan and veggie options, just no meat or milk subs as standard.

harverina · 01/05/2016 15:28

That's not really a veggie option though is it? It's the normal breakfast with the main items missing.

My dh was veggie for many years and most places we went had a specific veggie option. There was never a huge selection but he was happy with that so long as he got something that was fairly decent.

I don't think it would be too difficult to add a veggie cooked breakfast to a menu, even in a small b&b and I can't imagine huge costs involved.