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.

yeah, a hobby vegan who likes artisan honeys

I own a cafe & all the staff can tell if a person is going to be a vegan as soon as they walk through the door-not too sure why?!
Yes yabu. You should have asked for soya products when you booked or turned up.

To be fair to vegans the op isnt one

I've just returned from a family run B&B in a similar NotLondon location. Not sure they had soya milk but they were so obliging I'm sure they would have got it in if requested. They had organic porridge though.
I'm not inclined to tell the OP where it is however . I intend to stay there again.

'Im not suggesting they should attempt to cater for every dietary requirement' .
Except mine.

Now I'm very confused, you had everything in your post except sourdough. So what's the problem. Could it be a Home Counties thing?!

If you want to say anything to them then a polite email would be the way to go.

You didn't even give them a chance to cater for you if you didn't tell them, my mum can't have wheat for medical reasons, so either asks ahead or has what is on offer or takes her own.

It's not unreasonable to ask in advance, but you can't just expect something, especially in the deep dark north

My friend is an almost vegetarian, she used to be vegetarian but likes bacon and fish and chips too much

I think the OP wanted potato cakes, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and special vegan food X, special vegan food Y and special vegan food Z instead of sausage, egg and bacon.

Because it is totally reasonable that the hotel keeps these foods in for their one guest every 5 years who is vegan and likes these items.

Yabu. You should have told them.

My B&B had a separate vegetarian breakfast menu, hash browns and lovely stem ginger biscuits in the bedroom.

It was within 15 minutes of the NEC.

I'm definitely not telling the OP where it is.

Ok, I understand you are frustrated, but maybe instad of giving them a negative review over that, why don't you suggest them to probably notify that they don't serve vegetarian options, or, if they are willing to change, maybe just ask the guests if they are vegetarian? So you could notify them with your booking and they will have time to prepare.
Otherwise I agree that a small family-run hotel can't financially succeed if catering for different diets.

Beans, eggs, toast and mushrooms make a great veggie breakfast, even when you're doing hard physical work. The way I look at it, the hotel isn't restricting my choice, I am, by being a pescatarian. If I really wanted something else, I'd ask when I booked.

You should try not being able to eat things for medical reasons, not just because of choice. The menu is very limited, everywhere, and I never get any money taken off. YABU.

WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST ASK IF THEY HAD SOMETHING DIFFERENT?!?!?!?!?!

I've been given money off when I've asked for a bacon and egg roll minus the bacon. That was from a burger van that had no veggie options. They even cleaned a bit of the hot plate, without me asking

Yes YABU and in my opinion slightly stupid for not contacting the hotel prior to your arrival to at least give them the chance to accommodate your requests. My mum and dad used to run a small hotel in Blackpool many years ago and they used to get many requests regarding food preferences and allergies,and they were only to happy to oblige.However if you don't let them know in advance then in my opinion it's your fault.

OP, Ithink you are overestimating the cost of a couple of mass cooked mass served rashers and sausages and underestimating that to produce, say, a smaller quantity of potato cakes without cross contamination, don't forget cost of food isn't just raw ingredients, it's bulk discount, electricity and cooking and serving time.

So claiming that the minimal cost of the two sausages you didn't eat should be compensated by some special option shows a disregard for economics!

Yea, you need to tell them while booking what your dietary requirements are.

don't expect them to honour it

Or google those type of places who have that already,

Only by demanding that kind of catering can we expect it, and them to provide it.

I love fish&chips etc. but love veggie menu too and my sister is a hard core vegetarian.

You'd expect by now most places would cater to these options.

I know places that number all kinds of allergies i.e. milk, peanuts, lactose intolerant, etc. You just tell them the nr. and they cater for it not seen in Britain

I stayed in a large Hilton hotel in central London last week - even they didn't have soya milk when I enquired at breakfast time (said they'd run out). This was a bit surprising but I coped - beans and tomato on toast and some fresh fruit set me up just fine for the day.

I think it's a bit mean to have expected a small place to cater for every dietary requirement without any warning. I am sure if you had let them know in advance they'd have been happy to arrange something (or if not, you'd have known to take your own).

Yabu
They would be wasting so much food keeping grim soya products that no one in their right minds would ever drink, and I know as my ds has to eat these and we cart them around with us in Cool bag

WyldChyld

What are you saying again?

Just it of interest, OP...

What pillows and duvets did they have?

Because in all this hysteria mention of your expected standards for hotel breakfasts, you haven't once mentioned that hotels like to never feather mattress toppers and pillows, and occasionally duvets.

How does that sit with an occasional vegan with a hash brown obsession

I do airbnb and offer veggie / vegan / wheat free / dairy free breakfast options, but no meat, wonder if that'll get me some bad reviews!?!
(Mind you, I do mention it on the advert, oh and say I need notice day before for wheat / dairy free options to be available)

Yabu. Don't be so precious with your special diet.
Cast your mind back to your pre expert level veggi/vegan...

YABVVVU

As others have pointed out. You said vaguely earlier "you may not always have time to call ahead.." blah blah...
Bull. You had 12 hours, it takes 2 minutes to pick up the phone and have a quick word with the hotel to ask if they could get some soya milk etc in for you.
You also stated "why should I have to go grab my own from the supermarket?" Wow, because maybe firstly YOU DIDN'T ASK THEM TO PROVIDE something that isn't commonly used, and secondly the world doesn't revolve around you?

Your choice to be vegan or almost-vegan. But you're in the minority and as such you don't expect it from an establishment, you request it.

I'm from London btw and I find your attitude appalling