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.

Did you speak to them about it at the time?

Your thread title is misleading. You don't intend to write a poor review. You intend to say they didn't have soya milk. Most objective readers won't be put off by that.

A veggie cooked breakfast should be an option including veggie sausages (can be kept in the freezer

Exactly. And hash browns.

These things don't have to be bought in & offered exclusively to veg / vegans. Why not do like our canteen does - any 5 hot items from a selection. We have loads of muslims and meat eaters who have the veggie stuff.

I don't expect soy milk as standard at all. I fully accept small family run cafes won't stock it so definitely wouldn't expect B&B's to. I was actually quite amazed last summer in Scarborough when a small independent coffee shop had soy milk in. I just know the demand for it isn't high enough to warrant the expenditure. Soy milk isn't cheap! Well, not if you want it to taste decent and not curdle. They'd have a lot of waste.

Perhaps leave an overall positive but knock the rating down a point or two and mention why you felt it necessary. I don't expect it would put anyone off staying though.

Did you speak to them about it at the time?

The owners are abroad currently.

But they weren't given the chance to cater for you. You didn't let them know?

When I read TripAdvisor I always like to read the low-starred reviews and see what people are complaining about.

A small B&B not having soy milk or a vegan option if you hadn't warned them would be one where I would think "some people's expectations are wrong" - I would not hold it against the B&B.

I do the same Trills. Going straight to the one star reviews is always helpful and probably not fro the reasons that the reviewers think. If I think the complainant sounds like a picky/prickly customer who would never be satisfied and the owner hasn't come back with a rude reply, then I'm happy to book. Some one star reviews are highly entertaining in their ridiculousness.

I never understand why people don't speak to the business at the time.
If you do that and still no joy then i get the trip advisor thing but if not it seems a bit passive aggressive and attention seeking.

But people were working there yes?

You really should stop being a twat about London.

Why do you need to speak to the owners?
Speak to the duty manager at the time.

If London is full of twats like the op i shall stick to the backward provinces.

Don't leave a review like that, you'll look like a knob. Leave a lovely review and then send them an email about putting a line on wesite saying advise us of any dietary requirements. YABU.

I wouldnt give a bad review, but i may knock a few points off it. Im always pleasantly surprised if somewhere does soya milk, and im always shocked and delighted if oat milk or almond milk is available, but its certainly not mainstream yet.
You could have had black coffee and toast /beans on toast for breakfast, or you could have asked what the breakfast option was before asking for breakfast at the hotel. If you have a vegan diet then its pretty obvious that sometimes youll have less choice when eating out

I actually think that a 4* establishment should have a vegetarian breakfast option as standard. Every B&B I've stayed in has offered veggie sausages (frozen, but stil vegetarian) alongside beans, mushrooms, eggs and toast for breakfast. I would have asked about soy milk as a vegan diet isn't that mainstream and I wouldn't expect a hotel to have a supply just in case. But I'm sure if you'd e-mailed when you made your booking, they'd have bought some in for you.

So, YANBU about the food, but YABU about the milk.

As somebody who works in hospitality I totally agree that a hotel in this day and age - regardless of whether in London or the outer Hebrides - should have some kind of non dairy option for guests... Quite a few people choose not to have dairy, not just for vegans but those with lactose intolerance or other dairy avoidance requirements (I gave up dairy when BFing DD, for example), and to be frank with all the long life options available it's actually really easy to keep something in stock. To not do so is pure thoughtlessness, IMO, and when running a business that is dependant on customer satisfaction, inexcusable...

That said, as a potential guest I would Always make sure to mention, either at point of booking and/or check-in, anything in my diet that made my food and drink intake 'exclusive' (ie meaning I couldn't eat something, whether that be dairy, may or gluten, for eg) rather than risk disappointment.

Why not do like our canteen does - any 5 hot items from a selection. We have loads of muslims and meat eaters who have the veggie stuff

How many people does your canteen cater to, and how many does this hotel cater to? Do you have any idea how expensive it would be to have such a large selection available , and how much wastage it would create?

And many vegans don't consume soy. Mainly because its revolting. So should they have soy, and coconut milk, and rice milk, and almond and hazlenut, and lacto-free cows milk, and semi skimmed and skimmed and full fat and goats and camel milk?
If no, then why would you expect to have your preference as standard and not everyone elses?

Veggie options aren't niche but soya products are.

This is the sort of thing that gives London a bad name. We aren't all like that!

To avoid disappointment it's always best to let hotels know if you want anything in particular.

That way they can make sure they have everything you want.

I always read the negative reviews on Trip Advisor first. I usually end up judging the unreasonableness of the reviewer.

It does depend on the size of the hotel, a small hotel would probably end up throwing away the soya milk they had in stock just in case and veggie substitute meat products are often pretty gross so are not usually chosen by veggies or vegans.

Unnecessary food waste is just a big issue for the environment as meat eating.
You do really need to take responsibility for your own dietary choices/requirements in future and let people know in advance.

YABU. In this age of financial woe you pissed upon a family run hotel that you actually said was 'a nice place'.

Why are people so entitled? I've lived in the west Midlands, and as a black woman I endured my fair amount of stares, but I realised it's a different world from London, and actually the people are so lovely! I can't expect every place I visit to treat me the same as what I'm used to.

It was only a night. Why the need to be so negative about it, why not enlighten them with your issues with breakfast and perhaps they can try and sort out cost effective alternatives. Customer feedback is invaluable to a business so should always be given/welcomed, however negative reviews could kill a business, which would be tragic if based on their lack of Soya milk...

Niche ??? OK I'm obviously too used to London.
Obviously.

MistressMia! I'm surprised at you! You're from Yorkshire originally!

You must know that sort of thing isn't standard outside London. If you asked for it in Yorkshire you know full well they'd ask you what sort of animal a soya was!

How many people does your canteen cater to, and how many does this hotel cater to?

This place holds events year round & has separate conference & banquet facilities.