To not expect to be served a ready-meal when I eat out?

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

We bought some gift vouchers for family members for a big chain 'restaurant' place named after two Italian gentlemen that they love and go to frequently. All fine.

But it got me thinking as we personally can't stand that place. When we went there with them once, the food was terrible - chewy, tasteless and thoroughly unappetising, the same as it was when we went some time ago - I suppose we were hoping it might have changed in the meantime, but it was actually worse. It wasn't cheap either.

We've experienced this at a number of other places too. Looking online, it appears that it's become the norm at a lot of restaurants to have dishes prepared centrally (often from a generic third-party wholesaler) that they then keep in the freezer and just heat up - often in a microwave - when they're ordered.

We don't have ready meals at home unless it's a real emergency - in such cases, we'd rather have something simple and basic like beans on toast or a sandwich than a microwave meal, which we invariably regret immediately afterwards anyway.

We're not snobbish in any way - we've had many a satisfying meal at greasy spoon/transport cafes and pubs where they've had a chef who actually cooks rather than just microwaving. We don't like and couldn't afford and would probably be turned away at first glance from 'gourmet' restaurants owned by a celebrity chef and with a waiting list, but we're happy to pay a fair price for a good meal.

The worst ones are carveries, where 80% of customers are eating pretty much the same thing all day, with a steady stream of demand, and yet some still use frozen roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.

It seems like a lot of people don't mind it, and some obviously enjoy it, which is great if you do - maybe the atmosphere and theme/surroundings is what matters most to some folk - but I really wish there was some clear way of knowing in advance whether a cafe/pub/restaurant serves food prepared and cooked on the premises or just shoves an unpleasant ready-meal in the microwave for you. Maybe something like CAMRA accreditation but for food rather than just beer?

YANBU, I worked as a cleaner in a pub/restaurant and I regularly saw deliveries arriving at the back door - potatoes were in enormous 'bubble-wrap' type packaging which were all exactly the same size so that they could be pinged in the microwave for x number of minutes.

It was part of a chain, obviously, popular choices on the menu were three for two at quiet times of day. You get what you pay for as they say.

I had lunch in Wetherspoons yesterday...i had a chicken and stuffing burger with chips....it was delicious....7.95 and that included a pint.....just perfect when xmas shopping all day....

Anyone remember the Fawlty Tower episode "Waldord Salad" ?

Diner: Excuse me, we'd like to cancel our fruit salad.
Sybil: I'm afraid that's a little difficult, chefs just opened the tin ...

DG great episode, love Fawlty Towers!
Waldorf salad ingredients "celery, apple, walnuts, grapes!" can't ever forget the ingredients if you know that episode lol

can I interest you in a Ritz salad ?

I went to Zizzi once. Pesto linguine. In the bottom of my bowl was at least 1/4 pint olive oil. Now that ain't how I make pesto. Can you imagine drinking all that oil? It saves on the basil and the pine nuts though. I sometimes think people must be very undiscerning about what they will accept in a meal.
We went to a famous large Italian in Brighton, was a favourite for years. I was served stinking prawns for a starter. I sent them back and ordered differently, but nothing was as nice as in the past and my glass stunk from which I drank my water ( filthy dishwasher I presume). I was very late getting home as I had immediate food posioning ( probably the filthy glass) and kept missing trains for loo visits. £45 literally down the drain.I get very annoyed because we work so hard for our money and get treated like this!

Ellenmp - had the same problem at Prezzos. We also asked for extra bread and they wouldn't give it to us as they only had one roll of bread for each antipasto plate. Italian DH literally couldn't believe this could possibly be true in a restaurant!

@MsLexic that was unlikely to be olive oil which is expensive - probably cheap generic vegetable oil instead.

I have drastically reduced the frequency with which I go to restaurants as it's so often disappointing nowadays. Instead I spend more on quality food we eat at home - such as good cheeses from the local cheese shop, etc. And when I cook the rule is DH has to do the washing up .

God this thread is really making me not want to eat out. We had during back anyway but it is just a con. Most the time the toilets are grimy and horrible and its not a great experience.

What the large restaurant in brighton - Donatello? I went there a couple of months ago and thought it had really gone down hill

As someone else said I think I'd rather eat McDonalds (which I do love) at least I don't think it's a con.

My son is called Michael.
He's a "chef" with a big chain.
We have called him "chef Mike" until we heard one of the celebrity chefs calling a chef that because all they did was pit stuff in the microwave!
Another one is "ping ping chef!"

**put !!

God this thread is really making me not want to eat out.

Welcome to our world.

On the plus side, it's amazing how much money you end up saving.

Ive not RTFT, but i go into a large carvery/family eating chain regularly on an auditing basis, and i discovered recently that sites have to use bags of frozen mash for carvery, rather than peeling, boiling and mashing potatoes, which would be much cheaper for the site. The reason for this is the brand want a company standard across all sites, which they wouldn't be able to guarantee if chefs were doing anything themselves from scratch. Even mashed potato.

My frustration with the chains is that most of the menu options come with a sauce - for obvious reasons .

If like me, you don't like BBQ, chilli or blue cheese sauce (boak) there aren't many options, and I'm afraid it's often the same scenario in some independents too.

OTOH this thread is making me think a trip to cook is necessary...

"When most people buy their bread they have the option for fresh or packaged......"

I don't agree. Smaller supermarkets don't always have freshly baked bread.

We have a lovely proper bakery near us where we buy our bread, but sadly not everybody has one nearby or is able to get to one in normal opening hours. It tastes delicious, but you do have to go every couple of days, as they don't stuff it full of preservatives.

@Whatsnewwithyou
Good point about the oil. Probably rapeseed or something cheapo.
@Blank screen- yes it was Donatello.
I used to really rank it as brilliant value and I have been probably about 20 times before over the years, but after this experience we won't go back. I was so embarrassed as my partner was treating me, and I was made so ill.It ruined what had been up till then, a lovely day.

I worked once at a top London hotel, we were working on one of the suites . There was a filthy back entrance where we gained access, and yard where deliveries came in. Big skips all spilling smelly rubbish everywhere. The bakery goods came in that way. They were unloaded in those mesh plastic containers straight onto the ground which was wet and swimming with muck.Must have splashed muchly onto foods which in no way were going to be sterilised by heat!

Must have splashed muchly onto foods which in no way were going to be sterilised by heat!

The human immune system is a marvel of nature ....

Well I actually love a steak from Frankie and Bennies.
But I also love eating at Tattu.. With discount of course

just remembered to mentionjamies italian

for someone who goes on about fresh cooking and meals in minutes his place is awful

first time i went fine seemed quite nice subsequent visits*not my choice) bland rubbery food at inflated prices

i think he should stop giving his opinion on what is good food

At our F & Bs there’s usually a row of customers lined up along the kitchen counter watching the chefs cook the food from scratch. You can either collect your own meal at the end once it has been cooked or the waiter will bring it for you but you can see it all freshly made. Surely they are all run the same.

erm fraid not pink-i can see the kitchen but not exactly what theyre doing and noone lines up to watch

Taco Bell is nicer than Chiquitos....probably due to it being a quarter of the price

@user1494066152 cling and ding is now officially my favourite nickname for a readymeal!