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Original poster

Greggs - cold pasties

42 replies

DonutMan · 18/12/2019 19:26

Every time I go into Greggs it seems to be the same story: "sorry love, they've cooled down. Is that ok?"

What happened to the modern innovation of the hotplate? I can only assume it's to save running costs.

OP posts:
Original poster
DonutMan · 18/12/2019 19:28

I like a chicken bake, but congealed white sauce is grim. 🤢

OP posts:
twoturtledove · 18/12/2019 19:28

Can't stand it when they're cold Xmas Envy

lisasimpsonssaxophone · 18/12/2019 19:30

They have a whole FAQ about this on their website!

“ We sell savouries which are freshly baked in our shop ovens then put on the shelf to cool. We don’t keep them in a heated environment, use heat retaining packaging, or market them as hot because of this. As bakers we believe that baking our savouries fresh each day gives customers the best quality product. If the sausage rolls and bakes were kept hot after they had been baked, then they would be subject to VAT and the customer would have to be charged a higher price, in the same way that we charge VAT on our hot sandwiches which are kept in a heated cabinet and are subject to VAT.”

GiveHerHellFromUs · 18/12/2019 19:31

They don't even tell you that they're 'cool' in my local Greggs. If they did I wouldn't bother buying them when they weren't hot.

Amanduh · 18/12/2019 19:31

Because they arent subject to VAT that way. Otherwise much higher prices.

speakout · 18/12/2019 19:32

You don't get it OP.

The huge government.media "pasty tax" was a huge story in 2012.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty_ta

AhoyMrBeaver · 18/12/2019 19:33

The cheese ones don't taste of anything until they've cooled down.

NameChangeNugget · 18/12/2019 19:33

I think the pastries in Greggs are rank

VanyaHargreeves · 18/12/2019 19:35

I have always been bemused by the popularity for this reason, sure it's cheap, but always cold. We had a local equivalent that was miles better but has gone under Sad

Pinkblueberry · 18/12/2019 19:39

I can’t believe how overpriced all those pasties are now. You get much nicer (and warm ones) in a basic supermarket bakery for much less money...

ravensoaponarope · 18/12/2019 20:07

I don't see why they would have to cost even more. The cheese and onion pasties in our Greggs are £1.40. In the only independent bakery left in the town since Greggs moved in, they cost 70p.

Hwory · 18/12/2019 20:11

Where were you when all that crap about the pastry tax was in the media for weeks??

touchdaqueef · 18/12/2019 20:16

Greggs is grim full stop lately. I'm always disappointed even when things are hot. I'll never forgive them for how they've ruined the cheese and onion and vegetable pasties.

Titsywoo · 18/12/2019 20:19

This is why I just buy the frozen Greggs stuff in Iceland and cook it myself. Never disappointing!

Original poster
DonutMan · 19/12/2019 03:46

How can I not have heard of the pasty tax! This is an even bigger issue than the pay gap, IMO.

OP posts:
BarbaraofSeville · 19/12/2019 05:37

£1.40 Shock

They were 32 p or 34 p when I worked there. Sausage rolls were 18 p, but were much smaller than they are now. I sold thousands of them and it was before the days of electronic tills etc and I could do all varieties of price combinations in my head. weeps when I realise that it was 30 years ago.

I haven't had a Greggs pasty for ages, but I tend to ask what they have warm and if that coincides with the ones that I like, I'll have one, otherwise not bother. Might have to have another one to see what touch means by 'they have ruined the cheese and onion ones'.

But yes, it's to do with the VAT and presumably the cost of buying, maintaining and fueling warming cabinets would increase the price even more.

Juliette20 · 19/12/2019 05:41

The vegetable pasties used to be lovely, with a vegetable samosa-like flavour but they changed them to have a creamy and less spicy filling a few years ago, and they are nowhere near as good now.

Juliette20 · 19/12/2019 05:43

I quite like a cold M&S vegetable samosa every now and then.

Touchofclass · 19/12/2019 05:47

I had one the other morning, the woman didn't tell me it was freezing cold... it was totally vile even though I warmed it up at work. There was literally just a few pasties in the cabinet, it was early morning and hardly any staff. I was gonna have a hot drink but at nearly £2 I changed my mind, I think Greggs is just so expensive now.

dementedpixie · 19/12/2019 06:04

They used to do a meat and potato pasty - they were addictive. They used to heat them up for you too - the good old days!

Aroundnabout1 · 19/12/2019 06:21

Greggs cheese pasties used to b nice now they're gross. If you ask which ones are hot they put their hands on the pasties, feeling them, with the same hands they take the germy money in.
The reason people go is that you can get a pastie and a large latte for 2.70, which wdnt even get u a coffee in a lot of cafes. Coffee is nice and sausage rolls gorgeous.

Aroundnabout1 · 19/12/2019 06:22

*chicken bakes and steak bakes also tasty.

cantfindname · 19/12/2019 06:40

Only been in Greggs once. I was waiting for DH and peering in the window at the heaps of pasties, saus rolls and those bacon and cheese turnovers, which we love. Gave in and bought 2 turnovers. I can only say the expectation vastly exceeded the reality.Soggy pastry, hard bacon, stone cold and a slightly odd taste.

Have gone back to making my own and will never be tempted over the doorstep again!

Daisydoot · 19/12/2019 08:14

Sup. I work at Greggs.

Honestly, a lot of the time getting a hot pasty is down to strategy. If you come in early morning, when there's not many people and everyone wants bacon rolls, then they're going to be cold. People aren't buying pasties so we have no reason to bake more if the current ones haven't been sold. The best time is at lunch time, everyone wants one and it's only the more unpopular pasties (bacon and cheese, vegetable, etc.) which might get cold.

We want you to be able to enjoy your food as much as you do, but our hands are tied with what we can do. We can't reheat pasties for quality and health and safety purposes (bc of course you would blame the incompetent girl behind the till if she accidentally browns it more than you'd like when putting it back in the oven). Plus there's the whole issue of pasty tax which people have put on here, as well as the fact that they aren't marketed as hot in the first place. If you want guaranteed hot food, then pay more to buy from the hot to go cabinet or a hot baguette.

I try to warn people when they're less than warm, but everyone have different preferences. Some people won't have anything less than boiling, others are happy with lukewarm fillings. A lot of people ask me what's warm, so I check all the pasties to let you know the warmest. I don't mind, but if I warn you and you still complain about it, you're going to quickly get on my nerves. I've had people swear at me because their favourite pasties aren't warm.

If you really want a guaranteed hot pasty, then ask one to be cooked fresh for you, which will take about 15 mins. If you're lucky, they might offer you a free coffee whilst you're waiting. Or, take it home and put it in the oven for a few minutes like I do. Just remember through all your complaining that at the end of the day a lot of our shops donate unsold pasties to homelessness charities. I don't think they're too fussed about their chicken sauce being congealed.

And btw, if you have a massive tantrum about it, the person serving you is definitely going to laugh about it with whoever else is on shift.

Daisydoot · 19/12/2019 08:16

And as far as feeling the pasties go, we always feel them through paper bags, never hands. We're not animals.

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