To feel so sorry for the hospitality industry?

[clartymare]

We just got back from a UK hotel break. Previously been and it was lovely. While it was still lovely, the service was nowhere near what it was and the place needs some TLC. Friends have reported the same from various stays they've had.

It was disappointing, but we were chatting to the manager and he was saying how so many staff are off sick or isolating, and have been over the last month or so, that they're operating on a skeleton staff and have had to make adjustments in order to cope. Breakfast is no longer hot for example, continental only. No room service. Things like that.

The staff we came across, while lovely and helpful, were obviously run off their feet. Dinner service was chaotic largely for this reason - not enough staff again.

So many guests complaining, being very rude to staff, saying you wouldn't get these problems abroad etc (I disagree on that!) and although I came away feeling disappointed because it wasn't a patch on the stays we've had there before, I also felt desperately sorry for anyone working in the industry at the moment. It just seems like, despite the opportunity to boost UK breaks, they're spread really thin whatever they do.

Yes they're all fully booked, but they need to be after having being closed for so long. I had a look on trip advisor for reviews on some of the places we stayed and loved before lockdown when I got home, out of curiosity and it seems like many places are the same at the moment.

i work in the hospitality industry,& just finished 8 working days,yesterday was my day off,& now facing 7 more days before my next 1 day off,it's exhausting as 3 weeks ago I worked 11 days,how many would put up with it? you really want to say to some people,it it wasn't for me,you wouldn't be here!so don't treat me like dirt & 8 hours on your own is not pleasant,

We just got back from a staycation...came home early! Managed to eat out once on an evening. We had called into the pub earlier in the holiday at 6.30. Warned minimum 1 1/2 hour wait for food (minimum!). Left. Called back another night. Menu was dreadful. Supposed to be a slim menu with the specials board being fairly comprehensive. No specials. Told 30-45 minute wait time so order now as getting busy again. Ordered steak pie and a couple of scampi's. It arrived in literally 5 minutes. Steak pie cool in the middle. Chips cool. Veg hard so not fully cooked. That cost £50! Utter shite

We also tried booking elsewhere on evenings. Pubs and restaurants all closed past of the week. Staff shortages and pingdemic impact.

Knew staying in England wouldn't be great but no more staycations...would rather stay at home.

Can't believe some places are having to put signs up asking people to not abuse the staff. Since when did we start evolving backwards?

Totally agree that the customers are a large part of the problem. A small independent restaurant near me that seats around 40 covers had a run of weekend nights where over half of bookings didn't turn up or call. They'd staffed up as best they could, ordered stock in and all for nothing. Wages paid to staff who had nothing to do and money in the bin via stock, and after the 18 months they've had already. They now take a healthy deposit and who can blame them.

There's a clear difference between poor service because of laziness / disinterest and poor service because of short staff or new staff. I would never, ever complain about the latter.

As for the £20 an hour suggestion upthread, alright love. Go make that work in a pub for a year without going bust, and I'll come work for you for a free for the following year

@SmokeyDevil

Can't believe some places are having to put signs up asking people to not abuse the staff. Since when did we start evolving backwards?

The abuse has always been there, it's just being talked about openly now. There is no evolution back. Just no evolution front either!

And people really don't want to know how takeaway stuff is treated...😐 Ime that is the worst of the worst environments.

@SmokeyDevil

Can't believe some places are having to put signs up asking people to not abuse the staff. Since when did we start evolving backwards?

Staff have always been abused.

I once got shouted and sworn at by a customer in ASDA because, for the third Friday running, we didn't have any breaded ham

I had a complaint to head office about me because we were busy so to speed things up I asked people loudly (because it WAS noisy) to move to other side of the tills if someone want just a drink. Was told I am rude and should have asked person by person. Who the fuck has time for that. Would have complaints that wr were too slow instead🤷🏻 😂

@SchrodingersImmigrant

I had a complaint to head office about me because we were busy so to speed things up I asked people loudly (because it WAS noisy) to move to other side of the tills if someone want just a drink. Was told I am rude and should have asked person by person. Who the fuck has time for that. Would have complaints that wr were too slow instead🤷🏻 😂

Another example of customers thinking that being a customer is enough to know how to run the business. I wonder if they do the same at their bank /gp etc

I think study of economics should be mandatory in schools. I feel lucky if I go out to eat at the moment as I’m amazed anywhere can make it viable to cook and serve decent food in these times given all the overheads and regulations and supply chain issues it involves. Given the perfect storm of Brexit and Covid I don’t know how many places are coping.

@Weirdwonders I agree. I work in travel and get it all the time from people insisting that any European flight that's over about £9 (Thanks Ryanair!) is a rip-off. Perfectly intelligent people but absolutely blind to the economics involved.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

I know there's no evolution back, was more a joke at the expense of the animals we call humans. Mind you that's still an insult to animals.

[quote SmokeyDevil]@SchrodingersImmigrant

I know there's no evolution back, was more a joke at the expense of the animals we call humans. Mind you that's still an insult to animals.[/quote]
😁

There were videos of woman throwing poop in starbucks so maybe your joke about evolution back may have been correct 😂

@SmokeyDevil

Can't believe some places are having to put signs up asking people to not abuse the staff. Since when did we start evolving backwards?

I had an argument with a customer once who groped me. I asked him to stop and he didn't think he had to as he "was paying my wages". Needless to say security had fun throwing him out and I took great pleasure responding to his negative TripAdvisor and Facebook review.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

There were videos of woman throwing poop in starbucks so maybe your joke about evolution back may have been correct 😂

Exactly! Evolving back to chimps. Well some of us are..

Thanks @Spandang, that's really helpful

@SmokeyDevil it's been this bad at least since I was a teenager in my first job. Some awful woman threw a hot pastry at me. The nice people outweighed the bad but there really are some vile people out there!

@Bythemillpond

uktrippin

Bythemillpond a non driver got a job as a driver? confused

She had applied for a shelf stacking type roll.

She had to explain she didn’t have a licence and the guy told her they were short of delivery people.

So did she work as a delivery driver or not?

VividGemini

I think that was obvious she didn’t.

@PomegranateQueen

Thanks *@Spandang*, that's really helpful

@SmokeyDevil it's been this bad at least since I was a teenager in my first job. Some awful woman threw a hot pastry at me. The nice people outweighed the bad but there really are some vile people out there!

I was lucky when I worked as a waitress when younger. Never had any issues with any customers. I did have people yelling at me when I worked in a call centre (inbound, not outbound, I couldn't do that), but that's easier to ignore. Put them on mute and wait for them to shut up before dealing with their query in like 2 mins.