To think you should receive the meal described on the menu

[TeaAndBrie]

Slightly light-hearted but also incredibly annoying!
we went for a roast dinner today, when it arrived there were no Yorkshire puddings and no stuffing (as per the menu). When i asked where these items were they went to check and came back to say you had run out.
no substitutes offered.
this just mars the whole experience but if you try and complain you’re instantly made to feel as though you’re making an issue out of something unnecessarily.
this is happening more and more often recently. Anyone else noticed this?

You'd think, but seeing as even supermarket cafes can't/won't cover shortages from their own store (Asda cafe that claimed to have 'run out of butter' and to make matters worse tried to pass off vegetable spread as butter, I'm looking at you) then I wouldn't hold out much hope for a pub to enact such a sensible contingency plan.

I've had a few occurrences recently where I was similarly short changed with no apology or explanation and. If they're going to survive, the hospitality industry is really going to have to up its game, or else people are just going to stop spending their diminishing disposable incomes on increasingly poor quality and expensive offerings.

It used to be a nice treat to eat out. Now it's starting to become a surprise if you don't leave feeling ripped off and disappointed.

Speaking of anchovies, I went to a quite high end restaurant in London earlier this year and there was a 'V' next to the ceaser salad. I enquired with the waitress as to why, when ceaser salad contains anchovies at the very least, and in a nicer restaurant would usually contain them whole. She spoke very little English and just shook her head at me when I said this. She eventually went to check with the chef and came back to tell me I was correct, the salad had fish in it. I suggested they remove the 'V' form that item. Didn't fill me full of confidence on them in general and I won't be back. If it was a greasy caf or a cheaper place I'd have felt less peturbed by it, I'm not sure why.

I always refer to them as "yorkshires". Which is probably wrong too but better than calling them a yappy dog!!

as even supermarket cafes can't/won't cover shortages from their own store

Mine did. I had several conversations with them that English Breakfast Tea was listed as a speciality tea on their huge drinks board. And that it was not the same as a pot of their bog standard cheap regular tea bags.

They used to go and get a big from the shop floor.

Asda cafe often ran out of beans a few years back. Tried them again recently and they had no salt!
Last sunday lunch we had at a pub came with no stuffing. I asked for the stuffing and was told that the 'little ones' dont have them. This is despite them being on the Special Sunday meal deal menu .It wasnt the same without stuffing- although there were Yorkshires.

Ex waitress here.

Firstly I always notified tables of any missing dishes or parts of meals when they sat down so they are aware.

Secondly NEVER eat out Sunday nights!!

The good chefs are burnt out or have gone home so you have the shit chef and basically whatever is left meal / ingredient wise.

I went to a place last week that had 6 options on the menu for mains. When we came to order there were only actually 3 of them available, no substitutes offered. We were pretty unimpressed, it spoiled it a bit.

I think everyone understands things being a bit hard to come by atm but a decent restaurant should surely have a couple of good/similar back up options available so that they can still offer a bit of choice.

Not having Yorkshires available is sheer laziness on the part of a pub or restaurant.

I have never in my life not been able to get hold of plain flour, eggs and milk!

Yorkshires are the best bit, I would be upset! Less so if creamed cabbage or carrots were missing but bloody Yorkshire pudding….

wheres this i'll avoid it thats not bloody cream cheese

ooh tell us where

fancy not knowing ancovy isnt bloody veggie

This was at 1pm lunchtime so should’ve been peak time for everything being available

I would be really disappointed with that op. I was disappointed when I ordered lamb roast dinner and they had no mint sauce. Not the same without the trimmings!

I’ve always known them as batter puddings but said Yorkshire puddings as often people don’t know what I’m talking about :)
my husband calls them pop ups which I’d definitely never heard before!

Same experience tonight in possibly the same chain. Its the 3rd time in a month they havent had the one pizza my partner wants from there. Theyve never had the ingredients for the pizza I've wanted, I've given up. They clearly prioritise deliveries rather than in house guests as we waited aged but loads of pizza being cooked then picked up by deliveroo. We were the only table in there and still lack of service. We've vowed to never go there again as the local independent pizzerias are far better, exceptional service and far cheaper. Are the initials PE by any chance?

Snap - we left without dessert too!

Frostedfruit... Yes indeed it was. I realise I was basically getting free pizza as using vouchers but still disappointing.

YANBU

I could forgo the stuffing at a pinch but no YP's is not a Sunday dinner.

The are MANDATORY.

Tbh we've stopped going out for Sunday dinner as I'm always disappointed as my own is so much better.

I get particularly annoyed by the rationing of gravy, over cooked veggies, soggy YP's and uncrispy/undercooked roast potatoes. It's rare to get all four sins (though not unheard of) but equally rare to get none at all.

I genuinely don't understand if your a professional chef cooking hundreds of roast dinners a month how you can't perfect it.

Aside from that I love having all the leftovers for a quick meal the next day.

Did a massive pork loin roast today that will feed us for tomorrow (pork and bubble and squeak), lunchtime sandwiches and I'll make the rest into pulled pork by chopping it up and simmering it slowly in my own bbq sauce for Tuesday evening.

Next week I'm doing a rib of beef that will similarly be used for several meals.

@RaininSummer thought it must be. Our sides and starters were so tiny as well. Its a bit of a rip off, over £5 for rocket with a drizzle of balsamic and a few shaving of hard cheese, nothing else! Literally 60ps worth of ingredients on my plate, talk about mark up.

I doubt any restaurant makes their own Yorkshire puddings. That sort of thing is just bulk bought frozen from elsewhere.
The restaurant should have told you about the shortages when you ordered.

I woudn't have been impressed either, OP, mainly because the meal was advertised as something it wasn't. Okay so sometimes things run out, but why not at least tell the customer that when they order?

Ditto curries which come with the chutneys missing, fish without the tartare sauce, sanndwiches made with lesser fillings than those advertised and god knows how many more which have happened to me recently

Exactly what I was thinking.

They were hoping you wouldn’t notice! That’s what it boils down to.
They could’ve done two things, either given a discount or given a drink as compensation.
It’s Wholly unacceptable to not receive either as part of a Sunday dinner.