Food and Restaurants - is it all just getting a bit crap?

[VixHex]

Sort of inspired by the McDonalds thread, as it crystallised some of my food-related thinking of late.

We ate with the DC at a Pizza Express a few weeks ago - it was so cold, everyone had their coats on. The bathrooms and tap water were absolutely freezing.

The food tasted okay, but both there, and at a couple of local places and with some supermarket stuff, there is a noticeable dialling down of flavour/texture/whatever. Not everything, but enough things to see a pattern.

I understand everywhere needs to cut costs. It's brutal for restaurants, but I'd probably rather pay slightly more and really enjoy being there. Sitting in a coat, waiting to go to the loo at home rather than wash my hands in freezing cold water and eating underpowered food... it's only Pizza Express I know, but it still should be more enjoyable that that?

I feel sorry for the whole industry. Do they go down this route of slashing everything in order to survive, or put up prices and hope that people still come?

After three really underwhelming meals out with the kids in recent weeks, we're not going to bother again for a good while. It's too bloody expensive to not enjoy it properly, but then places close because people like us are giving up on them.

It's crap really, isn't it?

I haven't eaten put much since Covid.

During the pandemic it was like eating in a crime scene with the tape, I was really put off.

I have had some pub grub, M&S and Dunelm cafe visits and Costas, they seemed OK compared to your description.

Depends where you eat out.

I went to an independent Tapas restaurant with some friends. It was about £32 a head but we had loads of food and a really good time!

Went to Itzu noodle bar with kids and had a delicious lunch.

Went to KFC with kids the other week and again had a great meal!

I enjoy eating out.

I agree about the temperature. I’ve found in a lot of restaurants recently I’ve put my coat straight back on.

I’ve noticed its extremely expensive to eat out now, but I’d still rather that than eat underwhelming food whilst sitting in my coat.
We love our local pub and want to support it, but the only way we can have an affordable Sunday roast there is for all of us to have soft drinks and we don’t order dessert.

Completely agree about the temperatures. It’s not so bad now it’s slightly warmer but a few weeks ago everywhere was freezing! It really took the enjoyment off.

By contrast, I was in France before Christmas and everywhere was lovely and warm. It made coming back to the cold hospitality here really noticeable (the food was also vastly superior in France for the same price but that’s always been the case).

I really hope something gets sorted on the energy bills because I’d hate to see places close; but atm the cold temperature when out reduces custom more so it becomes a vicious downward circle.

I went to a chef and brewer pub on the weekend expecting it to be mediocre and was pleasantly surprised as it was nice , but I agree that most chain restaurants are pretty meh and not that cheap and the service can be a bit hit and miss or half the menu not available etc. It's nice when you go somewhere and it's not too bad , about the best you can expect , unless your paying a fortune or it's a more upmarket type place.
The ingredients they use in pizza express are mass produced and bland. May as well buy one out of the supermarket and some salad , garlic bread and it would be cheaper and hot! What they charge for their 'catering desserts 'are a rip off too.
Some desserts are almost as much as a main costs.

You are not being unreasonable at all

since covid, food choices have gone down, its very expensive and I honestly don’t remember the last time I had to blow on my food to cool it down in a restaurant

I do feel that (in the UK at least ) we are generally pretty feeble at complaining about service and food in restaurants. Asking politely for someone to heat up the food isn't terrible, but often people don't bother or have already had a bit of a wait and can't be bothered to wait again to have it heated up a bit more. Ditto if the temperature is too hot or cold , we should flag it up etc.
They sometimes send out surveys after the event , which are obviously being ignored.

My friend worked in this industry she said that they spat in the food of those that complained.

I've been mostly disappointed the last few times I've eaten out. We went to a restaurant recently that always used to be a very nice place to eat and a real treat pre-covid. We waited almost an hour after ordering our food, the prices were high and the portions were tiny and the service was poor.

Another meal in a local pub with a group of friends left me thinking I could have done better myself at home for a fraction of the price.

I'm also getting sick of not having many vegetarian options when I eat out now, so many places now only offer fully vegan/plant based meals.

@SimplyAverage I work in this industry, your friend is a twat

We ate in Zizzi at the weekend, it was very nice, but notice portion size has reduced, ok for me, but my adult son had to have dessert, which again was small.

I have been out for lunch twice recently and both meals were disappointing. Seems such a waste of money.

Went to frankie and bennies recently, portions were tiny and prices silly for what you get. Definitely going downhill

lots of trained restaurant staff took other jobs during covid and can't be tempted back to split shifts, working every evening, weekend and holiday, and shit pay.
And people who own these places who have said "pft, anyone can cook" are finding out that, actually, cooking is only part of what a well trained chef does.

This is how it used to be back in the 60s and 70s - only a few places to go, and expensive. And then there were the Chinese and Indian restaurants which were relatively inexpensive. Then came the chains like Berni and Beefeater, and slowly things like Wimpey, KFC and eventually McDonalds. I can imagine it's going to be like that, but with more variety than just Chinese and Indian.

I own a coffeeshop, we serve all sorts from cold sandwiches to burgers and hot meals. We are busy, really busy. We have just put our prices up, but not extortionately so and out of 100s of customers this week, only one mentioned it.

If customers says it feels cold we put the heating on, too warm and thr AC goes on. I want to still be in here in years to come, I want my customers to enjoy and remember their visit for the right reasons.

I recommend sticking to independent venues, we really want to do well, our livelihood depends on it. Our staff are invested, they want to have a job so our service is excellent. Avoid chain restaurants, I guarantee you'll find better quality and service

I read an article recently saying that casual dining restaurant chains are dying off! I don't know how true that is obviously.

We had lunch in a pub yesterday and it was really nice and not expensive, so hopefully it isn't everywhere going downhill

Agree @lanbro eating at independent places is definitely the way to go. The quality at the chains is not only variable, but generally not that great to start with, and often not that cheap.
would far rather go out a lot less, support a local business and really enjoy my meal.

I haven't noticed this at all. All the meals I've had out recently (at a variety of places) have all been really nice, not too expensive (I mean definitely more than they were 3 years ago but not unaffordable) and I've definitely never had to sit with my coat on!

Perhaps it depends on the place - somewhere like pizza express tbh I wouldn't expect great things from, not being snobby, it is what it is, but you can make nice pizza (or buy it from e.g. asda create your own) just as easily for a quarter of the price - if I'm going out I either go for a pub, where the food might be basic but is fairly well priced - or somewhere like tapas or indian where I can't make it as easily or as nicely myself so if it is expensive it is at least still a treat.

I can't remember the last time I had a dessert out though - partly because I'm trying to lose weight but mainly because prices on those really do seem to have increased hugely and seem to be a higher mark up on those compared to mains. Same with soft drinks too, a pint of coke is nearly as much as a beer in lots of places! So I can see if you're eating out as a family 4 or 5 even soft drinks (more if refills!) can easily add an extra 20 quid onto a meal.

The sneaky service charges not advertised on menues or mentioned by staff are creeping in here. £5 a skull is ott and I know we can ask to have it removed, but we shouldn't have to. We always tip, but a few restaurants have taken that too.
Gone are the days of paying by debit card and refusing a receipt.

I recommend sticking to independent venues, we really want to do well, our livelihood depends on it. Our staff are invested, they want to have a job so our service is excellent. Avoid chain restaurants, I guarantee you'll find better quality and service.*
*
After yet another horrendous Caffé Nero experience this week, I'll be doing just this.

Ashamed that I haven't made more of an effort to do it sooner, but in my defence it's free with my insurance so I feel kind of obliged to use it.

We went to an independent place this morning, the contrast was stark.

Tbh, we only eat out as a family when travelling really (which we're doing a lot of at the moment), so it does tend to be ASK/Pizza Express/etc. more often than not, as I don't know local, privately owned restaurants that are kid-friendly etc. in the area. I'm not expecting Michelin level dishes, just their standard stuff, but executed well and a restaurant that feels welcoming.

I do make my own pizzas at home, and cook most things fairly well from scratch, but I do love taking the kids out to choose things from menus - it is a nice novelty for them to do that.

If it's just me and DH eating together, we'd go somewhere completely different, but that's an even rarer treat atm!

I noticed this too at Pizza Express. There was a meagre amount of cheese on the pizzas too. Even with Tastecard, it's hard to get a filling meal out even though they have hiked up the prices.

I like cheap, local cafes, and nice places.

The middle of the road, ‘family’ places are the worst; the food is now awful and their prices have gone insane.

The last few times we’ve eaten out (yo sushi and Pizza Hut) we’ve had to spend about 20 mins doing the bloody QR code and ordering and paying online. So frustrating and ridiculous. Also very expensive. No more chains for us. I’d rather someone actually takes our order and has some interaction with us!