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?

Agree about Pizza Express. Although it is called Milano’s in this country, it is the same chain.

We have been to two different ones within the last two months or so. Both terrible. Everything is grubby and worn. Dirty cutlery. One time there were no gluten free pizza bases. Another time the children’s dough balls starters came with no cucumber and tomato. Just 3 dough balls thrown on a saucer.

The little colouring/ puzzle booklet they give the DC is the only saving grace.

You've answered your own question. You didn't like it so don't go there again. I don't understand your handwringing.

A lot of chain restaurants seem to have massively gone downhill, and while you might say 'of course, they're chains' they weren't THIS bad in the past.

We don't eat in our local pubs anymore as the prices have skyrocketed while the food has gotten worse.

But we do have a set of restaurants that are really good and we enjoy, all independent places, mostly Japanese or Chinese or Thai, a couple French places. I do a lot of research though. There are SO many terrible places out there.

The chains vary so much. We had a great meal in a chain Mexican the other day - staff were great. Food was good. Depends on the manager and the staff training at all levels. Some chains can’t recruit the people they need.

We went as a family of 4 to Wagamama's recently and we weren't impressed - food had definitely gone downhill. Have been to Rosa's thai a few times and if you're London based I highly recommend - good food, reasonable prices and great service!

I've noticed this, especially the freezing rooms! I hate it, I don't want to eat wearing my coat and feeling miserable. They need to suck it up and put the heating on. They could save money by turning the overly loud music off.

I use a wholesale food supplier for my work and tbh it has put me off eating out in a lot of places - lots of pub grub and more apparently upmarket fare sold in bulk, frozen and just reheated to order. I suppose I knew about it happening but seeing it starkly available for sale like that made me realise that I was likely paying over the odds in mid-market places and chains.

I think this has always been typical of chains hence why I avoid them as much as possible and support independent local businesses as much as possible.

I have a favourite Cote I've been going to for 10 years that has been a bit crappy the last four times we went since December. They ran out of bread one time.

I am unhappy with the decline in quality, but it is still okay and a lot cheaper than the other places round there my friend and I go to when we visit the cinema so we will grin and bear it.

I think Wetherspoons is another one where prices are rising yet portion size and quality Is declining.

3 times I've been recently to different ones and not been impressed with the food. The amount of chips you get on the plate with your meal Is disappointing.

also The 3 small plates have shot up in price .

We had dodgy bread in cote too - if you want to sell croissants and baguettes you need a decent supplier…

I’ve always found Pizza Express the most overrated of the Italian chains for actual food quality tbh?

I eat out far too often 😂 I haven’t found worse quality food or colder restaurants. I have found higher prices, smaller portions and reduced opening hours though. It’s sad.

? No one's 'handwringing' 😂 It's a discussion thread.

I posted about the changing restaurant scene and asked other people thoughts on it, and the implications for eating out if these are increasingly common scenarios.

I wasn't asking opinions on whether I should go there again.

I eat out relatively frequently and have had excellent meals at all of the pubs/restaurants I've been to recently. But I deliberately avoid chains as imo the food has always been overpriced crap.

Yes, the reduced hours, definitely. As you have experienced, I would much rather pay a little more for a little less, but for it to taste the way it's supposed to.

The little Italian cafe near us is doing that actually - smaller, more expensive, but still good food. It seems a better way (to me, for now), but it's a bleak landscape for business owners alright.

Your friend is either an idiot or lier. No one sane with IQ over room temperature actually does that. But we all liked to joke about wanting to do that

Sometimes yes, sometimes it's serviceable, sometimes better than that. It's where we eat when traveling with kids.

Local, independant places can be wonderful, but chains are a different kind of barometer of what's happening across the industry and how people are experiencing it, which is what I posting about.

I absolutely agree, and do whenever we can. I hope you continue to thrive - it sounds as though you're getting it right for your customers.

Eat / drink at independent places.

So I actually really like pizza express. My two boys love it, I know we can go there and they’ll finish every mouthful with gusto, I like the pizzas and the dough balls. It’s a win from me.
However, it has significantly increased in price recently and last time we went the staff were rushed off their feet and the service wasn’t great. Given that for a family of 4 we paid £95 I do kind of expect a bit more.
Mind you, it was jam packed on a Saturday night so they must be doing something right.

OP's already said these are meals with kids on the road/traveling.

Plus just being an independent isn't exactly a guarantee of quality! I agree with the comment upthread from the coffee shop owner, that good places really care about how they treat their customers and hopefully will stay afloat.

Unfortunately, not all places are as good. The cafe/bistro near us is leaning hard into the freezing room/cold water/inferior ingredients option. I wish they'd just charge more and stay delicious.

You're right OP, it's a crap situation.

I too DGS to an independent pizza place for lunch today, it was really good and not overly expensive.

I'm far from Angela Hartnett or anything, I'm an enthusiastic but fairly average home cook, and it's been a very long time since I had a meal out that I couldn't have made better at home for a fraction of the price.

That’s how I feel about takeaways, but sometimes I just want a nice family evening out where I don’t have to cook but I can guarantee the kids will eat everything.
I have fond memories of the Beefeater as a treat when I was a child. Those steaks with a sauce you could choose, plus a massive ice cream sundae! They weren’t high cuisine but it was fun being out with my parents.

Ozgirl Yes, same. My parents were/are both really good, adventurous cooks, but the thrill of going to a restaurant and choosing food was huge as a kid!

I didn't care that my dad could make a better dish, it was all about looking through the menu, choosing and matching up my starters and main course etc. I loved all that and try to let my DC do the same when we can.