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?

Have eaten out twice in the last six months. Once in a local pub with a reputation for good food, once in the Ivy in London. BOTH times we had to chase up our orders, despite the fact that we'd booked and had a 'window' for our tables, we were repeatedly ignored. In the Ivy, we found it near impossible to order dessert, even given the fact that we only had about twenty minutes before our table expired, they didn't clear our table, they didn't ask about drinks... In the pub, a lad was standing at the bar languidly polishing glasses, but had to be asked three times if we could have our drinks please.

I understand people leaving hospitality after Covid, but both places seemed fully staffed.

That's shocking about the Ivy. Your paying top dollar for attentive staff there I would imagine, to chase people up there for service is appalling.
My friend went to La Gavroche and she said it was fabulous; I'd expect the Ivy to be the same.
There's no hope if the expensive Michelin star ones can't get it right.

They also tried to charge us 20% service charge. My daughter (who is a lot more confrontational than I am!) called over the manager and refused to pay it, on the grounds that we'd had to chase for service for most of the evening. They took it off without argument, but, flipping heck! We spent upwards of £250 that evening and were only a whisker away from sticking our heads into the kitchen to find out where everyone was.

20 percent service charge ! What a cheek.

I think it's gone downhill since COVID. Two local restaurants (previously lovely, daily specials, lots of choice) reduced their menu during COVID and still have the same menu. There are chips with everything on the menu. No potatoes, no vegetables, no rice or pasta.

We used to eat at either/both most weekends pre-COVID and they did kids portions of the mains but now their kids menu is chips and sausage or chips and nuggets and honestly if I'm going to give that to the kids, I'd rather put them in the oven myself instead of paying just shy of a tenner for them.

Isn't the Ivy now basically just instagrammable chain?

Local eatery. Good prices. Less than local chain pub. Food delicious. Hot water in bathoom (And fake parrot music and crazy flowers)
Good service.
Wasn't busy though. I did notice lots of light bulbs removed from a couple of light fittings but TV playing a lovely video of Capri and nice background music. Very relaxing. I do wonder if they'll be going still in six months.

I did hear someone at another table say the frozen fish is padlocked up in boxes at tesco - £8 a box.

Local chippies are going to go bust or be charging a small fortune for a bag of chips.

It does seem that way, yes. It was just the only place that we had been able to book for the day and time we needed.

Yes- we wanted to go out for a Sunday lunch recently for a family occasion. It seems a plated adult roast dinner anywhere locally is £17-18+ which surprised me, as we live in the back of beyond and up until recently it would’ve been around £12. ‘Okay, inflation’ we told ourselves. So then I looked on Trip advisor to try and pick somewhere, and no exaggeration- almost all of the reviews from the last few months reference poor service, cold food, small portions, tables not cleared etc etc. For two adults, two children including desserts and drinks we’d have been looking at £100ish so in the end we bought the finest the supermarkets sold, catered ourselves and pocketed about £70. Sad but hard to argue with that sort of price difference for an experience that ran the risk of being sub-par.

We rarely eat out now because of this - and also because most restaurants, even decent ones, seem to have switched to pre-made bought-in food that gets microwaved up. Very little is made in-house now (there was a good thread on MN a while ago about this too).

For this reason, we’ve now switched going out often to lunch or brunch - food that gets made in the actual kitchen like scrambled eggs. Or in the evening, places like honest burger where a lot of the food is cooked in front of you (I’m under no illusions that they actually make it on site, but at least it largely isn’t microwaved!)

I’ve got really disillusioned with both chain restaurants and most pubs, and even mid-range independents - the food is often so mediocre I wonder why I didn’t get a good quality ready meal instead. Brunch out is often much nicer (and cheaper) than a mediocre evening meal with mediocre service.

Oh yes, my vegan lasagne at Zizzi was still frozen in the middle so I couldn't even pretend to enjoy it as though it was lovingly crafted in house.

Agree, I'd much rather eat out for a late breakfast or lunch now then go out for dinner. That's shocking about Zizzi lasagna. I heard that Pizza express Vegan pizzas are shipped in pre made and frozen. So why not buy it chilled in Tesco for at least half the price then spend the money at the pub. Pre covid we used to eat first then go the pub and buy tapas style bar food. That's just frozen too, but it's more honest as if you buy wings etc you know what's gone into preparing it.

Places like Wagamama have made travelling round the country a more pleasant experience. I miss Spud-u-like.

I just meant that they said Vote for us or it'll be back to rampant inflation and terrible food..and yet here we are.

Yes to the vegetarian thing! Not everyone wants vegan cheese or eggless, just meatless.

Absolutely

ive just had to go to three marks and spencers to find a veggie kiev…not a fake meat one, one with actual vegetables in

But was it "the" Ivy or one of the several ones scattered around under the same name. My friend went to one of the London ones and was completely underwhelmed - said the food was nothing special and the service was ridiculously slow.

We tend to only go out to a couple of restaurants now, I’m reluctant to try new ones. I hate paying for food that’s worse than I cook at home. I hate that I can’t complain when something is wrong because I hate the fact I will be labeled a Karen no matter how polite I am.

The OP is not 'handwringing.' Stop trying to put people down for absolutely no reason.

Why is there always one poster who wants to start a drama? It's not that kind of thread. Just post your comment without the attention seeking and let people debate and discuss the actual issue.

Even the original Ivy isn't what it was. I hated the refurb. I loved the old one so much. Now that the bar is inside the restaurant it feels all wrong.
We've only been back once. We were close to the bar and so close to the next table we were virtually on top of them.
Haven't been back.

I agree. Last time I was there I felt like we were on a double date. Time before that they moved us from a table to the bar last minute. When we explained that wouldn’t work due to a mobility issue and has specifically booked a table it was met with a shrug. Restaurants only have so much lifespan in any case so I feel like the many various branches are just a cynical attempt to cash in before West Street closes forever.

@limitedperiodonly

"I have been Labour voter since 1983 who despises the Tories and reluctantly decided in 2019 to vote Liberal Democrat to get rid of the peevish little antisemite fucker Jeremy Corbyn because I wanted a Labour Government rather than spending my life in glorious opposition."

That worked well for you, didn't it. And for the rest of us. I blame people like you almost as much as I blame the Tories for the endless binfire that is UK politics now.

And I know that also has bugger all to do with getting a nice pizza but I couldn't leave it unsaid. Sorry everyone.

Pizza Express is a once popular chain restaurant that is now desperately struggling as it's fallen out of fashion. Half the branches have closed down and those that are left are having to cut costs to survive- not worth bothering with any more- ditto Zizzi, Gourmet Burgers, Wagamama, Giraffe, TGI's, etc. etc.

Go to good independent restaurants if you want good food and service.

I'm curious about all these amazing non-chain indie restaurants. We eat out very often and I have been more disappointed by them than the chains unless you have bottomless pockets and endless sympathy with their plight as a struggling, small, local business.