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 get it for blow the budget meals but regular meals out with the kids?

For example, Adam Handling's Frog is truly amazing but they could easily recommend a bottle of wine which ends up being an extra thousand pounds on the bill (which really happened btw according to TripAdvisor) 😧

Of course, with non-chain restaurants you have to do a bit of research to find good ones as you don't have the consistency of knowing what the food will be like as you do with a common chain restaurant. Some will be good, others not so good. Plenty of cheap indie restaurants though- they come in a wide range of styles.

I went to a nice Cypriot/Turkish restaurant in town near me yesterday- two courses for £18- Halloumi with pitta, and homemade dips to start and then roasted Aubergine stuffed with spiced lamb and topped with cheese, served with bulgar wheat, salad and tzatziki and a tomato relish. It was lovely. Bottle of pinot was £20.

It's working out well enough for me because now I have my party back and a decent chance of getting a Labour government. But if you think differently and feel it needs to be said, then go ahead.

Like you, I couldn't connect what not supporting Jeremy Corbyn had to do with getting a nice pizza, but the person who suggested that has explained her reasoning, so I'm okay with that too.

"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."
Different restaurants and supermarket items, the only link being your taste buds. Is it possible that it's you rather than them? Lots of people had their sense of taste and smell affected by covid, and there are other conditions where altered taste is a symptom. Might be worth considering?

We went to Pizza Express last Sunday and also yesterday (different branches), and didn't have any of those problems (we don't eat out a lot, it is just a coincidence that we had 2 special birthdays close to each other).

The food and drink was more expensive than last year, but we were expecting that.

I guess it depends on local competition too. We have LOADS where I am and they know that if they fuck about they will not survive a year. Some didn't exactly because they were not good. Some have been running decades

I'm very fond of Gourmet Burger Kitchen. They got in before the mad burger craze and I really like their food. I especially like the way you pay first and haven't got to hang around waiting for the bill, I'd be sad to see them go, especially after Byron grassed up their staff to immigration so we don't go there anymore.
I wonder if the staff shortages are mainly due to all the Europeans going home.

I'm in a central European country - it's the same here. Everything has become really expensive, portion sizes have been cut and then it's really cold in the restaurant - also, talking about a range of places here, so it's not just chains for example.
Also, we have a serious lack of personnel here since the pandemic - the Eastern Europeans who occupied a very significant proportion of the jobs in gastronomy left and haven't come back and there aren't enough locals to fill all the vacancies. The conditions for workers in gastronomy haven't been good for so long and that means that it's basically the last job a local would take - they'd do pretty much anything else instead.
The lack of personnel means that a lot of smaller restaurants in particular are being run with minimal staff - and that means the waiting times can be crazy. I can understand that it's really difficult for them - but on Sunday we were a group of 6, no one else in the place, it took 45 minutes to get our drinks and the food took another hour after that. So arriving at 12, we received our food at 1.45. And this sort of thing is widespread - last 4 times I've been out for a meal we've waited a long time.
I feel like just giving up on it completely to be honest

I don't think I'd eat at your friend's house lol

Not just home. Many relocated to other countries with better quality of life. And well. In my years in hospitality it was very clearly told to me or at least insinuated that locals wouldn't do this job unless it's like a part time extra. People actually literally said that to me numerous times over the years

Never been as there are none near us but James Martin has opened a few Spudulike - https://spudulikebyjamesmartin.com/find-us/?radius=999

@beguilingeyes I must admit I love the Ivy as a chain (been to lots of different ones) but never been to the original. I've always found the food lovely , without being amazing or over fiddly, , relatively affordable for a nice treat and the decor is nice enough inside to feel like a special night out. I've always found service pretty good too

Exactly, it's regarded like a job you only do for a bit of extra cash or if you can't get anything else, shouldn't expect to be paid a decent wage or treated with any respect because it's not really that important......... Yet when service isn't being provided to the level anticipated or required there's surprise that no one invests in the job or wants to do it in the first place.
And that's before you get to the people who think they can treat you in any way they wish for a bit of superiority and validation, take their frustrations in life out on you or dish out abuse because it's what you exist for.
That and it seems to be 'fashionable' at the moment to be a 'victim' of poor customer service for some reason, to the point where at times it does feel like you're being treated like the enemy.

We are being told to “use it or lose it” but we are all feeling the pinch, so seems unreasonable anywhere that expects us to fork out money for a treat, to receive a sub par experience.

The 'optional' service charges have also gone up massively. I saw a dad challenging them at Zizzi's but most people would just pay even if they had a bad meal.

I like Pizza Express but it depends on the branch because they are franchises, aren't they?

I love a La Reine in one of the nicer franchises upgraded to a thin crust Romana with no black olives. I don't like olives. On one memorable occasion in the Bow Street, Covent Garden, branch the waitress replaced my hated olives with extra mushrooms at no extra charge. She earned a big tip.

There was a regrettable incident in a nearby branch when my friend asked if she could have my olives and that didn't go down well. We haven't gone back there and it is their loss.

Part of the problem is the rise in people wanting to be spontaneous, I've noticed that very few people book, or want to book because they don't want to be held to a time.
That creates a headache when businesses are already struggling to deal with the price rises as it is around ordering and staffing, because it's incredibly difficult to get it right, lots of stock and staff and no one comes then you're wasting money, keep stock and staff low and people complain if you do get busy and service struggles and you run out of stuff.
Lots of complaints about poor service, yet also lots of complaints about booking systems only (especially during covid and kept since covid) which means they can plan and predict accordingly.

You can predict to a certain degree with weekends, evenings, seasons, the pattern for that particular establishment etc, but ultimately I think if you turn up, unbooked, then you kind of take your chances to what is available to you at that point. Different of course if you have booked because you're expected. People are quite loathe to accept that though, they expect staff on tap and a large, varied menu no matter what because we've got used to it pre covid and COL rises and unfortunately, the industry seems to be struggling to deliver that at the moment.

Went to bella italia for tea yesterday

never again, cost a fortune for not very good food (there were 9 of us, squeezed onto a table for 8 which also winds me up)

although to be fair although my pasta was a bit meh (and fuck knows what they did to the tiramisu) it was hot, so points for that from me

@Crikeyalmighty it was the Oxford one. Quite a few of them opening up now. Those fries are lush 😋

@FrenchandSaunders will keep an eye out in case they open one here but oxford easy for us too- Yep those fries are immense!!

Part of the problem is the rise in people wanting to be spontaneous, I've noticed that very few people book, or want to book because they don't want to be held to a time.

@Maverickess Interesting. I usually book, sometimes just an hour in advance. There are a few local restaurants where we might turn up on spec and they can always fit us in because there are just two of us. If not, we'd walk to one of the other ones. There are a lot of restaurants where we live.

I would always cancel a booking if I can't make it and don't make multiple bookings for one night. I know people who don't show and don't care about it and that is horrible.

But I refuse to go to places where I can't book, especially the ones that invite you to spend an hour or so at the bar so by the time you get a table you've spent loads of money already and are too pissed to want to eat.

I can think of at least three restaurants who promote this model as wonderful for its spontaneity. I can see why it suits them and may suit many customers but not me.

we went out last night, table booked for 8pm, didn’t sit down until nearly 9 …. had a drink at the bar …. didn’t get food until nearly 10.

My friend works for a wholesaler for prepackaged foods etc, he said nearly all the chains now buy it in and just steam or microwave, desserts are frozen, cakes etc, its cheaper for staff costs and places dont need a trained chef...just need to operate the microwave etc !!

@limitedperiodonly it's just a trend I've personally noticed, working on reception in a hotel asking people if they'd like a table for the evening and many are non committal and don't want to book and then not happy when the 'best' or all the tables are gone, or they're told on being seated there's a bit of a wait, when they do want a table. If they're booked in you can adjust/keep your staff accordingly, prep and service is better, tables reserved etc. When you've got 15 'maybe's' and then they all arrive at the same time, it gets tricky, booking means that the tables can be slightly staggered and reserved then everyone gets better service. Many places around us are closing for food between certain times because they just can't afford to have everything fired up and ready to go in the kitchen all day every day, almost literally burning money - but there's been local backlash because people want to be able to walk in at any time and order from a large and varied menu and have great service - but they want that from every establishment they may choose from out of many.
I do think that if you just turn up when you've got the option to book, and turn it down, maybe expectations need to be adjusted a bit.

And yes, people just not turning up is why a lot of places are asking for deposits for tables over a certain number, you're turning other people away and keeping staff there and for nothing.

@FrenchandSaunders - was that your choice to do that? We always have tables reserved for bookings and hold them for 30 minutes if people aren't on time, walk ins would be the ones waiting for a table to become free, not bookings. I ask because we've had people book for say 8pm, but then not actually want to sit at their table until 8.30/9 because they want drinks first and then look at the menu which means food isn't coming out until 10.

It's really hard to manage everyone's expectations, some want to be at their table 10 minutes early and then are gone an hour later, others want to have a drink first and move to the table later on - and even gently trying to figure out which way round they want it can be fraught as people feel you're 'nagging' but honestly at least at my place we're just trying to guage expectations so we can meet them - one size doesn't fit all and we're well aware of that, but we're also not mind readers.

I don't know what the answer is, as a pp said it is a case of use it or lose it, but everyone is feeling the pinch, hospitality staff absolutely understand this because we're usually the lower end of the wage spectrum (so yes Mr Arsey customer, I have heard of the Cost of living crisis!!!) And trying to stay open and offering a service means cutting back - which people don't want because they want to feel they've had value for money. Difficult situation.

I think during covid we all got so sick of having to book absolutely everything, that now we want to just turn up.
But l am very much of the opinion that if you can book, you should.