To have my Sunday lunch at the hospital canteen?

[Vacmat]

I don't work there, am not sick and wasn't visiting, but a friend works there and said they did a decent roast for £6.50. We'd had a busy morning and by late afternoon still needed lunch. Remembered conversation with friend and decided to try it.

It was fine. Nothing gourmet, but on a par with most chain pub roast lunches.

Is it odd to go to the hospital just for a cheap lunch?

I worked in a hospital canteen for a while. No one was catching illnesses. It’s mostly visitors and staff, it was very rare to see someone in their hospital robe and dressing gown there (in fact I don’t think I ever saw it).

I loathe hospitals... would only go to one if I had to. Sounds incredibly depressing to go and eat in a hospital canteen out of choice...I'd rather make myself beans on toast and eat at home.

I had no idea this was a thing. How bizarre!

Not at all odd i work near a hospital and all of us go there for lunch very regularly as its really cheap and rather nice! 😃

If it's nice food and close by, I don't see why not at all! The fact that it's a hospital wouldn't bother me at all

There's also an assisted living complex near me that offer their hairdressing and beauty services to the public and I go there and sit with the little biddies getting my nails done sometimes 🤣 their food is nice too.

We once had our works Christmas meal in the hospital canteen!
'twas a lovely 3 course Christmas dinner for half the price of other local places.
Excellent service. 🍷
Local pub after for drinks.
A good time was had by all without anyone bankrupting themselves.

I’m not sure about that. Most people who are in hospital are in there for more serious things than a virus. In fact, as a visitor I would avoid visiting someone in hospital if I had a virus, so I’d imagine you’re less likely to catch something than a restaurant where people are only too happy to go and spread their germs.

The great unwashed? 😩

I'd do it,no problem!

I used to do it the very odd time when I was in University. There was a Hospital near my Uni house and on a Sunday there was nowhere really open for food other than the Canteen. I did ask the canteen manager was it ok and she had no issue at all with it. It was a Private Hospital though so I would imagine the canteen was for profit. It was handy if I had not been grocery shopping.

Couple of years ago DS had a hospital appt on the same day DM was having chemo. It also happened to be my birthday, and I ended up having a couple of meals there. I was pleasantly surprised, but it’s never crossed my mind to go if I wasn’t there for a patient. But why not?

You have clearly never worked in a hospital!
They do attract a certain person.

It does seem odd to me. But you're not doing anything wrong.

Why not? They open to the public so that they make sufficient money to keep it subsidised for staff.

Ours is miles away but they do great breakfast 3 item rolls with a decent coffee for under £5. Id go there if it was convenient too. Their roast looked a bit bleugh tho, sadly. The salads were immense - guess it depends on their chef?

I did eat there quite a bit when Dad was in for a long stay and I did give up my queue place for staff. Apart from that, yeah go for it!

My parents do this occasionally , we've slagged them off so much for it but the food is good and a good price . Df is undergoing treatment now in the same hospital and its a place my dm can go and get something on the long days spent there.

‘Catching something!!!!’

How do those of us working in hospitals manage I wonder?????

When we want a cheap meal, we sometimes go to ikea! It's a bargain and the food is good.

It's an unusual choice but I can see your point. The hospital that I used to work at (now sadly closed) used to serve decent food for a very low price, I often used it for lunch. Canteen staff would probably think that you are visiting someone.

I can’t stand the smell of hospitals so I don’t think I could get past that, even if the canteen smelt of food

That’s a great bargain! I see nothing wrong with that at all.

The food can be good. When my Dad was in hospital for a while, I nearly lived on the canteen bacon rolls they were amazing!!

Nearly everyone in the canteen when I went seemed to be visitors or staff.

Very few patients, an occasional old lady in a wheelchair coming with family for a scone type idea.

And patients in hospitals are encouraged to wash their hands, shower and use hand gel, unlike the minks and drunks in my local shopping centre!

Why not, don’t see the problem

My brother is a doctor at a teaching hospital; I often meet him for lunch or a coffee when he is free.

I have to confess on a couple of occasions I have got off the tube and gone in on my own to eat.

There are three bits to the canteen but at the weekend the bit that does cooked meals is closed!

But aren't visitors and staff catching things from the sick patients? If not, why was visiting restricted during Covid?