Afternoon tea difficulty

[TheAverageJoanne]

Well it's ATBU. Booked afternoon tea for a few friends on Saturday for a birthday. One person only eats cheese on sandwiches but she'll have chutney and things like that on them.

Unfortunately they are being rather difficult. When I requested cheese sandwiches when I booked she had to check with her manager who said it would be OK. They phoned today saying they could only provide cream cheese & cucumber, but not plain cheese! I pointed out plain cheese was available on the children's menu but they weren't able to change the sandwich selection, only for allergy or food intolerance.

AIBU to not leave them a tip, grumble on Trip Advisor and complain to them? We want it to go ahead. I'm going to make some and take along in a sandwich box for this person, too. She doesn't eat meat or fish.

This is a prestige hotel that charges a lot btw.

But when you have more than one food 'issue' it compounds into a severely restricted choice.

So here we have a vegetarian who doesn't like cheese who is going to probably the only hotel in the country that doesn't offer a properly varied vegetarian (or vegan as she doesn't like cheese) afternoon tea sandwich selection. That's always going to be difficult.

I think it's bonkers for a hotel to offer afternoon tea and not make a few changes for taste/dietary preferences, and particularly when that request is something as simple as plain cheese.

She does like cheese. She wants a simple cheese sandwich that’s available on the kids menu OR should she have a food intolerance or allergy to their current adult menu.

So why go to this particular place? Why not find somewhere that will adapt to your friend? You've said you've been places before and had no issues, why not reward that service and go back rather than somewhere that you're already planning on complaining about?

I expect OP is using a Wowcher or similar special offer which means the hotel isn't actually making any profit so don't have any reason to give any more than the basic minimum, and going elsewhere would mean paying the full cost which OP doesn't want to do and would rather stick with a basic unsatisfactory service.

So WHY did you book a venue which doesn't cater for veggies????

This has been asked several times, but no answer

I don't believe for one second that this hotel doesn't do a separate vegetarian afternoon tea and she'd need to order that rather them getting them to change the regular version

We're not using vouchers.

@KaleidoscopeSmile report if you think I'm fibbing.

@TheAverageJoanne You still haven't answered why your group is so keen to go to this particular hotel when they can't meet your friends dietary needs. Why can't you go back to one of the places you've been to before where your friend can get a cheese sandwich and everyone's happy?

Certainly not. Reporting people isn't my thing unless they're deliberately trying to wind people up..

I don't think you're lying, I just don't think they don't do a vegetarian version.

You haven't said you've asked them, just that you can't see it on their website

I know
I ask it every time she says about there being no veggie option

I would be interested to know why

And so WHY did you book THIS place when it doesn't cater for your needs???

It has been answered. It's not on the menu. They won't adjust it. I've phoned.

The friend is going to have a sandwich beforehand. We're going to share out the others and all have cakes and scones.

Why did I book? Because I thought they would make changes. They haven't.

It's really not worth all the angst that people seem to have.

Did you mention your friend was vegetarian when you phoned @TheAverageJoanne?

Yes and they said it's cream cheese. So cream cheese it'll have to be.

So if you rang up and said "hi, we would like book afternoon tea but one of our party is vegetarian, do you cater for that?" And they said "we can do cream cheese and cucumber"

Why did you go ahead when it's not suitable?

Your story keeps changing amyway

I had afternoon tea recently and they couldn't have been more helpful in adjusting the menu for my son. Would have thought the company could have made more of an effort for a vegetarian sandwich.....
FWIW I have now gone off afternoon teas as they so rarely have cakes as the sweet part anymore.....they are generally mousse like things!!

Clearly it is worth the angst otherwise you wouldn’t have started the thread…

Just cancel and go somewhere where your friend is catered for and doesn’t have to eat separately beforehand. When you called and they said they couldn’t cater for your friend you should have cancelled the reservation and booked somewhere else. Not decide you’d still go, knowing they weren’t able to cater for you, but not tip/complain online etc.

OP you are not being unreasonable and your friend is not unreasonable.
The hotel are beyond unreasonable I am reminded of the Fawlty Towers episode with the Americans and the Waldorf salad.
I would cancel and go elsewhere but if you can't I would leave a scrathing review.
I would also take a cheese sandwich in with me and add it to the sandwich selection for your friend.
The hotel are a joke as are a lot of the posters on Mumsnet, the level of vittriol never ceases to amaze me!

You know the Americans are supposed to be the unreasonable ones there don't you?
Being loud, demanding and ignoring the fact something couldn't be done?

But then you are also advocating a "scathing" review and taking your own food so you probably thought they were clearly in the right too!

A cheese sandwich (which appears on a different menu) can’t be done? Seriously?

Yup. The joke was on the Americans.

No, it wasn't. John Cleese himself said it was written with the Americans being reasonable and assertive (unlike the English guests who said everything was fine then moaned about it to each other) and Basil being completely at fault for lying about having a chef.

But the point is - it can't (or won't). We can argue till the cows come home if the hotel being unreasonable not to make a cheese sandwich. But they've been up front, told OP that they won't and she still wants to go, then complain that they won't.

I think most of us are just baffled that OP would still want to go to somewhere that can't cater for her group. Especially given that they've been places before that have worked for everyone. Why not just go back to one of those and reward them for the good service with repeat custom? Why go spend money at a place that isn't going to provide that service?

I think OP would be valid giving a review that said the hotel wasn't flexible for those with dietary restrictions (because it doesn't seem like they are). But it seems daft to be told they're not going to cater for her friend in advance, go anyway, then post a review moaning they wouldn't cater to her friend.