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.

That's the solution we've decided on.

Sandwich beforehand for Little Miss Fussy.
Everybody else gets an extra sandwich.
We all get the sweet stuff.
We don't go there again.
Job done.

There's been no need for such nasty comments from some posters making wild assumptions about the type of people my friends and I are. This place is off the wall crazy at times with some remarks, I despair, I really do.

It's not Premier Inn. It's not a chain. It's a place that focuses on weddings. I'm not going to say where it is.

That's just a Chef being arrogant (year of experiencing working in that industry!). Not surprised that it's a 'prestige hotel' and this is why I really dislike some of them.

I hope you have it all sorted now.

But this is the UK where our garages sell sandwiches that were made in a factory last Tuesday and freshly prepared food is outnumbered 10:1 by chains selling UPF shite.

I've not frequently the lovely sounding deli counter at the rural petrol station in Ireland, but have found the same in Spain, every garage seems to have a nice cafe attached selling reasonably priced freshly cooked food.

Third time this week - shit customer service

I don't think that's being batshit nasty and ridiculous, they're just asking is there really no vegetarian option, as it does seem highly unlikely as most places do offer one.
When there's a veggie in your group, it's.a bit off to go to the one place that doesn't have a vegetarian option as well when there's so many more places that do.

The thing with hotel afternoon teas, even the posh ones, is that it's something of a conveyor belt of visitors, and they prep everything in advance to assemble quickly. Yes it seems like they won't accommodate one tiny request but it's possible they get asked alot and might just have a blanket ban on it, as its cheaper and more efficient for them to offer their afternoon tea as standard as part of their business model.

Cancel the tea and go somewhere else!

Would she eat wafer thin ham Barbara ?

Why wouldn’t you say where it is?

Anyway it’s not the point but how could anyone ‘hate’ cucumber? There is no taste off it, it’s like water? Some really fussy people here!!

Joking! 😁

Can you ask them not to put the cucumber on the cream cheese? That’s what I’d do as I hate cucumber and won’t eat anything that it’s touched. Or does she not like cream cheese?

It’s very weird a good hotel doesn’t do a vegetarian afternoon tea, I’ve literally had dozens of them up and down the country and there’s ALWAYS been a veggie option and frequently now, a vegan one.

I know you don’t want to out them but you could to warn others as it’s fucking odd

Any half decent restaurant will make small changes to the menu for you. Can I have this but without x, y, z. Unless you are somewhere like Wetherspoons it shouldn't be a problem for them.

No way are they making the kids cheese sarnies from scratch, they'll be pre-made somewhere.

So it's probably partly that, and partly that all afternoon tea sandwiches are pretty much the same and if they start pandering to random requests it'll no longer be viable for them.

I don't eat fish or meat, I have been to loads of afternoon teas where I just don't eat most of the sandwiches. Your friend will be fine, OP.

Why did you book somewhere with only one vegetarian sandwich option for a group with a vegetarian?
You should have checked the menu beforehand and chosen somewhere else.
Plenty of places do great afternoon teas with vegetarian and veggie menus.

That’s poor service on the part of the hotel, afternoon tea is premium price you’d expect some flexibility. I wonder if they are buying it all in rather than making fresh?

My DIL took me to Reuben’s in London for afternoon tea for a significant birthday. She is a picky eater and went through with the hotel what worked for her ahead of time. Reuben’s were fabulous, she had food she was happy with and I ate everything 🤤

You should cancel OP and go elsewhere. It's a bit unfair if your friend is going to pay the same amount as everyone else but not getting the same quality of food.

These days they really should be catering for vegetarians, it's vastly improved in the 30 odd years since I was first vegetarian and it's very poor of a hotel to not offer a proper option for your friend.

Can they not add avocados ? Mumsnet loves a good avocado thread 😆

Any half decent restaurant will make small changes to the menu for you. Can I have this but without x, y, z. Unless you are somewhere like Wetherspoons it shouldn't be a problem for them.

There is a bit of a difference from asking for a sandwich without cucumber to wanting a different cheese altogether.

🎯

I think op is the cheese sandwich lady herself! ?

Cucumber is honestly the one vegetable I can't eat - there are others I dislike (sprouts!) but would manage to force down in polite company. Cucumber has something in it that has me doing painful cucumber flavoured burps for about 48 hours. (My mother would say "it repeats on me".) I'm the person inspecting ingredients lists by the meal deal fridges...

I still don’t understand why, out of all the afternoon tea places, you’ve chosen the one with no vegetarian menu despite having a vegetarian in the group? I think that’s what’s baffling people OP.

This entire stress could be so easily avoided given that, from a quick google of hotels near me that do afternoon tea, you seem to have to go out of your way to find one with no vegetarian menu.

I still don’t understand why, out of all the afternoon tea places, you’ve chosen the one with no vegetarian menu despite having a vegetarian in the group? I think that’s what’s baffling people OP.

Yes, exactly - why there when there's so many places that would have catered for everyone?