Dh and I were starving at midday today so decided to find a pub for lunch.
We found a local, sweet looking thatched pub with a lovely garden and ordered
"lamb with a local honey glaze, rosemary roast potatoes and veg
beef with yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and vegetables
and, for dd, thai style fish cakes, garlic bread, vegetables and new potatoes
The pub was empty when we ordered but when I asked where the food was, 45 minutes later I was told by a spotty teenager that 'we're busy you know' whereupon I pointed out that a) they were empty when I ordered and b) if they'd have said 'is 45 minutes ok?' I'd have said NO. So it came 2 minutes later. Hmm. A supposedly rare roast beef was grey. The roast potates were as black as the earth in my garden, the broccoli was yellow, the cauli was solid, the lamb was not even worthy of cutting open, the garlic bread was burnt, I wouldn't have fed any of it to a dog, let alone people.
On complaining I was told they couldn't refund my card (wtf?) so I got back (in surly fashion, no apology!) £27 of a £48 bill because I said we ought to pay for dd's fishcakes, which we took with us (vile but she was eating them, £5) and our drinks, (2 glasses of white wine and 2 pints of Guiness) despite the fact that we left 1 large glass of wine and 1 pint of Guiness because we were famished and needed to GO SOMEWHERE ELSE to eat IMMEDIATELY. So, for £48 we would have had:
2 shite mains (£9.95 and £10.95 respectively)
2 glasses of wine
2 pints of Guiness
a starter portion of fishcakes and veg, potatoes and garlic bread for dd
On going into our local Indian restaurant ten minutes after leaving rubbish pub we got 2 fantastic main courses (king prawn karai and lamb tawa gost), a keema pilau rice, 2 chapatis, 2 samosas, popadums, a bottle of Chablis, hot flannels, complimentary Baileys/Brandy because we're regulars, mini chocolates for dd, fantastic service and a thank you as we left.
So it's reminded me why we don't usually do pub lunches.
Why do pubs think they can get away with this shite?
Do you do pub lunches?
Are they better?
When will they be out of existence because people stop paying for it?
Or will people laways think shite food is ok because it's served in the garden of a thatched cottage?