Disastrous Lunch, Corporate Norm
Let Me Explain...
Actually there will be those out there reading this to whom there needs no explanation, you know who you are, and those who don’t, well, you either don’t visit the corporate hotels very often, or you still don’t know what good food and good service is.
It is about time these hotels and restaurants were brought to account, but for now they get away with it, asking top rates for a second rate service.
Let down
I have learnt enough, over time, never to go to these corporate hotels for lunch or dinner, unless they’re places which have surprised me positively in the past, however on this occasion I had a business meeting at this particular hotel.
Started with the drinks
We ordered coffees when we arrived, and though nothing major, they were not great. I ordered the flat white, I like it, and who can get that wrong, but it was massive! Isn’t the flat white usually smaller than the cappuccino, latte and all the other gallon sized coffees? Another reason why I order it.
The drinks with lunch didn’t get any better. I ordered tonic water, and when it arrived in a pint glass when I hadn’t ordered a pint I guessed something was a awry. I took a sip and although I had known anyway, swiftly asked if it was tonic or was it actually soda water he had given me. It was soda he had given me! Two orders down, waiting for the meal, I was wondering by now quite what that was going to be like, I had been nervous of ordering anyway, as I always am in these places, but the signs were already there.
Downhill From There
We ordered our food. The menu wasn’t extensive actually which is a good thing, right? This means they can keep on top of the cooking and the ingredients. My colleague had chosen already, then I decided to have the sourdough toasted sandwich. At that, my colleague changed their mind, saying they loved sourdough so this sounded great. We both plumped for that, I also ordered the sweet potato fries.
The food arrived, and I looked at it in disbelief. The ‘sourdough’ was normal white bread! Not even home baked crusty loaf, uncut, thick cut, granary, wholemeal - Normal basic, cheap, white bread!!! He placed the plates down and walked away. Is this the state of the British nation that we have mug stamped on our foreheads when we dine out so we can be served anything and they don’t have to explain or take ownership for what they are serving up?
When I questioned the bread he told us that they had run out of the sourdough, simple as that - are we to believe that a top hotel (this is a very exclusive international chain) can change the main element of a dish and not even bother to inform or ask the diner? Absolutely unacceptable.
I wonder too, what their stance on wastage would be if it were published?
Service
And what about the service? If that wasn’t enough to give you an idea about the hotel ethics, their food and their service anyway, I would like to add again that the hotel this day was very quiet. The person serving us had made many mistakes, when asked for pepper for the table, he forgot to bring it. We did not bother to ask twice, the mistakes by now were becoming tedious, however I clocked him walking past our table at one point and he glanced over at us, we had nearly finished our meal, and at that point I said to my colleague ‘the penny has just dropped’. A moment later, not better late than never though, he came over with the pepper!
And, for the record, my sweet potato fries were hard in the middle, they couldn’t even get those right, so all in all, they scored a hat trick! Truly an awful meal, and an equally awful experience, and one that is becoming all too common.
