Your say
No fun playing the waiting game
With pubs closing every day, and the situation exacerbated by recent duty increases, provision of good food is a vital survival strategy. But poor food and even poorer service do the trade no favours. A family outing to an establishment in Chipperfield, Hertfordshire, turned out to be worthy of Fawlty Towers.
On a not-very-busy evening, two cold starters took 45 minutes. We also requested bread, oil and olives. The bread and oil came, but, despite repeated requests, the olives didn't make an appearance until after the main course. Mains were another 45 minutes and did not arrive together — the last one was some 10 minutes after everything else. Two were not as described and some items were perilously undercooked and had to be returned. Cutlery had to be repeatedly requested — and then rejected as dirty. A drinks order failed to arrive.
Complaints to the head waiter were treated in an inappropriate jokey manner. The manager was summoned. I told him that it was unfortunate as all our party is engaged in the hospitality business. I chair an area tourist forum, my son and daughter-in-law are licensees, and my daughter is employed by a national leisure company.
More apologies, blaming a lack of staff — patently untrue (though admittedly most of them were outside smoking) — and an offer of free coffees and desserts.
The coffee was undrinkable. (Waiter: "The machine is playing up. Do you want me to go in the kitchen and shout at it?") The desserts were not as described, including an upside-down apple (in lieu of rhubarb) crumble. An obviously microwaved portion had been inverted leaving the crumble beneath the fruit. The Jersey cream highlighted as accompanying all desserts was unavailable.
Within the higher echelons of Scottish tourism, there has been much concern in recent years over the quality of the product. It is cold comfort to be able to report that it is even worse in England!
Rita Marks
Moray Tourism Forum, Ballindalloch, Banffshire
Open letter to the health minister
To the Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw MP,
I feel it necessary to write with regards to the sale of alcohol to the public. I have two pubs in Exeter, similar to most well-run UK pubs.
The supermarkets have contributed to the closure of the butcher, baker, fishmonger, greengrocer, the corner shop and, more recently, the petrol stations.
In addition, we have what seems to be unfettered duty-free drink and cigarettes for sale.
If the present supermarket pricing and Government tax policies continue, there can only be one outcome — more closures, followed by the health implications of a society doing more unsupervised drinking than ever.
Rate relief would be a start. I have a pub taking £6,000 per week, which is paying £21,000 a year rates — nearly 7% of turnover. As a business we have to pay for the removal of all our waste.
The rates were fixed by a previous owner and we cannot appeal at this moment in time, unless there has been a material change of circumstances. The above mentioned cost does not qualify as a material change.
If the Government were to tighten the ports of entry and collect the duty due, it would not have to pursue the industry so fervently for revenue.
Leon Courtney
Heavitree, Exeter
This is a shortened version of Leon's Courtney's open letter
