How long must we wait for our meal after ordering

We recently visited a Chef and Brewer pub and waited nearly 45 minutes after ordering our food. We were not given any indication there would be a long delay. We had started our drinks so we could not really walk out .We were due to meet friends later and it was touch and go whether we would make it on time. Is there a legal limit or guideline how long customers should wait for their food after ordering and what would have happened if we just got up and left.
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  • marliepanda
    marliepanda Posts: 7,186 Forumite
    HarryLong wrote: »
    We recently visited a Chef and Brewer pub and waited nearly 45 minutes after ordering our food. We were not given any indication there would be a long delay. We had started our drinks so we could not really walk out .We were due to meet friends later and it was touch and go whether we would make it on time. Is there a legal limit or guideline how long customers should wait for their food after ordering and what would have happened if we just got up and left.

    Pay for your drinks, say the food has taken too long, and leave. I think 30 mins after ordering is reasonable unless they told you it would be longer.

    If I was meeting friends I personally would have asked after 20 mins if there was a delay, and maybe again at 35 mins...
  • ~Beanie~
    ~Beanie~ Posts: 3,043
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    No, there isn't a legal limit, the Company may have their own guidelines on food service (Wetherspoons do) but its not a legal requirement.

    If you had got up and left, they would have been left with two cooked meals.
    :p
  • Oakdene
    Oakdene Posts: 2,560
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    How busy was it there? Did you ask a member of the waiting staff after 30 mins how long your food would be?
    Dwy galon, un dyhead,
    Dwy dafod ond un iaith,
    Dwy raff yn cydio’n ddolen,
    Dau enaid ond un taith.
  • unholyangel
    unholyangel Posts: 16,863
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    Theres no legal limit as such afaik.

    In those circumstances I would have expected you to either tell the server at time of ordering that you were pressed for time and/or when it got to around 25 mins to ask the server if there was a problem/make them aware then you were pressed for time.

    If still no food arrived, then yes you can leave however to avoid being accused of the criminal offence of making off without payment, its recommended to leave your details (name, address & perhaps phone number/email address).

    However, if this was the weekend...I wouldn't necessarily class 45 mins as extensive. Especially if that was the wait from ordering until main course and no starter was ordered (as the wait for the starter and then time to eat it would take a huge chunk of that 45 mins). If 45 mins was the time between ordering and starter, I likely wouldve told them around the 20 min mark (bearing in mind I'm pressed for time) that they have another 10-15 mins or I'm leaving.
    You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means - Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
  • bris
    bris Posts: 10,548
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    45 minutes that's nothing, it was always going to be touch and go if you cut it so tight in the first place.


    A meal is to be enjoyed not rushed, next time your in a hurry I can recommend a McDonalds.
  • harrys_dad
    harrys_dad Posts: 1,997
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    At my regular pub if there is a delay for food they will say something like "there is a delay of 45 minutes on food" at the time I order, to give me the choice. Even when they say that it invariably comes out in about 30 minutes, but I can just sit and wait and enjoy my drink. if I was in a hurry I would leave at the point of ordering.

    If you were in a hurry OP maybe you should have asked "how long will my meal be" when you first ordered.
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 34,541
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    Is this the sort of place you pay for your food at the time of ordering?

    If it is, it would have been a bit silly to have just got up and left as you would ahve been out of pocket.

    Was it busy?
    Did you order something that might have taken longer than other stuff on the menu?
  • Owain_Moneysaver
    Owain_Moneysaver Posts: 11,357
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    bris wrote: »
    A meal is to be enjoyed not rushed

    It's a pub, not a Gordon Ramsay.
    A kind word lasts a minute, a skelped erse is sair for a day.
  • arsty
    arsty Posts: 15 Forumite
    Not that I know. You just have to keep give them a compliant. Or I guess you guys just can leave by paying only for drink. Or not giving them a tip would be one way too.
  • lush_walrus
    lush_walrus Posts: 1,975 Forumite
    45 minutes isn't long, although is this the type of place that microwaves ready meals? Maybe if it is you should have asked if yours could be prioritised as you were in a rush. Or asked at order how long it will be?

    I think UK people are now so used to eating junk food at home and out they forget how long it actually takes to cook food.
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