Do You Ever Eat Out and Wish You Hadn't Bothered?

competitionscafe

They just interviewed a restaurant critic on BBC Radio 5 - he said that you are perfectly entitled to say that a meal was so poor that you are unwilling to pay for it. The only way that the owner can claim the full cost is by taking you to the small claims court (and only if the restuarant wins obviously). However in reality they are highly unlikely to do this due to the time, hassle and effort involved (plus if the meal was carp they probably will lose). All you need to do is leave enough to cover the cost of the raw ingredients.

Of course you would need some big kahunas to do this and there is also the problem of what percentage of the cost could be considered the actual cost of the ingredients used. I think their is a rough 'industry standard' though. Also if you had eaten all or most of your food you would weaken your argument! (If it was so bad why did you eat it all.....)

However, as most people are reluctant to cause a fuss I doubt many will refuse to pay the full amount?

Actiongirl_2

Money~Bunny wrote:

Garfunkle's is terrible for vegetarians (and food in general). I've never eaten a single thing there I'd recommend to anyone else. The salad bar is horrible, pasta is always overcooked, and pizzas are dolloped with cheap, poor quality cheeze. The last straw was when they gave me caffinated coffee rather than decaff, I complained and left with a splitting headache! I only kept going because a friend liked it, she now understands that I really do hate it THAT much. We go elsewhere.

I'm rubbish at making pizza so I do like a good Pizza Express effort, although I know in my heart they're a rip off. I usually enjoy Carluccio's food, since they have very reasonable veggie options and the food is usually tasty. Living in London I try to get out and find cheap, interesting new restaurants often.

Edit - for a great burger try the Hamburger Union cafe/restaurants. Freshly cooked, not a microwave insight, lovely service

Nice to hear everyone's opinions, glad I'm not the only person with a low opinon of a lot of places!

I thought only American tourists ate in Garfunkels...!!!

organic_wanabe

Garfunkels is one of the restaurant chains which regularly get "mystery shopped" so you'd think they could get it right by now - or maybe it just isn't possible to get right due to the "quality" of the ingredients they are using. Why do they bother paying for a "mystery shopping" service and then take no notice of the comments?!?

kaya

After spending 10 years working in kitchens all over the country as a service engineer you see things that put you off eating out in a big way, 12 months ago i decided to learn to cook, i offered to take my wife out to a resteraunt of her choosing for valentines night and she replied "lets stay in, you can cook better than any resteraunt we have ever been to", what a compliment!
if i can learn to cook that well then whats everybody else waiting for?
id avoid any big chain groups , they usually employ spotty 17 year old stoners and the kitchens are awfull, maccy d's are always spotless but i hate the crap they sell, the ritz was pretty awful to

pennypitstop_2

I agree, especially about take-away restaurants... it always seems like a good idea at the time, then they invariably get my order wrong! I seem to always get limp salad alongside something either too salty or greasy to eat, and it costs the earth. And I always wonder just how long the kebab meat has been out and whether rice has been reheated (dodgy!) or the chips fried countless times... not to mention the horror of transfats we now know about.

Why oh why do we ever bother?! And I rarely complain to them... the last time I did complain (about chicken tikka on the bone which was still raw, and I'm talking pink and veins, the lot!) I got a replacement delivered which was cooked but cold and dried out. Not that I fancied chicken any more. Had to make a round of toast instead!

thriftmonster

We're pretty much the same in that the family generally prefer HM stuff. Ds1 eats like a horse and so always orders off the adult menu and ds2 (7) is starting to do the same as he isn't very keen on chips and hates the kiddie options.

Also why do waiters have such a problem with an 11yo ordering a medium rare steak. That's how he eats it at home - but they always check with the adults as if he isn't capable of ordering for himself.

One place we do like is Rain City - a very small chain (about3) of Paul Rankin bistros - you can use Tesco deals, the man himself cooks there some nights, and they don't do a kiddie menu in the evening but just offer med and large portions of most items. You can also mix and match the starters and mains.

Dh eats out a lot with work - and when he can he brings visitors to eat at our house instead of a restaurant, and the Tesco bill goes in as expenses. Everyone seems much happier,

Justamum

We don't eat out very often as it's so expensive. There is, however, a good, basic vegetarian place in Douglas at the train station (it's called Greens) if any veggies are ever on the Isle of Man. They do a selection of hot dishes all served with various salads. The price is not too bad either. Sadly the vegan option is a bit more limited - I tend to have baked potato with hummus (they do provide Pure margarine) with a few of the salads which are vegan. They haven't started doing vegan puddings yet, but what is on offer is always delicious and all vegetarian.

Last week my MIL was over from South Africa and she treated us to lunch last Sunday at a newly opened pizza place just a few minutes walk from us. I had mine without the cheese. I thought it was very over-priced. The pizza base was thin crust (VERY thin crust) and the filling was not too tasty either. Luckily we weren't paying because I nearly choked at the £40 odd pound bill! Not a place I will be visiting again.

Like other people I know I could cook a meal far cheaper than I could pay at a restaurant.

competitionscafe

Interesting comment from a restuarant critic and food writer (Joanna Blythman)

"<I hate this time of year, don't you? It's all looming tax bills (self-employed people, that is), runaway overdrafts and the enforced sobering contemplation of ways to economise, like cutting back on eating out in restaurants, for instance. But here's a comforting thought. Rationing restaurant visits may be less of a hardship than you think, because many of them are so awful, you would be better keeping your money and staying at home eating cheese on toast.>"
Full article: http://www.sundayherald.com/misc/print.php?artid=1107538

Reformed

I love to eat out... when we get it right. I have had some amazing meals and been the lucky beneficiary of a chefs insight but when I get it wrong I hate it. Last month we went to the gastro pub around the corner for a quick meal before going out. I felt it was cheap cuts of meat dressed up as gourmet and eighty five pounds down after they added the 12.5% service charge and only one bottle of wine I left feeling hungry and unfulfilled, cheated even after the disgusting main - I had I wondered if I could be bothered to 'try' anywhere else out in London.

However last week for Valentines I had no choice as I was wined and dined by the other half in the local restaurant round the corner. It's gorgeous and intimate and the food was lush but altogether the meal came to £135... eek! I felt almost morally bankrupt. After having had such a gorgeous meal we cooked ourselves today it seems absolutely disgusting to spend that sort of cash. I of course enjoyed sharing the meal with OH but I don't think we will do so again - I agree M&S all the way!!

organic_wanabe

After starting this thread when I was feeling a bit unhappy about the quality of food I had at a restaurant in the middle of Edinburgh, against my better judgement I let my DH take me out for a late Valentine's Lunch - we especially went a day late so that it would not be too busy. We went to a place which has been having rave reviews after getting one Michelin star after only 6 months in existence. Well I certainly came away with some great ideas for my next dinner party - my HM bread is so precious that I serve each guest only one half-slice per person! When it comes to dessert - use a melon scoop for the ice-cream (only one scoop per person) and sprinkle a little black pepper over it. Oh yes, and for the rhubarb compote - don't worry one stick of rhubarb should serve about 5 guests. Did I enjoy it - it was interesting but I certainly wont be returning.