A Substantial Waste Of Food!

[Meantime]

I went to a local Greene King pub near me on Friday and being tier 2 we had to order food, but was advised that if we wanted some substantial drinking time we should order a slow three course meal. I wonder how much extra food is being ordered and consumed to extend drinking time over and above that that would normally be ordered?

But, it gets worse! Went to my local on Saturday which is doing a Boris meal deal for £6.95. Pint and a choice of three substantial meals. The substantial meal part works out at £2.75 if you deduct my normal pint of choice. I only wanted a couple of pints and if I have to order food I may as well order of the normal menu and have what I want, however there were a couple of regulars who had ventured in at 1pm and ordered the Boris deal and the substantial meal was still on their table at 7pm when we arrived and by then probably growing mould. They were still there when we left at 8:30pm. Seems the policy is that as long as the plate is still on your table and you are still consuming your "substantial" meal then you can continue to order drinks!

I saw an article over the weekend about a pub in Norfolk selling a "substantial" Penne pasta dish for a penny if you order a pint. I suspect most if not all of that pasta ends up going back to the kitchen untouched. Again it's probably more a nod to the rules than anything else.

Off course the virus doesn't attack you as long as there is food on the table. But to be on the safe side I still wore my mask whilst moving around the pub and had my bottle of sanitiser near by to frequently apply.

People are starving around the world and we are inventing ever new ways to waste food in this country and grow fatter on food we didn't want to order!

[finny]

Eat out to help out 

You just couldn't make it up - it's just one cock up to another 

But it's all part of the plan 

Finny 

[Smoggy]

The soup at the ferryhouse is highly recommended, mind you I've never yet found an un-substantial meal in there.

You can still go into a pub for tea/coffee/soft drinks without a meal.

[Meantime]

8 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

You can still go into a pub for tea/coffee/soft drinks without a meal.

Jayfire might have something to say about that! 

[Guest Jayfire]

1 hour ago, Smoggy said:

You can still go into a pub for tea/coffee/soft drinks without a meal.

Oh Jesus 

So, get your lady and tell her that you're treating her to a night out. Head to the pub, order and shove a pizza infront of her (other menu options are available) whilst sitting back and enjoying the 12 pints of Stella you've ordered. 

Nonsensical covid restrictions abided by and pub's kept in business 

Every now and again it is important to keep reminding said lady to slow down, she isn't in a race, thereby ensuring you have time to order another 12 pints of Stella whilst she finishes her "substantial meal" off

Finally, said lady can start cracking on with eating YOUR meal too, whilst you enjoy the cool refreshment of your beers, because as we know guy's, eating is cheating 

[NorfolkNog]

You can't blame the pubs or the punters - the stupidity of it beggars belief. Up here in flat cap land we don't even have the luxury of an open pub anyway. 

But shops, no problem.

[Smoggy]

Clearly nobody has explained the difference between herd immunity and herd moronity!

[rightsaidfred]

And there is me thinking this topic had been done to death 3 times over.

Fred

[grendel]

more than that Fred, way more than that

[jeffbroadslover]

To solve the problem of your "substantial meal" going cold why not order a salad and then ask for a doggy bag so you can then convert it to a takeaway !!!

Jeff

[SteveO]

Reminds me of when I lived in Scotland at the time when you were kicked out of the pub at 10pm each evening and it was closed on Sundays.  By some quirk of the local licensing laws, our local managed to stay open until 11pm seven nights a week, providing you bought a meal.  The "meal" was either a warm Scotch pie or cheese and biscuits, both were excellent and each could be had for the princely sum of 50p. Only one member of a party had to order food for the whole group  to qualify so we clubbed together and shared the food. It was never wasted . This was the mid-70's when a  pint of "heavy" was 25p and "light" was 22p. These two were roughly but not quite equivalent to English best bitter and dark mild, 

[JennyMorgan]

One of my locals has published its 'substantial meals' menu designed to pull in the boozers. I can think of at least two OAPs who will certainly be turning out, just for the meals. Indeed I suspect that it will be more than just the two of us. I have 'messaged'  the menu onto several local OAP friends. Mind you, SWMBO might be tempted to have a pink gin. Almost as cheap as cooking at home plus there's a sea-view & no washing up, bonus!

[Meantime]

5 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

One of my locals has published its 'substantial meals' menu designed to pull in the boozers. I can think of at least two OAPs who will certainly be turning out, just for the meals. Indeed I suspect that it will be more than just the two of us. I have 'messaged'  the menu onto several local OAP friends. Mind you, SWMBO might be tempted to have a pink gin. Almost as cheap as cooking at home plus there's a sea-view & no washing up, bonus!

Now you cannot tease us like that and not post details of the menu! 

[Meantime]

Where would you feel the safest? 

[Smoggy]

My thoughts exactly, my local when we were allowed.

 

There's always one.......

And it may have been me.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Being a Chef I am very concerned  with the food and drink business.They are really feeling the pinch.I myself took VR. Then my whole group  was made redundant. This time last year we were so busy, not now.Since August I have been to pubs both here at home and Norfolk and Suffolk .All have been very well prepared, regarding  Covid.For sure many pubs,restaurants will be out out of business. Some of the behaviour shown by some recently at shops,high sheets and shopping centres is unacceptable. Some still dont get it,thinking they are immune from this disease,they're not.

[SwanR]

I did read of a pub yesterday that are using a local burger van as the source of their food in order to still be able to have people in and serve them drinks. They are clear about the fact that they have to order the food for you, you can’t bring your burger in with you. I guess that’s helping two businesses in one go. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

When we get out of this mess,hopefully some time time year.I would like to see the eat  out to help out return. Any help that's given to the food and drink  industry would  be helpful. 

[ChrisB]

This waste has been a feature ever since the "Substantial Meal" first became a feature some months ago.

My son has several young men working for him. They go out with their girl friends, partners, wives etc. Order the cheapest thing on the menu with no intention of eating the food, sometimes going on from the pub to a restaurant of choice later.

[Meantime]

51 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

When we get out of this mess,hopefully some time time year.I would like to see the eat  out to help out return. Any help that's given to the food and drink  industry would  be helpful. 

Ian I understand where your coming from, but the greatest help to the hospitality trade will be the vaccine and the rollout of the vaccine. People will be only to glad to be able to freely go back into pubs and restaurants and celebrate again, without a Rishi bonus. There was so much abuse of the previous scheme from takeaway restaurants who suddenly claimed to be serving restaurant meals, through to people who would close their tab after having a starter and then reopen it to have their main meal so they could get the maximum discount, even some people moving restaurants after their starter to then claim the discount on their main elsewhere. 

[Meantime]

1 hour ago, SwanR said:

I did read of a pub yesterday that are using a local burger van as the source of their food in order to still be able to have people in and serve them drinks. They are clear about the fact that they have to order the food for you, you can’t bring your burger in with you. I guess that’s helping two businesses in one go. 

A bit like the pub in Worcester who would serve you alcohol if you purchased fish and chips from the chippy next door. Whilst both are inventive ways around the draconian restrictions, neither are sustainable or healthy more than once or maybe twice per week. How McDonalds and the like were allowed to participate in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme when we are one of the most obese countries in Europe defies belief. The latest restrictions will only add to the nations waistline.

All I want to be able to do is go to my local and have a couple of safe socially distanced pints and be able to go home and cook myself a healthy meal, with eating out as it always was for me, reserved for Saturday nights, special occasions and holidays. 

[MauriceMynah]

Both of the pubs I use are wet sales only, no food at all. Neither were struggling until the first lockdown. For that period, one closed completely, the other did a takeaway service. Both reopened on July 4th. Both are now closed again!

Needless to say the "eat out to help out" didn't help them out one iota. Just the reverse, it tempted some of their regular customers to go elsewhere.

In the past I've been told that a pub cannot survive if it doesn't do food, yet now it's the food selling venues that get the help they say they need. I can foresee all the pubs I like closing down  because they didn't do food so received no assistance. I see no logic to the idea that if food is served the establishment will be safer than one where it is not!

Actually, I can see the reverse being true. Food serving venues, it could be argued, are less covid safe than wet only pubs. Menus being handled plates moving about and more people involved in the chain etc. etc.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Overall  I  would  like to see help going  to all,including wet only.The whole hospitality business needs all the help and support  possible. 

[ExSurveyor]

I recall the other day an announcement for support for Wet pubs being announced.

£1000.00 for December.

[Meantime]

I cannot remember if it was a spokesperson for Greene King or Fullers, but they said that whilst the £1000 was welcome, it covered about one days of operating expenses for their wet pubs!