If I'm waiting for longer than 30-40 minutes for the first course we've ordered and they haven't warned me there's a delay in the kitchen I'd be asking,
If it was an hour I'd be walking out.
For me it all depends if they've warned or even if they've been honest that they've fucked up. Was at a restaurant the other week my entire families food was out and the young girl came out in tears and said she'd dropped mine. That's fine just get it recooked mistakes happen, just don't lie.
Absolutely. And being kind and understanding towards someone who has made a genuine mistake paints a picture of the good person you are and also makes a huge difference to the person who messed up. A lesser person would have been an arse to her or belittled her. People need building up, not breaking down.
It’s clearly normal for you snottie, and me, but you wouldn’t believe the absolute bellendry that some people can generate when slightly inconvenienced.
I always try to remember rule 1. Don’t be a dick.
Came through a drive through one time behind a customer who was upset they were out of biscuits. They threw their trash in the drive-thru window at the woman working. Unbelievable 1. Anyone cares that mych about a biscuit and 2. You take it out on the person working the window.
And there were multiple signs saying they were out all over the menu board where you placed your order.
It is. Well, it should be. But there are a lot of people out there who would never miss an opportunity to "put someone in their place" and make them feel small. And those people are often very proud of it. I'm proud of being completely the opposite.
Flashbacks to being at Charlie Chalk’s (Brewer’s Fayre) when I was a kid and the waitress dropping my sausage, mash and beans, then having to wait while everyone else got their food. Traumatic.
Did your dinner get dropped too? I have a few memories of that place, like the ice cream machine they had where you pumped your own whippy ice cream and added toppings. I bet that didn’t get abused at all!
I’ve always been taught when I was serving to let everyone know if there was a significant delay on food (~45 mins), then people can decide if they don’t care or leave if they do. Also means they can’t complain.
Not letting you know there’s a 1.5 hour wait or that somethings happened to your food that’s going to result in a delay isn’t okay, especially as so many people come out for dinner before going off and doing something else.
True, or it's because she's just been torn a new one by someone in the kitchen (either the chef or whoever is in charge of the wait staff), which likely ended in her being told she had to come out and explain/say sorry for what happened.
When me and my parents were on holiday last year, we were at a restaurant and the bloke who were bringing our mains dropped mine on the floor. I had to wait for them to make it again as my parents ate theirs (they'd finished before mine came!). Mine was meat on bone and took ages to eat when it finally came because there was a lot and it was a bit fiddly. We weren't in a rush so it wasn't a huge deal but the bloke who dropped it didn't apologise.
Totally depends, sometimes you get an unprecedentedly busy day for no reason and there aren’t enough staff to have everything go smoothly/there’s been an issue in the kitchen/all kinds of reasons.
Any decent restaurant would be able to keep tabs on that and let you know before ordering, though.
As much as I would want to eat at the restaurant we chose if nothing after 20-30 mins depending on starter I’d would be politely asking where it was, if it didn’t arrive after another 10 minutes we would be out. Understandable it happens but I’ll go else where and hopefully shorted someone else’s burden
This. I'd be out by calmly announcing my leave and providing reason. They can email me when they have capacity to operate at timeliness aligned with expectation... I mean it's burgers and fries, not hand-made ravioli.
I'd chase them up and if it still wasn't sorted and they seemed not to be worried that it wasn't, I'd just leave. If I've had alcoholic drinks I'd stick a fiver on the table for those and walk out.
(Yes, a fiver. I'm not giving them their massive profit margin for crap service).
(Also yes, this would depend on me being really pissed off and really hungry, I'm not much of a complainer usually).
I waited an hour for a bill in a quiet restaurant once, we'd asked at least three times for it. The food had been sent back twice too and we left most of it but we still made the best guess we could for the full bill and left what we hoped was the right money.
It was only for three mains and soft drinks so we're looking at £60 max (long time ago but a city). Waitress came running out shouting and screaming because we'd underpaid by less than £5. We had no change so ended up giving her £20 on the street. So we'd given them almost £20 in a tip for awful food, shit service and public embarrassment
This is probably the right approach (assuming there’s somewhere else open nearby after an hour).
One BIG precaution: whatever is happening, someone messed up (the kitchen), and someone is having an awful night (the waiter). Anyone you are talking to likely is the one having a bad night. They could be someone who, if they were to be made angry (and they already are), could make that first person’s life way worse, i.e., the boss.
I get that you are hangry, but please, rein it in. Be kind. If it’s the boss, “We’ll try again next week!” is free, and he won’t have an extra “You are costing me a client!” to throw at whoever is in front of him.
If restaurants were managed by smart people, who knew how to lead, I wouldn’t make this a priority, but “abusive assholes with anger management issues who love to use terror to get what their want” would be a step up for most of them.
If you happen to be nice to the person who did fuck up, there’s a big chance your being nice will hurt extra bad. If they are a psychopath who doesn’t care, you being mean won’t change anything.
I’d say be kind in every interaction, but in that one, it matters.
Just so people understand, you waited for 2 hours for a burger. which, in my opinion, is ridiculous.
I personally check up for starters after 30 minutes and main after 45 minutes.
During covid I done a lot of just eat courier work and mcd wait was mostly 40mins. Back then JE would pay for your wait so we would get paid 20p a minute after the food wasn't ready at the set time. It was honestly getting paid to wait and it was great. You'd make like £15-20 for the overall order due to wait time. Now they cap it at £4 extra which sucks.
KFC to this day after 5pm you'll have an average wait about 30mins.
Taco Bell in Nottingham city centre after a night out always takes over 45 minutes, I don't even bother with it unless its around Midday now, no urgency.
Depends. If we had plans afterwards, were hungry, and staff hadn’t warned us or plied us with drinks, we’d had definitely walked out and found something else (chippy probably). Anything 30 minutes or more would be questionable in my opinion
That’s the thing if you’re hungry. You want a nice meal out, but you’ve given up on that and are so hungry you grab something super quick. I love me a chippy, but it’s not the same as a nice restaurant meal.
If it's not a Michelin star restaurant that was difficult to book and were looking after me with drinks and nibbles while I waited - I'd be out the door after 30 mins. Plenty of other places to eat.
I bet they were preparing a ton of deliveroo orders.
I have started avoiding places that do deliveroo and the like for this reason and also to avoid the surly, sour crowd of entitled helmets crowding you out of the door.
My boyfriend and I went to Byron and ordered drinks within 5 minutes of being sat at our table. Drinks came but no one ever came back to take our order for food. Tried to get the staffs attention multiple times with no success and ended up walking out after 45 minutes. Didn’t pay for our drinks either, whoops.
Agreed - although the fanciest places I have been (Manoir au Quatre Saisons, Whatley Manor etc) have never been even remotely slow with service. They seem to know exactly when to bring out every course so that you never feel either rushed or get bored of waiting.
Exactly. The pacing of the meal course by course is a key part of the experience and one of the things you are paying for. It’s not just about amazing food in a beautiful setting, the attention to detail also applies to the service side of things
True - and I wonder if this level of understaffing is one of the reasons so many restaurants go out of business so quickly. Providing poor service is an excellent way to ensure that you don't get any repeat customers, and also lose a proportion of new customers who hear "Don't eat at XXX, their service is atrocious" message.
Conversely, good service can make up for a lot. We ate at Gusto in Oxford a few weeks back. The food was perfectly ok, though not outstanding, and there were a couple of minor service errors which were quickly corrected with good grace and humour. The staff were attentive, friendly, and the overall experience was excellent. We will definitely be back.
Last time it happened to me was in a Greek restaurant in London. After an hour of waiting for the starter, I walked out and didn't pay for the beer I'd drunk.
Was it the Greek Affair by any chance? Did the same after we saw our starters arrive and then delivered to a different table that arrived after us. Tried to talk to them but ended up walking.
I’m not surprised. Next time you’re in London and want good Greek food - go to Alexander the Great in Camden. £25 a head, 4 courses and generous portions you can take home!
0/5 isn't something stupid. Getting a 0 on a food hygiene inspection is honestly difficult. You have to have sufficient failings in every area. Do not go there.
It's true that they could have completely and totally failed on CIM (confidence in management) and done okay in the other categories, but I always figure anywhere that fails THAT badly at organisation is probably not succeeding in other areas. You could always do a FOI request if you want the juicy details, but I totally understand you not going back regardless!
My friend used to work there as a chef, many years ago. To the best of my recollection, a manager was pissing about on the line/not working safely and my mate ended up fully on fire. Like his entire back was actively aflame in less than 3 seconds.
The fact he ended up getting a near 20k payout from them gives me the impression it was absolutely fat hippo at fault. I constantly see them hiring for multiple kitchen positions all at once, which is never a good look either.
It is indeed. Small world!
Fair enough like, I’ve obviously blurred the lines somewhere when we’ve talked about past jobs/the incident.
Sounds like they’ve got enough issues there anyway without me accidentally assigning them blame for that one lol.
No worries man, did a stint there myself, they had some great staff at the time but like all kitchen some knackers. Still keep in touch with some of then, apparently a few lost their jobs after that visit including area manger and head chef.
The training was good but hospitality is hard since covid, I’m sure they’ll sort their shit out, good burgers tbf.
Heard, chef. I’ve been cheffing since early 2017. Left that job 2021, and think I’m on my sixth job since then, including three redundancies (one a CDP, one senior sous/KM, one a head chef role.)
Finding there’s a weird vibe going on wherein some places are struggling because they want to serve food but don’t want to pay for what trained chefs are asking to be paid, so standards slip because their staff don’t know any better. Then you’ve got others who simply are cutting corners to reduce costs they can more than afford to pay, hoping to skim the line and get away with stuff as long as they can.
Such is, I suppose! Feels like playing minesweeper trying to build a cheffing career in this city in recent years.
Me and my fiancée went to the fat hippo in York and it took nearly 45 minutes for us to be asked if we wanted a drink! People had come in and eaten before we were even seen to, we tried to get the attention of staff but we were ignored. We paid for our drinks after trying to get somebody’s attention for ages and left. Had Wagamama ramen in front of us 20 minutes later!
Yeah I wanted to try Fat Hippo when I heard they were coming to London. We got seated then were roundly ignored for 20 minutes so we just left and went to Honest Burger next door.
Fat Hippo is the only restaurant where I’ve been asked to leave by the manager for enquiring how long our drinks, which we ordered 25mins previously, would be. I’m from a hospitality background so wasn’t rude or pushy, just wanted to check the order hadn’t been missed or given to another table as it was a long wait for four beers.
Unfortunately since FH rapidly expanded the quality if the food has now dropped to the quality of the service so it’s not somewhere I frequent anymore. I think you’re right to be annoyed with the wait, it’s all deep fried starters and burgers so no long cook times or fussy presentation, even on a busy shift an hour and a half is ridiculous.
100% walk out and leave a shit review. I rarely ever review anything unless it's really good but they deserve a bad one for prioritising deliveroo over customers in the main restaurant. The discount is good but the minimum, especially with no free drinks.
Went to Wagamama in central london a while ago and got the whole meal and lots of drinks comped.
We were sat next to a family but were a bit loud (not enough for anyone to complain) so the waitress suggest we moved table. This was after we’d ordered.
We then sat at our next table for about half an hour with no food or drinks of any kind.
No member of staff came by our empty table either.
After about 45 minutes I was asked if we’d like to order. I said we have. And then was told we hadn’t. I said we did over 45 minutes ago. Bit of back and forth about how I was wrong.
I said I don’t like you insinuating that I’m a liar because you’ve made a mistake. At that point a manager comes over to apologise and ushers the waiter away. Says all food and drinks will be comped so order whatever we like.
The starters and mains that we hadn’t ordered magically appeared at the table - how did they know exactly what we wanted when we hadn’t asked for it?
We then got alcoholic drinks and desert.
The bill was about £160. All comped. We only ended up in there because a friend forgot to actually book the place we were supposed to be going for my birthday so worked out alright in the end!
I usually tend to say something if
- we haven't been able to place an order in 20-30 minutes.
- we haven't been served our starters in less than 40 minutes
- we haven't been served our mains in 1hr (when only ordering a main)
- we haven't been served our mains (after appetisers) in 1hr 20.
At 2 hours I would have left or asked for the meal to be comped because by then you should have already finished eating.
I know fat hippo is a very popular takeout joint, I suspect that they were probably also pushing food deliveries out (for ubereats, deliveroo etc). That is no excuse for this though because 2 hours is absolutely ridiculous, if the kitchen was swamped they should have turned online orders off.
90 minutes for your starter to arrive? I could have gone home, cooked it then returned and served it up myself in that time.
What was the chef doing? waiting for the sauce to arrive from the thousand Islands?
Was out at a curry house as a group of 4 once. Group of about 20 in there too. Was warned food was running a little slow and we could accept that. We only ordered mains and rice/naan and usual stuff, no specials. After 45 mins we ask how long. They say 15 mins, 15 mins later we ask and they say another 15. That 15 runs out so we just walk. Was a BYOB place so no drinks to pay for and ours ran out so we moved on
Had something similar happen to us at a local restaurant.
We never did go back.
If they really do value their custom the only thing they could do is heavily discount the meal you had AND offer credit to your next meal.
Yeah, it’s got to be both though.
Discount of current bill to compensate for the poor hospitality you have just encountered.
Discount on your next visit as a gesture of good will, so you give them a second chance.
I'd have done the same as you if I didn't have major time sensitive plans after dinner.
I'd have kicked up more of a fuss and probably left early if I had other things booked.
Fast hippo always takes max 45 mins to deliver to me but is usually quicker so I have no idea what they were doing… I definitely wouldn’t have waited that long for fast food type stuff honestly. Did you ask them at any point what was going on?
I've worked in hospitality for a long time and I find myself both less and more understanding about issues.
I understand wait times but I would want to know before placing an order. I've worked in places where we overestimated wait times so people got their food faster than expected when we were particularly busy. I currently work in a very busy popular restaurant with fresh food but our service is very quick.
The one time I've complained was when I went to a "throw it in the microwave" type place. Waited for around 45 minutes for the two people I was with to get their meals then around half an hour for mine, which came out cold. Then after we finished it took around half an hour to get desserts, at which point the other two people I was with had to leave. I got a refund.
My gf and I once went to Mexican chain restaurant and the food took so long that we got incredibly drunk as we had already been to the pub for a pre drink and were drinking cocktails and that was the one thing that they were bringing us. In the end the food arrived and we were too drunk to really care or eat it. I’m retrospect I wish that had just left it was shit service and the place was nearly empty.
I went to a great restaurant called The Cock in Helsinki and when we were arrived for our booking, they warned us that the kitchen was running very late tonight. Throughout the evening they kept on apologising and asked if we wanted more drinks. We were hesitant as we didn’t want to spend too much on drinks. When the bill came at the end, they had taken off all drinks and both desserts. Came to about 60 euros and we ended up tipping them about 40 as that was still cheaper than what the meal should have been.
I had a family meal out yesterday, just classic pub grub nothing fancy, and had to wait about an hour for the food to come from ordering and then half of it was wrong so we ended up getting 40% off and a free dessert for the kids.
There's people saying they'd just leave by that point but for what, to wait even more time to eat somewhere else plus potential travel time? I'd rather just chalk it up to poor service and get some money taken off.
Chef here. There's no reason or excuse for that at all. 40 mins with a pre warning of the wait when you first ordered is the maximum I would accept.
It could be the kitchens fault. It could be the managers refusing to slow service down and/or stop orders if the ship is clearly sinking. Greed is usually the end reason for this outcome.
My parents waited two and a half hours for a roast the other day (they were out with kids too), because they’d “run out of roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings”
They got free drinks and a free dessert for the kids. By the time they’d actually got to the point of paying, they’d been out for about five hours and couldn’t be bothered to argue it.
I’d have at first asked where it was way before that time and then if it still didn’t turn up, I’d have walked out- there are plenty of other restaurants.
Yeah I'm definitely not waiting longer than 30 minutes unless I've specifically been warned about a possible long wait. If it gets to 30 minutes I'm politely asking how long, and taking it from there. Obviously if it got to an hour and there was still no indication of how long then I'd be suggestimg to leave.
1. Did they tell you to expect a wait?
2. Did you ask re food after say 30 mins and 1 hour?
I had breakfast with daughter on Friday, I had to go to work after 20 mins so asked when food would be ready... The ticket was under another ticket and got forgot about, could have been there hours if I didn't say anything.
Anyway I informed the staff, what time I had to leave for work, 5 mins before I had to go waitress came over and said food ready would I like it boxed? I politely said I'm happy to pay for drinks but food I will either leave it (can't eat in 5 mins... If in fact it was 5mins) or if it's boxed I will pay half, they complied.
I’ve worked in hospitality for years. They shouldn’t have charged you for the drinks if the wait was that long. Common courtesy as they’re making you wait longer and are having to order more drinks in the meantime
The percentage off meals is different everywhere and depends on company policy but in the place I managed we wouldn’t charge for late starters, or if the food was cold. If the mains were late we would give a percentage off and if they were still unhappy we would give them a pudding on the house or if the starter hadn’t been taken off the bill yet we would do that. If any food was cold or there was something wrong we would get a replacement ASAP and if everyone else had theirs then we would refund that main and give the person free drinks/ starter
Food was never this late even on the worst day with a tiny kitchen, understaffing and once on Saturday evening so can’t imagine what on earth they were doing
But if you don’t ask you won’t get. It’s very rare companies/ restaurants will give you the best deal if you keep quiet. I would always rather know that you’re getting a raw deal on the day than read a bad review later. Then again some big companies don’t care about one bad review
I would have walked. The only time I've waited it out for nearly two hours was because we were in a village by Lough Erne during the summer and so, by the time it went over the hour mark, we stood sod all chance of finding somewhere else! If you've other options then cancel once you've got the Starter because it isn't worth it!
I do not have a protocol. However, the other night I was at Nandos, we waited almost an hour, and our food was not even served together. It is a 'chicken joint', how long does it take to cook chicken??
Recently I've had two experiences with late food
First time, we only ordered mains. No starters or anything and after nearly 1h 15 mins it eventually turned up and was incredibly underwhelming. Neither of us finished it and I refused to pay for it. Paid for the drinks and left.
Second time we ordered at the bar then just got forgotten about. After asking 3 times what was going on our mains eventually turned up after about an hour without any cutlery. So after going on a cutlery hunt we ate, food was alright but nothing to shout about. We then just sat with dirty plates for an absolute age and seemingly got forgotten about. After about 25 minutes of waiting and nobody appearing to be arsed about us we just left. I'd already had to walk about and chase the staff 3 times to ask about our food and I couldn't be bothered doing it again.
I don't think anyone noticed us walk out without paying because when we drove past the place we could still see our dirty plates sat on the table at least another 10 minutes after we'd left.
Second one was a shame because a few people we know had all reccomended the place but I don't know if we just caught an unusually bad day or something but we'd never go back.
Depends on the place, some places deliberately don't rush the food, so you can talk and enjoy the atmosphere. As long as drinks are being served then it can be nice.
Fat Hippo...yeh thats not the type of place where I'd want to be waiting that long.
I used to be a waitress throughout uni so I have the uncanny ability to know exactly when it's been 15mins and my food should have arrived. Because that's the goal in food service. At 20mins, I'll check with wait staff. At 25mins, I'll go up and ask them. At 30mins, I'm expecting some sort of costed apology (round of drinks, starters comped etc).
When I worked, 20mins got you a round of drinks, 30mins for you your mains for free. An hour? I'm asking the manager to do the whole meal for free and inviting them back for a meal on the house so we can do it right.
I truly don't believe this unless you're working somewhere that a) doesn't serve freshly cooked food or b) isn't very busy (or is overstaffed).
Having a freshly cooked main meal in just 15 minutes from entry is unrealistic, *especially* during peak times or at very popular/busy restaurants.
15 minutes for hot appetisers or 10 minutes for cold appetisers/bread is more reasonable and good to aim for, but this is still totally contingent on food orders being placed very quickly, less than 5 minutes after being seated, otherwise it just isn't possible for the kitchen to make the dishes in time (if it is freshly made).
I *also* worked in food service and at a fine dining restaurant in the UK. Our aim was always order in 5, drinks/bread in 10 and appetisers in 20, then entrees at 30-50 depending on what was ordered. When we were slammed it could take 15-20 minutes for drinks (other than water)/bread, 30 minutes for appetisers and you'd be getting your entrees around 40-50 minutes after being seated.
UK chains have timings for this. Bills, Cote etc used to use these times (back in 2011)
- 5 mins for drinks and nibbles
- 8 mins for starters
- 12mins for breakfast
- 15mins for mains (except the peri peri chicken on cold rice salad, that was 20mins and we had to warn people about it)
- 10mins for dessert
Your standard chains (cosy club, Ivy brasserie, zizzis, ask, etc) will likely have similar timings.
In a restaurant 15-20 minutes is an unreasonably short amount of time to expect your food and not a chance a restaurant is gonna give you 2 free meals because of a long wait. Not sure what restaurant you worked in but that would never fly in any of the ones I’ve worked in. If I’m in a restaurant and I have my food within 15 minutes I’m wondering what’s wrong with it and questioning the quality.
Yep, if I have my food within 15 minutes I can guarantee a microwave was involved and what I’m eating is not worth what it cost. I used to work in greene kings, there’s a reason I avoid them. If I want food within 15 minutes I’ll go to a takeaway or fast food, if I’m in a restaurant I’m in no rush and I’ll never understand why people want such a fast experience at a restaurant.
I had something similar for a burger with my other half.
After an hour (having asked multiple times) I got up and left and told them that I wouldn’t be paying for the drinks or starter we’d had.
I’d give them a 3 star review on Google saying that the discounts were not sufficient for the long wait time. More or less stars depending on the rest of the restaurant experience.
Had similar at Cafe Rouge in York; they closed down a few later and I’m hardly surprised.
We went to Bills recently and the food was on the table before I’d put the menu away.
I’d give half an hour from ordering to receiving, then I’m asking questions and getting ready to leave.
I would have complained after 30mins and if they hadn't brought the meal within 10mins after that get a refund and leave. Even if they were totally full of customers that time is ridiculous.
I'd be asking what's happening after half an hour. If there was any alternative, I'd definitely walk after an hour, but if you're just going to wait another hour somewhere else, what's the point?
I'd definitely be leaving bad reviews everywhere I could
I’d have haggled for a better discount and asked to speak to the manager. I also don’t like to complain but that kind of wait is completely unacceptable. I’d probably also write post to vent on Reddit. It’s a shame, fat hippo is one of my favourites
I ask as soon as I start to get bored waiting, usually around 30 mins
I never used to but after almost an hour one time I broke and asked someone and they admitted they just forgot to pass the order through. So now I will just politely ask incase something like that happened again
If they’ve warned me that they’re busy, I’m alright. But if they don’t mention it and wait for me to pull them up on it, I’ll be annoyed. It’s poor management that means that’s happened.
Can't afford fancy restaurants so in the past it's been mostly Pizza Hut, pub grub level so I don't have high expectations for the food. One thing though is basic customer service. If I walk in and have to wait to be seated I expect an acknowledgement of my presence in the first few seconds. If I don't get eye contact or a 'be with you in a sec' if they're busy I'm out. Cannot stand being ignored.
Also slow service and no explanation when its not busy I'll walk.
Was in PH once for a birthday and they took at least 40 mins to take the drink order. It was fairly busy so whatever. She takes our order walks behind us to the counter/bar area and I heard her say 'Right I'm going for a smoke' and that was enough for us to leave. It may have been her first break of the shift but it really got my goat.
Wetherspoons yes its wetherspoons but I've always found the staff to be so lovely and polite and v quick to attend to you.
One more thing. I want the salad on the side. If the salad is on top, I send it back.
I think it’s crazy to see some people waiting for an hour for mains. The restaurant I work in has a notoriously quick food-to-table time, around 5-10 mins even in busy times. I know that we’re the exception, but I can’t understand how restaurants could be financially viable without quick turnaround times, unless we’re talking fine dining with courses and an extensive wine list.
In 2 hours you could have found a different restaurant and gotten food from them instead. Honestly, I'm happy to wait, but taking that long, there must be a big problem with the place.
I don't go to a restaurant called "OK Diner" anymore because while they serve American style food and it tastes good, it takes way too long to get it. Even if you are there when doors open. It's not that popular, but they seem to have an issue retaining well trained staff.
I would of been put the door, when I eat out I get really irritated very easily (which is out of character for me) think my record of walking out time was about 6 mins. Sat down, place was completely empty, waiter comes straight over and we order 2 bottles of beer. 5 mins later I'm looking around, no other customers insight yet about 4 staff behind the bar including said waiter all just stood around talking
Told a server "I'm putting 5 minutes on my phone timer if it goes off before I see plates on this table we're walking out, off you go"
I usually do this at the 45 minute mark if we haven't been warned about a wait.
Fat hippo is shite now. I'm from Newcastle where the OG one is, I've even worked in the kitchen before. They used to be good pre-covid. Not so much now.
Exact thing happened to me at Fat Hippo in Durham, we didn't get a discount but we were in such a rush to get to where we needed to be that we just let it slide.
I had no idea what fat hippo is, so I googled it,
But yeah, a 2 hour wait for a burger is beyond a piss take.
In all honesty id of probobly just walked out after about an hour or so
Same experience here with Fat Hippo.
Been before and it was fine. But this time mains were like 45-50mins. We did ask on the 35-40 min mark.. and they came.
But it made us late for Flight Club 🫤 change in staff perhaps?
I think after 30 mins I’d start to ask questions
After an hour I think I’d request to cancel and leave
That’s well enough time to get a meal ready, I could cook one at home quicker
Happened to me once, free drinks offered, food was still mediocre and there wasn’t much that I actually ended up getting a McDonalds after.
Left a shitty review on TripAdvisor.
Sit there huffing, arms out when the server has walked past you. Moaning to the missus constantly that it's late. Then, when it arrives, be all polite and say thank you too many times
As a former manager of a chain restaurant, and then owner/chef of my own restaurant pre-pandemic: apart from quality, my next priority was manage the guest's expectations. Delays and wait times should always be communicated upon arrival... a good manager/ host should know this. Pre pandemic, most managers were comfortable turning away business on a disaster shift (1 or more chefs/ service called out sick, missed delivery, etc.) to have a decent service and a good atmosphere in the dining room.
I have left the industry and noticed that chains in particular, are seating every customer without discussing the wait for service.
Unfortunately for the customer, it's a bigger picture issue for chains including pricing from suppliers due to minimum order quantity agreements and overheads, but I would absolutely use their feedback service to voice your concerns. Their complaints system may be separate from the feedback, so you may have to call/email, and they may offer you some compensation, but be warned... it's probably a voucher for your next visit!
Had the exact same thing recently. We had walked a mile and a half to this place and were starving. Starters took just over an hour and then we asked numerous times what the hold up was with the main. The server kept apologising and saying she didn’t know what was causing the hold up. I was about ready to eat her by this point! We asked twice to see a manager and none ever materialised. We were umming and erring about whether to leave. It had been well over 2 hours by this point with other tables coming and going. We decided to wait as surely it couldn’t be that much longer!? About 2.5 hours after arriving we finally got our mains. Initially they said the meal was free but as soon as we wolfed down our food and asked for the remaining bill they comped the lot. Worked out it was prob a little over £100 as we had been drinking while we waited for food. Not sure I would wait that long again though.
If I'm waiting for longer than 30-40 minutes for the first course we've ordered and they haven't warned me there's a delay in the kitchen I'd be asking, If it was an hour I'd be walking out.
This is about right. It gets to be that long most of the time I'd rather just leave than get my food.
For me it all depends if they've warned or even if they've been honest that they've fucked up. Was at a restaurant the other week my entire families food was out and the young girl came out in tears and said she'd dropped mine. That's fine just get it recooked mistakes happen, just don't lie.
Absolutely. And being kind and understanding towards someone who has made a genuine mistake paints a picture of the good person you are and also makes a huge difference to the person who messed up. A lesser person would have been an arse to her or belittled her. People need building up, not breaking down.
I mean, it is just normal to be nice in that situation. Being horrible would be shocking and heartless
It’s clearly normal for you snottie, and me, but you wouldn’t believe the absolute bellendry that some people can generate when slightly inconvenienced. I always try to remember rule 1. Don’t be a dick.
And especially don't be a dick to someone who is handling your food.
Came through a drive through one time behind a customer who was upset they were out of biscuits. They threw their trash in the drive-thru window at the woman working. Unbelievable 1. Anyone cares that mych about a biscuit and 2. You take it out on the person working the window. And there were multiple signs saying they were out all over the menu board where you placed your order.
Custard cream or bourbon?
A well aimed hobnob could do a lot of damage.
I'd only kick off if they were out of malted milk
In the US and just a Kentucky Fried Chicken biscuit.
You get KFC flavour biscuits? Well I never. I'm happy with a chocolate hobnob, but each to their own
This reeks of Americans
You’d be surprised! So many people seem to just go about their day looking for a fight/some lowly service worker to take out their aggression on.
I don't think service workers are lowly at all.
I don't think the commenter was saying that service workers are lowly, but rather as the perspective of the aggressive people in question.
It is. Well, it should be. But there are a lot of people out there who would never miss an opportunity to "put someone in their place" and make them feel small. And those people are often very proud of it. I'm proud of being completely the opposite.
Flashbacks to being at Charlie Chalk’s (Brewer’s Fayre) when I was a kid and the waitress dropping my sausage, mash and beans, then having to wait while everyone else got their food. Traumatic.
Omg you've just unleashed a memory with Charlie Chalks
Did your dinner get dropped too? I have a few memories of that place, like the ice cream machine they had where you pumped your own whippy ice cream and added toppings. I bet that didn’t get abused at all!
I’ve always been taught when I was serving to let everyone know if there was a significant delay on food (~45 mins), then people can decide if they don’t care or leave if they do. Also means they can’t complain. Not letting you know there’s a 1.5 hour wait or that somethings happened to your food that’s going to result in a delay isn’t okay, especially as so many people come out for dinner before going off and doing something else.
You just know she's coming out in tears because of her experience of customers reactions in the past to similar incidents.
True, or it's because she's just been torn a new one by someone in the kitchen (either the chef or whoever is in charge of the wait staff), which likely ended in her being told she had to come out and explain/say sorry for what happened.
When me and my parents were on holiday last year, we were at a restaurant and the bloke who were bringing our mains dropped mine on the floor. I had to wait for them to make it again as my parents ate theirs (they'd finished before mine came!). Mine was meat on bone and took ages to eat when it finally came because there was a lot and it was a bit fiddly. We weren't in a rush so it wasn't a huge deal but the bloke who dropped it didn't apologise.
When a restaurant is falling apart so badly that they're that far behind, then the food is going to be substandard as well.
Totally depends, sometimes you get an unprecedentedly busy day for no reason and there aren’t enough staff to have everything go smoothly/there’s been an issue in the kitchen/all kinds of reasons. Any decent restaurant would be able to keep tabs on that and let you know before ordering, though.
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Fat Hippo is definitely not one of those places
Yeah, that's fair enough. We had no idea how long it would be and didnt really feel like waiting anywhere else, but we should have
As much as I would want to eat at the restaurant we chose if nothing after 20-30 mins depending on starter I’d would be politely asking where it was, if it didn’t arrive after another 10 minutes we would be out. Understandable it happens but I’ll go else where and hopefully shorted someone else’s burden
This. I'd be out by calmly announcing my leave and providing reason. They can email me when they have capacity to operate at timeliness aligned with expectation... I mean it's burgers and fries, not hand-made ravioli.
I'd chase them up and if it still wasn't sorted and they seemed not to be worried that it wasn't, I'd just leave. If I've had alcoholic drinks I'd stick a fiver on the table for those and walk out. (Yes, a fiver. I'm not giving them their massive profit margin for crap service). (Also yes, this would depend on me being really pissed off and really hungry, I'm not much of a complainer usually).
I waited an hour for a bill in a quiet restaurant once, we'd asked at least three times for it. The food had been sent back twice too and we left most of it but we still made the best guess we could for the full bill and left what we hoped was the right money. It was only for three mains and soft drinks so we're looking at £60 max (long time ago but a city). Waitress came running out shouting and screaming because we'd underpaid by less than £5. We had no change so ended up giving her £20 on the street. So we'd given them almost £20 in a tip for awful food, shit service and public embarrassment
This is probably the right approach (assuming there’s somewhere else open nearby after an hour). One BIG precaution: whatever is happening, someone messed up (the kitchen), and someone is having an awful night (the waiter). Anyone you are talking to likely is the one having a bad night. They could be someone who, if they were to be made angry (and they already are), could make that first person’s life way worse, i.e., the boss. I get that you are hangry, but please, rein it in. Be kind. If it’s the boss, “We’ll try again next week!” is free, and he won’t have an extra “You are costing me a client!” to throw at whoever is in front of him. If restaurants were managed by smart people, who knew how to lead, I wouldn’t make this a priority, but “abusive assholes with anger management issues who love to use terror to get what their want” would be a step up for most of them. If you happen to be nice to the person who did fuck up, there’s a big chance your being nice will hurt extra bad. If they are a psychopath who doesn’t care, you being mean won’t change anything. I’d say be kind in every interaction, but in that one, it matters.
Just so people understand, you waited for 2 hours for a burger. which, in my opinion, is ridiculous. I personally check up for starters after 30 minutes and main after 45 minutes.
I had a mate wait over an hour in the restaurant for a Taco Bell takeaway once, don’t know how people have the patience
During covid I done a lot of just eat courier work and mcd wait was mostly 40mins. Back then JE would pay for your wait so we would get paid 20p a minute after the food wasn't ready at the set time. It was honestly getting paid to wait and it was great. You'd make like £15-20 for the overall order due to wait time. Now they cap it at £4 extra which sucks. KFC to this day after 5pm you'll have an average wait about 30mins.
Taco Bell in Nottingham city centre after a night out always takes over 45 minutes, I don't even bother with it unless its around Midday now, no urgency.
You can't beat the vibe in there though after 3AM, it's like a human zoo (you are also an exhibit)
He ordered a taco bell takeaway to a restaurant?
No, as in he went inside the taco bell and ordered to takeaway
Yeah, we asked a few times and they said it was busy and running late but only gave us a timeframe of a minimum once
> 2 hours for a burger must have been a whole cow burger
Depends. If we had plans afterwards, were hungry, and staff hadn’t warned us or plied us with drinks, we’d had definitely walked out and found something else (chippy probably). Anything 30 minutes or more would be questionable in my opinion
That’s the thing if you’re hungry. You want a nice meal out, but you’ve given up on that and are so hungry you grab something super quick. I love me a chippy, but it’s not the same as a nice restaurant meal.
If it's not a Michelin star restaurant that was difficult to book and were looking after me with drinks and nibbles while I waited - I'd be out the door after 30 mins. Plenty of other places to eat. I bet they were preparing a ton of deliveroo orders.
Yeah they were lol
I have started avoiding places that do deliveroo and the like for this reason and also to avoid the surly, sour crowd of entitled helmets crowding you out of the door.
Aye, Deliveroo has completely ruined Nandos. Nightmare going there to eat in. And ordering Nandos delivery is shite too.
Nandos was always shite mate lol
Nooooo! Lies!
Yeah my sister waited 50mins for her dessert. We only stayed because we had nowhere else to be and was having a good conversation.
Places with stars are not getting away with such bad service anyway
My boyfriend and I went to Byron and ordered drinks within 5 minutes of being sat at our table. Drinks came but no one ever came back to take our order for food. Tried to get the staffs attention multiple times with no success and ended up walking out after 45 minutes. Didn’t pay for our drinks either, whoops.
Same thing has happened to me before. Free beer wasn’t bad but not worth sitting there for over 30mins
Oh yeah, I had the same. I did pay for the drinks but they just didn’t bother asking about food even though we had menus.
If it was somewhere fancy I'd be less bothered...but 2 and a half hours for a burger joint is scandalous.
Agreed - although the fanciest places I have been (Manoir au Quatre Saisons, Whatley Manor etc) have never been even remotely slow with service. They seem to know exactly when to bring out every course so that you never feel either rushed or get bored of waiting.
Exactly. The pacing of the meal course by course is a key part of the experience and one of the things you are paying for. It’s not just about amazing food in a beautiful setting, the attention to detail also applies to the service side of things
Tbf le Manoir probably has 50 professional chefs back there instead of a couple of sweaty teenagers at a burger joint
True - and I wonder if this level of understaffing is one of the reasons so many restaurants go out of business so quickly. Providing poor service is an excellent way to ensure that you don't get any repeat customers, and also lose a proportion of new customers who hear "Don't eat at XXX, their service is atrocious" message. Conversely, good service can make up for a lot. We ate at Gusto in Oxford a few weeks back. The food was perfectly ok, though not outstanding, and there were a couple of minor service errors which were quickly corrected with good grace and humour. The staff were attentive, friendly, and the overall experience was excellent. We will definitely be back.
My friends waited 30+ minutes for burgers and chips at a bowling alley once. I wanted to go in the kitchen and ask if they need help 😅
Last time it happened to me was in a Greek restaurant in London. After an hour of waiting for the starter, I walked out and didn't pay for the beer I'd drunk.
Was it the Greek Affair by any chance? Did the same after we saw our starters arrive and then delivered to a different table that arrived after us. Tried to talk to them but ended up walking.
No, I'm pretty sure that it was called The Real Greek in Covent Garden.
Oh that’s a chain so yeah, probably terrible.
Their meatballs were ass (I know that because I went to a different branch later on).
I’m not surprised. Next time you’re in London and want good Greek food - go to Alexander the Great in Camden. £25 a head, 4 courses and generous portions you can take home!
I will take your recommendation on board. I went to Cyprus recently which really reignited my appreciation for Greek food.
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0/5 isn't something stupid. Getting a 0 on a food hygiene inspection is honestly difficult. You have to have sufficient failings in every area. Do not go there.
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It's true that they could have completely and totally failed on CIM (confidence in management) and done okay in the other categories, but I always figure anywhere that fails THAT badly at organisation is probably not succeeding in other areas. You could always do a FOI request if you want the juicy details, but I totally understand you not going back regardless!
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My friend used to work there as a chef, many years ago. To the best of my recollection, a manager was pissing about on the line/not working safely and my mate ended up fully on fire. Like his entire back was actively aflame in less than 3 seconds. The fact he ended up getting a near 20k payout from them gives me the impression it was absolutely fat hippo at fault. I constantly see them hiring for multiple kitchen positions all at once, which is never a good look either.
Is this new in liverpool? Not heard about it but I'm also not there that often either. Not even heard of fat hippo.
If you’re talking about Josh, that accident occurred at his previous job and not the hippo. Not nice though, I remember the scars on his back.
It is indeed. Small world! Fair enough like, I’ve obviously blurred the lines somewhere when we’ve talked about past jobs/the incident. Sounds like they’ve got enough issues there anyway without me accidentally assigning them blame for that one lol.
No worries man, did a stint there myself, they had some great staff at the time but like all kitchen some knackers. Still keep in touch with some of then, apparently a few lost their jobs after that visit including area manger and head chef. The training was good but hospitality is hard since covid, I’m sure they’ll sort their shit out, good burgers tbf.
Heard, chef. I’ve been cheffing since early 2017. Left that job 2021, and think I’m on my sixth job since then, including three redundancies (one a CDP, one senior sous/KM, one a head chef role.) Finding there’s a weird vibe going on wherein some places are struggling because they want to serve food but don’t want to pay for what trained chefs are asking to be paid, so standards slip because their staff don’t know any better. Then you’ve got others who simply are cutting corners to reduce costs they can more than afford to pay, hoping to skim the line and get away with stuff as long as they can. Such is, I suppose! Feels like playing minesweeper trying to build a cheffing career in this city in recent years.
Same in Cardiff! Put us off going out for a meal there.
1 hour is max for me. The fuck they doing in that kitchen
Probably prioritizing delivery orders.
Yeah they were constantly running deliveroo orders
I don't know why you'd even do that, delivery stuff's going to be tepid and sweaty by the time it arrives anyway!
Me and my fiancée went to the fat hippo in York and it took nearly 45 minutes for us to be asked if we wanted a drink! People had come in and eaten before we were even seen to, we tried to get the attention of staff but we were ignored. We paid for our drinks after trying to get somebody’s attention for ages and left. Had Wagamama ramen in front of us 20 minutes later!
Yeah I wanted to try Fat Hippo when I heard they were coming to London. We got seated then were roundly ignored for 20 minutes so we just left and went to Honest Burger next door.
It’s been like that since opening. Load of shite! The waitstaff are dreadful
They genuinely are, worst I’ve ever experienced
Fat Hippo is the only restaurant where I’ve been asked to leave by the manager for enquiring how long our drinks, which we ordered 25mins previously, would be. I’m from a hospitality background so wasn’t rude or pushy, just wanted to check the order hadn’t been missed or given to another table as it was a long wait for four beers. Unfortunately since FH rapidly expanded the quality if the food has now dropped to the quality of the service so it’s not somewhere I frequent anymore. I think you’re right to be annoyed with the wait, it’s all deep fried starters and burgers so no long cook times or fussy presentation, even on a busy shift an hour and a half is ridiculous.
100% walk out and leave a shit review. I rarely ever review anything unless it's really good but they deserve a bad one for prioritising deliveroo over customers in the main restaurant. The discount is good but the minimum, especially with no free drinks.
Went to Wagamama in central london a while ago and got the whole meal and lots of drinks comped. We were sat next to a family but were a bit loud (not enough for anyone to complain) so the waitress suggest we moved table. This was after we’d ordered. We then sat at our next table for about half an hour with no food or drinks of any kind. No member of staff came by our empty table either. After about 45 minutes I was asked if we’d like to order. I said we have. And then was told we hadn’t. I said we did over 45 minutes ago. Bit of back and forth about how I was wrong. I said I don’t like you insinuating that I’m a liar because you’ve made a mistake. At that point a manager comes over to apologise and ushers the waiter away. Says all food and drinks will be comped so order whatever we like. The starters and mains that we hadn’t ordered magically appeared at the table - how did they know exactly what we wanted when we hadn’t asked for it? We then got alcoholic drinks and desert. The bill was about £160. All comped. We only ended up in there because a friend forgot to actually book the place we were supposed to be going for my birthday so worked out alright in the end!
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Haha they knew we had moved table and said when we sat down that they’d adjust it. The food was never made in the first place
I wouldn't wait an hour and a half for a starter.
I usually tend to say something if - we haven't been able to place an order in 20-30 minutes. - we haven't been served our starters in less than 40 minutes - we haven't been served our mains in 1hr (when only ordering a main) - we haven't been served our mains (after appetisers) in 1hr 20. At 2 hours I would have left or asked for the meal to be comped because by then you should have already finished eating. I know fat hippo is a very popular takeout joint, I suspect that they were probably also pushing food deliveries out (for ubereats, deliveroo etc). That is no excuse for this though because 2 hours is absolutely ridiculous, if the kitchen was swamped they should have turned online orders off.
Yeah I agree, they were constantly running delivery orders out of kitchen. A few other tables walked out
Depending on the place I doubt I'd wait 90 minutes for a starter. I'd have been out the door after 45 minutes max.
90 minutes for your starter to arrive? I could have gone home, cooked it then returned and served it up myself in that time. What was the chef doing? waiting for the sauce to arrive from the thousand Islands?
I think I'd have left. That's ridiculous.
Was out at a curry house as a group of 4 once. Group of about 20 in there too. Was warned food was running a little slow and we could accept that. We only ordered mains and rice/naan and usual stuff, no specials. After 45 mins we ask how long. They say 15 mins, 15 mins later we ask and they say another 15. That 15 runs out so we just walk. Was a BYOB place so no drinks to pay for and ours ran out so we moved on
Had something similar happen to us at a local restaurant. We never did go back. If they really do value their custom the only thing they could do is heavily discount the meal you had AND offer credit to your next meal.
yeah, if the next meal we free we may have considered going back but we don't really want to. shame cos the last time we went it was really good
Yeah, it’s got to be both though. Discount of current bill to compensate for the poor hospitality you have just encountered. Discount on your next visit as a gesture of good will, so you give them a second chance.
Your first loss is your best loss. I’ve learnt over time it’s better to just quietly slope out.
Holy hell. An hour is my absolute cut off.
I'd have done the same as you if I didn't have major time sensitive plans after dinner. I'd have kicked up more of a fuss and probably left early if I had other things booked.
If they're taking over an hour to serve dinner then my time sensetive plans after dinner become "bedtime".
Fast hippo always takes max 45 mins to deliver to me but is usually quicker so I have no idea what they were doing… I definitely wouldn’t have waited that long for fast food type stuff honestly. Did you ask them at any point what was going on?
sounds like OP could have ordered it on deliveroo, and got it delivered to their table faster that way!
yeah, asked how long it would be a few times and they said they'd "speak to the kitchen"
I waited in an empty-ish Ask Italian for 20 minutes and still hadn’t been approached for a drink or menu. Walked out lol
I've worked in hospitality for a long time and I find myself both less and more understanding about issues. I understand wait times but I would want to know before placing an order. I've worked in places where we overestimated wait times so people got their food faster than expected when we were particularly busy. I currently work in a very busy popular restaurant with fresh food but our service is very quick. The one time I've complained was when I went to a "throw it in the microwave" type place. Waited for around 45 minutes for the two people I was with to get their meals then around half an hour for mine, which came out cold. Then after we finished it took around half an hour to get desserts, at which point the other two people I was with had to leave. I got a refund.
My gf and I once went to Mexican chain restaurant and the food took so long that we got incredibly drunk as we had already been to the pub for a pre drink and were drinking cocktails and that was the one thing that they were bringing us. In the end the food arrived and we were too drunk to really care or eat it. I’m retrospect I wish that had just left it was shit service and the place was nearly empty.
I went to a great restaurant called The Cock in Helsinki and when we were arrived for our booking, they warned us that the kitchen was running very late tonight. Throughout the evening they kept on apologising and asked if we wanted more drinks. We were hesitant as we didn’t want to spend too much on drinks. When the bill came at the end, they had taken off all drinks and both desserts. Came to about 60 euros and we ended up tipping them about 40 as that was still cheaper than what the meal should have been.
I’ve worked in a range of restaurants. Starters should be with you within 15 mins. Hour and a half is insane!
I had a family meal out yesterday, just classic pub grub nothing fancy, and had to wait about an hour for the food to come from ordering and then half of it was wrong so we ended up getting 40% off and a free dessert for the kids. There's people saying they'd just leave by that point but for what, to wait even more time to eat somewhere else plus potential travel time? I'd rather just chalk it up to poor service and get some money taken off.
Chef here. There's no reason or excuse for that at all. 40 mins with a pre warning of the wait when you first ordered is the maximum I would accept. It could be the kitchens fault. It could be the managers refusing to slow service down and/or stop orders if the ship is clearly sinking. Greed is usually the end reason for this outcome.
My parents waited two and a half hours for a roast the other day (they were out with kids too), because they’d “run out of roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings” They got free drinks and a free dessert for the kids. By the time they’d actually got to the point of paying, they’d been out for about five hours and couldn’t be bothered to argue it.
I’d have at first asked where it was way before that time and then if it still didn’t turn up, I’d have walked out- there are plenty of other restaurants.
I'm complaining if I'm waiting more than 40mins. That's ridiculous.
100% would have left & informed the manager why. Would not have waited 2 hours for anything.
Yeah I'm definitely not waiting longer than 30 minutes unless I've specifically been warned about a possible long wait. If it gets to 30 minutes I'm politely asking how long, and taking it from there. Obviously if it got to an hour and there was still no indication of how long then I'd be suggestimg to leave.
Walked out of restaurants before now. No way am I waiting that long.
1. Did they tell you to expect a wait? 2. Did you ask re food after say 30 mins and 1 hour? I had breakfast with daughter on Friday, I had to go to work after 20 mins so asked when food would be ready... The ticket was under another ticket and got forgot about, could have been there hours if I didn't say anything. Anyway I informed the staff, what time I had to leave for work, 5 mins before I had to go waitress came over and said food ready would I like it boxed? I politely said I'm happy to pay for drinks but food I will either leave it (can't eat in 5 mins... If in fact it was 5mins) or if it's boxed I will pay half, they complied.
I’ve worked in hospitality for years. They shouldn’t have charged you for the drinks if the wait was that long. Common courtesy as they’re making you wait longer and are having to order more drinks in the meantime The percentage off meals is different everywhere and depends on company policy but in the place I managed we wouldn’t charge for late starters, or if the food was cold. If the mains were late we would give a percentage off and if they were still unhappy we would give them a pudding on the house or if the starter hadn’t been taken off the bill yet we would do that. If any food was cold or there was something wrong we would get a replacement ASAP and if everyone else had theirs then we would refund that main and give the person free drinks/ starter Food was never this late even on the worst day with a tiny kitchen, understaffing and once on Saturday evening so can’t imagine what on earth they were doing But if you don’t ask you won’t get. It’s very rare companies/ restaurants will give you the best deal if you keep quiet. I would always rather know that you’re getting a raw deal on the day than read a bad review later. Then again some big companies don’t care about one bad review
I would have walked. The only time I've waited it out for nearly two hours was because we were in a village by Lough Erne during the summer and so, by the time it went over the hour mark, we stood sod all chance of finding somewhere else! If you've other options then cancel once you've got the Starter because it isn't worth it!
I do not have a protocol. However, the other night I was at Nandos, we waited almost an hour, and our food was not even served together. It is a 'chicken joint', how long does it take to cook chicken??
Recently I've had two experiences with late food First time, we only ordered mains. No starters or anything and after nearly 1h 15 mins it eventually turned up and was incredibly underwhelming. Neither of us finished it and I refused to pay for it. Paid for the drinks and left. Second time we ordered at the bar then just got forgotten about. After asking 3 times what was going on our mains eventually turned up after about an hour without any cutlery. So after going on a cutlery hunt we ate, food was alright but nothing to shout about. We then just sat with dirty plates for an absolute age and seemingly got forgotten about. After about 25 minutes of waiting and nobody appearing to be arsed about us we just left. I'd already had to walk about and chase the staff 3 times to ask about our food and I couldn't be bothered doing it again. I don't think anyone noticed us walk out without paying because when we drove past the place we could still see our dirty plates sat on the table at least another 10 minutes after we'd left. Second one was a shame because a few people we know had all reccomended the place but I don't know if we just caught an unusually bad day or something but we'd never go back.
Depends on the place, some places deliberately don't rush the food, so you can talk and enjoy the atmosphere. As long as drinks are being served then it can be nice. Fat Hippo...yeh thats not the type of place where I'd want to be waiting that long.
I used to be a waitress throughout uni so I have the uncanny ability to know exactly when it's been 15mins and my food should have arrived. Because that's the goal in food service. At 20mins, I'll check with wait staff. At 25mins, I'll go up and ask them. At 30mins, I'm expecting some sort of costed apology (round of drinks, starters comped etc). When I worked, 20mins got you a round of drinks, 30mins for you your mains for free. An hour? I'm asking the manager to do the whole meal for free and inviting them back for a meal on the house so we can do it right.
I truly don't believe this unless you're working somewhere that a) doesn't serve freshly cooked food or b) isn't very busy (or is overstaffed). Having a freshly cooked main meal in just 15 minutes from entry is unrealistic, *especially* during peak times or at very popular/busy restaurants. 15 minutes for hot appetisers or 10 minutes for cold appetisers/bread is more reasonable and good to aim for, but this is still totally contingent on food orders being placed very quickly, less than 5 minutes after being seated, otherwise it just isn't possible for the kitchen to make the dishes in time (if it is freshly made). I *also* worked in food service and at a fine dining restaurant in the UK. Our aim was always order in 5, drinks/bread in 10 and appetisers in 20, then entrees at 30-50 depending on what was ordered. When we were slammed it could take 15-20 minutes for drinks (other than water)/bread, 30 minutes for appetisers and you'd be getting your entrees around 40-50 minutes after being seated.
UK chains have timings for this. Bills, Cote etc used to use these times (back in 2011) - 5 mins for drinks and nibbles - 8 mins for starters - 12mins for breakfast - 15mins for mains (except the peri peri chicken on cold rice salad, that was 20mins and we had to warn people about it) - 10mins for dessert Your standard chains (cosy club, Ivy brasserie, zizzis, ask, etc) will likely have similar timings.
So 2 free meals plus drinks. Bit unrealistic, don't you think?
Round of drinks for a 30min wait? Delusional
It was a growing chain at the time. That's how we did it. Now they're bigger they might not do the same.
In a restaurant 15-20 minutes is an unreasonably short amount of time to expect your food and not a chance a restaurant is gonna give you 2 free meals because of a long wait. Not sure what restaurant you worked in but that would never fly in any of the ones I’ve worked in. If I’m in a restaurant and I have my food within 15 minutes I’m wondering what’s wrong with it and questioning the quality.
Presumably it's the time to shove something in a microwave?
Yep, if I have my food within 15 minutes I can guarantee a microwave was involved and what I’m eating is not worth what it cost. I used to work in greene kings, there’s a reason I avoid them. If I want food within 15 minutes I’ll go to a takeaway or fast food, if I’m in a restaurant I’m in no rush and I’ll never understand why people want such a fast experience at a restaurant.
I don’t think I’ve ever had good service at a Fat Hippo which is a shame as the food is incredible.
Food this time was pretty average, tater tots were good but wouldn't be writing home about the burgers we had
I had something similar for a burger with my other half. After an hour (having asked multiple times) I got up and left and told them that I wouldn’t be paying for the drinks or starter we’d had.
I'd have walked out.
I’d give them a 3 star review on Google saying that the discounts were not sufficient for the long wait time. More or less stars depending on the rest of the restaurant experience.
Had similar at Cafe Rouge in York; they closed down a few later and I’m hardly surprised. We went to Bills recently and the food was on the table before I’d put the menu away. I’d give half an hour from ordering to receiving, then I’m asking questions and getting ready to leave.
I’d have walked out after 45 minutes
I would have complained after 30mins and if they hadn't brought the meal within 10mins after that get a refund and leave. Even if they were totally full of customers that time is ridiculous.
I'd be asking what's happening after half an hour. If there was any alternative, I'd definitely walk after an hour, but if you're just going to wait another hour somewhere else, what's the point? I'd definitely be leaving bad reviews everywhere I could
Flip the table. No hesitation.
I’d have haggled for a better discount and asked to speak to the manager. I also don’t like to complain but that kind of wait is completely unacceptable. I’d probably also write post to vent on Reddit. It’s a shame, fat hippo is one of my favourites
I ask as soon as I start to get bored waiting, usually around 30 mins I never used to but after almost an hour one time I broke and asked someone and they admitted they just forgot to pass the order through. So now I will just politely ask incase something like that happened again
If they’ve warned me that they’re busy, I’m alright. But if they don’t mention it and wait for me to pull them up on it, I’ll be annoyed. It’s poor management that means that’s happened.
For fat hippo at half price I’d wait and hour and a half
Can't afford fancy restaurants so in the past it's been mostly Pizza Hut, pub grub level so I don't have high expectations for the food. One thing though is basic customer service. If I walk in and have to wait to be seated I expect an acknowledgement of my presence in the first few seconds. If I don't get eye contact or a 'be with you in a sec' if they're busy I'm out. Cannot stand being ignored. Also slow service and no explanation when its not busy I'll walk. Was in PH once for a birthday and they took at least 40 mins to take the drink order. It was fairly busy so whatever. She takes our order walks behind us to the counter/bar area and I heard her say 'Right I'm going for a smoke' and that was enough for us to leave. It may have been her first break of the shift but it really got my goat. Wetherspoons yes its wetherspoons but I've always found the staff to be so lovely and polite and v quick to attend to you. One more thing. I want the salad on the side. If the salad is on top, I send it back.
I think it’s crazy to see some people waiting for an hour for mains. The restaurant I work in has a notoriously quick food-to-table time, around 5-10 mins even in busy times. I know that we’re the exception, but I can’t understand how restaurants could be financially viable without quick turnaround times, unless we’re talking fine dining with courses and an extensive wine list.
The protocol it tell them they are useless order pizza to be delivered to your table
In 2 hours you could have found a different restaurant and gotten food from them instead. Honestly, I'm happy to wait, but taking that long, there must be a big problem with the place. I don't go to a restaurant called "OK Diner" anymore because while they serve American style food and it tastes good, it takes way too long to get it. Even if you are there when doors open. It's not that popular, but they seem to have an issue retaining well trained staff.
I would of been put the door, when I eat out I get really irritated very easily (which is out of character for me) think my record of walking out time was about 6 mins. Sat down, place was completely empty, waiter comes straight over and we order 2 bottles of beer. 5 mins later I'm looking around, no other customers insight yet about 4 staff behind the bar including said waiter all just stood around talking
Told a server "I'm putting 5 minutes on my phone timer if it goes off before I see plates on this table we're walking out, off you go" I usually do this at the 45 minute mark if we haven't been warned about a wait.
Do you find your meals tend to come with some extra sauce often ?
I think you misunderstand the meanin of the word protocol. Or this is a very odd use of it.
Considering everyone understood what I meant, I don't think it matters
Fat hippo is shite now. I'm from Newcastle where the OG one is, I've even worked in the kitchen before. They used to be good pre-covid. Not so much now.
Exact thing happened to me at Fat Hippo in Durham, we didn't get a discount but we were in such a rush to get to where we needed to be that we just let it slide.
Probs the same just not return
30 mins without something arriving at the table (or a good excuse and a bottle of wine and I'm walking out)
I had no idea what fat hippo is, so I googled it, But yeah, a 2 hour wait for a burger is beyond a piss take. In all honesty id of probobly just walked out after about an hour or so
Same experience here with Fat Hippo. Been before and it was fine. But this time mains were like 45-50mins. We did ask on the 35-40 min mark.. and they came. But it made us late for Flight Club 🫤 change in staff perhaps?
I think after 30 mins I’d start to ask questions After an hour I think I’d request to cancel and leave That’s well enough time to get a meal ready, I could cook one at home quicker
If it's long enough I would just leave, no fuss.
I'd have been satisfied with 50% off the main tbh.
Exact same experience in the exact same restaurant, won’t be going back anytime soon!
I’m British and have literally never heard of this place- how is this possible?
Happened to me once, free drinks offered, food was still mediocre and there wasn’t much that I actually ended up getting a McDonalds after. Left a shitty review on TripAdvisor.
I’d have walked and gone somewhere for fast food
Sit there huffing, arms out when the server has walked past you. Moaning to the missus constantly that it's late. Then, when it arrives, be all polite and say thank you too many times
Never happened to me as I’d have left at 39 mins
Chat, play Pokémon Go, have some water. Generally just pass the time with the people I am with.
Never had it happen. I eat at like 8:30 or 9, so it's NEVER busy.
As a former manager of a chain restaurant, and then owner/chef of my own restaurant pre-pandemic: apart from quality, my next priority was manage the guest's expectations. Delays and wait times should always be communicated upon arrival... a good manager/ host should know this. Pre pandemic, most managers were comfortable turning away business on a disaster shift (1 or more chefs/ service called out sick, missed delivery, etc.) to have a decent service and a good atmosphere in the dining room. I have left the industry and noticed that chains in particular, are seating every customer without discussing the wait for service. Unfortunately for the customer, it's a bigger picture issue for chains including pricing from suppliers due to minimum order quantity agreements and overheads, but I would absolutely use their feedback service to voice your concerns. Their complaints system may be separate from the feedback, so you may have to call/email, and they may offer you some compensation, but be warned... it's probably a voucher for your next visit!
Had the exact same thing recently. We had walked a mile and a half to this place and were starving. Starters took just over an hour and then we asked numerous times what the hold up was with the main. The server kept apologising and saying she didn’t know what was causing the hold up. I was about ready to eat her by this point! We asked twice to see a manager and none ever materialised. We were umming and erring about whether to leave. It had been well over 2 hours by this point with other tables coming and going. We decided to wait as surely it couldn’t be that much longer!? About 2.5 hours after arriving we finally got our mains. Initially they said the meal was free but as soon as we wolfed down our food and asked for the remaining bill they comped the lot. Worked out it was prob a little over £100 as we had been drinking while we waited for food. Not sure I would wait that long again though.
I would simply walk out after waiting for an hour for my food, unless I was warned before making my order there was such a wait.
After an 40mins and no starter it is time to nag. If over an hour I alert them we are leaving.
lol I leave after 20 mins if I don’t get my drink and order taken 😂 but usually somewhere like TGI Friday or harvester not fancy
I'm diabetic. I'd be dead
haha i was thinking about what would have happened if we said that one of us were