Discussion
With This Staff said:
Meanwhile, give your local (family-owned & run) Italian restaurant a shot.
It may be very good indeed!
Absolutely.It may be very good indeed!
I have usually always found local Italian restaurants, run by actual Italians to be very good.
Same goes for local French restaurants or whatever else takes your fancy.
But we all go to chain restaurants from time to time, and it's just dissapointing when they aren't up to standard, especially if they aren't shy with their prices.
The restaurants going bust may be a slight embarrassment to him.
He will still have plenty banked from his book sales and TV appearances which will not be affected by the collapse of the restaurants.
If any sympathy is due,it is to the employees for whom loosing your job 8 weeks before Christmas will not be easy.
He will still have plenty banked from his book sales and TV appearances which will not be affected by the collapse of the restaurants.
If any sympathy is due,it is to the employees for whom loosing your job 8 weeks before Christmas will not be easy.
bristolracer said:
The restaurants going bust may be a slight embarrassment to him.
He will still have plenty banked from his book sales and TV appearances which will not be affected by the collapse of the restaurants.
If any sympathy is due,it is to the employees for whom loosing your job 8 weeks before Christmas will not be easy.
The restaurants will be under a separate ltd and so there will be no effect on him at all.He will still have plenty banked from his book sales and TV appearances which will not be affected by the collapse of the restaurants.
If any sympathy is due,it is to the employees for whom loosing your job 8 weeks before Christmas will not be easy.
With This Staff said:
Meanwhile, give your local (family-owned & run) Italian restaurant a shot.
It may be very good indeed!
Me and the missus had a weekend break a couple of weeks ago in York and that's exactly what we did (more of a Mediterranean as opposed to an Italian) . I had no complaints about the food, service or the price.It may be very good indeed!
Lord Marylebone said:
I forgot to mention that his Barbecoa restaurant chain went bust earlier this year as well. He bought the St Paul's branch back from the administrators.
t.I think 'disappointed' is probably the best word to describe my experiences at a couple of Olivers chain restaurants.
I once went to 'Barbecoa' in Picadlilly, and was just totally underwhelmed by the whole experience. The food was barely average, as was the service and the decor.
On another occasion I thought I would try his Italian near Covent Garden, and it was just very disappointing, and I actually thought it was really expensive for what was essentially very average chain restaurant food.
Carluccios is infinitely better if you want a decent Italian chain restaurant in my opinion.
Barbecoa at St Paul's was really good a few years ago. It then went downhill, which may have been indicative of wider issues. Although it always seems rammed still. Can't imagine it's a cheap location. Camelot1971 said:
MellowshipSlinky said:
All his restaurants are the most over priced, over hyped piles of st I’ve ever been to.
Fixed that for you. They are universally st I’ve ever been to.t.I once went to 'Barbecoa' in Picadlilly, and was just totally underwhelmed by the whole experience. The food was barely average, as was the service and the decor.
On another occasion I thought I would try his Italian near Covent Garden, and it was just very disappointing, and I actually thought it was really expensive for what was essentially very average chain restaurant food.
Carluccios is infinitely better if you want a decent Italian chain restaurant in my opinion.
MellowshipSlinky said:
His Nottingham restaurant is one of the most over priced, over hyped piles of st I’ve ever been to.
As someone who had a nose at the menu outside his Nottingham restaurant yesterday, it's pretty much the same price as a Pizza Express so no idea where the idea that it is over priced comes from? t I’ve ever been to.Cold said:
Lord Marylebone said:
Carluccios is infinitely better if you want a decent Italian chain restaurant in my opinion.
Much of a muchness between the two. Only, one of them seems to attract derision due to the owner for some reason. Clearly the transition is easier in one direction than the other....
Regiment said:
MellowshipSlinky said:
His Nottingham restaurant is one of the most over priced, over hyped piles of st I’ve ever been to.
As someone who had a nose at the menu outside his Nottingham restaurant yesterday, it's pretty much the same price as a Pizza Express so no idea where the idea that it is over priced comes from? t I’ve ever been to.Regiment said:
MellowshipSlinky said:
His Nottingham restaurant is one of the most over priced, over hyped piles of st I’ve ever been to.
As someone who had a nose at the menu outside his Nottingham restaurant yesterday, it's pretty much the same price as a Pizza Express so no idea where the idea that it is over priced comes from? t I’ve ever been to.Du1point8 said:
Regiment said:
MellowshipSlinky said:
His Nottingham restaurant is one of the most over priced, over hyped piles of st I’ve ever been to.
As someone who had a nose at the menu outside his Nottingham restaurant yesterday, it's pretty much the same price as a Pizza Express so no idea where the idea that it is over priced comes from? t I’ve ever been to.Was in Singapore last week, even saw one of his branches there. Right on Orchard (the main shopping area) so the rent on that will be VAST. Why the feck has he got a place in Singapore where you are absolutely overwhelmed for food choice, who on earth would go to his restaurant except for really really unadventurous Brits who are even too scared to try the local McDonalds because the menu might have special burgers on it.
That's his problem, the usual story of opening too many branches in too many expensive locations too quickly. Has brought down many a good restaurant chain before, generally shortly after they've been sold to idiot PE, looks like he has managed to make the same mistakes.
Oh we went to his "Diner" restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue once (may be a one-off and I'm not sure if it's still open) and they served us chicken wings that were bright pink inside, totally undercooked. Idiot manager claimed that was how they were supposed to be. He may know how to cook safely but some of his team don't.
That's his problem, the usual story of opening too many branches in too many expensive locations too quickly. Has brought down many a good restaurant chain before, generally shortly after they've been sold to idiot PE, looks like he has managed to make the same mistakes.
Oh we went to his "Diner" restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue once (may be a one-off and I'm not sure if it's still open) and they served us chicken wings that were bright pink inside, totally undercooked. Idiot manager claimed that was how they were supposed to be. He may know how to cook safely but some of his team don't.
Regiment said:
MellowshipSlinky said:
His Nottingham restaurant is one of the most over priced, over hyped piles of st I’ve ever been to.
As someone who had a nose at the menu outside his Nottingham restaurant yesterday, it's pretty much the same price as a Pizza Express so no idea where the idea that it is over priced comes from? t I’ve ever been to.With This Staff said:
Meanwhile, give your local (family-owned & run) Italian restaurant a shot.
It may be very good indeed!
It isn’t. Been there a long time and now up for sale. So is the next nearest independent Italian.It may be very good indeed!
The majority of private restaurant ventures go bust (opinion, not necessarily fact, but it is a bloody tough business and the headwinds have only grown stronger in recent years).
Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff