Canteen-style restaurants

[najaB]

It would of course have been an option to design their own offering that still did hot meals but also looked a bit more coffee shop like (that's the way Morrisons seem to have gone), but it's easier and cheaper just to franchise a well known brand or even get a concession in to run it for you.

They're (almost?) all concessions. The staff work for Costa.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It saves them money by not having to employ proper chefs....just microwave operators on minimum wage.

Most pubs do "foodservice" food, some of it is higher quality than Spoons but obviously costs more. If you see a Brake Brothers van (others exist but they're the biggest one) you know that's what they're doing.

The chips are cooked in a deep fat fryer (alongside other chippy like stuff) so using McCain Home Fries doesn't really save them anything, so I don't understand at all why they do.

 

[Dai Corner]

It's a combination of that and that more people want tea and cake after their supermarket shop than a meal, which makes sense as almost nobody wants a meal in a supermarket after about 2pm. The "greasy fry up" supermarket cafes only really did well in the morning, a Costa or similar will do well all day (and does offer sandwiches if you do want lunch).

Being a bit of a skinflint / liking a bargain I often take advantage of Morrison's post-1500 offer of a hot meal and drink for £4.99. Eat in or take away. There is only one choice per day but over the week you can enjoy a variety. There are usually one or two other diners there.

 

[johncrossley]

Some Wetherspoons are open from 8am for breakfast (and a pint if you want). In MK the one on Midsummer Boulevard near the hub is.

I haven't seen one that isn't open at 8. In central London, some used to open at 7 before Covid.

 

[PTR 444]

Tesco have replaced several of their in-store cafes - which certainly used to be canteen-style, though they may have switched to table service with ordering at the till in recent years - with Costa concessions. They are completely different concepts, though. In particular, Costa doesn't serve anything that could really constitute a full meal, other than mediocre sandwiches.

I presume Costa/Starbucks have good profit margins, as tea and coffee can be provided quite cheaply but you get to charge an enormous mark-up if the customer can see someone making it with a fancy complex-looking machine.

The last supermarket cafe I ate at was a Sainsbury’s. At this location, you queued up to purchase and pay for hot food which was delivered to you at your table. Cold food could be picked up from the refrigerator in the queue line and eaten straight after purchase, although there was the option to have sandwiches toasted which would then be delivered to your table.

 

[Busaholic]

In particular, Costa doesn't serve anything that could really constitute a full meal, other than mediocre sandwiches.

In my area at least, Costa now sell Marks and Spencer sandwiches, which are good quality but expensive (though cheaper on takeaway.)

The last supermarket cafe I ate at was a Sainsbury’s. At this location, you queued up to purchase and pay for hot food which was delivered to you at your table. Cold food could be picked up from the refrigerator in the queue line and eaten straight after purchase, although there was the option to have sandwiches toasted which would then be delivered to your table.

Almost all of their cafes are about to close. They'll blame Covid, I'll blame uninterest by the management.

 

[yorksrob]

In my area at least, Costa now sell Marks and Spencer sandwiches, which are good quality but expensive (though cheaper on takeaway.)

Almost all of their cafes are about to close. They'll blame Covid, I'll blame uninterest by the management.

They over-extended themselves buying Argos, and now the main supermarket business is being cut back.

That said, I had a roast dinner in one of their restaurants once and the roast potatoes were as hard as snooker balls. Did a nice breakfast though

 

[Bletchleyite]

They over-extended themselves buying Argos, and now the main supermarket business is being cut back.

That said, I had a roast dinner in one of their restaurants once and the roast potatoes were as hard as snooker balls. Did a nice breakfast though

I wonder if the Argos purchase was at the wrong time. Amazon offers most of what Argos does and delivers it to your house or a locker that's odds on nearer than your local Sainsbury's. The only use case for Argos over Amazon is if you want the item now, but increasingly with the smaller stores as part of Sainsburys stores you can't even have that.

When Amazon was a bookshop Argos did well, but I just don't see how it can really compete now.

I suspect the cafe closures are because they're not profitable, though, or letting the space to a concession would be more profitable. I can see why - Morrisons is a "working class" type supermarket, and greasy cafes are a "working class" thing. They just don't sell to the "one shops at Sainsbury's, don't you know" crowd*, and while Waitrose does have them they're very much coffee-and-cake places. In a way I was surprised Asda dumped them as their target market is similar to Morrisons, but bringing the EuroGarages brands in was probably good for economies of scale.

* Though I shop there, not because it's posh but because my nearest one is a normal sized supermarket which only takes maybe half an hour to do a full weekly shop, not a massive football pitch sized behemoth like my local Asda where it takes well over an hour, particularly if you forget something and have to backtrack.

 

[Gloster]

And also there are those of us who refuse to give money to Amazon because of many of their business practices. Although I did stop using Argos for a number of years until Sainsbury’s bought them after they flew strike-breakers (s**bs) to Ireland when there was a strike in their branches there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And also there are those of us who refuse to give money to Amazon because of many of their business practices.

I offer other businesses a deal - I will stop using Amazon when you stop using Hermes/Evri and Yodel. The main reason I use Amazon is its highly reliable and GPS tracked delivery service.

Anyway, anyone for a fry-up before this goes too far off topic?

 

[najaB]

The main reason I use Amazon is its highly reliable and GPS tracked delivery service.

Maybe it's a regional thing, but I've had Amazon packages delivered by Hermes in the past.

 

[yorksrob]

I offer other businesses a deal - I will stop using Amazon when you stop using Hermes/Evri and Yodel. The main reason I use Amazon is its highly reliable and GPS tracked delivery service.

I use none of the above if I can avoid it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Maybe it's a regional thing, but I've had Amazon packages delivered by Hermes in the past.

Round here it's always Amazon Logistics for anything that is shown as "fulfilled by Amazon" or has Prime flagged, or (obviously) Royal Mail if you order for collection at a post office. Might of course help that I'm only about 10 miles from the Ridgmont warehouse, though it all actually goes via a hub in Northampton!

 

[Gloster]

I offer other businesses a deal - I will stop using Amazon when you stop using Hermes/Evri and Yodel. The main reason I use Amazon is its highly reliable and GPS tracked delivery service.

You should stop immediately. I never use Hermes or any of the other delivery companies. I do not buy anything over the internet except books, and that is pretty rare (the last time was over two years ago), and they come by Royal Mail.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Harder to get a Full English at Motorway services now except Tebay. Even on the A roads most of the Little Chefs have now become Starbucks which are no good for food.

I'm a bit confused by the affection people seem to have for Little Chef, I'm convinced that it's just rose-tinted nostalgia. My memory of them is that the food was overpriced, lukewarm at best, and served in premises that needed a good deep-clean (I'd recommend fire as an appropriate disinfectant).

In our family, they were always referred to as "Little Thief".

 

[yorksrob]

I'm a bit confused by the affection people seem to have for Little Chef, I'm convinced that it's just rose-tinted nostalgia. My memory of them is that the food was overpriced, lukewarm at best, and served in premises that needed a good deep-clean (I'd recommend fire as an appropriate disinfectant).

In our family, they were always referred to as "Little Thief".

I used to like the Olympic breakfast.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I used to like the Olympic breakfast.

So-called because it took four years to arrive at your table?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm a bit confused by the affection people seem to have for Little Chef, I'm convinced that it's just rose-tinted nostalgia. My memory of them is that the food was overpriced, lukewarm at best, and served in premises that needed a good deep-clean (I'd recommend fire as an appropriate disinfectant).

In our family, they were always referred to as "Little Thief".

I've long called them that, but it was more about them being a bit pricey.

I used to like the Olympic breakfast.

I did too, often enjoyed one as a weekend morning hangover cure, usually at the one by "Kelly's Kitchen Roundabout"*, which is still officially called that despite now playing host to a McD's and the old Little Thief having been there for a good many years since it carried that name! I bet most people who drive past it don't even know why it's called that.

* https://www.google.com/maps/@51.992189,-0.6999274,16z

 

[trebor79]

A great canteen style restaurant is at G Bolam Foods just outside Sedgefield. Went there for lunch earlier int he year after a site visit. Great good old-fashioned home cooked British grub. Jolly staff and ridiculoously cheap. I think it was something daft like £4.50 for a roast dinner, pudding and a cup of tea. Place was busy with people of all ages and walks of life.

 

[david1212]

It saves them money by not having to employ proper chefs....just microwave operators on minimum wage.

Similarly from the Greasy Spoon Cafes thread

Take it from me having supplied a huge range of food establishments and food production companies including chains, independents, fast food, coffee shops, bakers, hotels, hospitals, prisons and fine dining over the years, you would be amazed at what is available as a quick reheat option (I call all these operation “boil it in the bag operators”) and I avoid a lot of them or am selective at what I will order.
Few sites have a ‘cook” let alone a chef.

18 years ago a major pub chain I was involved with graded their kitchens on a range of criteria and levels 3 and 4 were virtually written of as not worth investing in and would either be sold off at some point or revisited sometime in the further, level 2 were given investment and a chef but the menus were redone as boil in the bag and one wall in the kitchen was dedicated to colour pictures showing how every meal on The menu should look when it goes out to the table and a step by step guide on how to make that happen. Level 1 sites actually had chefs and trained sites and mostly “proper food” that lasted all of 3 years when they realihow much money could be saved by making level 1 site level 2

Trago Mills used to offer canteen style meals in their restaurants, and probably still do, at cheap prices. In addition, the branch with a petrol filling station at Newton Abbot has the cheapest fuel in the area.

Newton Abbott still did in 2018 plus agree about fuel which was Shell, even in 2008 ( maybe wrong year ) when due to industrial action most if not all in Paignton and Brixham sold out.

The last supermarket cafe I ate at was a Sainsbury’s. At this location, you queued up to purchase and pay for hot food which was delivered to you at your table. Cold food could be picked up from the refrigerator in the queue line and eaten straight after purchase, although there was the option to have sandwiches toasted which would then be delivered to your table.

Likewise although trying to think where. I was on holiday and a relatively new store on fringe of traditional town centre rather than out-of-town.

I'm a bit confused by the affection people seem to have for Little Chef, I'm convinced that it's just rose-tinted nostalgia. My memory of them is that the food was overpriced, lukewarm at best, and served in premises that needed a good deep-clean (I'd recommend fire as an appropriate disinfectant).

In our family, they were always referred to as "Little Thief".

I certainly would not use affection but simply occasional convenience when long distance travelling but not on a motorway. You had the map in the car to look up locations if an unknown area. If setting off at silly o'clock could stop after 1 - 2 hours for breakfast and a cuppa. Best to avoid 12:00 - 14:00 but wait until after for a late lunch.
I recall Evesham bypass, Stow-on-the-Wold, Ashchurch near to M5 Jn 9, between Bridgenorth & Kidderminster - Quatford?, somewhere along the A5 between Betws-y-Coed and Corwen plus Happy Eater on A46 north of Bath at Pennsylvania. Others too used as a one off.

 

[trebor79]

I wonder if the Argos purchase was at the wrong time. Amazon offers most of what Argos does and delivers it to your house or a locker that's odds on nearer than your local Sainsbury's. The only use case for Argos over Amazon is if you want the item now, but increasingly with the smaller stores as part of Sainsburys stores you can't even have that.

When Amazon was a bookshop Argos did well, but I just don't see how it can really compete now.

I've stopped buying anything from Amazon because you just don't know what you're getting and increasingly it seems to be absolute junk with very poorly translated instructions, no CE markings etc. It's never clear to me whether the product is actually being sold by Amazon themselves (and I'm not sure how much they actually care anyway) or some dodgy set up "fulfilled by Amazon" where some guy in his bedroom orders tat from the far east and has it delivered to an Amazon warehouse and collects a margin on whatever he sells.
Guy my brother in law used to work for bought container loads of furniture and was selling it via Amazon, Groupon etc. Didn't have any fire risk certification - no problem, he just ordered a job low of tags and fixed them on himself!

 

[XAM2175]

Compare to Hamburg Maashchen marshalling yard ... serving the best ever Shnitzel in the world , with home made onion sauce ...

Maschen Rbf's canteen is still very highly regarded, from what I hear!

 

[DelayRepay]

I suspect the cafe closures are because they're not profitable, though, or letting the space to a concession would be more profitable. I can see why - Morrisons is a "working class" type supermarket, and greasy cafes are a "working class" thing. They just don't sell to the "one shops at Sainsbury's, don't you know" crowd*, and while Waitrose does have them they're very much coffee-and-cake places. In a way I was surprised Asda dumped them as their target market is similar to Morrisons, but bringing the EuroGarages brands in was probably good for economies of scale.

It was noticeable in the pandemic that Morrisons was the first supermarket to re-open their cafes when the rules allowed. I think they were the only supermarket who operated their cafes as takeaways during lockdown, and some of them set up outside seating areas when we weren't allowed to eat indoors.

They even have an app to order food from your table, and they take takeaway orders through their website.

 

[Silver Cobra]

I wonder if the Argos purchase was at the wrong time. Amazon offers most of what Argos does and delivers it to your house or a locker that's odds on nearer than your local Sainsbury's. The only use case for Argos over Amazon is if you want the item now, but increasingly with the smaller stores as part of Sainsburys stores you can't even have that.

When Amazon was a bookshop Argos did well, but I just don't see how it can really compete now.

I suspect the cafe closures are because they're not profitable, though, or letting the space to a concession would be more profitable. I can see why - Morrisons is a "working class" type supermarket, and greasy cafes are a "working class" thing. They just don't sell to the "one shops at Sainsbury's, don't you know" crowd*, and while Waitrose does have them they're very much coffee-and-cake places. In a way I was surprised Asda dumped them as their target market is similar to Morrisons, but bringing the EuroGarages brands in was probably good for economies of scale.

Several Sainsbury's stores seem to be using the former cafe space to house the in-store Argos (Biggleswade and Great Yarmouth have both done this, for example). I guess it was inevitable that something had to go from most stores in order for their plans to put Argos counters within most Sainbury's stores to come to fruition, and the cafe was the unfortunate victim.

* Though I shop there, not because it's posh but because my nearest one is a normal sized supermarket which only takes maybe half an hour to do a full weekly shop, not a massive football pitch sized behemoth like my local Asda where it takes well over an hour, particularly if you forget something and have to backtrack.

The Milton Keynes Asda is the biggest store in the UK

Speaking of Asda, I have to give them credit for extending their 'Kids eat for £1' offer in their cafes to the end of the year. With no strings attached to that offer (Morrisons for example require you to buy one adult meal for each free child meal they offer), that's going to be quite a life-saver for families who live near Asda stores with cafes/Express Diners.

 

[Dai Corner]

Speaking of Asda, I have to give them credit for extending their 'Kids eat for £1' offer in their cafes to the end of the year. With no strings attached to that offer (Morrisons for example require you to buy one adult meal for each free child meal they offer), that's going to be quite a life-saver for families who live near Asda stores with cafes/Express Diners.

Surely that still works out more expensive than buying food in the same shop and cooking it at home?

 

[DelayRepay]

Surely that still works out more expensive than buying food in the same shop and cooking it at home?

If funds are really tight, you may not be able to buy the items because they come in bigger packs. E.g. you could not easily buy the ingredients for a single portion of spaghetti bolognaise with a pound, even though an individual portion costs less than a pound. They may also need to top-up their pre-pay meter to cook the food. And the cafe would avoid the costs of heating the house for an hour.

And, to be honest, this is for kids. A £1 meal out at Asda is not much of a treat, but it might be the best some get this winter.

 

[Phil56]

I'm a bit confused by the affection people seem to have for Little Chef, I'm convinced that it's just rose-tinted nostalgia. My memory of them is that the food was overpriced, lukewarm at best, and served in premises that needed a good deep-clean (I'd recommend fire as an appropriate disinfectant).

In our family, they were always referred to as "Little Thief".

Most were fine at first. Like a lot of "chains", they started going downhill with poor quality and cost cutting etc which eventually caused their demise. I don't know for sure but suspect the original owners/management sold it out to venture capitalists who did their usual trick of raping the profits out of it for short term gain and then churning it through to other venture capitalists.

 

[DelayRepay]

When I was very little we must have had a bad experience in a Little Chef. My dad refused to stop at them, even if there was nowhere else nearby and we were busting for the toilet! And my mum used to hiss and boo every time we drove past one! I have no idea why my parents had such a hatred for this chain, but I imagine they are delighted that it no longer exists, even if it means there are now fewer places to get a hot meal when travelling.

When I was in early 20s, I stopped at a Little Chef somewhere when I was doing a long drive. I felt very, very naughty and was careful not to tell my parents where I'd had my lunch!

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Milton Keynes Asda is the biggest store in the UK

I wonder if it still is, as they've taken a bit off the (clothing) end and leased it to one of those adult play park things (Ninja Warrior)? It's not an atypical size compared with French hypermarkets, but I generally consider those too big too.

 

[D365]

Harveys in Halifax - the last remaining independent family-owned department store in Yorkshire, if not in the whole UK - has an excellent counter service restaurant with a wide variety of hot and cold dishes. It's very popular with 'ladies who lunch'.

I've always found that "ladies who lunch" is a rather odd turn of phrase!

Atkinsons of Sheffield is still family-owned, as far as I am aware

Many other towns suffered the same fate. Sheffield even lost its John Lewis store.

Apparently down to the cost of refurbishing the Cole Brothers building.

Back on the original topic - it's a while since I tried it, but Regency Cafe in London is an interesting hybrid of a greasy spoon with canteen seating.