Canteen-style restaurants

[Bletchleyite]

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.

Satnavving to the nearest Morrisons is probably the easiest way.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Satnavving to the nearest Morrisons is probably the easiest way.

Indeed. And a tad cheaper than a motorway services outlet as well!

 

[urbophile]

Starbucks which are no good for food.

or. coffee.

 

[Ediswan]

The best 'canteen' meal I recall was as a visitor to Microsoft when they were at Winnnersh Triangle.

At a breakfast bar in the US I once asked for two rashers of bacon. The response was 'you can have as much as you like'. I said 'rasher'. They heard 'ration'. US speak is 'strip'.

 

[Busaholic]

They're not open 24/7.

Satnavving to the nearest Morrisons is probably the easiest way.

 

[baz962]

The best 'canteen' meal I recall was as a visitor to Microsoft when they were at Winnnersh Triangle.

At a breakfast bar in the US I once asked for two rashers of bacon. The response was 'you can have as much as you like'. I said 'rasher'. They heard 'ration'. US speak is 'strip'.

And what we call sausages , they call sausage links.

 

[D6130]

And what we call sausages , they call sausage links.

....as in Scotland where if you ask for 'a sausage' you will be given by default a slice of square, or 'Lorne' sausage.

 

[Bletchleyite]

They're not open 24/7.

They aren't, but nor is really anywhere doing a full English.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

They aren't, but nor is really anywhere doing a full English.

Sainsbury's at their Cheadle Royal store do a really full English and also a smaller version. I know, as my son took me there last week.

 

[Dai Corner]

Sainsbury's at their Cheadle Royal store do a really full English and also a smaller version. I know, as my son took me there last week.

At, say, 0400? That's what the previous poster was seeking.

Somewhere he might get one at that time is a truck stop, the modern version of a transport cafe.

 

[Busaholic]

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.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Fond memories of railway staff canteens , often very decent , though I am told that the Leman Road canteen at York was particularly basic - special dish often being Spam fritters and burnt chips. The Stephenson Rooms at Euston was pretty dire - 3 Fishfingers , half a dozen peas and dried out chips being noteworthy.

Compare to Hamburg Maashchen marshalling yard , or Zurich TMD - the former serving the best ever Shnitzel in the world , with home made onion sauce , the latter serving pints of strong beer with every meal ("we only allow one drink per meal" in response to our incredulous questions......)

 

[najaB]

Trago Mills used to offer canteen style meals in their restaurants

Sorry, can't hear that name without thinking of this:

 

[Bletchleyite]

At, say, 0400? That's what the previous poster was seeking.

Somewhere he might get one at that time is a truck stop, the modern version of a transport cafe.

Possibly so. Though many of those roadside cafes open later, e.g. the Super Sausage near Towcester is 7:30am weekdays, 7am weekends (not sure why earlier on a weekend).

In MK itself, short of asking a Premier Inn, the only place I know of that will do a full English early enough to be before work is Morrisons. Definitely not 4am! I suspect those truckers might go for McD's, though that doesn't I think start breakfast until 6.

Compare to Hamburg Maashchen marshalling yard , or Zurich TMD - the former serving the best ever Shnitzel in the world , with home made onion sauce , the latter serving pints of strong beer with every meal ("we only allow one drink per meal" in response to our incredulous questions......)

Many things about DB, the ICE aside, are like BR was about 20-30 years earlier, so I can believe the alcohol policy being similar to the way you hear it was in the 80s and early 90s. For one example I went to the Oktoberfest in about 2010. We were staying in Salzburg (cheaper than Munich) and on the train back the guard was very obviously drunk, clearly having spent his break in a Bierzelt. Other than turning a blind eye to smoking he was operating the train fine, but he was all over the place and you could smell it on him.

But talking of meals, I've often mentioned that the "breakfast, dinner, tea" vs "breakfast, lunch, dinner" thing isn't just north and south having different words but more because a dinner is a sit down hot meal whenever you have it (unless it's breakfast), and in the north the mill owner would provide it at midday because you couldn't afford to have it at home, whereas in the farming south you'd have a sandwich in the fields and have the big meal in the evening after working the farm for the day. Germany as a whole was attached to this idea until fairly recently and still in some places is, noting that their evening meal is even called "Abendbrot" - evening bread. As the main meal is at lunchtime, a good quality, subsidised work canteen is an expectation.

 

[yorksrob]

A particular bugbear of mine are establishments that purport to offer breakfast, but then aren't actually open at breakfast time before 9:00.

 

[Bletchleyite]

A particular bugbear of mine are establishments that purport to offer breakfast, but then aren't actually open at breakfast time before 9:00.

Agreed. I do occasionally (not all the time or I'd be even fatter than I already am) like a quick full English before work, and short of gatecrashing a Premier Inn it's Morrisons or Morrisons, pretty much, and that doesn't serve until 8. The Super Sausage can just about be done but requires some creative routing to get back for 9 due to the morning traffic.

 

[route101]

....as in Scotland where if you ask for 'a sausage' you will be given by default a slice of square, or 'Lorne' sausage.

In Scotland at Greggs, they will ask you square or links.

 

[urpert]

It could well have been a Flunch, although there were one or two other chains. Flinch’s main concentration of branches was in the North and East if I remember correctly; their head office was somewhere in the Lille area. For the first course, cheese and dessert you just picked up a prepared plate, but often the main course was either served out in front of you or, for things like steak, cooked. I believe that in the years since I used them a lot, they have tended to move out of town centres to out-of-town shopping centres.

Yes, they are almost all in out of town shopping centres now. We love them as the kids can have nuggets and chips while the grownups have ‘proper’ food.

Also Roys of Wroxham. It is in the nature of independent department stores to be little known outside their local area.

Is Daniel still going in Windsor?

 

[takno]

I have very happy memories of the waitress served restaurant at John Lewis (Cole Brothers) in Sheffield from the 1970’s and 80’s, before it became self service and I suppose initially canteen style. It was always the highlight of a shopping trip to Sheffield with my mother. I remember having to queue before being shown to a table. They were round tables with white tablecloths and I especially remember the the large heavy Sheffield steel cutlery which was amazing. It was such a shock and a disappointment when one day we arrived there to find it had all been modernised and turned into a self service place. I don’t think we ever had lunch there again. John Lewis in Nottingham (Jessops) in Nottingham was similar on a smaller scale but nowhere as impressive as Sheffield.

Going back to when I was very little, the Coop had waitress service and tablecloths. We used to go in LIttlewoods more often, but only ever for a pot of tea.

 

[MattA7]

That's just reminded me of the 1970s and a trip to the Littlewoods cafe in Dundee. Rank lookwarm food kept going by the orange glow lamps.
Happy days!

As someone who grew up in Dundee I remember the littlewoods cafe they used to a dark red decor one which was rarely open and a green almost avocado decor one. I often ended up there every Saturday afternoon with my Gran and my Aunt as my Aunt was a heavy smoker we always ended up in the dingy smoking area where the walls were almost slimy yellow with years of cigarette smoke.

There was also a similar type of restaurant in BHS in the wellgate shopping center although it was a bit more modern looking. I think there was also one in the Keilers shopping center (which was outdated as it was) that was pretty similar. Not sure if that one still exists as I haven’t been to Dundee for over a Decade.

EDIT: quote was from post #4

 

[najaB]

I think there was also one in the Keilers shopping center (which was outdated as it was) that was pretty similar. Not sure if that one still exists as I haven’t been to Dundee for over a Decade.

The Forum Centre / Keiler Centre is still alive somehow, but it's been ages since I've been inside. The restaurant closed ages ago - at least four or five years - if it's the same one then it had become a sit-down Gregg's in its latter years.

 

[DelayRepay]

Agreed. I do occasionally (not all the time or I'd be even fatter than I already am) like a quick full English before work, and short of gatecrashing a Premier Inn it's Morrisons or Morrisons, pretty much, and that doesn't serve until 8. The Super Sausage can just about be done but requires some creative routing to get back for 9 due to the morning traffic.

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.

 

[Bletchleyite]

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.

Useful to know, ta.

 

[david1212]

Back 30+ years ago in most reasonable size towns there was at least one of BHS, C&A, Debenhams, Littlewoods, Owen Owen etc with a restaurant serving a proper meal although limited choice e.g. fish or steak & kidney pie. Also independants that while mostly not self-service had a set lunch menu ready to go and served quickly. Weekdays their main custom was shop, bank etc and office staff wanting a 2 if not 3 course meal within an hour from clocking out to clocking back in.

Now as the OP stated the trend is just coffee or another drink. soup with a roll and snacks ( I don't call even a filled jacket potato a meal ) be it eat in or a Greggs style take-away.

I don't find the current Wetherspoons food menu very appealing. The offerings across the Greene King group seen inconsistant.

Often numerous foreign offerings e.g. Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian but not English. I've not been for several years but last time Bournemouth was an example. Go back to late 1990's and Debenhams ( I think ) did a full Sunday lunch. Later while still called a Restaurant the menu no longer had a proper meal. Once in Carlisle with limited time on a Railtour the best I found was the market Greasy Spoon for gammon & chips.

Numerous motorway services now only have one of the burger chains, Chozen Noodle, Nando’s and similar. Little Chef have all closed and before them Happy Eater.

Overall just as the OP stated my experience also is that no longer can finding somewhere to get a lunch time hot meal quickly be relied on.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't find the quality of Spoons food to be up there (in particular they really need to pack in using McCain Home Fries and start using proper chips that are simply pre-sliced fresh potatoes, which cannot be improved upon and cost less than the junk they do use), but there aren't many menus with more variety than it anywhere, really.

 

[najaB]

I don't find the quality of Spoons food to be up there (in particular they really need to pack in using McCain Home Fries and start using proper chips that are simply pre-sliced fresh potatoes, which cannot be improved upon and cost less than the junk they do use), but there aren't many menus with more variety than it anywhere, really.

Yeah, Weatherspoon is best described as exceedingly non-descript and acceptable. You know what you're going to get and it will be... food product.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yeah, Weatherspoon is best described as exceedingly non-descript and acceptable. You know what you're going to get and it will be... food product.

It's an acceptable and easy default. Cheap and acceptable. Same market as McD's basically, but you get a proper plate and can have an alcoholic drink if you want. Grown-up McD's, I suppose.

 

[py_megapixel]

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.

 

[Bletchleyite]

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.

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).

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.

 

[D6130]

I don't find the quality of Spoons food to be up there (in particular they really need to pack in using McCain Home Fries and start using proper chips that are simply pre-sliced fresh potatoes, which cannot be improved upon and cost less than the junk they do use), but there aren't many menus with more variety than it anywhere, really.

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