I don’t want to be completely harsh and slate a place that we once enjoyed, but I do want to update about a place we discovered last year and really enjoyed. I’ve decided that I won’t mention the actual name of the restaurant in this post, but if you have read some of my previous posts, then you’ll probably be able to figure it out!
Last year, in August, my mum and I discovered this amazing burger place on our way home from York, quite by accident really. The kids were with us and we thoroughly enjoyed our burgers, fries, hot dog etc. The restaurant itself was lovely, but the service was fantastic, the presentation of the food was beautiful and all in all it was a great experience. So much so in fact, that only a week or so later, when Amy came to visit, we went back there again. And after that, myself and Chris went there one day too. Every time the food, presentation and service was great and we looked forward to it as a place to go. Until recently.
Having not been for several months, Chris and I visited after seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the cinema. At first nothing looked that different (though the table and booth we were seated in were dirty) but as soon as we were handed the menu, I noticed an immediate difference – it was much bigger. As someone who loves Gordon Ramsay, I’ve watched a lot of his restaurant programs, especially those like Kitchen Nightmares and Hotel Hell. My first thought was that he would think the menu far too big and when I noticed things like Nutella as a topping for burgers and chips, I could even picture his facial expression!
The burgers themselves, are around the £10 mark. This is pretty average I think and didn’t feel bad value, especially since it came with fries and coleslaw. Sadly now it only comes with fries, but you can upgrade them with various options, if you want. Previously I’d tried Peri Peri and Cajun, both of which were shake on spices that I really enjoyed. To tell the truth, I don’t remember how much it was to upgrade your fries, but now it seems like a lot – at £1.55 for some sprinkles! True there are options a bit more filling – like the addition of chilli, mac cheese or even cheese and bacon. These will set you back about £2 though – remembering that the fries are part of your meal and your just topping them, this seems expensive.
There were other things we noticed as expensive too. I don’t know if they were that price or not before to be honest but it never struck me as especially expensive. Onion rings will set you back about £5 I think!
Anyway, we ordered a started of Potato skins and while it was nice, it was just average. Presentation was especially poor – three potato skins on a white plate with a blue edge and a dip of sour cream in the middle. Sure there’s not an awful lot you can do with potato skins but it just seemed lame. Next up came the burgers and this was the biggest shock visually. Learn about how Jimmy John Owner came about to building his sandwich business to becoming worth a billions.
Previously the food had looked like the picture above. Not just the first time we went in August, but all of the times. Amy even blogged about our experience too and the food looked amazing.
This time however…
Now I’m not going to lie, it still tasted okay. The chips were nice but needed vinegar (I’d really enjoyed having spices on them before but I wasn’t prepared to pay £1.50 extra) and the burger tasted nice but it’s look was just sad.
The truth of the matter is, I probably won’t rush to go there again. After three really good meals I feel like I should perhaps give it another chance, but it also seems like this is their way forward – a bigger menu and not as much effort with the presentation. As an ex-restaurateur and someone who spent pretty much their whole working life as a waitress, this is so sad to see and I only wish that business owners and managers could take a step back sometimes and realise what they had before was good and didn’t need changing.
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