Few decent places to eat in town at night

[Richard]

Mainly it's about poor management in the work place.
If Covid's effect on the NHS is anything to go by, with the staff-shortages and difficult shift-patterns they have to manage, places like Wetherspoons will probably not be running on all gears for some time.

[seahermit]

Even in normal times, I have never known a pub so badly managed as Wetherspoons. I suppose they get away with it because the place is conveniently located and cheap. There seems to be no single manager in charge and the staff are invariably fed-up and offhand.

[Richard]

seahermit, the Wetherspoons in Hastings is admittedly a little shabby but there are 1000 up and down the country, often in repurposed buildings with huge space and bright decor, unique to the location.
I have never met rudeness in the Hastings branch and the staff are young and capable of dashing about because they are typically busy, that makes the time go quickly for them, I know as I have worked in a pub.
Many people love Wetherspoons and the kitchens are said to be spotless as the boss, Tim Martin, abhors dirt or grime.
I enjoy the fish and chips as they are fried in the kitchen, not from a frozen box of pre-battered product.
There are also 46 Wetherspoon hotels.

I have visited towns where there are more than one Wetherspoons and naturally I may prefer one to another, I think a lot depends in the building and in Hastings it is not ideal and the seats often seem badly stained and need changing, that is all I can comment really.

[seahermit]

No, I didn't say rude, I said offhand. I used to go regularly to the Hastings branch and anyone there would have told you that the staff are rather variable - some helpful and charming, a few others with a really bad attitude. It has always been so and shows poor management.

The food is not bad at all and they are always quick to change things if there is a problem with a meal. But the tables were invariably filthy and littered with used plates, again poor management and not enough staff. Bit better now, since of course it is more vital to keep the place clean.

I worked in a Wetherspoon pub in Streatham once. It would have put this one to shame, spotless and the manager made sure nobody was hanging about idly.

One of my friends in the Hastings pub said once it was "known as the worst Wetherspoon pub in the south". A bit exaggerated no doubt but that gives you an idea of how people felt.

[Richard]

If a few of the staff are behaving in an unfriendly manner, unhelpful, uncaring and/or aloof and displaying a bad attitude, to the point of making a poor experience for you, below your expectations, then you should take the matter up with the manager and, without naming names, ask if the manager feels this is acceptable.
Probably the staff have to deal with many people with bad attitudes and have to maintain a veneer of detached engagement in order to protect their otherwise good intentions.
People often see a weakness in others who are naturally generous, friendly and helpful and can sometimes abuse this hospitality.
Hence the protective barrier you may perceive in some of the staff.

[seahermit]

I would not want anyone to be losing their job and, even if things were said formally to the duty managers, what would they do? They probably have difficulty finding suitable staff.

But there are certainly some unfriendly ones, and one or two who are actively disliked (or more than that!) by everyone, but what can you do? They probably have their own issues.

The difficult/impossible customers they have to deal with at times indeed make their detached demeanour understandable and necessary, but that does not excuse surliness towards other customers who are behaving politely.

You never find just one staff member of that kind within a team (not for long anyway!). It is usually a general culture of not connecting well with the clientele and it comes from the top.

[Richard]

I think if the behaviour of staff anywhere is putting customers off then some sort of action has to be taken, i.e. the management should be made aware of it.
I had an issue with a certain staff member at Hastings Morrisons' cafe, they were being surly and answering back.
On a number of occasions I received an item I had not ordered and made them aware of it but they argued and asserted that I was in the wrong and they were generally overbearing and rude.
On the last occasion I was ridiculed at my table by being told loudly, "You have done this before, are you going to make a scene about it?"
I just walked out and complained to the manager, explaining the general attitude, but not the latest rudeness, and he offered me food vouchers to be used in the shop.
I declined and he said he would have a word with them.
Later he caught up with me and apologised, saying it would not happen again.
No! I said, it won't, I will not be going back.
And I will not as, apart from some of the staff being friendly as can be, it is a little like a school dinner lady experience. With one or two ruling the roost.
Bossy staff feeding timid customers, not for me, it became a toxic experience.

They should have a complaints box at Wetherspoons perhaps.
You could suggest that to the manager and see what is the response.

[seahermit]

I find the incident at Morrisons quite shocking, if the rudeness was as blatant as that, and I would certainly not have stood for it. I would have demanded to speak to a manager and followed it up with a written complaint and a request for some action.

A manager in the BHF charity shop at White Rock was extremely rude and bullying towards me, shouting at me across the shop and so on. I had a row with him (with every customer looking on in amazement) and, shortly afterwards, a really nice female friend had a similar experience, said that he was "an absolute pig" to her.

I considered writing to the BHF but unfortunately was having some health problems at the time, so put it on hold. But I felt strongly that he wouldn't last long .. and sure enough he disappeared in a few months and I have never seen him since! I think it highly likely that there were other complaints ..

This evening, I unusually went into the White Rock Hotel and ordered a leg-of-duck with veg etc. - not bad, not the best meal I have ever had, but the service was immaculate, the whole place was clean, well-ordered, smart and friendly and it made Wetherspoons look like the roughest, downtown dump.

A bonus was that I bumped into the woman who published some of my poetry in an anthology a few years back. So obviously it is a haunt of some rather nicer, better-dressed individuals and worth going back to some time!

[Richard]

Yes! I used to frequent the White Rock with a lady friend.
We took it in turns to pay.
She then 'discovered' Wetherspoons, realised they were cheap in comparison and refused to go to back to White Rock again.
All for the sake of a couple of quid!
Our friendship soon ended.

You have pleasant Pier and sea views at White Rock, decent customers and agreeable staff.
No views from Wetherspoons and filthy seats - no thanks!

[seahermit]

I have a friend like that. If a cup of tea at a cafe down the road is 20p cheaper, he will opt for that one and ignore the scruffiness. Restaurants have to be very cheap. Going out with him doesn't happen very often!

Probably fish and chips tonight from London Road. They start reaching for the serving spatula when they see me walk in now. But where to get a drink in a comfortable spot in St Leonard's? Still problematic.