Worst cafe in Britain...

[Chapeltom]

Is my old employer!

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/basil-fawlty-style-caf-boss-4808280

Basil Fawlty style café boss is star attraction for customers who WANT to be insulted

Mike Clarke's Peak District establishment gas been dubbed the 'worst place on Earth' and its customer service has been slammed

This snarling, sweary tea shop owner has been dubbed the Basil Fawlty of cafés – and punters are flocking from all over to see the grumpy old so-and-so in action.

Mike Clarke is branded rude and nasty by fed-up customers who claim his Peak District tearoom is the “worst place on Earth”.

He tells hikers they are not welcome and hurls abuse at anyone daring to order drinks without food, reviewers on the TripAdvisor website claim.

Others tell of being reduced to tears by Mike at Dolly’s Hidden Tearoom in Castleton, Derbyshire.....

I worked there from April 2004 to September 2013, and I can verify this article as being entirely representative of the establishment, well Mr Clark anyway! Although, working there was an experience in itself and I could reveal far more than what has already been said.In the latter 18 months of my tenure I worked with him, pretty much doing all the running around because of his poor health. I'm not sure that the 'any publicity is good publicity' saying would be true then. I am weighing up whether to write about my experiences working there but I suppose no one would be that interested.

Now, a serious point. What on earth does this do to my CV?


Tom

 

[yorksrob]

I'd forgive the swearing if he did a good fry up for a reasonable price. Alas, it doesn't look like that sort of cafe!

 

[Chapeltom]

I have to admit when he took the mickey out of where people were from, e.g. Scousers, Southerners, it was made in jest but unfortunately Britain being Britain, some people couldn't see the funny side to it. I tolerated that, because I'm not someone to really take offence to things. I am someone who quite happily mocks where I'm from - I even did an AS Level piece of work sarcastically mocking my town and did well in it.

The hikers thing got beyond the joke, and he was downright offensive when he didn't need to be. The main reason I left is because I got sick and tired of working my backside off only for him to upset many of the customers I'd worked so hard to get served. His argumentativeness pushed me too far, and in the end I walked out. 9 years and 6 months, working from 11 years old and it was over because of some petty argument. I was glad to get out when I did, I needed to make the break and didn't need the hassle during my final year of University.

It sounds slightly ridiculous but much of the time, when he was out the way it wasn't too bad, yes I had to pretty much run the place on my own but at least they'd be no unpleasantness. I mean doing the pots, ice-cream, serving customers, setting/clearing tables and doing orders was tough work, especially when 15 came in at once but it was rewarding work when customers were happy. Regrettably, I fell too much under his influence when he was there and working, because when I strayed into the grounds of giving customer service I was humiliated in front of customers. So I almost had to tow the line and I realised it wasn't me. I'm not a pushy sales person, I'm rather placid and laid back, sadly adopting that approach to my work never got me anywhere. Customer service was actively discouraged.

The reason I stayed for so long was partly because I didn't have enough confidence to leave/go somewhere else, where likely the pay was going to be worse anyway. I knew I was earning decent money, but even money meant nothing. Kind of saddens me as I know he's had really bad health problems, but you can't do anything for those who aren't willing to help themselves.

 

[eastwestdivide]

What is it about the Peak District? Has anyone been to Grindleford station cafe? The service is usually OK and the food is fine, it's just the whole place is plastered in notices telling you not to do things, e.g.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cof-krnd/879546374/
http://russelldavies.typepad.com/eggbaconchipsandbeans/2004/07/grindleford_sta.html
http://www.paulsalveson.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_8203.jpg

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'd forgive the swearing if he did a good fry up for a reasonable price. Alas, it doesn't look like that sort of cafe!

There's something quite endearing about a Pythonesque 1970s-style cafe with plastic tables/chairs and Melamine wood effect walls, and a miserable git behind the desk offering egg, bacon, spam and sausage washed down by coffee made from a large tin of Nescafe they've had for years and a Burco that looks like it's about to take off. Cheapo ketchup poured into a Heinz bottle on each table is mandatory.

Bedford Bus Station Cafe used to be a bit like that, but it's closed now for the bus station rebuild, I believe, and will no doubt be replaced with a charmless Upper Crust, Costa or somesuch.

Neil

 

[Busaholic]

What is it about the Peak District? Has anyone been to Grindleford station cafe? The service is usually OK and the food is fine, it's just the whole place is plastered in notices telling you not to do things, e.g.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cof-krnd/879546374/
http://russelldavies.typepad.com/eggbaconchipsandbeans/2004/07/grindleford_sta.html
http://www.paulsalveson.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_8203.jpg

The cafe on Maidstone West station was exactly the same for prohibitive notices, to the extent that in the year I spent commuting to/from there I couldn't bring myself to go in there. At the opposite extreme, my wife grew up in Preston and there was a cafe called Bruciannis (?) where you could take your own sandwiches as long as you bought a drink!

 

[Mojo]

Maybe it's a Derbyshire thing? I find much of the locality particularly uninviting.

 

[yorksrob]

There's something quite endearing about a Pythonesque 1970s-style cafe with plastic tables/chairs and Melamine wood effect walls, and a miserable git behind the desk offering egg, bacon, spam and sausage washed down by coffee made from a large tin of Nescafe they've had for years and a Burco that looks like it's about to take off. Cheapo ketchup poured into a Heinz bottle on each table is mandatory.

Bedford Bus Station Cafe used to be a bit like that, but it's closed now for the bus station rebuild, I believe, and will no doubt be replaced with a charmless Upper Crust, Costa or somesuch.

Neil

I know a couple of brilliant cafes of that sort, with the exception that the staff are always quite cheerful.

 

[43021HST]

I was expecting the worst cafe in Britain to be the one near Penzance Station. Only been to Penzance once but considering it's a cafe located near the station I found it to be very parochial. The staff were very short with you and the customers were clearly the local yokel types.

But I've heard that part of Cornwall is like that.

 

[bb21]

You mean the place that smelt greasy in the air? I love it. It's legendary like the Grindleford one.

 

[theblackwatch]

Somewhere for a forum meal perhaps?

 

[yorksrob]

I was expecting the worst cafe in Britain to be the one near Penzance Station. Only been to Penzance once but considering it's a cafe located near the station I found it to be very parochial. The staff were very short with you and the customers were clearly the local yokel types.

But I've heard that part of Cornwall is like that.

That part of Cornwall's fine. Never had any problems with Parochialism in Penzance.

Incidentally, I discovered that the cafe inside the station does a very decent fry-up.

 

[swj99]

What is it about the Peak District? Has anyone been to Grindleford station cafe? The service is usually OK and the food is fine, it's just the whole place is plastered in notices telling you not to do things...........

Maybe they're just fed up with parents who let their kids run riot and fail to control them properly. Couldn't blame them for that. It's a shame some of the larger chain businesses don't do something similar. I went into a supermarket the other week, and there were screaming kids running about all over. If I'd wanted to see and hear that, I'd have got a job as a playgroup assistant or something.

 

[Busaholic]

Somewhere for a forum meal perhaps?

I'll book a table for you. While there take the pelican crossing over to Mousehole Fish and buy six lemon sole for a fiver, all caught earlier that morning from one of five named local boats. Tell her Tim sent you and she'll probably give you a seventh.

When the Queen and the Duke came by train to Penzance a couple of years back, purely for the purpose of travelling to Scilly by helicopter from the then-extant heliport, people (well, me) wondered how she'd avoid seeing that cafe, the tattoo and massage parlours and all the empty shops on the one-way bit, but they cleverly routed her car against the flow and saved the civic blushes.

My friend Lorraine in Steamers cafe in the station will do you a nice fry-up and, if you ask nicely, will arrange the model train to do a couple of circuits round the cafe walls!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Try this report for size:

http://www.epsomguardian.co.uk/news...ted__and_disabled_girl__told_to_sit_outside_/

.....Two weeks ago, an appalled Gretta Dempsie, mother of Game of Thrones and Skins actor Joe Dempsie, contacted the Epsom Guardian to complain about the treatment of her disabled daughter, Lauren.

Mrs Dempsie said she and her husband had taken their daughter - who had moved to Epsom that day to start living in a specially-adapted cottage - to Cafe Crepes for lunch, but had been refused service unless they sat outside.

She said: "I pushed my daughter in and the owner behind the counter had an expression to say ‘what are you doing in here?’.

"We said we wanted some food. She said ‘not in here, you can sit outside’.

"She said that was because of the wheelchair.".....

 

[eastwestdivide]

Maybe they're just fed up with parents who let their kids run riot and fail to control them properly. Couldn't blame them for that. It's a shame some of the larger chain businesses don't do something similar. I went into a supermarket the other week, and there were screaming kids running about all over. If I'd wanted to see and hear that, I'd have got a job as a playgroup assistant or something.

No, it's not just the parents/kids thing at the Grindleford cafe - there are notices aimed at everyone, and the wording isn't what you'd call polite, more sarcastic. "This is a serving hatch not a viewing gallery"

 

[Chapeltom]

No, it's not just the parents/kids thing at the Grindleford cafe - there are notices aimed at everyone, and the wording isn't what you'd call polite, more sarcastic. "This is a serving hatch not a viewing gallery"

I'm the kind of person who would find those things funny, but never dare put a notice up like that anywhere I worked in anyone did get offended.

Having worked in catering, I can understand the frustrations of the staff. When you notice people doing the same thing over and over again, day after day you would feel like putting one of those notices up but its unprofessional to do so.

One of my big frustrations was being located near Peak Cavern Car Park we would get demands for change from 10am right through until noon. It costs money for businesses to buy change (or so I was told) and 50 £1 coins can go disappear very quickly on ordinary customers. When in charge of a till I was responsible for making sure we didn't if possible run out which was particularly difficult on summer weekends. So when you had people wanting to buy bottles of water with £20 notes, or ice-creams or blatantly just ask for change we had to decline, and often even when I was on my own, declined the sale, I often got a mouth full of abuse. That's not an easy situation for a business, but I see nothing wrong with declining a small sale if it means having enough change for genuine customers later in the day.

 

[Bletchleyite]

One of my big frustrations was being located near Peak Cavern Car Park we would get demands for change from 10am right through until noon. It costs money for businesses to buy change (or so I was told) and 50 £1 coins can go disappear very quickly on ordinary customers. When in charge of a till I was responsible for making sure we didn't if possible run out which was particularly difficult on summer weekends. So when you had people wanting to buy bottles of water with £20 notes, or ice-creams or blatantly just ask for change we had to decline, and often even when I was on my own, declined the sale, I often got a mouth full of abuse. That's not an easy situation for a business, but I see nothing wrong with declining a small sale if it means having enough change for genuine customers later in the day.

Or you could be a little more customer friendly, and structure your business in the manner that you could make a profit from giving change. (Such as "we will only change £20 notes if you spend more than £10" or something - many people would then buy their sandwiches for lunch or similar).

Personally I would much rather there was a (polite and apologetic) sign making any such policy clear.

I never understand pubs etc that whinge about people using their toilets when not customers. Surely it would be more sensible to charge for the use of the toilets if not a customer and make it part of your profitable business?

Neil

 

[ThePannier]

I'm not employed, I'm still in school actually! (just ill today!)

I'm clueless as to the ins and outs of a CV, but unless this thing wasn't made until after you ended employment with the establishment, I personally wouldn't be worrying.

I just wouldn't be wanting a reference from him! :P

Nah, in all seriousness I hope it doesn't have any effect on you!

 

[Chapeltom]

Or you could be a little more customer friendly, and structure your business in the manner that you could make a profit from giving change. (Such as "we will only change £20 notes if you spend more than £10" or something - many people would then buy their sandwiches for lunch or similar).

Personally I would much rather there was a (polite and apologetic) sign making any such policy clear.

I never understand pubs etc that whinge about people using their toilets when not customers. Surely it would be more sensible to charge for the use of the toilets if not a customer and make it part of your profitable business?

Neil

Apologies if I didn't make it clear, I'm still referring to the place mentioned in the opening post. I would say very politely "Sorry I cannot give change for the car-park" OR "Have you got anything less (than that £20 note)" and the answer was then 99.9% of the time, "No.", "Oh I'm sorry, I can't take it." If someone then said something, I would thne play plain dumb, and say "That's what management have told me" because really it was nothing to do with me. If someone did seek 'management' out, they ended up with A) A mouthful of abuse after inevitably admitting they were after change for the car-park or B) Being sold an ice-cream at £2+ and ending up with only 2 £1 coins at best when the car-park was £3, that depended on the mood of my ex-boss.

There was a sign saying something along the lines of "We do not do change for the car-park" but nobody ever read it and those who did were often those who it didn't apply to and I instead got asked questions such as "Why?" :roll: and then, I'm not lying, people would demand an answer, and follow me around even when I obviously busy dealing with genuine customers. I can unfortunately say I pretty much saw it all, the good, the bad and the ugly side to British manners. If you do something, you get moaned at. If you don't do something, you get moaned at. I worked my backside off for most most of my summer weekends from 11 up to the age of 20, so much so, I hadn't until this August done a Saturday football game in August in 10 years, this comes from someone who has watched around 600 games in the last 10 years. You wouldn't believe how many grown adults are willing to give abuse to a teenager whilst they are working, more than you'd think.


How I am thankful I left that job and have now safely fled the country after University. 53 days and counting!

 

[swj99]

I was reading some reviews on trip advisor about a roadside cafe somewhere, which was reportedly so bad that potential customers left when staff were about to have a fight.

At least these places can't be as bad as Hotel Bastardos, in the Comic Strip film, Fistful Of Travellers Cheques, when Keith Allen said....

Get your hand off my counter you tourist filth !

 

[Clip]

I was reading some reviews on trip advisor about a roadside cafe somewhere, which was reportedly so bad that potential customers left when staff were about to have a fight.

At least these places can't be as bad as Hotel Bastardos, in the Comic Strip film, Fistful Of Travellers Cheques, when Keith Allen said....

Ha ha quality those comic strip ones.

I was in some old pub in Frankfurt suppin on some of their fine beer and apple wine when 2 chefs started arguing in the kitchen and then started throwing stuff at each other and one stormed out crying. Most people just got about their business but we were killing ourselves laughing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Apologies if I didn't make it clear, I'm still referring to the place mentioned in the opening post.

Oh, OK. It was a general point on the "no change given" places you get in car parks - shame that in English "one" sounds quite stilted.

Neil

 

[Chapeltom]

My former boss has now been approached by TV production companies for a documentary on 'Britain's Worst Cafe', a 4 figure sum has been banded about.

This has been an absolutely bonkers year, but this is one thing that you could not have predicted!

 

[LexyBoy]

I was in some old pub in Frankfurt suppin on some of their fine beer and apple wine when 2 chefs started arguing in the kitchen and then started throwing stuff at each other and one stormed out crying. Most people just got about their business but we were killing ourselves laughing.

I was on the train from Paris to Florence once and was waiting to enquire about dinner at the bar when the chef burst out of the kitchen with the barman in a headlock and a knife to his neck…

All good natured japes though.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

No, it's not just the parents/kids thing at the Grindleford cafe - there are notices aimed at everyone, and the wording isn't what you'd call polite, more sarcastic. "This is a serving hatch not a viewing gallery"

"If you want to guard the fire - become a fireman"
"no mobile phones"
"breakfasts items are NEVER altered"

Grindleford is a good café, especially after a long walk, and the servings are definitely generous, but the signs always got my back up a bit. As you say, it's the overall tone / style rather than the message they attempt to convey. I'm quite happy to take my plates to the correct counter, just ask me nicely and tell me where the counter is!

There used to be a grumpy oldish bloke who shuffled around scowling at people, I assumed to see if people were eating their own sandwiches or overstaying their welcome having drunk their pint of tea.

And if they are running short of pint mugs, just bl**** well buy some more from the wholesalers instead of disappointing your customers gasping for a brew!

On the subject of change, you'd think the person emptying the car park machine could swap the change for notes with those nearby business owners - less weight for him to cart around, less costs for local businesses, happier customers all round!

 

[43021HST]

To be honest I like grumpy cafes, they have a more 'human' feel to them, unlike chain restaurants where the staff are obligated to wear a false grin rather than a genuine scowl.

I think staff should be encouraged to be a bit more rude, might make some customers realise they're not the center of the world.
I used to work in retail and honestly some of the customers act like spoilt french princes if they don't get their way.