The good thing (well, acceptable) about chains is that you can pretty much go in any one in any town and know what you are getting – as an adult only group it isn’t too much of an issue but when you are with kids it is better to go with a safe option rather than try an indie and for them not to like it. Our daughters like Ask Italian so we usually go there as we know they will have a good meal and we can eat in peace. We wouldn’t go there as a couple.

HTS – you seriously have a three course meal for lunch? The only way I’d have a “starter, main and dessert + sides of garlic bread and olives” at lunchtime is if were planning on hibernating for a week afterwards.

We’re just a small northern town but we have at least four indy pizza/pasta places in the town centre,

Come to East Lancashire, you’ll struggle to find a street that doesn’t have at least four independent take-away pizza places.

I’ve just looked at the menu for the one nearest me (literally two blocks away), a 9″ margarita comes in at three quid, going up to £5.50 for the posh ones. The nearest good pizza place is £5-£8 for a ‘regular’.

a 9″ margarita comes in at three quid

That’s ridiculous.

(literally two blocks away)

I didn’t know we had blocks in the UK…. how big is that?

HTS – you seriously have a three course meal for lunch?

I guess that depends on the circumstances surely? Family day out, big lunch then home for a movie and snacks? I know we’ve done that.

HTS – you seriously have a three course meal for lunch?

Not every week. Probably 3 times a year max. Christmas Eve at the PE just up the road, once on holiday as a change from eating in and we’ll probably be in the Buxton one this Sunday as we’re going for a day out (if that is OK with all of the food and diet snobs on here).

As plenty have said. It is cheap on the Tesco Vouchers (drinks and a tip will cost about £15 in real money), you can guarantee that the food will be OK and the menu has been carb scored for my daughter, so we don’t have to worry about unknows for her insulin dosage.

I wonder how many of the “Go Indy” types on here actually do go out as a family and eat in a local restaurant 3 times a year? I know that I couldn’t justify dropping something north of £300 to do it.

And as for those willing their demise… people will be out of a job. Hundreds if not thousands of people. It may not be well paid, but it is a job. Get a ****ing grip. The PE/Bella Italia/Café Rouge/Zizzi etc customers aren’t suddenly going to rock up at the local artisan Trattoria and start spending cash. They’ll just go to a ‘Spoons or not bother at all.

I wonder how many of the “Go Indy” types on here actually do go out as a family and eat in a local restaurant 3 times a year? I know that I couldn’t justify dropping something north of £300 to do it.

3 times? Not me probably nearer 8 or 9 times and it doesn’t cost a £100 a time or near and kids are way past kid portions. Look for the lunchtime specials and early birds you’ll be under that each time.

Yup johndoh Dominos are awful one of the worst pizzas I had was from there.

I occasionally use a chain for ease but never found them that much cheaper but simple to use. My kids aren’t fussy kids so I know what they’ll eat so have no issues going to an independent.

I wonder how many of the “Go Indy” types on here actually do go out as a family and eat in a local restaurant 3 times a year? I know that I couldn’t justify dropping something north of £300 to do it.

We go out for dinner much more than that, although only a family of 3 I doubt we spend more than £200 at anytime, maybe we did for my birthday last year. Usually we can eat out for less than £75.

So £75/3×4 x 3 visits = £300

There’s no way that we as a family could justify that. Not that there’s anything wrong with spending that amount of money, but it’s not for us. That’s why we go to Pizza Express.

I would literally cry if I had to drop 200 quid on a meal for 3 people. I’ve never really got the whole fine dining thing, dont get me wrong i love the beef fillet yakitori skewer that they do at a pub near us but that’s 23 quid a go with two very nice sides out of a choice of maybe 10, but even that makes me wince a little. Perhaps I’m just a tight bastard!

There’s no way that we as a family could justify that

This is STW, there has to be superiority in all the threads like this… people here just have to be ‘better’ depeding on their interpreation of better within a given thread.

Place astounds me.

Not every week. Probably 3 times a year max. Christmas Eve at the PE just up the road, once on holiday as a change from eating in and we’ll probably be in the Buxton one this Sunday as we’re going for a day out (if that is OK with all of the food and diet snobs on here).

Ah, fair enough. I assumed you meant like popping out from work on a random Wednesday or something.

I didn’t know we had blocks in the UK…. how big is that?

Seriously? That’s what terraced houses come in. It’s maybe a two minute walk.

This is STW, there has to be superiority in all the threads like this… people here just have to be ‘better’ depeding on their interpreation of better within a given thread.
Place astounds me.

Not sure whether that is aimed at those who spend the money or those that won’t. If it is the latter then at least quote the sentence that followed it.

Anyway. Each to their own and all that, but back to my original point, if PE goes under then I’ll miss it.

I would literally cry if I had to drop 200 quid on a meal for 3 people.

It’s drinks and sundries that are the killer. A local Indian might only be seven quid for a main, but then you factor in poppadoms, chutney tray, onion bhajis, rice, naans, a few pints at a fiver a pop, suddenly you’ve spunked £40+ a head without noticing.

Ah, fair enough. I assumed you meant like popping out from work on a random Wednesday or something.

I’d need to be using an aweful lot of diesel to get enough vouchers for that!

It’s drinks and sundries that are the killer. A local Indian might only be seven quid for a main, but then you factor in poppadoms, chutney tray, onion bhajis, rice, naans, a few pints at a fiver a pop, suddenly you’ve spunked £40+ a head without noticing.

Tell me about it… Me, the wife and the boy went for Indian last weekend.

£110 ! I nearly choked… It was nice enough.. but i was astounded at £110.

Whoops

^Very off topic.

I bet Hitler was the sort of person who had peas on a pizza.

[edit]Whoops isn’t good enough.[/edit]

and pineapple.

Wrong thread!

This is STW, there has to be superiority in all the threads like this… people here just have to be ‘better’ depeding on their interpreation of better within a given thread.

Place astounds me.

Ay? Everyone is saying you can eat cheap at the right places that was the OPs point with PE and others on Indy places. Only one person interrupted it as £300 for one meal.

Anyway, four of us went to PE on sunday… shared a double dough balls, pizza each, and pudding each (with coffee for adults), drank tap water… £43 thanks to a voucher. Better pizza elsewhere for sure, but it’s good for the price, and carbs are spot on for the boy… post lunch peak was only 10 … most pizza joints result in a late 20+ peak.

I would literally cry if I had to drop 200 quid on a meal for 3 people. I’ve never really got the whole fine dining thing, dont get me wrong i love the beef fillet yakitori skewer that they do at a pub near us but that’s 23 quid a go with two very nice sides out of a choice of maybe 10, but even that makes me wince a little. Perhaps I’m just a tight bastard!

@wrightyson Joiners Arms, Quarndon?

Anyway we use PE a fair amount. As stated above because of the vouchers and I also know that my son will find something he likes. Would go somewhere else if it was just me and the Mrs

chestercopperpot

Member

Utter shit.

^^^Yep sums it up. Expensive but only middle of the road quality and a bit bland. How the **** it lasted so long I don’t know. Went in the Manchester one years ago and that was enough for me to know I’d never go again.

From what I’ve read Pizza Express itself is largely successful and profitable, the problem here is that the chinese private equity firm that now owns them has saddled them with a metric shit-tonne of debt that they cannot afford to service.

Ay? Everyone is saying you can eat cheap at the right places that was the OPs

Nah, they’re all throwing in their reverse superiority about how we shouldn’t use chains and they’re better because they only do Indy. There’s 2 different sets of superiority within the same topic.

Nah, they’re all throwing in their reverse superiority about how we shouldn’t use chains and they’re better because they only do Indy. There’s 2 different sets of superiority within the same topic.

It doesn’t read well! Reality is that indy places can be hit and miss as can chain places!

@robbo that’s the one. Its bloody lovely though I have to admit.

Me, the wife and the boy went for Indian last weekend

Massooms?

Tell me about it… Me, the wife and the boy went for Indian last weekend.

£110 ! I nearly choked… It was nice enough.. but i was astounded at £110

We go to an Indian for the Sunday buffet occasionally – all you can eat for a family of four. I’ll normally have two or three pints of Cobra and my wife/two girls a couple of J2Os each then the girls will have ice creams – we cab normally do it for £45 all in which I am comfortable spending. I think I would do a runner at £110!

Massooms?

Kolkata. As i say it was nice enough, they were friendly, food was good…

I think I would do a runner at £110!

I suggested it to the wife…. she gave me the look…

Whoops again.

I’ll normally have two or three pints of Cobra and my wife/two girls a couple of J2Os each then the girls will have ice creams – we cab normally do it for £45 all in

Assuming you’re not sharing a plate, crikey that’s cheap.

2 beers and 2 j20 would be closing on £20 here.

(the most over priced curry I recall having was in Derby a few weeks back, £75 for two of us. Expensive but not terrible I thought – food was OK but not worth the price tag – only as I was getting into the car did I twig we’d shared a starter, no deserts and neither of us were drinking, at that point I muttered the Yorkshire war cry)

Nah, they’re all throwing in their reverse superiority about how we shouldn’t use chains and they’re better because they only do Indy. There’s 2 different sets of superiority within the same topic.

No, they’re suggesting alternatives to a chain support your LPS.

No, they’re suggesting alternatives to a chain support your LPS.

You read it like that then fella… 🙂

From what I’ve read Pizza Express itself is largely successful and profitable, the problem here is that the chinese private equity firm that now owns them has saddled them with a metric shit-tonne of debt that they cannot afford to service.

Thanks for that. According the Metro (not usually a good news source) there’s no imminent danger, and, as you say, the root problem isn’t structural it’s the debt. So it seems certain that nothing will change before 2021/22 and whatever technical stuff happens in the background the brand and restaurants will continue trading after that.

Based on that, from a punters POV nothing to see here.

Phew ….

I like a PE … La Reine with spinach, a runny egg and lashings of chilli oil.

As chains go, it’s better than most.

Excellent news. Will order my vouchers for Sunday!

They do get the eggs spot on.

retro83

Member

From what I’ve read Pizza Express itself is largely successful and profitable, the problem here is that the chinese private equity firm that now owns them has saddled them with a metric shit-tonne of debt that they cannot afford to service.

Exactly what happened to Maplin and Toys R Us.

Based on that, from a punters POV nothing to see here.

Yup Thomas Cook for example.

the problem here is that the chinese private equity firm that now owns them has saddled them with a metric shit-tonne of debt

As above seems to be case all round, how is it permitted these days to buy up a company, lend them a load of money at % well above norm, repeat and rinse – isn’t capatilism great 🙄