Brands that succeed despite being shite...

joneve

TimmyO said:

hywelg said:

Doom Bar......

You are dead to me @hywelg !

You REALLY need to start trying more beers if you think Doom Bar isn't completely over rated. 

Heartfeltdawn

crunchman said:

Apart from not living in Surrey, Bill's is rubbish.

Some of my gripes about Bill's may just be the Chiswick branch, maybe the other branches have seats that are comfortable and don't wobble when you sit on them.  That's not a good starting point when you go in there and the first thing you do is sit on an uncomfortable wobbly chair.

You then get a drink.  They tell you that the "Bill's Beer" is English style beer so you get that.  It comes so cold you would think it's been stored in Antarctica, and a with a glass that has been stored in the freezer.  Gah!

Then when you get the food it gets worse.  They can't just put it on the plate.  You get some kind of branded greaseproof paper on the plate (at least with a burger).  Every thing comes in it's own container.  The skinny chips (yuk) come in their own container, the overpriced puny portion of guacamole that you pay extra for comes in another container.  If I order burger and chips with guacamole just put it on a plate.  Don't kill the food (and the environment) by putting extra branded greaseproof paper and giving me loads of extra containers.

The service in there hasn't been great either.  I'm also sure that I've ordered a dessert from the menu that I like the look of and been told that they don't have it.

To me, Bill's is the epitome of the branded chain restaurant and all the bad things that go with that.  Just let me get decent food on one plate, without all the pretentious rubbish, and a decent beer (preferably on draught) to drink with it.

There's so many different levels of chain rubbish. There was a time in Bath where the kitchen porters of Jamie's Italian would take the recycling bags out to the street waiting for the recycling trucks to pick up and would stay there so people wouldn't pick through the rubbish and see that large amounts of canned goods were used, thus shitting on Jamie's waffle about fresh food.  

As horrible as going to these places is as a customer as you relate, it's even worse working in one. Bills to GBK to Greene King to Nandos, it's all identikit horror. Spec books on how to cook everything, no real chef creativity, generally bloody awful money. I've seen things in my six months with GK that have truly defied belief in terms of corporate brand stupidity.  

It is one rule I stick to as much as possible: never buy food from chains. Support the independents. 

rlw

NelsonP said:

Gassage said:

lose a front wheel drive car and you've lost it totally.

Not true - watch the touring cars. You can recover oversteer fairly easily in a FWD car by turning into the slide and applying throttle.

RWD is more fun and give you more options, but only at and around the limit, which most of the time you don't want to do on the public road.

Sadly, best thing on the road is probably the safest = 4WD

PS B&O stereos in Audi's are actually quite good (in attempt to get back on topic) - but their home stuff is overpriced junk

I imagine that Gassage was referring to an understeer slide, rather than oversteer.  Agreed that you can catch a Peugeot 205GTi when you lift off and the back steps out, but when the front stops gripping you have to be quick getting out of the throttle and you are probably too late by then anyway.

rlw

Gassage said:

I have a ridiculous list of 'deal killers' for cars.

Sunroof- essential
Fixed Nav- essential
Tinted glass: hideous- deal killer
FrWD: deal killer
Cloth seats: deal killer
Red: deal killer
Manual on a diesel: deal killer
Auto on Petrol; deal killer.

That rules out a few GT3s. then.....

axisus

It must have been mentioned already, but I can't wade through 5 pages of stuff during a sneak Fretboard visit at work - I feel compelled to say it ....

MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT 

NelsonP

rlw said:

NelsonP said:

Gassage said:

lose a front wheel drive car and you've lost it totally.

Not true - watch the touring cars. You can recover oversteer fairly easily in a FWD car by turning into the slide and applying throttle.

RWD is more fun and give you more options, but only at and around the limit, which most of the time you don't want to do on the public road.

Sadly, best thing on the road is probably the safest = 4WD

PS B&O stereos in Audi's are actually quite good (in attempt to get back on topic) - but their home stuff is overpriced junk

I imagine that Gassage was referring to an understeer slide, rather than oversteer.  Agreed that you can catch a Peugeot 205GTi when you lift off and the back steps out, but when the front stops gripping you have to be quick getting out of the throttle and you are probably too late by then anyway.

Left foot braking can be pretty effective at that point too ;-)

Bridgehouse

rlw said:

NelsonP said:

Gassage said:

lose a front wheel drive car and you've lost it totally.

Not true - watch the touring cars. You can recover oversteer fairly easily in a FWD car by turning into the slide and applying throttle.

RWD is more fun and give you more options, but only at and around the limit, which most of the time you don't want to do on the public road.

Sadly, best thing on the road is probably the safest = 4WD

PS B&O stereos in Audi's are actually quite good (in attempt to get back on topic) - but their home stuff is overpriced junk

I imagine that Gassage was referring to an understeer slide, rather than oversteer.  Agreed that you can catch a Peugeot 205GTi when you lift off and the back steps out, but when the front stops gripping you have to be quick getting out of the throttle and you are probably too late by then anyway.

J turn and say you meant it 

fields5069

Gassage said:

Hellemans Mayo is the worst one for me. Every time I go to France I go and get a supply of Delouis Fils.

Hellemans is like dog smegma.

But it's also true that the only good mayo is the one you make yourself. :-)

My abuela-in-law used to make the most amazing alioli to go with her equally amazing paella.

hywelg

LoFi said:

hywelg said:

Doom Bar......

Overrated, perhaps, but I wouldn't say shite - it's a decent, mid-strength ale. GK IPA, on the other hand, is terrible, and if it's all that's on offer, I'll drink lager instead.

Both are shite, but Gk IPA isn't as heavily 'branded' as Doom Bar. If they are all that's on offer I'd leave or drink J2O 

LoFi

hywelg said:

LoFi said:

hywelg said:

Doom Bar......

Overrated, perhaps, but I wouldn't say shite - it's a decent, mid-strength ale. GK IPA, on the other hand, is terrible, and if it's all that's on offer, I'll drink lager instead.

Both are shite, but Gk IPA isn't as heavily 'branded' as Doom Bar. If they are all that's on offer I'd leave or drink J2O 

I just can't agree, I'm afraid - Doom Bar may be a victim of its own success, but it's still a tasty ale, it's consistent and it travels well.

Tone71

crunchman said:

Winny_Pooh said:

crunchman said:

Various London restaurant chains.  Bill's is probably the worst.

You're possibly spoilt living in Surrey, Bill's is great. And I've been to the Guildford and Reigate branches. 

Apart from not living in Surrey, Bill's is rubbish.

Some of my gripes about Bill's may just be the Chiswick branch, maybe the other branches have seats that are comfortable and don't wobble when you sit on them.  That's not a good starting point when you go in there and the first thing you do is sit on an uncomfortable wobbly chair.

You then get a drink.  They tell you that the "Bill's Beer" is English style beer so you get that.  It comes so cold you would think it's been stored in Antarctica, and a with a glass that has been stored in the freezer.  Gah!

Then when you get the food it gets worse.  They can't just put it on the plate.  You get some kind of branded greaseproof paper on the plate (at least with a burger).  Every thing comes in it's own container.  The skinny chips (yuk) come in their own container, the overpriced puny portion of guacamole that you pay extra for comes in another container.  If I order burger and chips with guacamole just put it on a plate.  Don't kill the food (and the environment) by putting extra branded greaseproof paper and giving me loads of extra containers.

The service in there hasn't been great either.  I'm also sure that I've ordered a dessert from the menu that I like the look of and been told that they don't have it.

To me, Bill's is the epitome of the branded chain restaurant and all the bad things that go with that.  Just let me get decent food on one plate, without all the pretentious rubbish, and a decent beer (preferably on draught) to drink with it.

This, Bill`s is shit (and I live in Surrey and the tables still wobble!)

WezV

LoFi said:

hywelg said:

LoFi said:

hywelg said:

Doom Bar......

Overrated, perhaps, but I wouldn't say shite - it's a decent, mid-strength ale. GK IPA, on the other hand, is terrible, and if it's all that's on offer, I'll drink lager instead.

Both are shite, but Gk IPA isn't as heavily 'branded' as Doom Bar. If they are all that's on offer I'd leave or drink J2O 

I just can't agree, I'm afraid - Doom Bar may be a victim of its own success, but it's still a tasty ale, it's consistent and it travels well.

Also easy for new cask accounts to deal with and new cask drinkers to enjoy.

not for everyone, but it is the UK's number one cask ale for a reason.... and most of that is word of mouth, not marketing driven.

rlw

I may be unique here in having seen the Doom Bar many times but never having tasted the beer.  It can't be that bad.

Jalapeno

mikeyrob73 said:

Jamie Olivers Italian restaurants 

utter utter shite 

Wisdomed

midlifecrisis

carphone warehouse.... its not a warehouse and they dont even sell carphones

boogieman

Jalapeno said:

mikeyrob73 said:

Jamie Olivers Italian restaurants 

utter utter shite 

Wisdomed

Another vote for this. Crap, overpriced and underwhelming food, usually served late and lukewarm. If it didn't have Jamie Oliver's name attached to it, nobody would go in there. Worse than Carluccio's, and that's saying a lot.

Philly_Q

rlw said:

I may be unique here in having seen the Doom Bar many times but never having tasted the beer.  It can't be that bad.

I may be unique in never having heard of the beer or the place.

rlw

Philly_Q said:

rlw said:

I may be unique here in having seen the Doom Bar many times but never having tasted the beer.  It can't be that bad.

I may be unique in never having heard of the beer or the place.

Probably.

http://www.promare.co.uk/whiting/PadstowDoomBar.html

HAL9000

richardhomer said:

Ernie Ball....

Agreed re strings. However, I quite like their instrument leads and patch leads.

Winny_Pooh

Tone71 said:

crunchman said:

Winny_Pooh said:

crunchman said:

Various London restaurant chains.  Bill's is probably the worst.

You're possibly spoilt living in Surrey, Bill's is great. And I've been to the Guildford and Reigate branches. 

Apart from not living in Surrey, Bill's is rubbish.

Some of my gripes about Bill's may just be the Chiswick branch, maybe the other branches have seats that are comfortable and don't wobble when you sit on them.  That's not a good starting point when you go in there and the first thing you do is sit on an uncomfortable wobbly chair.

You then get a drink.  They tell you that the "Bill's Beer" is English style beer so you get that.  It comes so cold you would think it's been stored in Antarctica, and a with a glass that has been stored in the freezer.  Gah!

Then when you get the food it gets worse.  They can't just put it on the plate.  You get some kind of branded greaseproof paper on the plate (at least with a burger).  Every thing comes in it's own container.  The skinny chips (yuk) come in their own container, the overpriced puny portion of guacamole that you pay extra for comes in another container.  If I order burger and chips with guacamole just put it on a plate.  Don't kill the food (and the environment) by putting extra branded greaseproof paper and giving me loads of extra containers.

The service in there hasn't been great either.  I'm also sure that I've ordered a dessert from the menu that I like the look of and been told that they don't have it.

To me, Bill's is the epitome of the branded chain restaurant and all the bad things that go with that.  Just let me get decent food on one plate, without all the pretentious rubbish, and a decent beer (preferably on draught) to drink with it.

This, Bill`s is shit (and I live in Surrey and the tables still wobble!)

A very heavy bit of critique that makes no mention of the food. Wow, my grandfather re-incarnated.