28/10/2026
📣 Public Service Announcement
And there we have it, folks…
Another budget has been delivered and another lifeline for hospitality has been overlooked.
Rather than point fingers and beg for help I think it better I make clear the struggles I, Dan, encounter on a daily basis and respond in kind to a number of ‘constructive feedbacks’ I have received over the past weeks and months.
“We weren’t able to order our preferred dish as you had already sold out at our time of dining”
- We do our best to anticipate the number of diners we will receive during our busy periods. With costs skyrocketing, fuel surcharges on our deliveries we try to avoid over ordering. This may well result in us running out of items before the end of service.
A reservation ahead of time is the best way to inform us of your intentions. With a specific request attached to your booking (ie. We are coming to try your award-winning Roast Beef and would appreciate you saving us a couple).
“We waited longer than usual for our meals”
- Minimum wage has again risen. And rightly so, we are the first to agree that our hard-working staff should be correctly remunerated. However I simply can not absorb these costs. Likewise I don’t believe our guests would want these hikes reflected in the price of their experience. I therefore have to be smart with staff planning (and often get it wrong). Sometimes we will be light on the floor which will inevitably lead to a longer wait for you. Please understand that my team can only work to the best of their ability.
“Your portion sizes have decreased”
- Again, the rising cost prices of raw ingredients, energy and wages leave me with two options; a) raise the prices of my menu items or b) reduce the cost of said menu items by decreasing the size of each dish. I still believe The Coach at Edenfield is the best value-for-money venue in the area for the freshly-prepared menu on offer. I will not be drawn into a conversation about sourcing cheaper, lower quality produce. After all, my suppliers find themselves in exactly the same boat as I do.
“I used to have a choice of ales, now you only serve 1”
-Ale has a shelf life of about 5 days once it has been connected to my pumps. With fewer and fewer guests coming through my door I can’t offer the huge selection that I used whilst maintaining the best quality you are all accustomed to. Wasted b**r is money down the drain.
I’m not asking for anything more than your understanding through raising awareness. I’m not begging for more custom (although every little extra helps). My team and I will continue to look after you with the utmost pleasure. If you happen to see our smiles faulter a tad, please bare with us. We are the best we can with the tools available.
Thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support.
Dan
