Table talk
A black day on the GNER
Taking lunch on Great North Eastern Railway's east coast mainline service is one of the better ways to eat on the country's rail network, especially now the company has employed restaurateurs such as Rowley Leigh to help with the menus. But there was also black humour on offer at lunchtime recently after one unfortunate threw himself in front of the train outside Darlington, resulting in a two-hour delay. Worse was to follow when another would-be suicide had to be taken away from the line outside Stevenage. As the guard announced to all in the lunch car why it might be a good idea to order another bottle of wine, he muttered under his breath: "What is this, National Kill Yourself Day?"
That breakfast was terrible… can I have some more?
French restaurateur and chef Regis Crepy was lost for words when he was on the receiving end of a gaffe by the Duke of Edinburgh. The Duke, whose blunders have frequently hit the headlines, was visiting Ipswich, Suffolk, where Crepy's floating restaurant Il Punto is moored. There he scoffed a breakfast which included eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, smoked salmon, smoked haddock, kedgeree, yogurts, fresh fruit, croissants and pain au chocolat. Crepy recounted: "The Duke told me that the French don't know how to cook breakfast. Needless to say, I didn't contest the point."
It's back - the bagel formerly known as… thingy
Bagel-bar chain Oi! Bagel had to rethink the name of one of its bagels after customers had such difficulty pronouncing it that staff had no idea what they were asking for. Most customers, meanwhile, saved themselves the embarrassment of mispronunciation by not ordering it at all. Sales of the former Aegean salad bagel, now the Greek salad bagel, have increased by more than 100% since the name-change.
You're never alone with Rob
Hatton Court hotel in Upton St Leonards, Gloucestershire, has come up with a solution to the problem of single guests who are uncomfortable eating alone in formal surroundings. Once a week the hotel's general manager Rob Aldridge sits down for dinner with guests who wish to accompany him. He said the idea was proving popular but was quick to add: "This is by no means a dating service. Guests may wish to meet other holiday-makers or business people. The service is purely to promote new acquaintances."
Fees will have to go up… if it's all right with you
Tim Hadcock-Mackay, chairman of hotel consortium Grand Heritage Hotels International, has decided that after 10 years in the job it is time he increased the consortium's membership fees. But rather than tell his members how much they will need to pay next year, he has asked them to decide by how much they think their fees should increase. He said: "I have been told I am nice, I am silly and I am stupid. But I refuse to do this any other way."
