Crap Beer In Restaurants

King Reign · Post by **King Reign** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 3:27 pm

I went to a well known restaurant chain last week in London and ordered a Wellington SPA. Not only not having that beer, she never heard of the Wellington Brewery. I replied that it is just up the road in Guelph. Their beer menu was not good. On the other hand, if you wanted a fancy wine from way across the world, well no problem sir, coming right up!!! Fancy drinks with umbrellas sticking out of them, also no problem. Good beer? Now we have a problem. I am gettting sick of these restaurants serving lousy beer. I e-mailed them and told them I won't be back until they get decent beer. I think they all should be told that our choices of beer has changed. No more mega-swill crap. If I am going to spend lots of $$ on food at a good restaurant, I want good beer. And for heavens sakes, make up a beer menu just like a wine menu. I hate asking - "What's On Tap?" Show me.

King Reign

PRMason · Post by **PRMason** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 5:18 pm

Good on Ya!

Pub Style · Post by **Pub Style** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 7:17 pm

Good for you King Reign. More people should do this.

What was their response? If you don't mind me asking.

SteelbackGuy · Post by **SteelbackGuy** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 9:55 pm

Hey King, do you mind letting us in on the restaurant?

I actually went to a place here in London (fine dining place) last year, and while they had about 100 wines, a lot consignment and very expensive (lots of good pinot noir, amarone, chards, etc), they also had Bowmore, Laphroaig, Dalwhinnie, Talisker, Port Ellen, and every other single malt you could ask for. The mixed drink list was around 30, all in the price range of 9-11 dollars. Then I asked to see the beer list.........there wasn't a list.....just a mention of domestic and imported beer.......the domestic were all bottles, consisting of the regular Bud Molson Coors, and the imports were corona and heiny. The only ONE tap they had was Keiths. I asked my server where the craft beer was, he had no idea what I meant. I asked for more beer. They didn't have it. I asked to see a manager and asked why I was being thrown in front of me, the equivilent of spumanti bambino? He disagreed and told me people went there to eat good food not drink beer. I kindly reminded him that the same logic could be applied to all of their expensive wines. The conversation almost actually escalated into some sort of fight, and I was actually surprised the position the manager took. I finished the conversation by letting the manager know that as a demanding beer drinker, I would expect some level of decent beer. Just as someone who likes champagne, would not expect to see Spumanti Bambino, I do not expect to see Keiths as my only option, when spending $200 on dinner.
I also told him I wouldnt be back unless the beer menu changed.
They've since picked up guiness on tap..........I havent spent another dime and I teel everyone I talk to that the experience I had there was horrid.

detritus · Post by **detritus** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:16 pm

There seem to be two things being discussed in this thread.

First, asking good restaurants to stock quality beer, and withholding your patronage if they don't. I'm all for that, provided it's done in a courteous way (i.e. talk to a manager/maitre d'/owner, not a server, etc.).

Second, going into a restaurant and ordering a beer they don't have on the menu. This is ridiculous. It's like going to McDonald's and ordering the foie gras. This accomplishes nothing but pissing off/confusing your server. This should not be encouraged.

-Josh

KwaiLo · Post by **KwaiLo** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:35 pm

I rarely go out to eat, as the only places that are local to me and serve real beer are the Kiwi and the Castle. While both are very good, they both have limited menu selections.

My wife won't even ask me if I want to go to the Keg or Outback etc. now, as she knows I won't enjoy my meal.

If I am somewhere new and I don't see a beer list, I will ask what is offered, but usually get an iced tea due to a lack of good beer.

To King, I think it is pretty crappy of you to give the server such crap. It was likely a teenager who was serving you if you were in a chain. At 19 did you know who Wellington was? Talk to the manager, who is in a position to make a change, not the server who isn't.

SteelbackGuy · Post by **SteelbackGuy** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 12:13 am

detritus wrote:
Second, going into a restaurant and ordering a beer they don't have on the menu. This is ridiculous. It's like going to McDonald's and ordering the foie gras. This accomplishes nothing but pissing off/confusing your server. This should not be encouraged.

-Josh

I fail to see where this was mentioned. If you are referring to the comments I made, well....I simply didnt have a menu to choose from.......domestic and imported.......I kept asking for different beers.....and since there was no menu.........how would I know?

I don't see where encouraging this type of behaviour was evern mentioned.

Colin @ Canada · Post by **Colin @ Canada** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:03 am

Although I completely agree with the problem of not being able to get good beer in restaurants this problem should not be news to anyone. I would never expect to walk into a restaurant of any calibre and expect them to have a decent beer available, unless it is one of the few places that we know carry good beer. This is mainly because most of them only carry a couple beers because they want to satisfy the few customers that want a beer and nine times out of ten a Keiths is exactly what they want. Restaurants would rather you order wine or a martini because that is where they make most of their money. Sell a $15 btl of wine for $65 or a $1.25 /ounce martini for $11.00.

King Reign · Post by **King Reign** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:25 am

It was The Keg. I didn't just go in and order a rare beer or a Belgian beer or something like that. The people we were with all ordered imported liquor and wine and they had it. I just thought that they should have something made only a few km up the road. I only drink Ontario Craft beer and that should not be a problem in Southern Ontario. I know I can get OCB in well established pubs, but I think now is the time that other kinds of eating establishments should start carrying better beer. The Keg did answer me and forwarded it on to head office.

King Reign

detritus · Post by **detritus** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 7:36 am

SteelbackGuy wrote:
detritus wrote:
Second, going into a restaurant and ordering a beer they don't have on the menu. This is ridiculous. It's like going to McDonald's and ordering the foie gras. This accomplishes nothing but pissing off/confusing your server. This should not be encouraged.

-Josh

I fail to see where this was mentioned. If you are referring to the comments I made, well....I simply didnt have a menu to choose from.......domestic and imported.......I kept asking for different beers.....and since there was no menu.........how would I know?

I don't see where encouraging this type of behaviour was evern mentioned.

No, your comments were what I was referring to in the first scenario. The second scenario seemed to be what the original poster was talking about:

King Reign wrote:I went to a well known restaurant chain last week in London and ordered a Wellington SPA. Not only not having that beer, she never heard of the Wellington Brewery.

-Josh

detritus · Post by **detritus** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 7:42 am

King Reign wrote:It was The Keg. I didn't just go in and order a rare beer or a Belgian beer or something like that. The people we were with all ordered imported liquor and wine and they had it. I just thought that they should have something made only a few km up the road. I only drink Ontario Craft beer and that should not be a problem in Southern Ontario. I know I can get OCB in well established pubs, but I think now is the time that other kinds of eating establishments should start carrying better beer. The Keg did answer me and forwarded it on to head office.

King Reign

This is totally disingenuous. The fact is that you walked into a restaurant and ordered something that wasn't on the menu.

Your friends who ordered wine probably had to look at the wine list before they could order. I'm sure they wouldn't have been able to order a Margaux, or for that matter a high-quality Ontario wine. So would your friends who wanted liquor, unless they just ordered generically (i.e. "rye and coke").

Further, a lot of the shitty beer they sell is also "made only a few km up the road", in a facility in London, or Toronto, etc.

Good for you for following up with them with an e-mail.

Bad for you for harassing an underpaid server.

-Josh

detritus · Post by **detritus** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 7:44 am

KwaiLo wrote:I rarely go out to eat, as the only places that are local to me and serve real beer are the Kiwi and the Castle. While both are very good, they both have limited menu selections.

You won't go out to eat if you can't have a beer? You missing out...

-Josh

King Reign · Post by **King Reign** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 7:47 am

I didn't harass her. I was very nice. I will never harass a server about this.

King Reign

detritus · Post by **detritus** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:08 am

King Reign wrote:I didn't harass her. I was very nice. I will never harass a server about this.

King Reign

Ok, I take back "harass". Lets say "intentionally/maliciously confused".

You knew (or should have known - I'm pretty sure the Keg has their beer listed on the menu) that they didn't have it. You ordered it anyway. That's mean.

-Josh

King Reign · Post by **King Reign** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:33 am

No, I looked it over pretty good. Just a wine menu. I wasn't mean at all.
I was the last to order in a party of six. I didn't think I was out of line ordering a Wellington beer. Now, if I was hundreds of miles away, that would be different.

"intentionally/maliciously confused?".

Now I think you are confused Josh.

King Reign