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Caffs in the news (good n bad)
Mr Egg in the quality Daily Star, 2003
FRYING HIGH..!
By Staff Reporter, Evening Mail
Nov 10 2003
A cafe which serves the most egg-cellent fry-ups in Brum has been named among the Greatest Greasy Spoons in Britain. The Mr Egg Cafe near the Hippodrome, which has a late night licence and giant inflatable ceiling-hung egg, came out tops in the city but scored high in a national survey.
Tester Rich Pelley went on an eating bonanza the length and breadth of the country in a bid to find the best greasy spoon.
Marks were given for a number of categories and Mr Egg came up trumps for ambience and general friendliness of the waiting staff. The cafe was also rated for having the greasy spoon essentials including cigarette burns on tables, squeeze sauce bottles and metal ashtrays.
The cafes were judged for quality of food, price, local delicacies and whether it had a regular clientele.
Rory Steel, for award back-ers Frijj, said: "Our man spent the whole of a sweltering August travelling around and eating over 50 fry-ups but amazingly he did not put on any weight. He would try at least five different ones in each city."
In terms of value for money Newcastle came out best while London was the worst.
Others recommended in the survey were the Market Cafe, near to the local meat market, and the Chef Cafe, at the back of the public market.
GABLES RESTAURANT and BURGER KING
According to Birmingham City Council's website:
"Lorraine Dora Walker, Pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 11th January 2002 to 3 offences relating to the insanitary condition of Gables Restaurant, 38 The Pallasades, Birmingham. Officers found that there was an active infestation of mice at the premises, the walls and floor area under the sinks were in a dirty condition, the shelves where open foods, food containers were stored were littered with mouse droppings. The servery and kitchen areas were dirty and littered with mouse droppings, possible entry points for rodents had not been identified and sealed and there were no procedures to instruct staff on the importance of reporting pest activity."
Fined £200 (£50 x 2 & £100 x 1) Prosecution Costs £595 FOOD SAFETY ACT 1990
"Gowrings Food Services Limited
Pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 20th January 2004 to 2 offences relating to the insanitary condition of Burger King, Unit 17 Martineau Place. During the inspection, officers found there was an active infestation of mice, with gaps in doors allowing the ingress of mice. Officers also found a packet of 12 bread buns, 9 of which had been gnawed by mice. The pest control reports indicated repeated recommendations for pest proofing works to be carried out."
Fined £12,500 (£2,500 x 1 & £10,000 x 1)
Prosecution Costs £900
FOOD SAFETY ACT 1990
FAT CATS AND FINANCIAL HEAVYWEIGHTS
The Telegraph, 6th September 2003
By Andrew Cave
The City’s fat cats are sweating and this time it’s not about money. Expense account lunches are taking their toll on executive waistlines but no high-flier wants to give up dining, so the answer is the Atkins diet.
About 3m Britons,some 5pc of population,are apparently on this controversial no-carbs, high-fat regime that allows no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes or beer but more steak, eggs, bacon and oily fish than anyone can stomach.
About 300,000 people work in the City so, applying the same percentages,there are 15,000 Atkins devotees in the Square Mile. No one knows because most City Atkinites, afraid of public disdain about their fatty lifestyles, are as secretive about their diet as they are about their financial dealings.
The key barometer is to be found in the City’s greasy spoons.
Stan Burkeman,owner of the Copper Grill in Eldon Street, says: “We are really noticing it. People are going for the fryups rather than our specials like lasagne or haddock and chips. A lot of our customers are on this diet. We did think of putting a notice in the window saying: ‘We do the Atkins diet’ but most of our traders know that already."
Greasy spoon cafes on the slippery slope to extinction
The Telegraph, 8th October 2002
By Sarah Womack
The death knell is sounding for the traditional "greasy spoon".Old-style cafes, complete with their Formica-top tables and tomato-shaped ketchup bottles, are a vanishing species, a report says. Instead, Britons are opting for a coffee and pastry at American-style coffee shops, leaving lorry drivers without the option of white toast, margarine, sausage, beans, chips and a bottomless mug of tea.
It says traditional dining choices have lost ground to more exotic menus since 1997, the year Tony Blair came to power. More than one in nine traditional British cafes, famed for their "heart attack on a plate" menus have shut down since 1997.
"Increasing consumer awareness of health concerns and a growing competition from other sectors, such as fast food, has resulted in the appeal of cafes becoming increasingly more limited," the report says.
"Cafes suffer from an old-fashioned and unhealthy image and, together with a generally low level of innovation and a reputation for a lower quality of service, are witnessing a dwindling customer base."
The number of cafes has dropped by 11.7 per cent; sales of fish and chips by 11 per cent and sales of home-delivered and takeaway Indian food by 10 per cent. But curry counters in supermarkets have become more popular.
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