Discussion
no probs Rob,
I waited 55 mins for 2 bacon,1 egg 1 sausage,and 2 toast, it turned up 'BURNT',took it back got a snotty egg3 bacon and 2 sausages,not a happy bunny
Wont bother anymore ,unless they get it right,lack of staff and it was busy as hell,they need to learn how to run a business selling food,unfortunately I can see its demise if they carry on the way they are
I waited 55 mins for 2 bacon,1 egg 1 sausage,and 2 toast, it turned up 'BURNT',took it back got a snotty egg3 bacon and 2 sausages,not a happy bunny
Wont bother anymore ,unless they get it right,lack of staff and it was busy as hell,they need to learn how to run a business selling food,unfortunately I can see its demise if they carry on the way they are
[quote=Mattt]Doesn't sound good 
[/quoteHi Matt,
Its a shame, it only seems to be the food side,drinks are not a problem,plenty of friendly bikers when I was there,we had a good laugh with some of them.
I think what it is ,they are obviously not sure on 'supply and demand',whether or not to employ more staff on any particular day is a hard decision,but one that has to made, by having too many rather than not enough.
Its only in time they will know whats what,they could be a victim of their own success,shame,as personally its a damm good idea the three guys initially set up,they also need to re-arrange the serving counter,it is back to front in the way they serve you,prices need to be standardised,in some cases dropped lower,and child portions offered,as quite a few turned up with young children who would only waste what was given to them.
I have only said all this as I spent a long time in there today,and observed and heard comments,(Yes Ken,I had my third ear on today,what a difference,mind you when wife started ,took it off again
)
Needs some professional advice given to them,and guide them on their way.
[/quoteHi Matt,Its a shame, it only seems to be the food side,drinks are not a problem,plenty of friendly bikers when I was there,we had a good laugh with some of them.
I think what it is ,they are obviously not sure on 'supply and demand',whether or not to employ more staff on any particular day is a hard decision,but one that has to made, by having too many rather than not enough.
Its only in time they will know whats what,they could be a victim of their own success,shame,as personally its a damm good idea the three guys initially set up,they also need to re-arrange the serving counter,it is back to front in the way they serve you,prices need to be standardised,in some cases dropped lower,and child portions offered,as quite a few turned up with young children who would only waste what was given to them.
I have only said all this as I spent a long time in there today,and observed and heard comments,(Yes Ken,I had my third ear on today,what a difference,mind you when wife started ,took it off again
)Needs some professional advice given to them,and guide them on their way.
It a bit out of my way in Essex, but looking at their website it really reminds me of the Formula One Cafe that we used to have near BuckmorePark.
Lots of F1, Touring Car and Sports Car memorabilia and very popular with car clubs, including mine.
But, it never attracted the 'family' business and associated volumes of customers needed to sustain it the other days and times of the week. It shut after less than a couple of years trading in 2003. I hope being on a main road, the 8ball has more casual traffic does not go the same way.
Lots of F1, Touring Car and Sports Car memorabilia and very popular with car clubs, including mine.
But, it never attracted the 'family' business and associated volumes of customers needed to sustain it the other days and times of the week. It shut after less than a couple of years trading in 2003. I hope being on a main road, the 8ball has more casual traffic does not go the same way.
The funny sign represents an "Extra Services" purely coincidental that we're in most of them throughout the UK and it looks like the Golden Arches
http://www.extraservices.co.uk/
http://www.extraservices.co.uk/
Alex L said:
Despite being on the A12, advanced visibility is very poor so I suspect most people drive past without knowing it's there until it's too late, the exact reason you don't see a McDonald's on the same stretch.
Are you saying that there is a McDonalds on the A12 but you never see it?In fairness, I've been in there a few times now and I've not had any problems. The staff have all been really friendly and happy to chat about cars, and the food has always been served in a timely fashion and been of a good standard. The first time I went in they did admit that they hadn't quite got their ordering quantities quite right but they still managed to get me what I wanted 
I suspect they are on a bit of a learning curve at the moment, and maybe you were just unlucky & caught them on an off day...?
I suspect they are on a bit of a learning curve at the moment, and maybe you were just unlucky & caught them on an off day...?
Popped in just before mid day today to see what it was like. Anything like this should be supported if it's good. I got seated by a pleasant enough lad who was clearly rushed off his feet, then waited for about ten minutes for him to return. There were about 20 customers, over half were OAPs. Quite a few of them were grumbling, looking at their watches and a couple of people walked out after being sat down and not spoken to for some time. When the food came in reasonable time, it was good. Someone else appeared behind the counter before I left, perhaps an owner. If he was, he was more interested in the coffee machine than supporting his hard pressed waiter and as I waited to pay, didn't even turn 90 degrees to acknowledge me and tell me someone would be there in a moment. If of course he was not an owner and was in fact a coffee machine engineer, fair enough, but he was only emptying it. Maybe I caught them at a bad time, but I want this place to work and I would like there to be more places like it. If I was pressed for time, I couldn't stop there again though. Learning curves are one thing, but this is 2 months on. The custom is certainly there, the food was good, but if they don't speed up, anyone eating on the run like I usually do won't risk the delay. 
Just my 2p worth!
Just my 2p worth!
This place could turn into another Ace Cafe if they do it well or a disaster if they get it wrong. I for one would be hugely dissapointed if it went under for lack of support due to poor service so I took the liberty today of e.mailing the owner to point out that not everyone is overjoyed by the service. He does look at the Pistonhead site and takes on board everything that is said, both good and bad with a view to eventually getting everything right and making it "the" place to meet up for all car / bike fanatics. Hopefully given a little more time it will all come good but in the meantime let's continue to support him and bear in mind that this is a complete career change and his first venture into catering. 
rob308 said:
Needs some professional advice given to them,and guide them on their way.
That's available in thousands of places. They're called restuarants. If you don't know what you're doing go to a few and watch!As for why its a good idea, is it because the people there are car/bike people? Is it because they chat to people about cars? If so, bad! They should be serving not chatting.
I worked in that trade for a while so I know the game. My best advise is always as above. Take every one of your staff as you get them to a restuarant that works well and people like. Its cheap training in relality.
ThatPhilBrettGuy said:
rob308 said:
Needs some professional advice given to them,and guide them on their way.
That's available in thousands of places. They're called restuarants. If you don't know what you're doing go to a few and watch!As for why its a good idea, is it because the people there are car/bike people? Is it because they chat to people about cars? If so, bad! They should be serving not chatting.
I worked in that trade for a while so I know the game. My best advise is always as above. Take every one of your staff as you get them to a restuarant that works well and people like. Its cheap training in relality.
I hope that we survive too. My vision for the 8 Ball was perhaps focused too much on the cars, bikes and overall style... I was naive in 'assuming' that employing key staff with 20 and 30 years catering experience, would ensure that we did not fall down on the areas where my only knowledge came from watching Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. But that was not the case. Some people are just naturals when it comes to letting you know about problems, but rubbish at offering solutions. Pete (Fearn) and I have had to learn all about catering, from cooking to waiting, to stock control, to health and safety requirements, to staffing ratios, and much else to understand HOW to solve any problems. I agree that two months might be a long time, if all that was happening were that we were continually failing to deliver on product and service... but getting it wrong is not a general state of affairs, day in, day out... I promise you that a huge amount of the time an overwhelming proportion of customers leave happy, often quite effusive about their experience. Much has been learned in that time, and service and quality are right, most of the time.
I must point out that I was not the guy messing with the coffee machine, in fact I had called in an engineer the previous day (my first full day as a 'waiter!) after the 'young lad' had gone home sick, and I could get no 'instant' cover. With 20 people in the restaurant, which is not the general situation during the daytime, the young lad (Mason) might well find himself stretched for a short while. But one sure way of going out of business is having more staff than customers for much of the day. So sometimes, service is slower than ideal. But negative comments about the food are extremely rare. I more often hear that it was 'worth waiting for'.
Guys I do not know if I will succeed or fail with the 8 Ball... I know that I have put heart and soul, and life savings into it along with 16 hours a day, to try to succeed. But I am aware that although a 'critic' owes me no allegiance, and has a perfect right to talk, even talk with relish about a negative experience, my only means defence is to leave nothing for anyone to moan about, ever. That IS my objective. It's a tall order... but that is what I am trying to work towards.
One final comment... Shifts dictated that our least well organised chef cooked on both previous pistonheads nights. When service/speed was poor on the 2nd Pistonheads night (April) you cannot imagine how bad I felt... nor what was said to those I saw as responsible... the upshot of which was that Chef resigned. There are regulars at the diner who get on this board, who I am sure will back me up, that poor service or long waits are now very much the exception, not the rule. I do however unreservedly apologise to anyone who experienced a less than satisfactory visit, and will be trying to commission feedback via comment forms very soon, to help us better understand where we can further improve.
Brett Hawksbee
I must point out that I was not the guy messing with the coffee machine, in fact I had called in an engineer the previous day (my first full day as a 'waiter!) after the 'young lad' had gone home sick, and I could get no 'instant' cover. With 20 people in the restaurant, which is not the general situation during the daytime, the young lad (Mason) might well find himself stretched for a short while. But one sure way of going out of business is having more staff than customers for much of the day. So sometimes, service is slower than ideal. But negative comments about the food are extremely rare. I more often hear that it was 'worth waiting for'.
Guys I do not know if I will succeed or fail with the 8 Ball... I know that I have put heart and soul, and life savings into it along with 16 hours a day, to try to succeed. But I am aware that although a 'critic' owes me no allegiance, and has a perfect right to talk, even talk with relish about a negative experience, my only means defence is to leave nothing for anyone to moan about, ever. That IS my objective. It's a tall order... but that is what I am trying to work towards.
One final comment... Shifts dictated that our least well organised chef cooked on both previous pistonheads nights. When service/speed was poor on the 2nd Pistonheads night (April) you cannot imagine how bad I felt... nor what was said to those I saw as responsible... the upshot of which was that Chef resigned. There are regulars at the diner who get on this board, who I am sure will back me up, that poor service or long waits are now very much the exception, not the rule. I do however unreservedly apologise to anyone who experienced a less than satisfactory visit, and will be trying to commission feedback via comment forms very soon, to help us better understand where we can further improve.
Brett Hawksbee
Sorry to hear the coffee engineer wasn't much interested in the car fella 
Edited by 8BallDiner on Sunday 22 May 01:57
Edited by 8BallDiner on Sunday 22 May 01:59
8BallDiner said:
I hope that we survive too. My vision for the 8 Ball was perhaps focused too much on the cars, bikes and overall style... I was naive in 'assuming' that employing key staff with 20 and 30 years catering experience, would ensure that we did not fall down on the areas where my only knowledge came from watching Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. But that was not the case. Some people are just naturals when it comes to letting you know about problems, but rubbish at offering solutions. Pete (Fearn) and I have had to learn all about catering, from cooking to waiting, to stock control, to health and safety requirements, to staffing ratios, and much else to understand HOW to solve any problems. I agree that two months might be a long time, if all that was happening were that we were continually failing to deliver on product and service... but getting it wrong is not a general state of affairs, day in, day out... I promise you that a huge amount of the time an overwhelming proportion of customers leave happy, often quite effusive about their experience. Much has been learned in that time, and service and quality are right, most of the time.
I must point out that I was not the guy messing with the coffee machine, in fact I had called in an engineer the previous day (my first full day as a 'waiter!) after the 'young lad' had gone home sick, and I could get no 'instant' cover. With 20 people in the restaurant, which is not the general situation during the daytime, the young lad (Mason) might well find himself stretched for a short while. But one sure way of going out of business is having more staff than customers for much of the day. So sometimes, service is slower than ideal. But negative comments about the food are extremely rare. I more often hear that it was 'worth waiting for'.
Guys I do not know if I will succeed or fail with the 8 Ball... I know that I have put heart and soul, and life savings into it along with 16 hours a day, to try to succeed. But I am aware that although a 'critic' owes me no allegiance, and has a perfect right to talk, even talk with relish about a negative experience, my only means defence is to leave nothing for anyone to moan about, ever. That IS my objective. It's a tall order... but that is what I am trying to work towards.
One final comment... Shifts dictated that our least well organised chef cooked on both previous pistonheads nights. When service/speed was poor on the 2nd Pistonheads night (April) you cannot imagine how bad I felt... nor what was said to those I saw as responsible... the upshot of which was that Chef resigned. There are regulars at the diner who get on this board, who I am sure will back me up, that poor service or long waits are now very much the exception, not the rule. I do however unreservedly apologise to anyone who experienced a less than satisfactory visit, and will be trying to commission feedback via comment forms very soon, to help us better understand where we can further improve.
Brett Hawksbee
Thanks for taking the time to respond Brett, I wish you all the best and will call again! I must point out that I was not the guy messing with the coffee machine, in fact I had called in an engineer the previous day (my first full day as a 'waiter!) after the 'young lad' had gone home sick, and I could get no 'instant' cover. With 20 people in the restaurant, which is not the general situation during the daytime, the young lad (Mason) might well find himself stretched for a short while. But one sure way of going out of business is having more staff than customers for much of the day. So sometimes, service is slower than ideal. But negative comments about the food are extremely rare. I more often hear that it was 'worth waiting for'.
Guys I do not know if I will succeed or fail with the 8 Ball... I know that I have put heart and soul, and life savings into it along with 16 hours a day, to try to succeed. But I am aware that although a 'critic' owes me no allegiance, and has a perfect right to talk, even talk with relish about a negative experience, my only means defence is to leave nothing for anyone to moan about, ever. That IS my objective. It's a tall order... but that is what I am trying to work towards.
One final comment... Shifts dictated that our least well organised chef cooked on both previous pistonheads nights. When service/speed was poor on the 2nd Pistonheads night (April) you cannot imagine how bad I felt... nor what was said to those I saw as responsible... the upshot of which was that Chef resigned. There are regulars at the diner who get on this board, who I am sure will back me up, that poor service or long waits are now very much the exception, not the rule. I do however unreservedly apologise to anyone who experienced a less than satisfactory visit, and will be trying to commission feedback via comment forms very soon, to help us better understand where we can further improve.
Brett Hawksbee
Sorry to hear the coffee engineer wasn't much interested in the car fella
Edited by 8BallDiner on Sunday 22 May 01:57
Edited by 8BallDiner on Sunday 22 May 01:59
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