Scone and a coffee - how much is too much?

tabby aspreme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118849118#Comment_118849118

Clonmel is a 30 minute drive from Cashel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118849118#Comment_118849118

Why have a coffee in Clonmel when you’re visiting Cashel 30 k away?

Jakey Rolling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118849311#Comment_118849311

This, exactly.

I'd say the owners will be delighted with the publicity. Makes it less likely that they will be inundated with local peasants, bringing down the tone of the place for their resident customers.

I'm a fan of the reasonably priced Bailey myself, Chez Hans for special occasions obvs

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118849992#Comment_118849992

Delighted with the publicity? Then why were they going on a spree of deleting/hiding comments?

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118847451#Comment_118847451

Are you sure that wasn't the Hang over withdrawal causing the cold sweat 😁

Chips in my local €3

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118847488#Comment_118847488

Or riff raff peeking in the windows 😁

cuttingtimber22

5 euros is too much if you get bad service, it tastes terrible and the surroundings are not nice.

i do not think 15 euro is too much if there is a nice setting, if service is really nice, if both the coffee and the scone taste nice and if it feels like a treat. Top quality coffee and tasty scones with nice homemade jams, good butter, and clotted cream.

charging 15 euro and not delivering is the real issue. You charge that much and they better deliver.

foxsake

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118846744#Comment_118846744

100% agree and that's a brilliant description.

Aside from eating on the go .

One thing I never understand about Irish people is the sheer joy many get from eating cheap (but sh1t) food. If I'm treating myself to food , it's gonna be nice. Good food doesn't have to be expensive but somethings it is and is often worth it.

Boscoirl

They are really nice scones

Cyclingtourist

At least they serve scones. Increasingly I find places don't do scones and only offer muffns, croissants and the like. Possibly this is because people who like scones, myself included, want to have them heated, with jam & butter, etc and the cafe owners find it easier just not to stock them.

The muffin, cup cakes and other abominations are further examples of the Americanisation of Irish culture so I say fair play to the Cashel Palace Hotel and other fine establishments who continue to serve scones at whatever price point.

BattleCorp1

I haven't been to the Cashel Palace but here's a few points.

€15 is too much money for a coffee and scone in a Spar. You don't get jam, butter, cream, nice cups, saucers, plates, cutlery etc.

€15 is probably par for the course in an upmarket hotel. People have to realise that they aren't just paying for the scone and coffee. They are paying for the surroundings, the luxury etc.

If I was there, I'd be far more concerned with the poor service rather than the price.

Cyclingtourist

Next there will be thread about 'how much is too much to pay for a pint of Guinness?' citing the Shelbourne or some other establishment. I buy the Financial Times at the weekends (good value at €4.50)which is chock full of advertisements for houses, watches, clothes, etc. at prices to make even someone's eyes water who occasionally browses through Brown Thomas.

I assure you there's a market for coffee and scones at €15 even among the Irish middle class.

Quitelife

The amount of people who can afford to pay 15 euro for a tea ans scone is very limited especially in rural Ireland. A huge swathe of middle Ireland under pressure with Mortgages, Rent, Childcare, College costs certainly struggle. Id say quite a few middle ireland people that thought they might be able to go to this place for a meal or a night out have abandoned the idea.

Who could honestly pay 15 euro for a tea and scone and not feel somethings not right ? ...A few large Dairy Farmers , Hospital Consultants , local CEOs of companies , Tipperary's Drug dealers, RTE staff working remotely??

sporina

true, price is more than about the tangible items - tis also about the service, surroundings/location, significance of the establishment.. etc..

have since read up on this - so the customer said the scones were tiny - when she queried it with staff she was told that they were standard size... seems they are homemade.. (wow).. artisan jams and clotted cream.. but they ate on garden furniture beside a busy car park.. so,. I guess they didn't feel that the experience reflected the price..

also, it was mother's day... but seems thats irrelevant

BattleCorp1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118850751#Comment_118850751

Yet many of them will be able to pay €15 for a box of fags or a bottle of wine. It's about priorities.

I don't mean to be harsh but if someone can't afford €15 for a coffee and a scone, then don't go to the Cashel Palace.

Are you seriously saying that unless you are a large dairy farmer, hospital consultant, local CEO, drug dealer or RTE staff member you can't afford €15 every now and again for a luxury?

It's all about priorities and what you want to spend your money on to give you a bit of pleasure.

Cyclingtourist

There's far more widespread examples of extravagance in Ireland, including rural areas, than €15 for a light snack. Just look at the weddings, first communions, women's hair salons, mark-up on wine in restaurants, cars.......It's not all down to big farmers, top barristers, RTE big-wigs, some of it's expenditure by school teachers, retirees, even the odd nurse or garda.

Quitelife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118850826#Comment_118850826

Maybe your right i just cant afford it , myself and my wife both work and would be considered middle ireland but with college fees, mortgage etc we have no disposable income.

I gave up cigarettes ( which is a good thing) 5 years because i couldn't afford them any longer( not for health reasons) and have as good as given up going to the pub for the same reason .

Will we be here next year though with someone showing a receipt from this Cashel hotel saying 25 Euro for a plate of chips and some people saying its too much and others on about the surroundings as you eat the plate of chips??

dxhound2005

Fancy hotels must hope they can afford a lot more than €15 for a scone. Otherwise who is going to occupy their €300 a night rooms. It's good to see them spending their money, instead of hoarding it.

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118850225#Comment_118850225

If you shop around it's easy to get good coffee and a decent bit of cake for €7 or €8. To be honest Scones are the rich tea of treats, as in they are a fairy rubbish are barely a treat. A scone and coffee is never worth €15

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118850826#Comment_118850826

It's not about what one can afford it's about a coffee and scone not been worth €15. I could easily afford €10 for a pint in Ireland but I'd never pay that much as it would be a rip off, charing €10 for a pint would be wrong.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118852026#Comment_118852026

It's never worth €15 to you.

It may well be worth it to someone else.

BattleCorp1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118852147#Comment_118852147

@Allinall sums it up perfectly. It's all about priorities. For you it's not worth it but others might be very happy to pay it.

Here's an example of how I learned about value.

Years ago I was in the pub with the lads. Some were drinking and some were playing cards for small enough money and taking it easy with the drink. One of my mates lost a tenner playing cards. I was never interested in cards and viewed my mate losing a tenner to be a complete waste. I pretty much told him so and that he could have gotten two pints for that tenner. He told me that he got more pleasure playing cards and losing the tenner than if he bought two pints with that tenner. He valued the game of cards more than he valued a tenner or two pints. Someone else might value the scones and coffee in a luxurious location more than they value €15.

Different strokes for different folks.

gmisk

It was three small scones...seemingly.. if that is better or worse who knows....

https://twitter.com/mcdigby/status/1508743912193724419?t=G7Or3MD9GM2wJKs3M10J5w&s=19

BattleCorp1

🙄 🙄 🙄

Ah yeah. The economy is going to crash because the Cashel Palace charges €15 for a coffee and scone.

Overreaction much?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118852253#Comment_118852253

I’m still not seeing the justification in pricing though- scones with jam and cream are a common request in hotels- you’d expect the price to be about 4-5 euro at most for a decent sized scone warmed through

funnily enough I was in the Cashel Palace hotel about 7 years ago and ordered 3 cream scones and 3 coffeesi don’t think the bill was any more than 20 euro .

There was a discussion about it on Tipp FM this morning and the general consensus was that it was good value for a special treat. 3 scones, butter, clotted cream, jam, unlimited tea/coffee and no time limit.

BattleCorp1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118852356#Comment_118852356

You are getting more than a Spar scone in a bag to take away. You are paying for more than the scone. You are paying for it to be served to you on nice plates, well presented with jam and cream etc. You are paying for the surroundings too. I'd imagine with that pricing they are going for a certain type of clientele.

I can afford €15 for a coffee and a scone but I wouldn't dream of doing it regularly. I could probably afford it every day but I'd consider it too expensive a waste to do it every day, but as a treat, in a nice place, yep, I could go for that.

It's like getting an €100 steak in the Shelbourne. Is it any better than a €30 steak in your local restaurant, probably not. But some are willing to pay extra for the surrounding and service and to have their tablecloth ironed before the meal is served to them etc.

The greed in this country is something else.

dxhound2005

This is how to eat a scone.

https://www.ohhowcivilized.com/how-to-eat-a-scone-properly/

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118852398#Comment_118852398

Rubbish - I’ve had cream scones and coffee in 5 star hotels in the last year and have never paid 15 quid a place for them - you’re not getting 3 standard scones you’re getting 3 small scones - I’m well aware what you’re served in hotels and the surroundings you dine - it’s rip off pricing - yes scones in a hotel is a treat but they’re never this expensive