Scone and a coffee - how much is too much?

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857043#Comment_118857043

There were other Sconegates in the past.

https://news.sky.com/story/sconegate-in-lanhydrock-cornish-cream-tea-lovers-demand-jamfirst-11286890

BattleCorp1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856557#Comment_118856557

You say who are we to judge............yet you are happy to judge when you said €15 for a coffee and scone is just down right silly. It might be silly to you but not silly to others.

I'll half agree with you. €15 for a Spar scone and coffee is too much. But to be served a coffee and scone in a very luxurious setting such as somewhere like Ashford Castle or Adare Manor for €15, hey, you aren't comparing like with like. They aren't remotely the same thing. It's like the difference between flying economy and flying first class.

You aren't just paying for the scone and coffee, you are paying for the surroundings, the service etc. And if you think the price is too much, then you aren't their target market.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856661#Comment_118856661

But this scone wasn't a common item. It was a scone in a very expensive hotel. I bet if your pint was in a really fancy exclusive looking D4 pub you would be checking the price first.

Saying a pint in a regular pub is not equivalent. Some places like giant manor houses calling themselves a palace you are an idiot if you don't check the price first.

The moral of the story is don't go here and

be expecting normal scone prices

whatchagonnado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118844816#Comment_118844816

If you have a spare 225 euro after saving/pension/investing, what would do with it?

whatchagonnado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118845049#Comment_118845049

Twitter posting of receipts pure cringe, isn't it? What's the poster trying to do? It's certainly not to warn others or shame the business. It's to demonstrate the kind of person they are, and by god, have they achieved that.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856851#Comment_118856851

This is sadly probably true. Everyone is gonna want their own personal scone story now.

Archeron

Interesting that within 48 hours of the sconegate receipt going online, there are three one star reviews on TripAdvisor, out of twelve or so total, all the others are glowing. I guess the numbers of reviews is low as it's a new place, so very unfortunate to have a substantial percentage drag that shiny new score down.

That's some dedicated group TripAdvisoring as I presume it must be the three of that group as they all mention scone prices.

Place looks very nice though, might save up a few years to go there someday.

People who likely were never there

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857246#Comment_118857246

Wrong, the Scones in question are common items, none of the ingredients are expensive, they just cost a little more than your local wholesalers. Also people need to use a bit of cop on, other 5* hotels do not charge €15 for a coffee and scone.

If I got a pint in an exclusive D4 pub I wouldn't check the price beforehand but if it was more than €7.50 I would definitely leave and then post on social media as the venue would very clearly be ripping customers off and I would hope people avoid the place.

Let's get real here, who goes to a bar and asks a barman how much a pint is before ordering?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857645#Comment_118857645

As I said, legally they have to display the cost of drinks, do you check? When people use social media like you outline, effectively what you are saying is “I was stupid enough to order in an expensive hotel without checking the price”

Greyfox, life is going to be tough for you if you think vendors should only charge what is fair.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857197#Comment_118857197

i said that to feel that €15 for a coffee and scone is good value for money is silly - i'm not judging those who are happy to pay it..

exactly.. it would be ok perhaps if the customer was happy with the surroundings, etc.. (read my previous posts on this).. but she said "sitting on garden furniture" - so plush and all as the place might be, she didn't feel it.. and didn't seem happy with the customer service either when told that the scones were standard size!

mayb you should read the specifics before commenting

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857671#Comment_118857671

I don't check the price of pints in Ireland but that's because everywhere here stays within a certain price range. I think there should be a price range for common items, obviously with the likes of steak or wine you should check the price.

It depends, sometimes it's the customer who made the error and sometimes it's the business charing much more than there competitors charge.

Your right, I have to get use to the fact that vendors will charge what people are willing to pay.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857645#Comment_118857645

It's a sign of the times in the last 20 years or so that the price of a pint is no longer a topic for discussion. Back in the day, drinkers swore that they would never darken the door of a pub again if it went to 20 pence, 50 pence or whatever. Budgets were keenly anticipated to see how much would go on the pint. Half litre glasses came in at one stage, to make it a bit cheaper, but they never caught on. The price of a pint trebled from 28 pence to 84 pence between 1976 and 1981.

http://publin.ie/2015/the-price-of-a-pint-from-1928-2015-in-todays-money/

It might not be a subject for conversation again even if 20% inflation returns, with the big change in drinking habits in this century. Last year private savings in the country increased by €13 billion to a record €136 billion. So there is plenty of money in the country, and people can choose what they want to do with it. Vast amounts are being spent on complete luxuries, and on food waste.

BattleCorp1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857754#Comment_118857754

This isn't a personal attack on you but you are actually judging people. You are saying you aren't judging but you actually are.......by saying that feeling €15 for a coffee and scone is good value is silly. You'd think I was silly if I thought €15 was good value for the scones and coffee. And I've already said that €15 isn't good value if it is a Spar takeaway coffee and scone but I might have a different view if it was in a luxurious 5 star hotel.

Everything about this story is persepective. The price, the location, the quality of the seating, the service etc. All open to different perspectives and opinions. Some think it's ridiculous money, some think it's fine, some think it is worth it, some think it isn't............and both opinions are fine. We don't have to agree. Neither of us is right or wrong.

I'll have to pull my horns in a little bit about the luxury end of things after looking at the photo below. The seating looks cheap and very far from luxurious. I'm guessing it's the same price for a scone and coffee in M. Ryan's cheap-ass seats as it is in the nice seats inside in the hotel itself. So if it was me, I'd be happier to pay for the scone and coffee inside in the luxurious surroundings of the hotel rather than outside in the photo below.

The above picture is taken directly from the Cashel Palace website.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857802#Comment_118857802

You understand that not all vendors have the same costs?

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857879#Comment_118857879

grr do your research the come back with an informed opinion

Esse85

I wouldn't of waited 25 mins to receive a scone after I'd gotten my coffee. My coffee would be drank by then and within 5 minutes of my coffee being served, if my scone wasn't served, I'd be asking a staff member where it is.

Dank Janniels

wouldn't HAVE waited* ^^^

FFVII

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118844784#Comment_118844784

B&B is well on the way to that price everywhere...everything is gone mental. Can't wait for arse to fall out of everything again.

Jesus trainwreck of a first page just in general about prices, not this particular case. How do people not understand that you're sometimes paying for the location and not only for the actual food and drink in front of you?

For a country so mad on houses and road frontage, you'd think people might be able to figure it out.

Whether or not this place is a rip off I don't know, but if millions were spend restoring some old castle or something, then those millions are made back by people willing to pay more to sit there.

"15 euro for a scone and coffee on the ISS? I don't care if you're 200 miles over the Serengeti. Coffee is coffee and a scone is a scone. Should be five quid."

Sebastian Dangerfield

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118844803#Comment_118844803

I've been in London a bit with work recently, and pretty much everywhere outside of chain restaurants now add a 10-15% service charge on the entire bill. Even my hotel added a £15 a night service charge to be shared among all staff.

Im going off topic a bit, but I wouldnt be surprised to see similar adopted here before too long. I find it a little confusing to be honest; my understanding of tipping culture in America is that they keep their prices lower by paying staff a low base wage, which the customer tops up via tips. We already pay through the ring for food here, so a service charge on top is a double whammy. I suppose it takes the guesswork out

Sebastian Dangerfield

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118845049#Comment_118845049

I think if they had ordered a meal this criticism would be entirely valid. However I think most people would order tea and scones without looking at a menu or giving it a second thought. I certainly would

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857945#Comment_118857945

Of course which is why a small price difference is fine, just not too much

machiavellianme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118844825#Comment_118844825

Nothing

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118859349#Comment_118859349

We understand your paying for the location, we expect the cost to be more than Costa or starbucks but this shower are throwing an extra €5 on to rip people off. It's more about the principle of it than the extra €5

machiavellianme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857197#Comment_118857197

You aren't paying for the service in the 15 euro. That's 10% extra.

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118859513#Comment_118859513

Some would seem happy to pay an extra 15 rather than 5 for the "luxury" on offer.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118859529#Comment_118859529

That is what the hotel are hoping for, and if they have the customers to sustain it, then they would be foolish to charge less. People have to accept, the aim of business is to make a profit, not provide goods and services at a cost acceptable to all.

Gotta say, I now want to taste one of those scones, so I’ll be dropping in there the next time I pass to see if they/the hotel are good.

Esse85

You'd swear people were forced to go here or the town had no other cafe where you could could get scones/coffee.

If you don't like or can't afford the asking price, don't go here and shop at your own level.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857645#Comment_118857645

I don't get the going on social media thing it achieves nothing. This woman has probably done more good than bad for a hotel and bar that the whole country has now suddenly heard of.

As for 7.50 a pint for me it would depend on what beer I was getting. If it was for something like Guinness or Heineken I wouldn't be shocked or going on social media crying but I also wouldn't be going back to the place.