Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 37, Number 25. 25th September 1974

Indignation the only thing to swallow

Indignation the only thing to swallow

Dear Salient,

I am angry and bitter about the catering services offered in the university union. Here is the record of my last five evening visits to the middle floor restaurant:
1) Thursday, July 18. I arrived with a friend at 6.30 and was told that the restaurant was closed; it had ceased taking orders at 6.20. Astonishment that there could exist a restaurant anywhere which closed down before the time most people want to begin their meal, and that a university with 6,000 students could not offer a meal anywhere after 6.20, I nevertheless swallowed my anger, and:
2) I turned up with my wife at 6.00 and found the restaurant was again closed: this time because it was Friday night. Astonished that a restaurant should regularly close down on the night when many people want to eat out (because of late shopping, films, concerts), we swallowed our annoyance, and:
3) My wife and I turned up at 6.00 on a Thursday night, and again found the restaurant closed: this time because of "staff sickness". However we swallowed our irritation, and:
4) I arrived at the restaurant an a Thursday night at 6.00 and was astonished to find it open. I ordered a porterhouse steak: the vegetables which came with it were potato, cold pea salad, and hot peas. This meant that half of the dish consisted of peas. Astonished that a trained cook could serve heaps of both hot and cold peas on one plate, I nevertheless swallowed both the peas and my indignation, and:
5) On Thursday September 18 my wife and I turned up at 6.00 and found the restaurant yet again closed: the notice on the door gave no apology, nor any explanation why, or for how long.

Now who is going to patronise a restaurant if he has only one in five chances of getting a meal there, and if the meal is poor anyway? And how can any one wonder that the catering services lose money?

Peter Russell

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