Comments on: Andrew Gilligan: Frank Dowling Loses His Temper

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:19:58 +0000

I’d like to say, as someone who used to work for Inc. that the lack of enthusiasm from staff probably stems from the fact that they are paid next to nothing, often paid the wrong amount (always less than they were expecting) and sometimes they are told that their cheques wont be coming when they were expected and that no definite time has been set for this (the problem extends to managers who are in no better position than the rest of the staff). This happened to me several times and you can imagine all of the financial trouble it got me…

Also, training is non-existent. Most of the time, if you ask what something on the menu is, or how to describe it, no-body really knows. If you spend time ‘going the extra mile’ for a customer… you are causing a massive inconvenience and will probably be chastised for it. The prices ar crazy and there’s no way to express how much abuse staff get from customers about this.

I can’t speak for all of the venues, but those I’d seen were similar.

If Frank wants to make his business work well, this is a great place to start. If you encourage people to cut corners to make a little bit more money (which is never invested back into the company) then your staff will choose not to make any real effort lest this turns out to be the wrong thing to do anyway.

By: Nathan Beckwith

Nathan Beckwith — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:37:57 +0000

We looked at hiring the upstairs room for a private party last summer. As locals wanting something affordable and lcoal this looked alright and the location was ideal. That was until we tried the food which has truly awful. When I found out that the same owner (Inc Group) had many other bars in Greenwich I was disappointed because I’d been in most of them and I realised all were similar. Similar in terms of quality. No wonder I’m always complaining to friends that there’s nowhere decent to eat in Greenwich! Thankfully we now have the newly refurbished Guildford – decent grub, nice independent feel to it. I hope it thrives.

By: Andrew Gilligan: Eight days to save the market | Greenwich.co.uk

Andrew Gilligan: Eight days to save the market | Greenwich.co.uk — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:11:29 +0000

[...] expensive outlets had failed their hygiene inspections, he rang me up to call me a “c***.” My report of this conversation is still the top item when anyone Googles you, [...]

By: Look in at the local… but where? « 853

Look in at the local… but where? « 853 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:03:40 +0000

[...] Greenwich town centre has been bereft of decent boozers for many years now, with many locals objecting to the domination of the area by the Inc Group, which owns four out of the five bars in the market [...]

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:16:17 +0000

Having been a member of INC staff in various outlets I think it’s fair to say that customer service is, in a word, deplorable. I’d also say that this is largely due to appalling staff provision offered by a host of incompetent managers accross the board. As a waitress in the o2 I was regularly verbally abused, sworn at, subject to many safety hazards, habitually kept overtime without pay, and, when I finally did up and quit, was grossly underpaid for my troubles. Being exposed to this on a daily basis does eventually affect the old ‘service with a smile’ mantra. Raan restaurant was particularly bad for this. Staff are seen as purely dispensible, rather than individuals.

In agreement with many others, it’s sad to see Greenwich be stripped of any individuality. Surely the market’s due for a revamp soon- any ideas Frank?

By: Graham

Graham — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:45:19 +0000

I have no particular axe to grind with Greenwich Inc, but sadly have found that two things stand out in any of their outlets that I have visited – very poor service from staff who have no interest in the job, and dull food. This is however a common complaint for many bars and restaurants in Greenwich which rely almost exclusively on Tourists rather than local residents. But when Frank Dowling has invested so much I cannot understand why his company does not try harder or are they simply not interested either. Better service from friendly helpful staff and higher quality food and drink would surely improve the bottom line of Greenwich Inc as well as the experience for tourists and persuade more locals through the front door.
Bar du Musee used to have an excellent wine list- now it’s merely average at best
I have done the only thing that I can- I go elsewhere ! Inside, The Rivington and the Guildford all offer excellent food and wine, whilst pubs like the Pelton Arms, Richard 1st and the Ashburnham Arms all offer what a pub should.
As for the sorry saga of The Cricketers, I dread to think how much money has been spent on it’s latest incarnations (Powder Monkey, W Lounge, Lani Tiki bar) all of which have struggled. Frank-any chance of The Cricketers making a return appearance ?

By: Indigo

Indigo — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:59:45 +0000

Someone has posted about their lost parrot on Gumtree, with photo

http://www.gumtree.com/london/66/43555266.html

That one (lost in Harrow last month) knows her name, Tia. Does the parrot in your apple tree have a leg ring? Sometimes parrots are trained to say their address.

By: Rob Powell

Rob Powell — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:44:48 +0000

Hi Roger – thanks for the update. Someone on Twitter noticed the parrot’s appearance coincided with International Talk Like A Pirate Day(!)
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

By: Roger Matthews

Roger Matthews — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:08:19 +0000

Parrot update, just in case anyone is interested. It returned to our apple trees this morning and stripped them of remaining fruit. Despite much pleading, it refused to speak. Spotted at 6.20 this evening at tree-top height on east side of the Park. Dark green with flash of red, and quite a chunky bird compared with the sleek, fast-flying parakeets. Looked much at ease. Perhaps a new resident?

By: Roger Matthews

Roger Matthews — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:59:31 +0000

Hi, Rob Thanks for that. It’s certainly a parrot. It alerted us to its presence by saying “hello” a couple of times!.