Posted on behalf of Glenda & Nicky –
In CT, most times when we need to have a meeting, our place of choice is Mugg & Bean. However, after my experience today, I might think twice about going to have something to eat there.My colleague, Nicky and I decided to share those really nice beef and chicken pockets – Jean from Pretoria introduced us to it. Fortunately Nicky is watching her weight and didn’t want to eat all the pita. She carefully opened the pockets and removed the filling – and then – BANG – there it was – roasted to perfection – one big green fly.
Yuk!!! We were already half way through our meal and actualy didn’t know how many (if any) we consumed. Well, we certainly made our voice heard and stated that we weren’t paying for it.Now I’m wondering if a thousand apologies from M&B can erase the memory of that green fly nestled in the inside of the pita bread?? No, I think the memory will always be there – and we’ll keep the memory alive by telling the tale (for a long while) to whomever we have a meal with.So, a word of caution “Don’t go to M&B hungry and check your food before diving into it”
“How to get free food at Mugg & Bean”
Ag no man!!! Getting a fly in your soup in one thing, but getting a Big Fat Green one is something totally different. Especially if it is neatly tucked away where you wouldn’t find it. I wonder how many flies and spiders and other flying and crawling stuff we have consumed in restaurants…
Here’s Mike sticking his neck out. Consider this – you choose M & B because most often the service is above average and the food is good. So do many of us. The chances of any one of us finding a juicy fly in any one of the numerous meals we enjoy there are pretty darn good (we live in a fly-infested country). Running a restaurant kitchen is flippin’ hard work.
So I say, shame. I feel sorry for Mugg & Bean. They played the game and gave you the meal for free – which is expected. Give the guys another chance!!!
Besides, an insect a day will keep you regular… (The Stopforth Diet).
A little over-dramatic and over-the-top in my opinion. so you got a fly. Big deal. So the memory will be there a while. Don’t order the same thing. Next time get something without a fly in it.
Getting the meal for nothing is not the point at all!
And as for the comment that the original post was over dramatic, the less said the better.
Kitchens, by the vetry nature of the tasks performed there, should be fly free.
Health standards should be enforced and non-compliance heavily penalised.
Yes, running a restaurant kitchen IS hard work BUT it is a commercial enterprise and in making a tidy profit so no need to feel sorry for them at all.
South Africans should stop accepting poor service and deterioration of standards.
Where would you draw the line then, half a putrefying frog?
The restaurant concerned should be visited by the health inspector to determine just how bad things really might be in that kitchen.
And as for “next time get something without a fly in it”
sheeesh !!!!!
Without trivalizing this very serious matter, we at Mugg & Bean spend our every waking moment making sure that the fly does not make into the food, we even have health specialists advising us on how to swat flies more effeciently, but there are simply more flies than us and sometimes they get through the flurry of flycatchers.
Mugg & Bean served 10 million meals last year I am afraid that as hard as we try we just will not get it right everytime, but we are not giving up and will keep trying. Short of Disemboweling the chef and razing the restaurant; apologies and comping the meal, as feeble as they sound, are the best we can do we will never erase the spectre of the BIG GREEN FLY.
Simply put we are “hell’ve sorry” and given the odds of 10 million to one I am can give you a guarantee that it is very very very unlikely to happen again. Please forgive us and do not let this one incident as serious as it is come between us. We love our loyal guests and we want you to come back.
Nice reply.
The connection economy is about what happens when Sh*t happens. Because it does. Obviously, most companies try to ensure that nothing goes wrong. But, the key is to have a plan and give managers levels of authority that allow them to implement those plans, when something does go wrong.
Part of our experience on this blog is what happens AFTER things go wrong. There are some really good stories, and I think M&B’s is one of them!!
BigBeaner’s response which includes:
“we even have health specialists advising us on how to swat flies more efficiently, but there are simply more flies than us and sometimes they get through the flurry of flycatchers.”
is typical of the attitude of big business towards the customer in South Africa.
A show of arrogance and disregard for the intelligence of the average South African customer is what will eventually have your business fail.
Sarcasm, in the face of constructive criticism, displays a total lack of respect.
Your attempts at puerile humour were totally uncalled for and “could” lead to even more negative publicity.
My *suggestion* is that you retract those silly remarks as your customers KNOW that your comments were disrespectful and intended to belittle them.
Try and see your customers as an essential commodity without which your business would fail.
All it needs is ONE MORE CLAIM, justified or not.
I don’t know – I found BigBeaner’s response reassuring and atypical of the “big business attitude towards the consumer in South Africa” which Bodie refers to. If you feel belittled, well – sorry for you – I felt reassured that Mugg n Bean are humans and not some big corporation which has lost the common touch. If this leads to negative publicity I’d be suprised – and I’d be even more suprised if the majority of people feel belittled and disrespected.
Or would you prefer a more formal, written response which wouldn’t (???) be typical of a South African business???
Shit Happens!!!! But always seem to be at Mugg and Bean, Cant remeber when I had a good experience last, not to mention how expebsive they have become whilst we still look at these towers of stale bread and think ohh lok at the value.
I would rather eat the big juicy Green fly than eat at Mugg and Bean Again
Firstly “expebsive” could clearly not come from a mugg & bean regular. Then again does Joe know anything about the term inflation. You can go to any other establishment and compare portions to prices being charged.
I feel mugg & bean is generous with it’s portions. And if you have any knowledge about what standards mugg & bean require from their franchises, you will be impressed. I believe they are one of the few restuarants that not only focus on customer service but try their utmost best to be haccp compliend.
Yes SA restuarant standards are definitely not of the best but other restuarant franchises can learn a bit from mugg & bean’s standards.