THE BOSS of an upmarket Scottish restaurant has criticised a minority of customers who complain if their meals take more than 10 minutes to prepare.
Dean Gassabi said some diners who are so used to fast food culture they expect him to serve meals in a few minutes.
Mr Gassabi, the boss of Maison Bleue in Edinburgh, spoke out after a recent experience with a group of young customers.
They ordered Chicken Supreme – chicken breast wrapped in jambon de Bayonne and served with a gruyere cheese sauce – which takes at least 20 minutes to cook.
But after just 10 minutes they complained the order had taken too long to serve.
He said: “Fifteen years ago, customers would never have questioned waiting over ten minutes for their meal, as they appreciated the quality of the food and had an understanding that good food takes time to cook.
“Now however it seems to be a very different story, which begs the question: is the increasing accessibility to fast food restaurants ruining our enjoyment of going out to a restaurant and sitting down to eat a freshly cooked meal?
“Everyone knows it takes more than ten minutes to cook chicken.
When cooking at home it takes at least twenty minutes to ensure chicken is thoroughly cooked.
“Now imagine cooking dishes like this fresh everyday for over 200 people and you will get some sort of handle of how long it takes to prepare our dishes.”
The restaurant recently announced it was taking its prices back to 1998 prices to celebrate its 15th anniversary.
But Mr Gassabi added: “That doesn’t mean we will be forgoing quality. Those who are looking for a fast food lunch should instead stick to McDonalds and Burger King.”
