The Buttery At The Crypt Cafe/ Tearoom — Restaurant in Chichester

Went here for lunch on a return visit to Chichester, having moved away last year. Never had lunch there before and suffice to say that I am highly unlikely to have lunch there again. There are no covid secure measures in place. Nobody was wearing a mask, neither staff nor visitors which is unusual. The tables were jammed in and it appears to me that there has been no effort made to reduce the number of covers and increase the space between tables. I know all this isn't law, but in a confined space it is recommended. I'd like to ask the owners what part of a small basement restaurant isn't "confined space" and encourage them to respond to my allegation that this venue is actually unsafe to visit while covid cases are still rife. In addition to that, the food was only a little better than mediocre. It is bistro prices for cafe food. I had ham egg and chips. The ham was OK (two thick slices was a generous helping) but the eggs were badly cooked (you know when a fried egg looks OK, but the chef doesn't understand that you have to pass a little hot oil over the top to avoid the snot layer of uncooked white) and the chips were straight from the bag of oven chips. There was also no side salad, which is expected in this price bracket. All in all, disappointed and fingers crossed that I didn't just attend the Buttery Super...

We called in here at midday. Food is lovely. My wife had a home-baked fruit scone with butter as all the cheese scones had already gone. I had a home-cooked ham baguette with piccallili which was served with a dressed green salad. However no cutlery was provided for the salad, nor a serviette to wipe my hands after l had had to eat the salad with my fingers. The scone arrived well in advance of the baguette, and the coffees we had ordered arrived between the scone and the baguette. Not ideal.

But the most confusing element of all was the ordering system. Fine if you have been here before, but not good for a first-time customer. We waited at our table for a good five minutes before we realised that it was not table service for ordering food. A small sign pasted into one of the front windows instructed patrons to place their orders at the counter, but this system was not immediately obvious as the menus did not carry this instruction. So, in essence, very good food but the nuts and bolts of the daily routine could be vastly improved upon in order to transform a so-so customer experience into...

We had eaten here before and loved the pies. We took friends, who were on holiday with us, for lunch.....oh dear, no pies! Apparently there had been a rush on them the previous day. Our friends politely said all was well with their meals. Ours were very poor. I had gammon, eggs etc. and expected a slice of gammon or two not the bits of 'off cuts' that I was served up. My wife's cottage pie and veg was an absolute disgrace!! £8.50 bought half a carrot, sliced, a small floret of broccoli and the centre piece of the meal a microwaved pot of slop that was, we guessed, the cottage pie. We queued for nearly half on hour for a table for 4 whilst the staff allowed two separate couples to occupy tables for 4 with nothing in front of them with empty tables for 2 next to them. Surely a polite request for the patrons to move to the next table to continue their conversation would not have been too much to ask? There is a notice advertising for a chef. The sooner they find one the better! We will not know if they find one as we will never...