GAIL's Bakery Earlsfield — Restaurant in London

The following extract is taken from Gail’s webpage - Covid-19 FAQ . Should I wear a face covering at GAIL’s? …We kindly ask that, unless exempt, our customers wear a face covering while queuing or popping in for a takeaway. If you’re eating in, then face coverings may be removed…

and yet when I visited one day this week not only were customers not asked to wear a face-mask but this seemed to be condoned by the management. Staff seemed anxious and uncertain how to respond when a customer asked if they were required to wear a face-mask in the store. The customer was informed that it was fine not to wear a face-mask, even though it has been mandatory since the 24th July and as such, a legal requirement since that date (see guidance below with relevant extract).

Either, communication within the staff team is inadequate and staff have not been trained properly regarding how to implement the government guidance on consistently employing safe measures, or more worryingly, there may be a degree of disingenuousness by Gail’s as a company in attempting to appear to be implementing safe measures to achieve a covid safe environment, when in fact the opposite is true. It is likely that Gail’s cavalier approach may be contributing to the spread of covid in all neighbourhoods where they’re based.

Staff appear to be vulnerable and unprotected in the workspace, in that social distancing is not evident nor are appropriate mitigations in place where the 2m distance is not achievable. Perhaps this is a matter that might be of interest to the HSE and Local Council. The government made an announcement on 8 July 2020 allowing VAT registered businesses to apply a temporary 5% reduced rate of VAT to their supplies… wait for it… not only have Gail’s pocketed the benefit rather than passing it on to the customer which in these tough economic times is understandable but to couple this with extortionist price hikes is pretty despicable! I for one will not be purchasing there again.

The following extract is taken from the Government’s guidance and was updated on 31st July 2020 Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and The Department for Digital, Culture Media & Sport

Part of Work and financial support during coronavirus - Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)11 Restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaway services

Section 6.1 face Coverings ….Face coverings are mandatory on public transport and for customers in a number of indoor premises including where food has been purchased at a restaurant without table service or at a take-away outlet. If a shop or a café has a designated seating area for customers to eat and drink, face coverings can be removed in this area only(p. 38)

….Businesses should take reasonable steps to encourage customer compliance for example through in store communications or notices at the entrance. If necessary, police can issue fines to members of the public for non-compliance. Businesses will not be required to provide face coverings for their customers(p.38)

….It is not mandatory for workers in pubs, restaurants or takeaways to wear face coverings where they are not part of usual health and safety measures. However, businesses should consider recommending their use where other mitigations are not in place, for example screens or visors, and where it does not hinder workers, for example, speaking to or supporting customers. Where businesses recommend the use of face coverings, they must be used...

I would have given Gail's in Earlsfield 1 star but, for a couple of occasions when the food was good. I can only offer Gail's 2 stars due to indifferent experiences, where on one or two occasions I had fair to middling experiences with decent food and other times very average to awful. On the last occasion where I attended with a friend we ordered the same food and drinks. The chap who took the order was a young man who had little personality and gave no eye or verbal contact - I have been served by him before so knew what to expect. My friends order of scrambled eggs on sourdough bread came with his pot of English breakfast tea. It arrived in reasonable time and I said to him to start his food expecting mine to be right behind. 5 minutes went by and I was still waiting. My friend commented that the egg was a bit hard and tasted as though it had been microwaved. A further 5 minutes went by and I returned to the counter as at this point I had still not received my pot of tea let alone my food. The lady asked me to repeat my order and give her my table number which I did. She said she would chase it and it would be with me shortly (No apology). I was a little worried by now as she didn't seem aware of my order. I sat back down with my friend who by now had finished his food and was on his second cup of tea. A further 5 minutes passed and I approached another member of staff - the girl I had spoken to previously had now disappeared! I explained to the new girl what had happened and again she asked me to repeat my order back, again not receiving an apology and the girl said she would chase the order. A further 5-10 minutes went by, I only stayed around as I felt in no-mans land not knowing whether to leave or hang around as I was on a lunch break. I was trying to get the attention of the chap who had originally served me. He was aimlessly walking around as if he was looking for someone or something. I caught his attention and he asked if I was waiting for egg on toast to which I replied yes. He went behind the counter and came back with the plate of egg on toast (No apology). Whilst he was there another member of staff was dropping off a pot of tea to my table. I cut into the egg on toast which again was quite hard and appeared to have been microwaved. I took a bite but, it was tepid at best and really best described as cold. I tried to carry on eating it but, it also tasted chemical or metallic, for want of a better word to describe it. At this point I had had enough and picked the plate of food up dropping it off at the front counter explaining that it was cold and horrible and I waited over 20 minutes to receive it. I was looked at blankly by the chap who had originally served me and he took the plate and turned away moving it away from the front of the desk (no apology or any other explanation). After much anticipation over Gail's arrival in Earlsfield it is disappointing to see what a let down it is, and to receive such poor service and sub standard food so soon after opening really is...

Disappointing decline at Gail’s Earlsfield

As someone who’s been a regular at Gail’s for a while, I’ve sadly watched the Earlsfield branch go downhill over the past few months — and my most recent visit confirmed it’s not just a one-off.

There’s clearly an ongoing issue with restocking. Savoury items like ham and cheese croissants, sausage rolls, and salmon bagels — easily the most popular choices — are always gone early in the day. Meanwhile, sweet treats linger on the counter well into the afternoon, clearly not as in demand. Perhaps it’s time to rethink your ordering and stock levels? Customers are constantly left disappointed, and it doesn’t seem like anyone’s learning from it.

What made the experience worse today was the service — or lack of it. I was served by a woman who stood out from the rest of the team by not wearing work attire; she had brown hair, wore hoop earrings and an olive green cardigan, and seemed to be in some form of managerial role. For instance, today’s interaction summed it all up — no smile, no greeting, just a cold, dismissive tone and the clear impression that I was inconveniencing her by ordering anything. When that attitude comes from someone who may be in charge, it sets a very poor example for the rest of the team.

Cleanliness has also noticeably dropped. Tables were dirty and left that way, with no visible effort to keep the space welcoming or tidy.

It’s a shame. Gail’s used to feel like a warm, dependable local spot. Now it feels indifferent, disorganised, and frankly, not worth the...