Rip Off Ireland - A thread for rip offs

Yeah I don’t know enough about how the carbon trading system works. Or doesn’t. Or whether it’ll be all torn up.

As in the post above, it could be worse for globe overall if you reduce production of a product to save on emissions but then purchase that product from a country that is producing it in a more climate unfriendly manner.

Like the UK and Ireland respectively on this example.

It’s total horseshit in reality

Yeah. Fuck the environment.

What fucker said that?

A pint of Guinness and pint bottle of Bulmers in Maynooth.

Ten cent off €14.

€6.40 and €7.50

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God bless the EEC etc
Without it the farmers would be all working in factories
Or digging turf
The grants are serious

Madness
Thankfully I dot give the public and much
Bar a few 00s occasionally

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Popey has an eggsclusive about Avoca today

Shelling out: is this the most expensive breakfast egg in Ireland?

‘IT SEEMS THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A GENUINE ERROR IN THE ORDER PROCESS, AS A SINGLE FRIED EGG IN A SANDWICH WOULD HAVE BEEN PRICED ACCORDINGLY,’ AN SPOKESMAN SAID. ‘TYPICALLY, SIDE ORDERS INCLUDE TWO EGGS AND ARE PRICED AROUND €5.’

Have we found the most expensive egg in Ireland? Or rather, has one of our readers? We can’t say for sure, but we can say the price he was charged by Avoca for a single egg he had added to a breakfast sandwich not long ago will leave you shell-shocked.

“I am writing to tell you about an interesting experience I’ve just had in Avoca, Rathcoole,” begins the mail from Seán Keogh.

“After dropping my son to school I decided to pop in and treat myself to breakfast. This being Avoca of course, I was already prepared to pay a premium, but I wasn’t prepared for what transpired!

And what was it that transpired?

Well Seán ordered what we can only imagine is a very fancy breakfast roll, the like of which Pat Shortt was probably not singing about back in the day.

He ordered a “sausage and bacon bap” from the breakfast menu. At €11.90, a price, it was “not cheap, but it’s Avoca and I was sitting in, so it’s acceptable. So far, so good.”

He goes on to say that the menu “explicitly made a point of calling out the sausage and bacon. It gave me pause for thought. I said I’d just confirm that there was an egg in the bap – that’s a pretty standard breakfast bap staple, right?”

You would think so but you would be wrong.

‘No problem’

“There wasn’t an egg included (sad face). So I asked the nice lady if the chef could pop a fried egg inside for me please. No problem.The staff member “jotted down ‘+egg’ on the docket. I was grudgingly preparing to pay more for the egg inside. I guess I was prepared to suck up another €1 or €2 extra. The upper end of my estimate would have my breakfast bap now running at €13.90. I’m starting to sweat, but I’m hungry. I stick around,” Seán writes.

“I go to pay and with a latte the girl at the till rings up just over €22. I inquire how it had come to that and she informs me the egg was €5 extra! That made my breakfast sandwich the grand total of €16.90. Add the coffee and we were north of €22.”

Seán “gave an incredulous, ‘Are you serious: €5 for an egg in a breakfast bap?’“, before he “cancelled the order and left. I guess we all have a breaking point and mine was the €5 egg in a breakfast bap, as an add-on. I’m done with Avoca. It’s been coming.”

He adds that he was writing to us from his local bakery, Faccino’s in Naas, “where for €22 I am having their breakfast sandwich (with egg included) coffee and I’m also taking home a freshly baked almond croissant and a raspberry scone. There’s value still to be had in pockets, and now that I’ve eaten, I’m a little less cranky by the end of this email.”

By coincidence we also heard another breakfast-themed story about a different outlet of the say story from a reader called Anne who say she “felt compelled to contact you regarding an experience I had last week in Avoca Suffolk Street.

“On receiving the menu I was informed it was a brand new menu with lots of options,” she says. “I was totally taken aback at some of the prices, especially €14 for porridge. Is this a record for Ireland? As far as I’m concerned it’s outrageous.”

It does seem like a lot, although compared with €5 for an egg it’s positively a bargain. We contacted Avoca to find out more.

“We truly value these insights as they help us continue to improve and grow,” a spokesman said, very diplomatically. “All feedback is reviewed by the relevant teams to ensure we capture as much as possible on our journey toward excellence.”

He said he had investigated both our stories and offered some clarity.

Clear

“At our Rathcoole location, we operate two dining destinations, a self-service cafe, and a table- service restaurant. While it is not entirely clear where the order was placed, it appears to have been in the self-service cafe,” the spokesman said.

“We do offer breakfast sandwiches with the option to add or remove items, as well as side orders of breakfast dishes popular with customers who prefer to create their own plated breakfast. In this case, it seems there may have been a genuine error in the order process, as a single fried egg in a sandwich would have been priced accordingly.

“Typically, side orders include two eggs and are priced around €5.”

The spokesman said we could pass on his details to Seán so he could “personally explain this and extend our apologies”.

More broadly, the spokesman said that “with regard to pricing, we regularly review our menus and have recently introduced new options without applying industry-wide food cost increases. Our commitment remains to use the finest Irish and locally sourced ingredients. For example, the breakfast sandwich mentioned features handmade sausages and dry-cured bacon from Frank Doyle Butchers in Bray, the free-range eggs from Ballon Family Farm in the Mount Leinster Valley, Co Carlow, and freshly baked bread prepared on-site where possible.

Optional toppings

When it comes to Anne’s porridge the spokesman said that Avoca cafes “serve a Traditional Organic Oat Porridge for €9.50 with organic oats, a mixed berry compote, and seeds, with optional toppings such as organic honey, whipped cream, mascarpone, chocolate or mixed nuts. “At selected sites offering our all-day brunch, we also feature a Rhubarb and Custard Organic Porridge, made with premium Irish rhubarb stewed into a compote, combined with organic oats, and topped with our home-made crème pâtissière, crafted with Madagascan vanilla pods, fresh Irish cream, and a quality mascarpone.”

He said it has “been a popular seasonal dish, though we plan to introduce a new autumn/winter variation soon”.

“We are currently testing and looking at introducing a fun dish closer in style and cost to our traditional porridge offering.”

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Aramark have managed to recreate Egyptair Flight 990 with their acquisition of Avoca

Your man thinking he has a bargain for a breakfast roll, a coffee and two buns in a bag for 22 quid is equally telling.

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We’re fucked

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Perhaps Aramark/Avoca wished to send Sean a post reaming organic lube?

Avoca is some cod. I got unbelievable satisfaction from stealing scones and buns in there over the years.

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Anchoring

I get the roast meat sandwich once or twice a month from the Poulet Bonne Femme spot downstairs in Avoca Suffolk st and it’s around €10 but a top sandwich. I saw that all day brunch menu where you can add loads of different options. For a basic enough mix you wouldn’t be long breaking €20.

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The salad there is good value* in that you get proper chicken fillets and decent amount two salads

*relatively versus other takeaway lunch spots

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https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualIreland/comments/1nbpuio/heres_a_pic_of_eclairs_in_dundrum_that_go_for_7/

*** technically not a ‘rip off’ as its a choice

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That is a bit steep but they do look quite nice tbf.

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