View Full Version : Carluccios in administration
Great shame imo, a few years ago I used to enjoy going to the Bury St Edmunds branch (particularly when visiting the Apex for a concert).
It had a good atmosphere, excellent service, food and coffee - it used to make going to a concert even more of a treat.
A few weeks ago my wife and I went to Bury for a market shop and popped in to Carluccios and you could tell that things weren't right, I did say that it needed closing down, deep clean, redecorating and a manager making sure that the staff greeted customers with a smile and efficient service - I wonder whether it was falling standards that doomed it or were the staff already aware that it was on its uppers?
Pieoftheday
29-03-2020, 11:08
I'm pretty sure the chain was going tits up not long after the man himself passed away
Always sad to see any business go bust, and I feel for the staff losing their jobs, but as James has said the chain was never the same after the great man himself, one of the best chefs of all time and someone I took great inspiration from, in terms of the whole ethos of how he liked to eat/food to be cooked, and his striving for excellence/perfection.
However, the very nature of chain restaurants, owned by a famous chef and foodie, and where he or she isn't the one actually doing the cooking, is that you end up with a rather 'watered down' experience of the cuisine in question, and so as good as it was in its own right, that was also the case with Carluccio's... Therefore, in comparison with what was available from the best (small) family-owned Italian restaurants, it was akin to Italian food created from 'painting by numbers'.
Anyway, I hope that the staff are able to gain employment elsewhere and that as many businesses, of all descriptions, can manage to survive the current crisis.
Marco.
Pieoftheday
29-03-2020, 11:53
Didn't Jamie Oliver's chain go pear shaped a while back too?
dave2010
29-03-2020, 12:01
Didn't Jamie Oliver's chain go pear shaped a while back too?I thought it merely slimmed down - quite a lot. Maybe it's still there, but on a starvation diet now.
Right now is not going to be an easy time for any catering type business. Many more could go the same way.
However, the very nature of chain restaurants, owned by a famous chef and foodie, and where he or she isn't the one actually doing the cooking, is that you end up with a rather 'watered down' experience of the cuisine in question, and so as good as it was in its own right, that was also the case with Carluccio's... Therefore, in comparison with what was available from the best (small) family-owned Italian restaurants, it was akin to Italian food created from 'painting by numbers'.
Anyway, I hope that the staff are able to gain employment elsewhere and that as many businesses, of all descriptions, can manage to survive the current crisis.
Marco.
my bold: good way to put it.:)
Also sure that as others said, it looks like, once the man was gone they lost their way
hifi_dave
29-03-2020, 12:35
Didn't Jamie Oliver's chain go pear shaped a while back too?
Went a few months back with Jamie owing suppliers millions. We used to visit the Cambridge branch which was excellent at first, then started to go downhill. Prices went up and portions went down - the place emptier every time we went.
Haven't been to Carluccios for some years but it wasn't great and I often thought "we can cook better at home".
Not sure any of these chains really work - Ask, Prezzo etc - not good.
I agree, they're ok if you're in the centre of town wanting fed reasonably well and cheaply, and don't have particularly high expectations, but in general I'm not a fan of restaurant chains, as the quality of the food (or often service) is rarely much to write home about, which for me always matters much more than convenience or price.
The 'problem' too for me, although it's a nice one to have, is that my wife is an exceptional cook, and so I'm used to eating very well at home, so when I eat out and pay proper money, the food needs to be markedly better than I could have had at home, or there's no point. Or more realistically, be of a type that would be hard to replicate as successfully there (such as say Thai, Japanese, Indian, or Michelin-starred), and in that respect chains aren't going to cut it.
However, if you want to taste genuine Italian food, then short of visiting the home of a traditional Italian family, find a good, small independent restaurant, which specialises in cooking dishes as authentically as possible, always using the freshest and best quality ingredients. That's the KEY to tasting REAL Italian food.
Tip: the BEST of such places almost never serve the same dishes/food on their menus two days running - let alone many months...!!:doh:;)
So run a mile if menus are laminated in plastic...
Marco.
Mikeandvan
29-03-2020, 23:37
Most Italian restaurants in the UK are absolute shite, finding an authentic one is about as hard as finding in an honest estate agent. Carluccios was a massive improvement on this. I went to the Brighton one a few times and it was pretty good, they also let me in with my doggy - for take away food anyway, and they did nice takeaway sandwiches and cakes, really, it will be missed.
If you want to find a *genuine* Italian restaurant in the UK, the telltale sign to look for is one that doesn't have pizza on the menu [in Italy, pizzas are only sold in dedicated pizzerias], or indeed have pasta featured on menus as a main course!:doh: No self-respecting Italian restaurant in Italy would be seen dead doing either!:nono:
In proper Italian restaurants, pasta dishes ONLY feature as first courses (served in small portions) - NEVER as mains. End of. And you'll *never* see Spaghetti Bolognese, as it simply doesn't exist in Italy. Tagliatelle al Ragu is the real deal. In good restaurants, you'll also rarely find lasagne on the menu, as it's normally something Italians eat at home.
Therefore a typical menu in a genuine/authentic Italian restaurant will start with options for antipastos (cured meats, pickles, bruschetta, etc), then first courses, which will either be forms of soup, rice or pasta. Then will come the main courses, but crucially split into meat or fish dishes, listed in dedicated sections, with salad, vegetable and potato side-dishes also listed separately, then desserts and cheese.
So.... If your favourite Italian restaurant has a laminated menu (the contents of which almost never change), and which is dominated primarily by pasta and pizza, with only a token meat or fish dish, neither of which is particularly exciting, then you can safely assume that it's 'plastic Italian', and you can do MUCH better!:cool:
Marco.
Oh no ! No more torte limon [emoji22]( or breakfasts )
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Beobloke
30-03-2020, 11:50
Like Marco, I've been a fan of the 'big man' for years and, going back 10 years or so, the food in Carluccio's was very good.
The last time I visited one was around 18 months ago and the meal we had was very disappointing so we've not been back since. Still sad to see it go, though.
Oh no ! No more torte limon [emoji22]( or breakfasts )
Not sure I follow you, Andy?:D
Marco.
Like Marco, I've been a fan of the 'big man' for years and, going back 10 years or so, the food in Carluccio's was very good.
The last time I visited one was around 18 months ago and the meal we had was very disappointing so we've not been back since. Still sad to see it go, though.
Indeed, Adam. Antonio would turn in his grave if he were to have sampled some of the stuff being served in his restaurants recently, as he was such a perfectionist and desired for things to be 'just so'.
Also, another sign of an authentic Italian restaurant is when you're automatically brought some sliced crusty bread in a basket, along with a jug of water, soon after you've sat down at the table. And how often do you see that happening here? Almost never!
Water perhaps, but almost never bread. And I'm not talking about garlic bread, or something else that's been fannied about with - just plain, good quality crusty Italian bread (to mop up your pasta sauce)!:)
Marco.
First few times we went to Carluccios we were given bread before our order was bought to us, similar to this:
https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/system/2/user_files/files/000/083/851/83851/0e8a8cd53/large/20190515_110747.jpg
I will miss it
Not sure I follow you, Andy?:D
Marco.
Sorry Marco, I was referring to the fact that Carluccios were in administration, their breakfasts weren’t bad given the lack of choice at MK shopping centre, I did like the lemon tart . I do agree that it’s not like it used to be.
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First few times we went to Carluccios we were given bread before our order was bought to us, similar to this:
https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/system/2/user_files/files/000/083/851/83851/0e8a8cd53/large/20190515_110747.jpg
I will miss it
Lol - there was none of that last time I went! Nice, but a bit too fancy (with focaccia, etc), no doubt creating significant wastage - mainly of profits... Plus if you ate that lot, you'd have no room for anything else!;)
No, I was thinking of something simpler, like this, sliced and put inside a little straw basket:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/S300PC.jpg
Marco.
Sorry Marco, I was referring to the fact that Carluccios were in administration, their breakfasts weren’t bad given the lack of choice at MK shopping centre, I did like the lemon tart . I do agree that it’s not like it used to be.
Ah, gotcha now. Never had breakfast there, but I can imagine that the lemon tart was good:)
Marco.
It was for both of us (me being a cheapskate :))
Ah, gotcha now. Never had breakfast there, but I can imagine that the lemon tart was good:)
Marco.
I’ve tried many times to replicate it but it’s never quite right.
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They probably used Sicilian lemons, which are a different animal (sweeter and tastier) to the things we get here!:)
Marco.
It was for both of us (me being a cheapskate :))
Ah, I see! The other thing to remember is that garlic bread, as served here in Italian restaurants, simply doesn't exist in Italy. It's WAY too heavy!
If 'garlic bread' is eaten, it's simply a slice of crusty loaf, as shown earlier, gently rubbed with a piece of garlic, with a little olive oil, pepper and rock salt sprinkled on top - and that's it!
Garlic is not combined with butter and herbs, to create some stodgy, greasy paste, which is then spread onto slices of French stick!!:nono:
Marco.
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