Pub owner's brilliant response to customer's complaint at extra £2.40 carvery charge

The pub allows you to eat as much as you like for £12 providing you clear your plate

A UK pub owner has defended the venue's policy of charging customers extra for leaving excessive amounts of food on their plates at its Sunday carvery. The Star Inn at Vogue, near Redruth, Cornwall which allows patrons to eat as much as they like for £12 provided they clear their plate before going back for more, had to enforce this rule for the first time recently.

Two customers were surprised to find an additional charge of £2.40 each on their bill due to the amount of food they left behind. Despite the shock from the customers, who claimed they had "never heard anything like that before", the pub landlords received a wave of support after sharing their side of the story on social media.

They argued that the leftover food could have served two more people, if not more, and even shared images of the wasted food. Mark Graham, the owner of the pub, said: "I say my mind and that's how it is. That was the first time we've ever had to put the charge on and the first thing I did was send my staff back out to ask if everything was alright. [The customers] said the food was lovely and that was it."

The forthright Cornish pub owner remarked: "I don't care about a couple of potatoes getting left. It's just stupid, excessive waste that bothers me. If everyone did that I'd have to cook shed loads of food."

He further explained that the small charge would contribute towards raw ingredient costs but not cover equipment or staff expenses. "You can take as much as you like, come back as many times as you like and as the old Navy saying goes, you can fill your boots. Do whatever you want, just don't waste it," he added, reports Cornwall Live.

Emphasising his modest business aspirations, he said, "I tell everyone, I'm in this game to earn a living, not make a fortune. I just like the job. I've always been in and out of this job since I was 14 and it's a way of life. I enjoy it. I'm making a living, not a killing and I'm not ripping people off. We want to help everybody out."

Photos captured by the pub team illustrated how returned plates were laden with slices of meat, roast potatoes, vegetables, and crackling. The pub operators, Mark and Rachel, mentioned their carvery permits customers additional helpings, thus eliminating any reason for unfinished plates.

Verity Farmer, who took her story to the Newest Newquay public Facebook group, expressed her disbelief when sharing her experience: "Just been for a Sunday carvery at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day, we paid for our meal at £12 each, and when we got our bill it had got an extra £4.80 added when questioned about it they said it was a charge for not eating all our meal. I've never heard anything like that before."

Her post quickly gathered nearly 400 comments in under a day. In response, the Star Inn defended their policy, stating: "We just try and make sure there is enough food for everyone. I'm sure if you were a customer later on in the day and I had to tell you I had no food left for your booking because it had all been wasted and gone in the bin you would not be very happy and would have made another social media post too."

The fee for uneaten food sparked heated discussions, with many standing by the restaurant's choice. A comment from Wendy Ann echoed this sentiment: "Never heard of this policy before but what a great idea and clearly this is a ridiculous amount of food to waste and I think not charging for children is brilliant. Great response to the poster and shows how you were fully justified."

Gary Barnes commented: "Great idea to stop people being too greedy... just as long as it's clearly advertised.."

Hazel Petrie remarked: "As my mum would have said they had eyes bigger than their belly. I hate to see good food wasted. The notice in the Star Inn is clear enough; I've seen it myself. It says you can go back for more so it's perfectly fair."

Jaz Holmes shared her experience: "Brilliant idea. We went to a carvery today and saw a woman pile on 10 roast potatoes. No exaggeration. I commented to my partner what an absolute waste that's going to be. If you're able to go up as many times as you like then there should be absolutely no waste. Take a small plate and go and get more if needed. Simples! ".

Christopher Maguire added his thoughts: "That's an obscene amount of wastage that would feed me two days when I was broke."

Mark, who quipped "the news keeps finding me" also made headlines previously when fashion brand Vogue threatened legal action against his pub. Condé Nast, which owns Vogue magazine, sent a 'cease and desist' letter to the Star Inn at Vogue, demanding they stop using the name 'Vogue'.

The company claimed it could confuse its fashion-forward readership, despite the pub and the village's longstanding history. After some controversy, the magazine giant conceded its mistake and issued an apology to the historic Cornish pub.