Pub's brutal response after customer complains about extra carvery charge

The Star Inn defended itself after a customer was left bemused by a rule they were not aware of - despite it being clearly displayed.

A pub has blasted back at disgruntled customers who had complained over an extra charge. The Star Inn at Vogue in Cornwall has a substantial carvery offering, with punters allowed to "take as much as [they] like" for just £12.

But to cut down on food waste, they have a rule that if there is "excessive" leftover food, a surcharge of £2.40 is added to the bill. The policy, clearly displayed at the carvery station, stipulates customers can eat as much as they'd like, provided they clear their plates before returning for more.

Two diners were left stunned when they were billed extra for their meal, claiming they had "never heard anything like that before". The Star Inn hit back, saying they wouldn't normally add the £2.40 to the bill - but the customers in question left behind a "stupid" amount of uneaten food.

The punters posted about their experience in a local Facebook group, with the thread quickly racking up hundreds of comments. And the team at The Star Inn were among them, fiercely defending themselves and sharing images of the leftovers on the plates.

Peeved customer Verity Farmer wrote: "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."

The post racked up hundreds of comments, with the Star Inn among them. Sharing pictures of the leftovers, they replied: "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."

Staff photos revealed the enormity of the wasted food on returned plates - laden with slices of meat, two roast potatoes each, a heap of veggies, and crackling. Landlord Mark Graham said their carvery is designed for customers to return for seconds, leaving no reason for excessive waste on plates.

Mark, who runs the pub with his wife Rachel, told Cornwall Live: "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."

He also highlighted that the waste could have possibly fed two additional people. The forthright Cornish publican added: "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 shedloads of food."

Mark explained the minor surcharge was to offset the cost of raw materials and does not account for the use of equipment or staff wages. He said: "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."

The landlord says his focus isn't on profit but on his enjoyment of the profession, even going so far as to allow families with young children to share a meal. 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."

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The incident ignited a heated debate online, with many supporting the policy as a deterrent against over-serving. Wendy Ann chimed in: "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 stated: "Great idea to stop people being too greedy... just as long as it's clearly advertised.." Hazel Petrie commented: "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."

Mark was previously in the news when fashion brand Vogue threatened to sue his pub, with Condé Nast, the owner of the iconic magazine, sending a 'cease and desist' letter to the Star Inn at Vogue, demanding the establishment stop using the name.

This came despite the pub's history dating over 200 years and the village itself being even older - and Condé Nast ultimately admitted to not doing proper research and issued an apology to the quaint Cornish pub.

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