128 Piccadilly...
....as most RAF officers will know, is the address of the RAF Club.
Having stayed there a couple of times recently, I found a few things rather....surprising. For instance:
1. Hardly any of the staff have an acceptable grasp of English. If you go to a pub in Town, you can bet that Petra from Warsaw will have a better standard of English than many of the current Club staff. Having faced far more serious problems during their service time, many of the more elderly clientele are perhaps too tolerant to complain about this.
2. The Running Horse is supposed to have a last food order time of 2015. Which is absurdly early. However, last time I was there the staff began to close up at 2005; a couple who placed an order at 2007 were told "We no have chips" - what that really meant was "We can't be arsed to cook any as it's almost closing time".
3. I met a guest in the Running Horse, we placed our food order at 1930. Nothing came and the staff started to clear up at 2000... When we asked what had happened, we were told "Computer not work" - and the trainee had totally forgotten our order.
4. The main dining room is expensive and insists on an archaic evening dress code. I don't expect to wear a t-shirt and jeans in the dining room, but is a collared shirt and tie really essential in mid-June?? It is also very expensive - and there is no other option after 2015.
5. At breakfast, the staff are keen to make you sit at a 'Club table' - presumably to save them the effort of having to make up individual tables afterwards. If I'm paying, I think I'll sit where I want, thanks, not where the staff want.
6. I don't know what the 'Please swipe in' sign referred to - I ignored it.
However, the bedrooms - even the tiniest cells - are fine. Another plus point is that Fred is still the ever-efficient chap he's always been.
Am I just being a GOM? Or have other members similar views?