O'Briens Sandwich Bars: 1 meat and 3 fillings rip off

jayteecork

I was in O'Briens sandwich bar today.
Went for the standard "one meat with 3 fillings" take out and I nearly dropped in my tracks when the lady told me cheese can't be classified as a filling and that it costs extra.

In all my days of eating sandwiches and rolls I've never ever heard of cheese costing extra in a basic sandwich.

Also, things like a bit of red onion and sweetcorn count as a filling whereas in practically every other place they count as free "extras"

Just thought i'd vent my spleen here, and will be eating back in Subway from now on where they practically demand you fill up on extras, all of which cost nothing more.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

You're dead right. Just take your business elsewhere. At last someone with sense instead of moaning about a shop and doing nothing.

tw0nk

O Briens has been a rip off for years

blah

Damn right, O'Briens are typical of places that charge through the nose but customers keep going back because of convenience. Now that everyone's got their hang sangiches wrapped up in tin foil, I think they'll have to change their pricing to survive. I never thought they were worth the price, but I was in the minority.

youcancallmeal

I'm pretty certain its extra for cheese in Subway too?

jayteecork

youcancallme>al wrote: »

I'm pretty certain its extra for cheese in Subway too?

No way.
It's extra for "extra" cheese but your first lot of cheese is definitely free.

That reminds me, avoid KFC too. Not only has the mini fillet gone up to €1.99 (It's 99p sterling) but when I was ordering one your one goes "would you like cheese?" without giving anything in her tone that it cost more.
I said sure, she then goes €2.39!
I know it's 40 cent only but it's the principle ya see!

At least Mcdonalds would go "would you like to go large for an extra 50 cent" or something.

veritable

i have to agree with you mate, your typical sandwich must cost them absolutely nothing, but you and me end up paying in the region of 7€, for a bit of bread a meat and veg! the cheese thing is ridiculous too.

NewFrockTuesday

I was in Subway on Westmoreland (spl) Street last week grabbing a sub on the way to work. I ordered a ...dunno...think it might have been a turkey one...and asked for no red onions and no a few other things. i asked if I could have cheese instead and she barked...and I mean whipped the ears off me for asking "No...we dont do that".

Fair enough I thought...giztherollthankbai...


And then when I handed over a not to pay for the sub, she had no change...said to me "I cant give you chage as I dont have any". I really felt like giving her the sub back and saying "I dont do that" ...but I didnt...I was hungry:D


And it was only 5 cent. But she was so mean!

I dont like O'Briens. neve did. Dunno why. Same as every other place really.

youcancallmeal

jayteecork wrote: »

No way.
It's extra for "extra" cheese but your first lot of cheese is definitely free.

Oh right fair enough then. Rarely frequent O'Briens myself and if I do its for the tripledecker which is the only thing that is remotely value for money. Bringing you own sandwiches to work ftw!

jayteecork

Well I won't be back there in a million years, and their policies have caused me to visit a very popular public message board to air my concerns.

Hopefully their directors are reading this and might see the error of their ways, particularly as someone pointed out above people are bringing their own sandwiches with them

Gauge

I'm all for splashing out on food sometimes but I refuse to go to O' Briens. I just can't get my head around how much people will pay for a perfectly unremarkable sandwich on normal sliced bread. For that kind of money I'd expect a proper lunch, not four little bread triangles with a sprinkle of filling inside!

BeansMeansHynes

I agree with Tw0nk and blah!

O'Briens and Costa Coffee and the like have been ripping people off for years. The prices are extortionate. I thought people would have copped on to this ages ago. I never set foot in any of them.

Its only now when money is tight and people are trying to save that they notice what a rip off these places are.

dory

I've never understood that place. I would have got caught last week only that I asked 'what constitues meat' and she named them all, adding cheese to the list? What the hell?
Subway is the way forward!

jayteecork

dory wrote: »

I've never understood that place. I would have got caught last week only that I asked 'what constitues meat' and she named them all, adding cheese to the list? What the hell?
Subway is the way forward!

Especially considering the cheese is that horrible grated stuff, probably comes in in huge buckets.

BeansMeansHynes

I know I will probably get ate for saying this but I hope that all those O'Brien's and Costa Coffee places start disappearing as quick as the sprung up all over the country.

AnonoBoy

O'Briens make bland, tasteless, rubbish sandwiches. And their name brand crisps had typos all over the packaging. (IT'S and ITS are not the same thing morons!)

Anyways - they're ****e so you're better off taking your business elsewhere for value and for taste.

podge018

You're doing it all wrong lads. When you get to the till and she asks what you had you say (quietly) ham, lettuce, onion. Don't mention the cheese or whatever. Free food.

jayteecork

podge018 wrote: »

You're doing it all wrong lads. When you get to the till and she asks what you had you say (quietly) ham, lettuce, onion. Don't mention the cheese or whatever. Free food.

Nah your one shouts down at the girl on till exactly what I had.

I'm so glad of this experience as it means I'll never set foot in the place again.

Oryx

The MD was quoted this week as saying they are dropping their prices for the first time in years, in order to become more competitive. At the moment OBriens are operating at a loss.

And in fairness we should all be buying our bread and salad and ham in Lidl and making our own sandwiches. Lazy Celtic tiger breed, we are.

Kintarō Hattori

I find O'Briens make delicous sandwiches but the prices are truely horrendous so I can't remember the last time I had one. For one or two euro more you can go to places such as HiLan on Capel street and get a full chinese meal. Much more filling, tastier and better value for money.

tallaghtoutlaws

podge018 wrote: »

You're doing it all wrong lads. When you get to the till and she asks what you had you say (quietly) ham, lettuce, onion. Don't mention the cheese or whatever. Free food.

I always do this especially when busy because they don't check with the person who filled it if they are too busy and this method works a treat in the US :D

Slice

To OP: Did you complain to the Manager?

I have never gone back to O'Briens ever since I got a sandwich with three fillings and got back to my office to discover that it was the most measly portions ever. The sandwich was mostly bread. As I was having a bad day in work I immediately picked up the phone and gave the manager of the store an earful. In fairness to him he did promised that if I returned I could get a free sandwich.

Corruptedmorals

Actually I've heard that cheese has greatly increased in price. Whcih is why in Dunnes if you get a chicken fillet roll at the deli, they won't put cheese in it. You ned a different roll for that.

jayteecork

Slice wrote: »

To OP: Did you complain to the Manager?

I have never gone back to O'Briens ever since I got a sandwich with three fillings and got back to my office to discover that it was the most measly portions ever. The sandwich was mostly bread. As I was having a bad day in work I immediately picked up the phone and gave the manager of the store an earful. In fairness to him he did promised that if I returned I could get a free sandwich.

Didn't see a manager around, just seemed to be Eastern European young women staffing the place.

Of course one of those could have been the manager.
who knows. It was take out anyway so I grabbed the sandwich and left.

Also, they have a "sit down charge"
Is this common in Ireland? i don't think I've ever seen a dine in charge in another Irish place selling sandwiches.

In the Chinese maybe but the take away food is completely different there anyway.
Don't think you could compare.

Another gripe about O'Briens: The one in Westmoreland Street doesn't have a jacks. Bit annoying when you're on the aircoach for 4 hours and bursting!!!


Guess I can see why they don't have one, every idiot getting off the air coach will want to use their bog!

brettmirl

I've always found the food at O'Briens bland and over-priced.

The store near me is grotty, the sandwiches are thrown together and usually you have to repeat your order 3 or 4 times. Even at that, you usually get back to your desk to find they got it wrong.

Not had food there in over a year...homemade hang sangwiches all the way here!

Corcaigh abu

Totally agree - portions size s tiny, couldn't spread relish any thinner if they tried and as for the cheese!!! Gave up on them ages ago but recently meeting friend for lunch and was running late so she ordered sandwich for me, when i arrived no mayo in sandwich so went back up to counter and asked for a bit of mayo on the side. She came out with a saucer with a dallop of mayo and said 1euro. I told her she could keep it. Won't be back.Horrible, measley over priced sandwiches!:mad:

jayteecork

Corcaigh abu wrote: »

She came out with a saucer with a dallop of mayo and said 1euro.

That's unbelievable.

Then again it's not her fault, she's acting under very direct orders from some faceless jerk manager.

Bluetonic

jayteecork wrote: »

That reminds me, avoid KFC too. Not only has the mini fillet gone up to €1.99 (It's 99p sterling)

Unbelievably you omit the fact that the minimum wage in the UK is less than the minimum wage in Ireland which has a factor in the price, along with other fundamental differences.

karma403

I love costa for drinks but I wouldn't go there for lunch as the sandwiches etc are all prepacked and are prob quite unhealthy. I'm willing to pay for costa coffee occasionally Have given up on Starbucks drinks :rolleyes:

gerrycollins

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

Actually I've heard that cheese has greatly increased in price. Whcih is why in Dunnes if you get a chicken fillet roll at the deli, they won't put cheese in it. You ned a different roll for that.

I can confirm this(they should only charge extra when it's extra IMO) but nowadays cheese is as expensive as the meat of your roll/sandwich.

Been ages since I was in an O'Briens what was the price of your lunch?

albert-bundy

the simply thing about choice is you have one,,,so go somewhere else but these places do not force us to use them and they provide employment ,besides peg loves them