Crown and Greyhound (Dog)

[steveo]

Jamaica Inn, The Admiral Benbow, Dino's Bar and Grill

[tarafitness]

coming soon...

[Louisa]

No explanation of the food offering once the Dog reopens? I am assuming it will be a generic chain taking on the pub/restaurant area, with Innkeepers Lodge running the hotel business above? Franchise they work with so far include Ember Inns, Crown Carveries and Harvester.

Louisa.

[Jah Lush]

Looks no better than a Travelodge. There goes the neighbourhood.

[Seabag]

Louisa Wrote:

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> No explanation of the food offering once the Dog

> reopens? I am assuming it will be a generic chain

> taking on the pub/restaurant area, with Innkeepers

> Lodge running the hotel business above? Franchise

> they work with so far include Ember Inns, Crown

> Carveries and Harvester.

>

> Louisa.

At least it's designed to turn foodies and hipsters and most others away

It's what the area needs isn't it, stuff appealing to 'generic everyman' and nobody left out

It's looking double vanilla (synthetic of course) which is great, because they'll do food that sounds nice & looks quite nice in the photos, and fills a hole in the stomach and that what counts

[Louisa]

Seabag Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Louisa Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > No explanation of the food offering once the

> Dog

> > reopens? I am assuming it will be a generic

> chain

> > taking on the pub/restaurant area, with

> Innkeepers

> > Lodge running the hotel business above?

> Franchise

> > they work with so far include Ember Inns, Crown

> > Carveries and Harvester.

> >

> > Louisa.

>

> At least it's designed to turn foodies and

> hipsters and most others away

>

> It's what the area needs isn't it, stuff appealing

> to 'generic everyman' and nobody left out

>

> It's looking double vanilla (synthetic of course)

> which is great, because they'll do food that

> sounds nice & looks quite nice in the photos, and

> fills a hole in the stomach and that what counts

I reckon Vintage Inns may take on the pub/restaurant franchise at the dog. They tend to be semi-casual dining experiences with overpriced but marketed as 'better than average' food and drinks. They tend to go for historic pubs and give them sympathetic makeovers, which stay true to the history of the building. The food is very samey though and my fear is this will just be another middle of the road chain takeover siting next to a budget hotel. May be wrong of course.

Louisa.

[BrandNewGuy]

Speechless. Makes me quite glad I've got used to not going there given how long it's been shut.

[Jah Lush]

The Tulse Hill (Tavern) Hotel has made a much better fist of things with their makeover. You'd think in Dulwich Village they could go a bit more upmarket.

https://www.tulsehillhotel.com/

[Seabag]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> The Tulse Hill (Tavern) Hotel has made a much

> better fist of things with their makeover. You'd

> think in Dulwich Village they could go a bit more

> upmarket.

>

> https://www.tulsehillhotel.com/

Careful Jah, that could start the class war/tirade, not inclusive, but a Space NK is ok type onslaught

[Jeremy]

Wow, a budget hotel... what a kick in the teeth for the village. Seemed like a perfect site for a boutique hotel with a nice little bar/restaurant on the ground floor.

Still, I'm sure people will find it useful.

[Louisa]

I'm no fan of mediocre middle of the road Crap, but I think the lack of that restaurant type locally does reflect a need for some sort of chain. Not everyone likes pincey indepedents selling weird concoctions of food. It will be nice to be able to go and have scampi and chips with a pint of lager without taking a second mortgage out for the privilege.

Louisa.

[steveo]

'pincey indepedents'.

Louisa! You've invented a hipster genre!

[*Bob*]

Louisa Wrote:

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It will be nice

> to be able to go and have scampi and chips

Rick Stein's restaurant is very good value - and only a 582 mile round trip.

[miga]

Maybe a fancy boutique hotel somewhere that's a fair track from London's major attractions, the City and Canary Wharf, but with no tube and a reasonably long walk to the nearest train stations, may not have been a great business proposition. As nice as Dulwich is as a place to live - I wouldn't want to stay in its equivalent in another major city as a tourist or for work.

[Jeremy]

You have a point miga, it's not an obvious location for a hotel. But it's pretty close to North Dulwich station. And I can think of several other, fairly nice/boutique hotels in suburban London, so it's not out of the question (especially if did they weddings too).

[Otta]

I doubt they're really going for tourists. You'd imagine it would be more people coming for weddings and things.

I thought they'd go more cosy, but this is just corporate cold.

[Louisa]

Wouldn't it be hilarious if M&B decided we needed another Harvester locally, and that was the add on to the hotel. As much as I'm not a fan, it would be so funny.

Louisa.

[miga]

Dunno - I'm not in the hotel business, maybe they've missed a trick. For mine, this is actually kind of useful for visiting relatives - fairly inexpensive (by London standards), nearby, clean, decent part of town.

[Jeremy]

Huh. Looks like other Inn Keepers Lodge hotels indeed have a Harvester attached, so I suppose it's not out of the question!

My brother actually IS a big fan of Harvester, so we sometimes go for brunch with the kids. It's certainly cheap, I'll give it that. You tend to see some rather oddly-shaped people stuffing themselves with the unlimited continental* breakfast.

* who knew that continental Europeans also eat rice krispies and toast for breakfast? They're just like us after all. I'm voting "remain"!!

[Otta]

LOL.

I don't do a lot of fine dining, but last time I had a Harvester breakfast (having stayed in opne of these hotels I guess) I thought it was pretty good quality for the money. Better sausage than you get in most cafes.

[Louisa]

I agree with Jez and Otta. The breakfast is all you can eat and I've been to Petts Wood Harvester a few times for it. I don't like the atmosphere, but it's good value and as Otta says, the sausages are large and chunky and contain more meat than the average sausage you might have at a cafe. We all love a nice sausage!

Louisa.

[Jah Lush]

I bet you do.

[Seabag]

It's a crying shame that the village seems to get blander and blander (if blander is a word)

I'm trying to imagine what the board/committee of Dulwich estates look like, and trying to imagine where they live.

I've a picture of a dust hazed room, with oak veneer panelling and a nylon carpet that generates static shocks when you touch something metallic. It's populated by men in various shades of greige, all looking at spread sheets with the last figures highlighted in a pink box

The person at the top of the lozenge shaped table asks "Do we all agree?" And the rest who dare not disagree nod, then shuffle out to drive back to places like Tunbridge Wells and Leeds Castle in their Land Rover Discoveries or Nissan's of some description (in metallic grey)

Later on in the weeks ahead their wives ask if they will come for lunch with the grandchildren. Somewhere along the way into London, like Petts Wood

"Yes BUT, as long as it's not somewhere ghastly like that Harvester place" is the reply

[DulwichFox]

Bland.. Blander.. Blandest all fine..

I picture the board/committee of Dulwich estates would look something like this..

DulwichFox

[Mick Mac]

Seabag Wrote:

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> It's a crying shame that the village seems to get

> blander and blander (if blander is a word)

>

I find it quite amusing as I don't live there :) although its in all honesty disappointing for everyone if the Dog doesn't come back better than before.