Thursday 26 July 2007

On the nose at the Nosebag

I have a trusted, rational friend who is a superb youth worker, and forgives mankind all manner of foibles.

She gives everyone, in every scenario, the benefit of the doubt when all the rest of us would have given up ages ago.

She excels at what she does.

She took a friends 80 year old mum to the doctors next to the Nosebag in Sandy Bay the other day. They were a bit early, and the old lady had been in hospital for 6 weeks, and prior to that had lost her husband of 50+ years - so obviously not in the best of mental or physical health.

So, you'll understand that when my friend says she received the WORST and rudest service at the Nosebag that she has ever had ANYWHERE, in her life (she's 34, but eats out every day!), she is definitely not exaggerating.

She has a long and convoluted story to tell, but the essence of it was that the young female who served them treated them both like second class citizens.

Hang your head in shame, Nosebag. I choose to believe my friend did not exaggerate at all. There is no excuse for speaking to the old lady like you did. Or treating a human like you did that old lady.

This time there is no mercy from Rita for such bad behaviour.

To misquote the words of Sir Grumpy - Nosebag, disappear!
Posted on by Rita
18 comments

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have heard rumours Rita, but only these about this place. To be perfectly honest my main interest in it, is simply, if it ever comes up for sale, I would buy it.. we all have plans.

Rita said...

You and me both, cartouche! Many many years ago, prior to it becoming Nosebag, a friend and I seriously looked at it, but with wonderful business acumen, decided it wouldn't make enough money to cover all the associated costs!

I'll be the first to acknowledge that in business, I'm a total idiot!

Anonymous said...

Tell you another place, which I love, but has been getting a bit whiffy lately, Rita.
Wing and Co.
Yes, hard to believe, since I live and breathe the place.
Tell everybody to go there for all their Asian stuff.
But recently the bloke at the till treated me like shit when I had a try at a cheerful ``how are you and how are things'' as he rang up my goodies.
Then, the other week, my missus came looking for me in there after we split up to do a few shopping chores round the area.

I was at the ATM on Sandy Bay Road refreshing the wallet before going into Wing's.
She said she had bags of stuff from roundabout. The woman in there actually shadowed her round.
She felt like a shoplifter. Same woman did that to me a couple of years back before she got to recognise me.
That day the other week, after we met up, we both went back in and I did a shop.
Same woman was so cold towards us.
What's this suspicion and running hot and cold with customers in the friendliness stakes?
I believe there is another Wing and Co-style shop at Moonah. I may transfer my allegiance.
I am really pissed off with service attitude in shops and eating places at the moment.
You feel like such a tit when you gush hello and start a sentence or two, two be brusquely shouldered off.
You are on notice Hobart. I am only taking my dollar where it is appreciated. If there is any such place.
I am at the stage where, if I am being treated like shit at the counter or till, I am going to say, look this isn't good enough, keep you're stuff I won't buy here today, or ever again.

Sir Grumpy (We're sick fed up and we're not going to take anymore).

Anonymous said...

thay're there to take your money mate not listen to you windbagging at the till!

Rita said...

Gee, they're picking on you Sir Grumpy!

I haven't notice that about Wings, but I'll keep an eye out for it.

Yes - there is a similar outlet at Moonah, just as you drive into Moonah on the left, roughly opposite Cooleys.

Go & check it out anyway. See what you reckon. The lady out there's pretty inscrutable as well.

The measure them both up.

Tassiegal said...

Funny - I LOVE the lady at the Moonah store. If they arent busy she always takes the time out to chat to me when I go in there. Though I WISH she would get the chocolate condensed milk back in....that stuff should be illegal its soo good.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that Moonah lady is an original. But handy for advice.
Wing is across the great divide for me so I love getting my industrial spices (for pickles and chutneys) and weirdo frozen nibbly things in Moonah.
Kzee

Anonymous said...

No, I don't like to windbag at the till, mate. Just a hello, how are you. And a smile, you shithead.
You're obviously part of the problem.
And you prove my point.

Sir Grumpy

Rita said...

One of the items I need to get out at the Moonah Asian is something the Thai girls put in our Thai-style sukiyaki meal last week. It resembled the fried tofu you get at Wings or Moonah, in those small squares, but the flavour was fish.

It was, for me, the crowning glory in the sukiyaki. The Moonah place is their supermarket, and they said this was in the freezer section of that shop.

I love browsing in the Asian shops but get really frustrated looking at all those wonderfully interesting ingredients, with all the labelling in a foreign language so I don't have a clue or any indication as to what the hell it is - sweet, sour, sauce or base for meal, or enhancement.

Anonymous said...

Nosebag has always been crap.

I took kids there once and they gave us cheese sandwiches made with white supermarket loaf and grated cheddar.

Needless to say most of the cheese ended up on the floor.

As for the service - ARGH!

Rita said...

Hi Ms Creosote - I agree the Nosebag has been crap for years and years, but it attained a very high standard for the first few years of its operation. It used the one of THE places to go.

I think it's been open in its present format (and under the same owner, which in itself would have to be some kind of record in Hobart, surely?) for about 18 years.

It's had a couple of revamps over that time but essentially is pretty much the same.

I remember pumping one of the kitchen workers there for their "secret" salmon pate recipe. It worked. I got it and still make it!

I feel owner should realise, in Big Brother lingo, "it's time to go....David", but maybe he still makes a reasonable quid from it and likes to stick with the familiar.

Anonymous said...

The Nosebag delivers shocking service and the owner is nothing but rude!

Anonymous said...

Was in the Nose Bag for a family lunch in late October. We decided to eat inside as the amount of bird droppings outside would put anyone off their food. The owner actually thinks that birds flapping around our ears while eating is an attraction. The food, very average and way overpriced are the nicest way to report. The staff, young, attractive but with no experience. The owner, an absolute prat. Rude, arrogant and totally full of himself. When confronted about his rudeness this little bully ran and hid in the kitchen. Only wish I had taken photos to prove it but we will never return and would never recommend this place.

Anonymous said...

Well finally I know the name of the owner of this place, David Guiney. And the name of this establishment reflects greatly on him. I really do not care that much that you brow beat, humiliate your young lovely looking staff that have no experience at all. But as you saw I will not tolerate you talking to your customers like trash. After your attempt to intimidate me failed your ran and hid in your pathetic excuse for a kitchen. Who in their right mind would like to be seen in this place makes the mind boggle. Expect more bad press Mr Guiney

Anonymous said...

Just read all the bad reports about the Nosebag, and I couldn't agree more. Originally from Tasmania, I now live overseas and often return home with my family. Our last visit to the Nosebag was horrendous: a combination of all that has already been written, poor unoriginal and over-expensive food, coupled with an arrogant owner. What a wonderful location for a cafe. Such a pity it is wasted with such a low-class joint.

Anonymous said...

I think you're all raging mad. Firstly the coffee is excellent, and having you lot come in there make an absolutely bloody mess let your kids run around and make a racket for others to bare. When most people are approached, after no longer then 2 minutes of waiting and giving the waiters and waitresses the weird look as to say HELLO IM WAITING, they get there and the customers still don't know what they want!!! Talk about wasting peoples time. Secondly, people complain about over priced foods, go over the road to the restaurant and its double the price? For instance, the nose bag soups are all under $15. All breakfasts are under $20. Coffee is excellent. For all you sad bunch get over yourselves and stop expecting something for nothing. cheers

Anonymous said...

LOL @ Anon above

You are obivously the owner of the business and are proving to be your own worst nightmare. You attitude stinks! Cretin!

Anonymous said...

Couldnt agree more about the Nosebag. The owner is creepy. Neighbourhood, council and body corporate nightmare since forever apparently And yeah what is with the bird baiting?! Addicting seagulls and native birds to white sugar and petfood birdseed. Not ok! Boring menu, bad coffee, bad art on the walls, aggressive owner.