Tom Kerridge hits back as Michelin restaurant customer moans 'beef from Costco is better'

Tom Kerridge has defended his Michelin-starred pub after one customer claimed the "beef from Costco is better".

At The Hand & Flowers, Tom's gastropub in Marlow, he and his staff work hard to source the best possible ingredients from independent butchers, fishmongers and vegetable suppliers.

But no matter how hard you try, you can’t please everyone all the time, as Tom recently learned when one customer launched a “full-on complaint” at restaurant manager Katie Mulliss. The customer ranted that the food he had been served was no better than something you might find at a cash and carry.

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“Katie told me about it first thing this morning,” Tom told Pub & Bar Magazine. “The guest said the beef they get from Costco is better than ours. That is absolutely fine to have that opinion. I 100% know that it’s not, but you can’t argue with somebody who’s arguing that.”

Tom added that he believed in his restaurant, and his staff. “We know what we do is good,” he said. “We’re very happy with it. I’m sorry that it’s not quite what you think it’s going to be, but every place has to deal with personal expectation levels.”

The fact that The Hand & Flowers has two coveted Michelin stars – a unique achievement for a pub – means that customers’ expectations can be very high. “We care about every detail and if, in turn, that means that Michelin think we deserve those accolades, that’s great,” Tom said.

Tom has pushed back at customer complaints before, explaining that while his famed fish and chips is very pricey at £37, it’s a premium experience.

“The people criticising me don’t understand how it’s priced,” he said. “Fish and chips was always seen as cheap, fast food, and I get that because of where I grew up.”

He added that the fish and chips you might pay a tenner for in an average chip shop is produced to very different standards. “The fish in most chippies is frozen at sea, in a big block, a year ago, then cut up and portioned,” he added.

The potatoes used to make the chips can be stored for up to a month, he added, before being sliced up and fried in “cheap oil.”

Comparing that to his own food, served in one of the most prestigious retail outlets in the country, he said: “At Harrods, it’s line-caught, day-boat turbot.

“The potatoes are specifically sourced for their sugar and starch content, then individually cut up by a person. It’s bespoke dining in the most exclusive and beautiful shop in the world. Of course it’s expensive.”

Similarly, when the prices in his pub came into question, the Great British Menu judge tweeted: “Those prices include everything, VAT and service.

“No additional service charge at all. Also I pay staff properly and treat their job as a professional career. Perhaps the real cost of dining should be addressed. Unpretentious does not mean cheap.”

Finally, he added, it’s important to pay staff well and keep your business running: “Why is profit a bad word?” He asked.