Pub hit with backlash after refusing refunds for food stolen by seagulls
Topics: Restaurants and bars, UK Food
Ben Williams
Featured Image Credit: karyna d/Getty Images
Topics: Restaurants and bars, UK Food
The Glasshouse, a JD Wetherspoon pub in Norfolk, has told diners using its outdoor seating area not to leave meals unattended, after gulls reportedly targeted customers in the beer garden.
The issue has prompted criticism from some locals, who argued that businesses offering outdoor seating should do more to protect customers from scavenging birds.
Others, however, have defended the pub, saying diners should take responsibility for guarding their own food while eating outside.
The warning was issued through a sign displayed in the pub’s window, which tells customers that meals taken by gulls will not be replaced.
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As reported by The Telegraph, it reads: “Seagulls!! Please do not leave your food unattended at anytime. We are unable to refund or recook any meals that are taken by seagulls.”
The pub is now said to be reviewing whether further action is needed to deter the birds, which have caused problems at the dining venue during the summer months.
Customers using the garden have reportedly seen gulls swooping down and taking food from plates, with regulars divided over whether refunds should be offered.
Isla Gardner, 19, said she believed customers should be compensated if they can show their meal was taken.
To Norwich Evening News, she said: “I have seen vicious seagulls in the garden before…If customers can prove the birds took their food, they should have a refund. It’s unfair not to refund them.”
Gillian Nobbs, 78, also said she felt the responsibility should not rest solely with diners, saying: “If a pub has outdoor seating, they should do something to get rid of the birds. It’s not the responsibility of the customers to keep the birds away, it’s the responsibility of the business.”
On the other hand, not all regulars agreed with the criticism.
Steve Everitt, 76, who visits The Glasshouse as well as two other JD Wetherspoon pubs in Norwich each week, said he felt customers should watch their own meals.
The 76-year-old who lives in nearby Diss said: “I’m a big fan of Wetherspoons…I would agree it’s down to the individual to guard their food.
“It’s a natural attraction. The pub are doing as much as they can, they aren’t responsible.”
A spokesman for the pub said it was “reviewing the problem to see whether any additional measures are necessary to deter the gulls”.
They added: “The signage in the pub has been in place for some time. Seagulls have caused occasional problems at the Glasshouse, particularly in the summer months, and the signage is in place to encourage customers not to leave their food unattended.”
The issue comes as gulls continue to cause disruption in towns and cities across the UK, particularly during warmer months when more people are eating outdoors.