So Yates is/are having a makeover and Colchester was the first of their premises to get the new 'look'. I have never been into a Yates but must admit I was rather curious when I nosed through the window of the one in Colchester a couple of months ago. In fact I would go so far as to say I got a bit excited. And I tweeted them my excitement, then I 'Liked' them on Facebook. I was verging in stalking. I have an open mind about most things and any smartening up of the humble high street is a step in the right direction in my eyes regardless of whether it is aimed at me or not.
It was obvious that some very big changes were taking place, not just because it was closed, but when I looked through the gaps in the windows, there was colour. Yellow! Pink! Turquoise! Despite never setting foot in a Yates my impression of the chain was not somewhere that would have yellow, pink or turquoise in it under any circumstances. However, when they opened up I couldn't have been more astonished. It reminded me a little of Wahaca and some of the places we had stumbled across while staying in Brighton this summer. In short, it looked exciting! It has to be the boldest re brand I've ever seen. It looks like an entirely different chain. Bright, clean and contemporary. Hexagon tile flooring, colour co-ordinated furnishings and wallpaper, trusty filament bulbs, I thought maybe I might have slithered into their target customer group and was really excited to have this on the high street. Another place to go for breakfast maybe? . . .
So, in the spirit of supporting my local environment, I thought I would try out the new revamped Yates for breakfast this morning. No one is more surprised than me that I have just typed those words in a sentence, but when in Rome... First impressions were mixed, on the one hand the staff were very friendly, the place was clean (and they had made a good effort with the Halloween decorations), but on the other hand there were no other customers (you have to be a bit wary of being the only customers I think) and despite all the hard work they have clearly put into the decor, there were 3 fruit machines tucked in the corner, leftover from the old Yates no doubt. So as much as you wanted to feel that you weren't in an old pub, there was a garish reminder on the way to the toilets, staring you in the face, that you were in an old pub.
And when our food arrived, it was, unfortunately another reminder that this is still Yates and not quite Wahaca standard despite the fancy light fittings. We ordered their smaller cooked breakfast which cost about £4 each. On the upside, they used Heinz Baked Beans but unfortunately the positives stop there. The food arrived frighteningly fast. How did they cook it? Who knows. It was also on a huge plate which made it look a bit sad. If the plate was smaller the food wouldn't have looked so lonely. Juts a small point. Unfortunately we couldn't eat the sausage (no excuse for a poor quality banger in these parts) or the mushroom (completely dried out). And the tomato wasn't cooked. So overall, sadly disappointing. There was so much promise but unfortunately if the food isn't up to snuff, its all a bit style over substance. Boo...
Ultimately, I think it was a really brave move of the company to go for such a dramatic rebrand and I really wanted to have a good experience today but now its not clear who their customers are. It's left me a bit confused. It surely can't be their old customers as its such a totally different place but it also can't be an entirely new crowd as the food is not quite good enough. Maybe they need to establish who their target market is in order to move forwards. Personally, I would be happy to pay a couple of quid more for a better sausage and mushroom, especially as we are in an area with such amazing produce, but maybe they want to keep the prices low so they don't lose their old customers. Who knows. I don't. Anyway, its a shame. They have made such a huge leap in one way but held back in other ways. Hopefully this may be early teething problems as there is so much potential, great staff, good decor that its a shame not to go for it 100% with the food too. Good Luck Yates, you can do it!
It was obvious that some very big changes were taking place, not just because it was closed, but when I looked through the gaps in the windows, there was colour. Yellow! Pink! Turquoise! Despite never setting foot in a Yates my impression of the chain was not somewhere that would have yellow, pink or turquoise in it under any circumstances. However, when they opened up I couldn't have been more astonished. It reminded me a little of Wahaca and some of the places we had stumbled across while staying in Brighton this summer. In short, it looked exciting! It has to be the boldest re brand I've ever seen. It looks like an entirely different chain. Bright, clean and contemporary. Hexagon tile flooring, colour co-ordinated furnishings and wallpaper, trusty filament bulbs, I thought maybe I might have slithered into their target customer group and was really excited to have this on the high street. Another place to go for breakfast maybe? . . .
So, in the spirit of supporting my local environment, I thought I would try out the new revamped Yates for breakfast this morning. No one is more surprised than me that I have just typed those words in a sentence, but when in Rome... First impressions were mixed, on the one hand the staff were very friendly, the place was clean (and they had made a good effort with the Halloween decorations), but on the other hand there were no other customers (you have to be a bit wary of being the only customers I think) and despite all the hard work they have clearly put into the decor, there were 3 fruit machines tucked in the corner, leftover from the old Yates no doubt. So as much as you wanted to feel that you weren't in an old pub, there was a garish reminder on the way to the toilets, staring you in the face, that you were in an old pub.
And when our food arrived, it was, unfortunately another reminder that this is still Yates and not quite Wahaca standard despite the fancy light fittings. We ordered their smaller cooked breakfast which cost about £4 each. On the upside, they used Heinz Baked Beans but unfortunately the positives stop there. The food arrived frighteningly fast. How did they cook it? Who knows. It was also on a huge plate which made it look a bit sad. If the plate was smaller the food wouldn't have looked so lonely. Juts a small point. Unfortunately we couldn't eat the sausage (no excuse for a poor quality banger in these parts) or the mushroom (completely dried out). And the tomato wasn't cooked. So overall, sadly disappointing. There was so much promise but unfortunately if the food isn't up to snuff, its all a bit style over substance. Boo...
Ultimately, I think it was a really brave move of the company to go for such a dramatic rebrand and I really wanted to have a good experience today but now its not clear who their customers are. It's left me a bit confused. It surely can't be their old customers as its such a totally different place but it also can't be an entirely new crowd as the food is not quite good enough. Maybe they need to establish who their target market is in order to move forwards. Personally, I would be happy to pay a couple of quid more for a better sausage and mushroom, especially as we are in an area with such amazing produce, but maybe they want to keep the prices low so they don't lose their old customers. Who knows. I don't. Anyway, its a shame. They have made such a huge leap in one way but held back in other ways. Hopefully this may be early teething problems as there is so much potential, great staff, good decor that its a shame not to go for it 100% with the food too. Good Luck Yates, you can do it!
No comments:
Post a Comment