Rick Stein slammed for charging customers £1.25 for mayonnaise and tartare sauce at his posh fish and chip shop where a basic meal costs £11
The TV chef has been accused of being a cheapskate for whacking up the price on his customer's bills
RICK Stein has been accused of being a cheap-skate by diners at his posh fish and chip shop - for charging £1.25 for sauces.
Battered cod and chips at Stein's Fish & Chips in Padstow, Cornwall, already costs a pricey £11.
But disgruntled customers have discovered an extra £1.25 is whacked on to their bills if they ask for tartare sauce or mayonnaise to go with their fish supper.
One visitor said the chef must have a lot of bottle because it's clearly a “sales ploy” to boost his coffers.
Giving the restaurant just two stars on the review website TripAdvisor, he said: “When we ordered two cod and chips the waitress asked if we wanted some sauce.
“When we got the bill we found that we had been charged £1.25 for each tartare sauce. I pointed this out.
“The waitress said it was on the menu. Fair enough, but you would have thought that they were free and she was just asking for completeness.
“If she had said would we like mushy peas, then we would have asked if they were included.
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“Presumably this is a sales ploy. I'm afraid I will not be watching Rick Stein on TV again.”
Caterer Vic Laws, who was given an MBE for services to the hospitality industry, tweeted: “Rick Stein’s in Padstow 4 fish&chips today. Haddock v good @ £8.50 lots of chips bt tartare sce @ 90p. Service not very sparkling either.”
The popular chippy has queues forming every time it opens - with diners able to take away or eat in.
For those taking away their food, mayonnaise, aioli and tartare sauce still cost £1, but if customers choose to sit down, they cost £1.25 each.
A spokeswoman for Rick said: “Our tartare and mayonnaise accompaniments are homemade to Rick’s recipes, they’re made here in Padstow by our team of chefs.
“The chef time and quality of ingredients we use do add a charge of £1 to take away and £1.25 to eat in; these prices are listed on the menus.
“In the restaurant we offer Heinz ketchup for free, and in the takeaway we charge 35p for the take-away sachet.
“Our homemade accompaniments are a very popular choice, and we receive great feedback from our customers.”
Rick's many businesses in Padstow have led to the area being renamed Padstein.
One of his restaurants came close to being destroyed by a fire in June after Cornish separatist group the Cornish Republican Army reportedly set a blaze.
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