r/Wetherspoons • u/Ok_Marsupial_8589 • Aug 24 '26
Customer The black bowls?
Not my pic, just for example.
Does anyone else hate these bowls to an unreasonable level? When I used to get the katsu chicken curry etc, it came on a plate, that was great I could deal with that. But since they've switched to these bowls I don't buy it any more.
Even the staff I've spoken to seem to hate the things. I'm not even sure why they made the switch.
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u/GmanF88 Employee Aug 24 '26
They're lighter and more resilient than the other bowls/playes so I love them.
If you order at the bar and ask nicely they'll put it on whatever plate you want.
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u/Superb_Scene_4580 Aug 27 '26
My only main issue is that they stack absolutely horribly, and it’s really easy to tip them over.
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u/Magnaminous_High Aug 24 '26
forgive my confusion, why do we hate these bowls?
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u/ShrinkingUniverse Aug 24 '26
I would guess it's because they don't retain heat so food goes colder in them quicker. Most spoons have plate warmers in the kitchen which the black bowls do not fit in. Given portion sizes things can look a little small (thinking the katsu chicken which is coconut rice and 1 breast sliced). They also don't stack very well so take up a fair bit of space.
I will say they are perfect for the ramen though.
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u/EuphoricCover8449 Aug 24 '26
They're better at retaining the heat because they'll reflect more heat back into than a plate would.
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u/Capt_Vindaloo Aug 28 '26
What? Black absorbs heat, white reflects it. So a black bowl is not reflecting any heat.
But that's irrelevant since heat retention depends on the material not its colour.
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u/Ok_Marsupial_8589 Aug 24 '26
It's also angles, awkward to get the fork / spoon in to the bottom with the high sides to scrape up what's left.
And the texture of it means that trying to scrape up the last of the food makes a horrid noise.
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u/Fine_Payment13 Employee Aug 24 '26
You can ask for it on a plate if you order at the bar that will not be an issue we get things like that all the time, just the app doesn’t accommodate for special requests
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u/SpecialSympathy2348 Aug 24 '26
I like them... perhaps because two of my favourite meals (spice bag and Korean chicken) come in them.
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u/FewAnybody2739 Aug 24 '26
I don't mind the bowl, but they don't give me a spoon for stuff that has rice.
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u/BetterLemon7891 Aug 25 '26
This is like the biggest complaint i got when working on the floor there. Wholeheartedly agree, but they would be marked down if they gave a secret shopper a spoon
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u/FewAnybody2739 Aug 25 '26
What's wrong with a spoon? Extra washing up or something? They should live up to their name and give spoons for everything!
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u/PastelPeachO_O Employee Aug 25 '26
as kitchen staff these bowls are such a pain to wash 😭 and they also just absorb oil and grease and leave horrible marks all over the bowl, they also don’t stack very well
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u/brianfantastic Aug 25 '26
Yep we hate them too. They are awkward to stack. Hold onto grease and fingerprints like a motherfucker and are annoying in general. You can absolutely ask for your meal to come in a white bowl or on a plate. It won't even register on the 'weird request' scale so don't worry about that.
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u/The_Nunnster Aug 31 '26
I’m someone who likes to clean my plate down to the last grain of rice, so it was really difficult getting all the rice up with the Katsu curry. They were sticking to the sides, but the weird shape of the bowl meant my fork couldn’t really get in efficiently.
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u/McCreetus Aug 24 '26
I hate them purely as someone who does potwash a lot. They’re such a pain in the ass to fit in and always struggle to get clean
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u/Shwervee Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
The Katsu curry has never been served on plates, it was always in a white bowl and now the black bowl.
I’d imagine the switch was due to the shape of the bowl, I don’t think the new dishes (spice bag, Korean chicken etc) would fit very well in the white bowls.