Remind me... The menu, why do they hide it?! Is it deliberate, or is it an oversight? This was Tuesday lunchtime this week, when I was trying to impress a guest by telling them how great it was you could order something a la carte if you didn't like the slop on offer at the buffet

In the end, I was able to flag someone down and get a burger (as did a couple of other guests from the looks of things), but it would have been nice to have the choice

Even if they don't want to leave menus on every table, at least have a stack of them visible, so people can read and order from them...

There are usually a few on the servers' podiums.

Maybe the thinking is that if the less educated on GF etiquette don't see the menu then they won't order from it. Out of sight, out of mind...! Of course, that's just the cynic in me speaking.

Cost cutting...

I think we all need to take a minute to consider the ridiculousness of a catering facility that offers a menu, but then deliberately keeps that menu away from the diners.

Yes, this was confirmed by a manager.

There is a post somewhere on this forum about this but the huge cost savings on the BS contract vs Compass was in the order of millions so something had to give. Food, especially protein is very expensive, look at the CE afternoon tea. Carbs are cheap. There is a reason why BA is Bevvie Airways, especially assisted Diageo.

It's highly amusing the plastic chicken in the club sandwich is too premium to feature in the GF menu .

Is the selection at the front end of this thread still valid? I'm taking Ms LibertyUk into the FLounge for the first time this month and have been trying to lower expectations, although she'll be largely happy with decent champagne!

Yes, more or less. The order menu is the same as the Concorde Room (which has its own Dashboard thread, minus the club sandwich). The buffet photos above are a few days old and from T3, T5 will have similar but typically more extensive range, particularly the tapas bar after 12 midday, and less "down time" between dishes.

I put my hand up to that.
My first visit was last October and I had a feeling there were supposed to be some a la carte items but in my excitement had a go at the buffet because there were no menus around and I didn't want to make a fool of myself by asking.

What time do they start breakfast in the lounge?

When it opens at 0500.

Great thanks

Was concerned might be say an hour or so before they got going.

Went in GF Friday before last and found not a single wine or champagne glass anywhere. Not at either of the drinks stations, not at the champagne area around the corner, nowhere. There were some tumblers next to the soft drinks as you walk into the food area, but that was it.

No sign of a server either. Went out front and reported this to BA staff who shrugged and said it was a problem for the catering staff and I needed to just wait for one of them to appear. Waited about 10 minutes. In the end I went upstairs to Galleries, grabbed a handful of wine glasses, carried them downstairs and put them out in GF where they were snapped up by a grateful swarm.

Commented on the SMS survey that I was happy to collect glasses, do the dishes or the hoovering ... but only in exchange for Avios and got an immediate phone call of apology from the lounge manager. She was very sincere but also clear that this was an issue for the caterers to fix and that it had just been a busy day. No Avios for my efforts, though

Anyway, the food...
Not my experience. Of my last six visits, five had no menus to be seen on tables, server podiums or anywhere else. On the other occasion, there were lots of menus available on tables. Unsurprisingly, there is a clear correlation between lack of menus and more people just eating whatever is on offer at the 'slop'.

I've always found asking a staff member for one results in a menu appearing, too.

Last week the fizz was Henriot iirc. Not the best and I'm not a fussy drinker by any stretch of the imagination.