this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2023
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Pretty shit for the staff, but honestly not surprising if they're charging $10 for a basic egg sandwich.

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[–] CoolSouthpaw 6 points 1 year ago

Thank God, finally. Fuck Wishbone. Always thought they were shit. Hated it around 12 years ago when they seem to have been everywhere. But still, it is of course shit for the staff.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I sure won't miss them. Something about a franchise cafe just seems wrong

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I'm ok with franchise cafes in general. Sometimes you're travelling and tired and don't want to think about food. It's nice to be able to go somewhere and default to a known food option.

But Wishbone sucked. Their food wasn't worth the price at all.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Its not hard to make their paella; the rice used to get died with turmeric rather than saffron too, so terribly inauthentic :)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I just realised my typo, should have been dyed, but given how mushy the rice would sometimes be depending on which of the chefs was cooking it, died isn't wrong either ;)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I liked their lamb shanks, was about as good as anything at Auckland airport. At least the Japanese place is still running there. Were wishbone still in Wellington hospital? That place needs some options.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I never understood why anyone bought food there, they were always overpriced for very mediocre food.

Wellington CBD is an expensive place to buy lunch anyway, but they were just off the charts.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I’d only ever go to one in an airport because it’s usually the only place past security in the domestic terminals. Didn’t actually realise they had stores elsewhere.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Was that a national chain?!

My mind had it filed under "just Wellington things".

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Seems to have been mostly Wellington, with a few elsewhere. From an archive of their stores page I count:

  • Wellington: 14
  • Auckland: 2
  • Christchurch: 1
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The production kitchen and company headquarters was based in Wellington. I think they originally started out on Woodward street, and then had a big kitchen on Victoria St for a while - down near the Ghuznee St end.

At various points the number of stores outside of Wellington grew; for instance i'm pretty sure they had stores in the Auckland CBD itself - on Vulcan Lane maybe. I had no idea that Wellington it had as many as it did but they also sold via supermarkets for some time as well as couriering direct to customers as well I think.

Its interesting looking at their branding, doesn't look like it changed much from the mid 2000s.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

When I lived in Wellington (a long time ago) it honestly felt like there were Wishbones everywhere.

I couldn't understand why they were so popular.

[–] themusicman 1 points 6 months ago

I recall they sold their microwave meals on the intercity trains for an arm and a leg...