What's new

Who else has been cursed by the restaurant gods? Kinda long. (1 Viewer)

Ted Lee

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 8, 2001
Messages
8,390
i've created a rule i try to live by. it may sound kind of snobbish, but it works for me. heck, it's the only way i can manage to stay sane anymore.

simply put...

if they make less money than me, then i don't begrudge them.

yes, they should still provide excellent (or at least decent) customer service, be polite and do all the things required of them.

but that clearly doesn't happen.

so, i tell myself that they're not as lucky as i am, their job isn't as cool as mine and i should cut them some slack.

yep, i'm letting them off easy. but i'll consider myself the better person for it.
 

Max Leung

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2000
Messages
4,611
Last night I just watched a Hidden Camera show (I call it restaurant-gross-out-porn) on TLC. Oh man, all the bad stuff in restaurants really do happen, and they catch some of it on hidden camera!
The woman chain smokes, rubs her nose, and coughs into her hand while kneading pizza dough, plus dropping the dough onto the unclean floor, is really appetizing. Yeeccch.
Oh and the hidden camera footage, narrated by a US health inspector, of a grocery store butcher area was also really gross. Pound roast dropped onto the floor, raw meat dumped onto the floor and put back, worker smoking and letting the ashes fall into a meat grinder, clamshell "juice" leaking from a bag onto uncovered meat below...
Man, David Brin is right...we need hidden cameras to keep some semblance of accountability in this society. :eek:
 

John Spencer

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 2, 2000
Messages
857
I have all but sworn off delivery pizza these days. Where I live, there has been a steady stream of idiot teenagers being fired from delivery places for adding every bodily function imaginable into the pizza sauce during the course of the night. And I do mean "every bodily function". Apparently it's the latest fun thing to do. And it's not the pizza places' fault. They do everything they can to provide good service, and get rid of the idiots as soon as they do it. That's the saddest part, that someone else's apathy and ignorance could destroy a livelihood that another spent their life building, all because they have no interest in the world beyond the tip of their nose.

But to be safe, I've had to grow accustomed to Digiorno and Freschetta.
 

JasenP

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 21, 1999
Messages
1,284
Location
Kalamazoo, MI
Real Name
Jasen
The worst things to happen to me (repeatedly) are as follows:
Not indicating that the "Brownie Sundae" has been contaminated with walnuts. First of all, walnuts are awful, awful tasting things but what about those people who are allergic? Nuts do not belong in cookies or brownies of any kind in my opinion. There oughtta be a law.
Sauces. Mind you I like many sauces, but not all restauraunts are eager to tell you what's in them. "I like it" is a common response when I inquire about the ingrediants. I don't care if you like it, what's in it? It could be the rendered remnants of Rocky Mountain Oysters, I'm not takin that chance.
There are many others, but I have to go start dinner. ;)
 

Ryan Wright

Screenwriter
Joined
Jul 30, 2000
Messages
1,875
Boy oh boy, Eve, you really touched on a sore spot for many of us with this thread. I've had plenty of bad restaurant experiences, but here's the worst of the worst:

Denny's: The only sit-down restaurant I've had major problems with; most of my issues are with fast food joints. Anyway, about three years ago, a buddy and I finished watching a late movie and stopped in at a local Denny's around midnight for food. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with only lettuce and tomato. It came out, and it had everything on it (all sorts of sauces and such), so I re-explained my order and sent it back. The new one came out, and it, too, had everything on it. I caught the waitress before she ran off this time, had her write down my order correctly, and sent it back again.

Some time later (my buddy was nearly finished with his food), she brought out another burger. She sat it down in front of me and literally turned around and ran the other direction. I swear it was the same exact burger I had sent back the second time. I think she just sat it on a table somewhere and then gave it back to me. By now, I was hungry and I was pissed, so I just sat there and calmly ate some of the cold french fries while I talked with my buddy. The waitress was clearing tables, and I kept an eye on her. She would glance our way, see me looking at her, and quickly look the other way - obviously trying to avoid me.

When the bill came, I explained that I wouldn't be paying for it, because I didn't receive what I had ordered. She became very snotty with me, and demanded that I pay. I again refused and handed her the plate with an intact burger on it. She said something about that being a major problem for her and then, in a threatening tone, said she was "going to get her manager." I said "fine." A few minutes later, as we were getting ready to leave, she dropped off a bill for 30 cents for the french fries I had eaten (manager never did come out). Now I had been very polite up until this point, but I just couldn't take it any more. It was like a slap in the face: "We ruined your entire dinner, but damnit, you're still going to pay for those fries!" I went ballistic. I crumpled the bill up into a ball and threw it on the floor, said something to the effect of "like hell I'm giving you any money" and grabbed my coat. She then said she was calling the police, to which I replied, "You go right the f--- ahead. I don't give a f--- if it is only 30 cents, I'm not giving you the satisfaction. So go call the police. I'd LOVE to talk with them."

During this entire time, my buddy, who hates confrontation, was telling me "just pay the 30 cents. Who cares, just give it to her." I was pissed; no way was I paying that money. At this point I didn't care if the cops DID haul me off to jail (though I couldn't imagine any rational person would have), that bi*** wasn't getting a single penny from me.

So, as she picked up the phone to dial 911 - and as I walked out the door - my buddy handed her 30 cents. He said he didn't want to see me arrested. I still maintain that they couldn't have arrested me for refusing to pay that 30 cents - and even if they could have, no rational person would do so after hearing the whole story. Needless to say, I haven't set foot in a Denny's since.


One more quick one: A buddy of mine hates onions. He went into a McDonalds and ordered two quarter pounders (for $2, on one of their deals) with no onions. They had onions on them, so he sent them back. The new burgers had TONS of onions on them. I'd almost go so far to say the layer of onions was thicker than the meat - they obviously did it to piss him off, or for some reason thought "no onions" meant "extra onions." At any rate, he flipped. Drove around the restaurant, got out of his truck, walked in and said, "I SAID NO ONIONS!" As he yelled this, he proceeded to throw the quarter pounders. They sailed over the heads of the counter workers, dropping onions and pickles and everything else on their way, and landed in the back where the cooks were. One of them (or rather, what was left of it after it flew threw the air) nailed one of the cooks in the side of the head. He then stormed out with the manager in hot pursuit. Got back in his truck and tore out of there while the manager yelled something to him.
 

Jack Briggs

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 3, 1999
Messages
16,805
I'd be interested in someone starting a thread about the atrocities committed in restaurant kitchens. A former co-worker of mine told me horror stories from her restaurant days (during a birthday lunch for me, no less). I have since become a little less aggressive with errant food servers.

Anyone want to start such a thread? This one can stay focused on poor service while the other basically makes readers uncomfortable. I'm okay with that.
 

Nathan*W

Screenwriter
Joined
Sep 9, 2001
Messages
1,085
Real Name
Nathan
This thread has definitely struck a chord, at least with me. The worst restaurant experience I had was at Ruby Tuesday's. I was by myself and ordered a buffalo chicken tenders. I waited 45 minutes for my meal (which normally takes ~15 minutes) and when it came, everything on it was stone cold. Not even lukewarm. Cold. I sent it back and got a new one 15 minutes later. After my meal I politely asked for the manager and explained that I had waited close to an hour for a cold plate of food. To which he made excuses for the waitress/kitchen and didn't even offer to apologize. Fortunately the district manager happened to be at the restaurant that night, and I expressed my displeasure to him. Got that meal free plus the next meal as well.
In reading some of the other posts, I think I've gotten off lucky.
 

John Spencer

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 2, 2000
Messages
857
Jack, you may want to be careful what you wish for. I know that I could go into greater detail, but it would be quite outside the rules for decorum around here. Just a friendly warning.
 

Jack Briggs

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 3, 1999
Messages
16,805
Try to use euphemisms when you feel yourself edging toward the border of HTF's posting guidelines. Despite my reputation, I'm about as lenient a mod as you'll come across (unlike those tough guys I work with).

I really want to read some of those stories. One thread about kitchen atrocities, the other about poor service. This is interesting reading.
 

Michael Varacin

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 24, 2002
Messages
210
I can no longer eat at Taco Bell. My girlfriend and I watched in horror one day as this really nasty looking female, (nasty because she looked like she had not showered in 3 days) made a taco supreme, then licked the sour cream from her fingers. She then placed her hands in the lettuce and cheese containers. We told the manager, and walked out without eating.

On the flip side, my co-workers and I eat at a chain bar-b-que place frequently. I would always order a salad, and it would come out about 1 minute before the meal. I mentioned it to the manager, and he said he could fix that. Sure enough, since that day, the salad comes out very quickly and I get time to eat it all before the lunch. Perfect.
 

brentl

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 7, 1999
Messages
2,921
My story;
McDonalds 5a.m. Breakfast. I order the great big breakfast to take to work with me(only a minute away). Open the bag and find NO jam for the english muffin, no Syrup for the pancakes, and NO UTENSILS:angry:
I go back and ask him for the missing stuff and he say "sorry, but I don't work breakfast often." WHAT? So that means you eat with your hands when you are at home??
Brent
 

Sean P

Agent
Joined
Oct 5, 1998
Messages
33
I want to say this happened at a Bennagains, but I'm not 100% sure, so...

They had a get it in 15 minutes or its free rule. We ordered. 16 minutes in, the waiter comes to our table and turns the timer off. A few minutes later, he brings out one guys appetizers - very undercooked chicken. They continue to play it off like nothing was wrong. The five of us haven't eaten in any Bennigan's since.

Or...

Ome restaurant always served soup with their entrees. Yummy. But my first bowl had glass in it. I sent it back. The second bowl had glass in it. I sent it back again with detailed comments that it still had glass. The third bowl had glass as well. When I mentioned that this bowl had glass as well, their only response was to ask if I wanted another bowl. ?!?!??

That, along with a friend and I not getting a refill after asking 3 different waitresses for one kept us from ever going back again. That day, we waited over an hour-nothing-they all said that it wasen't their table.
 

Ron Etaylor

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 18, 2002
Messages
275
We get a laugh out of our local "open all night" McDonalds.
We pull up to the drive-thru menu to order at 4am and the person inside says "I'll be with you in just a minute". THERE'S NO ONE ELSE THERE, what am I waiting on?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top