Bad restaurant stories

[Homer J]

Wirelessly posted

Almost forgot this one. Ate at the tea room behind Famous Footwear shortly after they opened. Got a nasty case of food poisoning. Haven't been back.

 

[Merlin99]

Wirelessly posted

Almost forgot this one. Ate at the tea room behind Famous Footwear shortly after they opened. Got a nasty case of food poisoning. Haven't been back.

Glad they've gotten past that, since I'm there at least weekly.

 

[GWguy]

Glad they've gotten past that, since I'm there at least weekly.

Bi-weekly here. Never had a questionable meal there. Sounds like they just had some growing pains initially.

 

[BernieP]

Bi-weekly here. Never had a questionable meal there. Sounds like they just had some growing pains initially.

or Homer just happened to get sick. I swore off McDonalds when I was a kid after getting sick shortly after eating there. But given that I was in a group, and nobody else that night got ill, I was probably on my way to an intestinal virus anyway.

But it made a good excuse to stay away from Mikey D cheeseburgers.

 

[ArkRescue]

Honey Baked Ham - so a relative buys several from the Waldorf location. Gives one to me, and comments how the glazing appeared to be minimal. So I check mine, and I call the store to ask about the glazing. She tells me that I am the first person to complain about the glazing (somehow I doubt that). The glazing is part of what makes their hams so special.

She further explains that if the buyer wanted more glazing, they should have asked for it at the time of purchase and after glazing had been added they would then reweigh the ham. I said REALLY? You charge people for the weight of the ham post-glazing? That seems like a rip-off to me. I would think adding glazing (to a minimally glazed ham) would just be part of good customer service? Apparently not. So not only do I have to wait extra time for glazing to be added, I also have to pay much more for the weight of the glaze?

So I told her the last ham I had came from the Forestville store and it had 2 to 3 times as much glazing as her ham did from the Waldorf store. She explains to me that her store is a Franchise, and the Forestville store is a Corporate store, and they do things a bit different there like charge a bit less for the hams, put more glazing, etc. So I think the next time I want a Honey Baked ham I'll go to a Corporate store, even if there is a long line.

 

[LostNFound]

Im sure its been mentioned but the biggest reason most restaurants suck here, other then the fact they are chains and they just suck anyway is - the labor pool. We dont have professionals here in great numbers. Now, I know we can make fun and say that having a "professional server" is an oxymoron, but I assure it- it counts, just not around here.

Personally Im sick of being waited on by kids not even old enough to serve alcohol. They dont care, are not knowledgeable about the food they are serving, and are just trying to make a quick buck, so they have no or little pride in what they are doing.

As for bad management - again, labor pool of the area - we need to bleach it and start over - but better help isnt suddenly going to show up.

Again- we can make fun of people that have made serving their career even though we need all kinds in this life. If we had those folks in this town, we'd have better restaurant stories to tell.

 

[TPD]

Im sure its been mentioned but the biggest reason most restaurants suck here, other then the fact they are chains and they just suck anyway is - the labor pool. We dont have professionals here in great numbers. Now, I know we can make fun and say that having a "professional server" is an oxymoron, but I assure it- it counts, just not around here.

Personally Im sick of being waited on by kids not even old enough to serve alcohol. They dont care, are not knowledgeable about the food they are serving, and are just trying to make a quick buck, so they have no or little pride in what they are doing.

As for bad management - again, labor pool of the area - we need to bleach it and start over - but better help isnt suddenly going to show up.

Again- we can make fun of people that have made serving their career even though we need all kinds in this life. If we had those folks in this town, we'd have better restaurant stories to tell.

Amen! Once you travel about 2 hours from the East Coast, you immediately see the difference in service, including the fast food joints.

 

[chernmax]

Burger King on Great Mills Road, I've gone there for many years and IMO it's always been super clean, well maintained, breakfast/lunch team always on their A-Game!!! Now one of the rare times we shot over for some food at night had a cashier who messed up everyone's order in front of me, behind us and then they moved her to the drive through window to do some more damage. She looked loopy as Fock and kept laughing and apologizing!

The manager looked like she was hit by a tranquilizer gun and couldn't move from the fries area to direct what seemed like 10 people working the night shift (And it wasn't that busy!!!). It was also social hour with off duty employees in street clothing going in and out the back and family members showing up so employees were leaving the back station to sit and chat in the eating area, text, talk on the phone, and easily took up close to 18 seats and no one had ordered or were eating anything! Cooking alarms were also going off and not reset, it was a night time circus. Not to mention when the food came our burgers had the wrong buns? They gave us the hamburgers with the buns for the chicken sandwiches!!! ~SMH~

 

[sockgirl77]

Bear Creek BBQ

Attempted to eat there on Friday night. I walked in the door to place my order and was greeted by a not-so-friendly young girl. She told me that their fryer was not working so we could not have french fries with our sandwiches. After placing our order I handed her my debit card to find out that they do not accept them...cash or check only. I ran out to the van to get my check book I come back in to notice an ATM machine. I tell the girl that I'd rather use cash than to write out a check. She tells me that the ATM machine is down. I pay for the order and realize that I did not order drinks. I tell the girl that "I guess I'll have to write out another check for sodas". I tell the girl that "I can't believe that they don't take credit cards, their fryer is down, and their ATM machine is down." She replies "none of that is our fault" with a roll of her eyes. I told her to give me my check back and we'll go somewhere else. We did. Smokey Joe's was a little out of our way but their food was fabulous, their customer service was superb, AND I could use my debit card.

 

[vraiblonde]

I am totally over Bear Creek and see no reason to ever go in there again. Chance after chance, and the counter person is always a dick, the food is always underwhelming, they don't do this and don't have that, blah blah blah. Smokey Joe's is consistently good and the counter people are always polite and efficient.

 

[sockgirl77]

I am totally over Bear Creek and see no reason to ever go in there again. Chance after chance, and the counter person is always a dick, the food is always underwhelming, they don't do this and don't have that, blah blah blah. Smokey Joe's is consistently good and the counter people are always polite and efficient.

I was using Bear Creek as a meet up spot to get donations for the Tiki Claus. I thought that we'd just pop in there to get a few BBQ sandwiches. I've never loved their food but I really didn't feel like going out of my way for food. I've never had great food there. There's nothing exactly wrong with their food but it's nothing to write home about. Smokey Joe's food has always been great and their crew are always happy and funny!

 

[MMDad]

"none of that is our fault" with a roll of her eyes.

I wonder whose fault she thought it was?

 

[sockgirl77]

I wonder whose fault she thought it was?

Probably everyone that did not fix their broken stuff.

 

[withrespect]

I went to Ledo's about a year ago...

I ordered spaghetti for some reason or another and when the server brought it out, there was so much water on the plate, it looked like spaghetti soup.

I calmly and rationally told the server to allow me to speak to the -"chef" food still untouched.


said "chef" comes out from the kitchen with a cheesy smile on his face

WR: "What is this?" ointstoplate:

Chef-type-person: "uh... Spaghetti."

WR: "No... This is not how spaghetti is served. Do you have a colander back there?"

Chef-type-person: "uhhh... I dont think so...."


WR: "Do you know what a colander is? The handy dandy gadget that DRAINS THE WATER FROM YOUR PASTA!!! "

Chef-type-person: "Oh, you mean a strainer"

WR: "Yeah, whatever... You forgot to use it on my spaghetti. Please bring me a salad instead. Preferably...one that is not floating."

Chef-type-person: That is no problem!!


Husband is dying of embarrassment at this point.

I was just having a bad day... but at least I didn't take it out on the server Chef-type-person handled it well and rectified the problem... I will never order pasta there again.

 

[unlisted]

I went to Ledo's about a year ago...

I ordered spaghetti for some reason or another and when the server brought it out, there was so much water on the plate, it looked like spaghetti soup.

I calmly and rationally told the server to allow me to speak to the -"chef" food still untouched.


said "chef" comes out from the kitchen with a cheesy smile on his face

WR: "What is this?" ointstoplate:

Chef-type-person: "uh... Spaghetti."

WR: "No... This is not how spaghetti is served. Do you have a colander back there?"

Chef-type-person: "uhhh... I dont think so...."


WR: "Do you know what a colander is? The handy dandy gadget that DRAINS THE WATER FROM YOUR PASTA!!! "

Chef-type-person: "Oh, you mean a strainer"

WR: "Yeah, whatever... You forgot to use it on my spaghetti. Please bring me a salad instead. Preferably...one that is not floating."

Chef-type-person: That is no problem!!


Husband is dying of embarrassment at this point.

I was just having a bad day... but at least I didn't take it out on the server Chef-type-person handled it well and rectified the problem... I will never order pasta there again.

You ordered spaghetti at Ledo's and expected it to be spectacular? Just eat the crap and move on. You guys expect way to much from low budget restaurants. You get what you pay for!

 

[withrespect]

You ordered spaghetti at Ledo's and expected it to be spectacular? Just eat the crap and move on. You guys expect way to much from low budget restaurants. You get what you pay for!

I wasn't expecting spectacular but I wasnt expecting complete #### either.

Their pizza is yums.

 

[Merlin99]

I went to Ledo's about a year ago...

I ordered spaghetti for some reason or another and when the server brought it out, there was so much water on the plate, it looked like spaghetti soup.

I calmly and rationally told the server to allow me to speak to the -"chef" food still untouched.


said "chef" comes out from the kitchen with a cheesy smile on his face

WR: "What is this?" ointstoplate:

Chef-type-person: "uh... Spaghetti."

WR: "No... This is not how spaghetti is served. Do you have a colander back there?"

Chef-type-person: "uhhh... I dont think so...."


WR: "Do you know what a colander is? The handy dandy gadget that DRAINS THE WATER FROM YOUR PASTA!!! "

Chef-type-person: "Oh, you mean a strainer"

WR: "Yeah, whatever... You forgot to use it on my spaghetti. Please bring me a salad instead. Preferably...one that is not floating."

Chef-type-person: That is no problem!!


Husband is dying of embarrassment at this point.

I was just having a bad day... but at least I didn't take it out on the server Chef-type-person handled it well and rectified the problem... I will never order pasta there again.

The pasta is supposed to go from the water (still a little underdone) to the sauce and finish cooking there. When you put undressed pasta on the plate and then put a ladle full of sauce over that, the pasta itself acts like a strainer and the water drains out of the sauce.

 

[withrespect]

The pasta is supposed to go from the water (still a little underdone) to the sauce and finish cooking there. When you put undressed pasta on the plate and then put a ladle full of sauce over that, the pasta itself acts like a strainer and the water drains out of the sauce.

I serve undressed pasta with a ladle of sauce on top and never have this problem.

 

[sockgirl77]

You ordered spaghetti at Ledo's and expected it to be spectacular? Just eat the crap and move on. You guys expect way to much from low budget restaurants. You get what you pay for!

I do not order spaghetti out. I've been horribly disappointed each time that I did in the past. Although, I always did like the public school cafeteria spaghetti.

 

[unlisted]

I do not order spaghetti out. I've been horribly disappointed each time that I did in the past. Although, I always did like the public school cafeteria spaghetti.

Chicken Fried Steak was the only good school meal