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Restaurant Faux Pas
Posted: Mar 28, 2008 in Dining
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Ever go to a restaurant, enjoy most of your experience and then get completely frustrated by a small but significant error that the place made?
Case in point: A few months ago, I stopped for lunch at the Bakehouse in Broad Ripple, the sandwich and soup spin-off of Scholar's Inn. I ordered the only vegetarian soup on the menu, a potato soup, as well as a salad. After a spoon-full of the soup, I realized that I'd been served a chicken soup. What did the staff do when I pointed out the error, noting that if I ate chicken it wouldn't be a problem, but that I don't and haven't since I was 13? They didn't offer me a different option (the veggie soup was gone) or, after I suggested it, a replacement with a half sandwich. They told me I could pay for the sandwich. Only when I got so disappointed that I was ready to leave did they really try to correct their mistake.
Argh! I'm an easy customer, happy, thankful, and enthusiastic about food, and they acted like I was a jerk for being unhappy about getting a food item that included something I do not eat. I haven't been back since.
Have you encountered similar faux pas? Are there places that you've sworn off?
Not at a restaurant, but I enjoy a relaxing morning including a wonderful hot stone massage at Philipes Spa one Saturday...only to end my visit with an ice cold shower. I had to take a shower from all the oils in my hair and skin, but could NOT get the shower to warm up. On a November morning, this came close to ruining the entire experience.
Every single time I've gone to Qdoba, the person at the counter asks what I want (usually a pulled pork Ancho Chile Burrito, no beans), pops a tortilla in the steamer, takes it out and says "You wanted steak, right?" - "Umm...no, the Ancho Chile is pork." - "What kind of beans did you want?" - "NO BEANS!"
Makes me grit my teeth every time. For crying out loud...if you can't remember my order after 5 seconds of steaming the tortilla, just ask me if what I want requires a tortilla, and then we'll flesh out the details afterward.
A few years ago my husband and I decided to try the Asian Grill in Noblesville, based on the recommendation of neighbors. We were excited to visit this locally-owned restaurant that specializes in several different Asian cuisines. As a starter to my meal, I ordered soup. A few minutes later, the server brought out a different soup for both myself and my husband, "compliments of the chef." We thanked the server for this little treat, but when I asked if I could cancel my original soup order, I was told that I could not, "you've already ordered it." I explained that I don't need two soup courses before the entree arrives, and had I known a free soup was coming, I wouldn't have ordered the other soup. The manager finally agreed to remove the soup order. We ate the rest of our meal while the waiter and manager sneered at us from the kitchen and never refilled our drinks. When the bill came, the soup was on there! We deducted that amount from the waiter's tip, and wrote a comment that the manager can pay the waiter back the difference.
Bad service is kind of a consistent issue, huh? On the upside, it makes me appreciate good servers all the more!
A similar thing happened to us @ the new asian stir fry restaurant in castleton, Stir Crazy. The waitress was so busy complaining about her cramps that she totally screwed up our order. ARGH!