Selena's

I wasn't given the chance to complain when I was there. The server wasn't around and when she did finally show up her attitude was ok, you ate, get out. No one ever inquired about our meal. I'm sitting there with my entire meal in front of me. That should indicate something is wrong. It shouldn't be on the customer to seek someone out. It's the restaurant's responsibility to make sure I'm satisfied. If there is a clear indication that I am not then why was there not a single question as to if anything is wrong? I love how its the customer's responsibility to make sure the restaurant is doing it's job.

I love this board. Someon gives an honest opinion about an experience and then gets insulted. Unbelievable.

I have to disagree with you on this point. You should have definitely told her the problem and asked to speak to a manager or the owner. Especially considering it sounds like a large part of the problems with your meal was the waitress. She was obviously very inattentive to your table in the cold food was probably totally her problem. It also sounds like she didn't do a very good job explaining the menu to you since this was your first visit.

Yes, it's seen restaurants responsibility to make sure you are satisfied IF they know you're not satisfied. In this case they obviously didn't know it because the person causing most of the problems was the person you were interfacing with!

I don't think it's anybody's attention to insult you or anybody else in this forum. Everyone here is very opinionated and many work in the foodservice industry. When we criticize it's only because we don't feel the situation was handled correctly. In this case there seems to be a consensus that since you didn't complain your restaurant wasn't given a chance to resolve the issues, so your criticism should have been toned down considerably.

Restaurants are having a hard enough time surviving in today's economy (especially independents) so they at least deserve a chance to resolve problems and create a satisfied customer at the time it occurs.

Hang in there Jennifer - with the Forum. I've had unpleasant experiences where my meal was just sitting uneaten on the table and the server just ignores it. Seems like a pretty obvious visual clue to me. And I'm no shrinking violet, but don't like to make a (even potential public) scene in a restaurant.

In this case there seems to be a consensus that since you didn't complain your restaurant wasn't given a chance to resolve the issues, so your criticism should have been toned down considerably.

I disagree that there was any type of "consensus". Seems like a mix of reactions.

[Robin Garr]

That's a little strong, Chris. While you are correct that it's always good to approach the manager, it's also true that this forum exists to express opinions about restaurants.

I would add that your personal attack on a new participant is out of bounds. Please don't do that again.

They won't be able to improve if people don't let the manager or owner know when things are going wrong.

Why do people insist on refusing to complain to the person who is causing the problem, but then as soon as they get home they want to complain to the whole world about them behind their backs?

Call the restaurant. Let them know about your experience. Give them a chance to fix it.

Don't bad mouth them to everyone else if you won't bad mouth them to their face. That's called being passive aggressive. It isn't a good thing.

i happen to know the owners of selena's. mr. salman. he was the manager at one of the golden corals a few yrs. back. let's just say he is not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Annemarie- This did not belong on this website. It is cruel, non-constructive and unnecessary.

carla how is this cruel? i was sticking up for jennifer. i guess one can't express an opinion. i wasn't intending to be cruel to anyone. sorry if you are offended.

The cruel part was the personal attack on the owner! It certainly doesn't add anything to the discussion of the restaurant and it was only added to attack the owners integrity and business sense. The posters who questioned Jennifer's criticism of the restaurant only questioned how she handled the situation, not her integrity!

I would say calling me passive-agressive and telling me that is not good is a personal attack on my integrity.

Mark, please don't take this as anything personal as it is only a question because of your collective posts on this topic, but are you in any way affiliated with this restaurant or the owner? You have just seemed overly defensive with your responses.

I have no idea what Mark's affiliations are , or Annmarie's or Jennifer's. Regardless of any of that, insinuating that anybody on these boards is dim- witted, dull or stupid by saying "...he's not the sharpest tool in the shed." is mean spirited. It makes no difference who you do or do not know, who you may or may not be affiliated with, the action of doing so is mean spirited. Can you honestly NOT see that? Calling someone , in effect, a dull tool is not the same as the critiquing of a restaurant. Jennifer sharing her bad experience is justified even if her handling of the situation may have differed from how others may have handled it. Annmaries comment about the owner was unnecessary and very uncool.

Carla,

Please re-read Chris M's post in response to my criticism. My statement has nothing to do with anything said about the manager. I am responding to Mark who said I was not personally attacked yet I was told I'm passive agressive and not good. How is it ok to say something like that to someone? How is that not a personal insult? Robin thinks enough of one to warn against it. That is the only point I was trying to make in my post. I'm one for let bygones be bygones and won't hold the comment against Chris M., but I don't appreciate the comment being downplayed to what it was. I was highly offended by it and it hurts further for people to treat it as something petty.

Jennifer, please understand, I was referring to Annmarie's post.

Jennifer - Just to help clear this up a bit. It looks like Anne Marie took off her comment about the owner that Carla quoted. I was confused until I reread it all and saw the editing notation on the post.

Carla,

Thanks for clearing that up. I guess since your post questioned affiliations right after I asked the question I thought it was directed to my post and I didn't understand why, after I have stated how upset I was after I was attacked, you would treat it as though it was just an opinion to the way I handled things.

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Mark, please don't take this as anything personal as it is only a question because of your collective posts on this topic, but are you in any way affiliated with this restaurant or the owner? You have just seemed overly defensive with your responses.

No I'm not connected in any way, I do however live quite close and have visited there several times already and have had a good experience each time. If you'd been here longer you'd realize that I diligently defend restaurants I like as well as dish ones I don't. I have never worked in the food industry but have spent much time traveling and dining so I have quite a basis for my opinions.

I don't make personal attacks in this forum or any other and don't believe anybody should. We can argue all we want about how good, bad or indifferent a restaurant is but we should leave personalities out of it!

Mark,

Please look at my joining date. I have been here awhile. Years in fact. Just because someone doesn't post doesn't mean they aren't lurking. One reason I don't post often is because of the way I've seen people treated here. It's much better than it used to be but that's only because for awhile things got so horrible that Robin now has to step in and break things up.

Even if there aren't personal attacks I did find what you said to the woman who ordered a hamburger a bit condescending which is part of what prompted me to post my thoughts. I thought she was treated disrespectfully, not just by you but by others. I picked up an attitude of "you are the type of person who walks into a creole restaurant and orders a hamburger so what could you possibly know." I think someone else may have told her she is obviously the only person who feels the way she does. Even though it's not along the lines of calling someone passive agressive it is still an attack, just not an overt one.

I'm not trying to flame at all, I just wanted to make my point of I felt bad for her and the treatment she received so I decided someone needed to let everyone know that she was not the only one.

I'll go back to my occasional lurking now if I can stomach the stuff I read. I tend to stick with Louisville Food & Dining so I can avoid the attacks on me and others.

Thanks.

Seems like somethings in the water.........Hi Jennifer and thank you for taking the time to post about your visit to Selena's. Please throw your voice into the great wilderness of opinions and do not be put off by anyone telling you that your opinion, or taste, doesn't matter. That being said I agree with your view on tartar sauce on that particular po boy. I think my head would have popped clean of my shoulders at the sight of tartar sauce (or any other sauce) on a Po Boy that I didn't put there. Send 'em out unadorned and let the people add whatever floats their boat.