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Worst Dining Experience?

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Mike L

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Worst Dining Experience?

by Mike L » Wed May 31, 2023 9:48 pm

Without naming anyone, what's the worst post-Covid dining experience you've had?

We were travelling back to Louisville late one evening, and we were trying to get somewhere for a late dinner. We arrived at one restaurant about an hour before their posted closing time, only to find out the manager had sent everyone home and closed the kitchen early because of it being a slow night. The bar was still open, hooray!

I've been going to that restaurant for over 25 years, and we'll probably never go back, just because of this experience. I could never rely on them to be open in their posted hours again.
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Mark R.

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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by Mark R. » Wed May 31, 2023 9:52 pm

Did you have a reservation? If not I really don't blame the manager for close location and sending everyone home if they were not busy. They can afford to keep everything running it helps a few people may come in at the last minute.
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Iggy C

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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by Iggy C » Thu Jun 01, 2023 9:44 am

My worst dining experience was more funny than anything. It was at some Tex-Mex place in Nashville. My dad ordered a dessert quesadilla, but it somehow got confused with a seafood quesadilla. His order came out covered in chocolate, with whipped cream and a cherry on top. He took a bite assuming it was a dessert, but when he tasted the shrimp, cheese, cilantro, and onion inside he let out a yelp of disgust, confusion, and disappointment that I’ve never heard a human being make before or since. But they replaced it and comped it and everyone laughed.

In terms of stress, there was a very popular pasta place in DC where every night the line was out the door. I ordered fettuccine bolognese and they brought me gnocchi bolognese, and when I asked for what I’d actually ordered, they insisted I’d ordered gnocchi, refused to bring my fettuccine or comp it or anything, and both the waiter and the owner/manager gave me the stink eye the rest of the meal, as though I’d done something wrong. I guess they figured they had so many customers and they didn’t want to delay my vacating the table. And I would up eating it, and it was perfectly good. But it was so aggressively hostile that I never went back.
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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by Mike L » Thu Jun 01, 2023 12:22 pm

Mark R. wrote:Did you have a reservation? If not I really don't blame the manager for close location and sending everyone home if they were not busy. They can afford to keep everything running it helps a few people may come in at the last minute.


It's not a place that takes reservations. I get their side of it, but actions have consequences. From my side, I can't expect them to be open after this experience so I'd never go back. I'd always have anxiety about whether I'd get there, they'd be closed, and I'd have to scramble. It's kind of like "fool me once..."
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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by Iggy C » Thu Jun 01, 2023 12:42 pm

It's not a place that takes reservations. I get their side of it, but actions have consequences. From my side, I can't expect them to be open after this experience so I'd never go back. I'd always have anxiety about whether I'd get there, they'd be closed, and I'd have to scramble. It's kind of like "fool me once..."[/quote]

Couldn’t this be fixed by calling them? Or just not eating there within an hour of closing? Are they really far away from your home so that traveling there is a huge investment?
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Robin Garr

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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by Robin Garr » Thu Jun 01, 2023 5:31 pm

Hooboy, could I tell some stories! And I will too, but no time right now ...
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Willie Myers

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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by Willie Myers » Mon Jun 12, 2023 12:58 am

Mark R. wrote:....I really don't blame the manager for close location and sending everyone home if they were not busy.


Andy's Auto-Service "aw gee, it was kinda slow so I let all of the guys go home early..... I'm sure they have your car by tomorrow a.m."
Phillip's Pharmacy "oh no, sir. there weren't many customers in this afternoon, so we let everyone go home early. But you can pick up your heart medications, first thing in the morning."
Bob's Bank, "yeah, I understand you need to withdraw funds to pay your mortgage today, but it was a little slow....."

get my point?..... a restaurant is a business, not a social club.
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Carla G

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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by Carla G » Mon Jun 12, 2023 7:26 am

Willie Myers wrote:
Mark R. wrote:....I really don't blame the manager for close location and sending everyone home if they were not busy.


Andy's Auto-Service "aw gee, it was kinda slow so I let all of the guys go home early..... I'm sure they have your car by tomorrow a.m."
Phillip's Pharmacy "oh no, sir. there weren't many customers in this afternoon, so we let everyone go home early. But you can pick up your heart medications, first thing in the morning."
Bob's Bank, "yeah, I understand you need to withdraw funds to pay your mortgage today, but it was a little slow....."

get my point?..... a restaurant is a business, not a social club.


I'm with Mr. Myers on this. Unless there's a blizzard or tornado on the way that endangers lives you stay open the hours you post that you will be open. And I've been on both sides of that coin.
Say what you mean, mean what you say and do what you say you are going to do.
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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by Willie Myers » Mon Jun 12, 2023 8:18 am

Carla G wrote:I'm with Mr. Myers on this. Unless there's a blizzard or tornado on the way that endangers lives you stay open the hours you post that you will be open. And I've been on both sides of that coin.
Say what you mean, mean what you say and do what you say you are going to do.


Carla! I'd give you 5 "thumbs up"! (if I had 5 thumbs!)
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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by RonnieD » Mon Jun 19, 2023 9:20 pm

(Emergencies and Acts of God aside)Hours of Operation are hours of operation. It's a promise to the customer that you will be open when you say you are. If you cannot honor that then you may not deserve your customer base. If it's slow you send everyone home except the most skeleton crew and you stay open. I've been so slow before at J. Gumbo's I sent everyone home and closed the store by myself. You cannot betray that trust. Plain and simple. No excuse.

As for the OP: One time we were sat at a Denny's (yeah, I know) and waited 30 minutes to see a server, never did, and thus left.

I also have a fairly infamous story about a fairly well-to-do hallowed local place wherein we knew the owners and were amicably chatting with them while dining one night, when we ordered dessert (creme brulee). The brulee arrived and was devoid of any kind of flavor at all. We mentioned it to the owner, who promptly sent out his new dessert chef, a very enthusiastic young woman, to take the feedback about the brulee. We asked if she had tasted it when it was prepared and her response was, I kid you not, "no, I'm not really big into sweets." Astonished and puzzled looks all around. We paid the tab and quietly left.
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Robin Garr

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Re: Worst Dining Experience?

by Robin Garr » Wed Jun 21, 2023 6:35 am

Now, that story is a keeper, Ronnie! :D. Thanks for sharing it.

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