Gross story about meal at Hollywood Brown Derby

[chrissyk]

While we were in WDW last week, we switched one of our dinner PS's to the Hollywood Brown Derby from Flying Fish. We wanted to try the HBD creme brulee. Anyways, I ordered this Thai Noodle Bowl with tofu, and the few bites of it that I had were really good. Then I looked down and saw a long, black hair entwined in my noodle bowl. Now, I am a brunette with short-ish hair, so I knew that this was NOT my hair. My DH and I were totally grossed out! It took about 15 minutes for our waitress to finally come back to our table...we were trying unsuccessfully to get her attention during that timeframe.

Anyways, she too was repulsed by the hair. She left the table with my entree and when she came back a few minutes later, she said "we're going to buy you dessert". That was fine and all, but I hadn't actually had dinner! She brought us dessert menus and they did indeed buy us each a dessert, but when the bill came, we were still charged for my dinner that I never got to eat! Should we have said anything? We didn't, but I'm still wondering if this was handled properly. I really would have liked to have eaten my entree (albeit a hair-free version), especially since we paid for it. We definitely won't be going back to this restaurant.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

They didn't bring you another entree?? I would not have paid for something I did not eat!

 

[lookingforward]

I would have said something. They should have promptly removed the entree from your bill and offered to get you something else!

 

[Jen D]

Ugh. Sounds like a breakdown in communication and a not so smart server. The manager probably told her to give you a free desert-- figuring it was a GIVEN you'd get a new entree. Or something.

Mistakes do happen, but between this gross mistake and the sloppy way it was handled service-wise, I don't blame you for not wanting to return.

 

[CamColt]

You absolutely should not have had to pay for that meal. I found a similar hair in my lasagna at the local Macaroni Grill. Our waitress brought it to the managers attention, she came over gave us a big apology/explaination and said we wouldnt be charged for the entree. She also asked if I wanted anything else(I didnt, my dinner was 3 separate things, so the hair only ruined the lasagna). I was very happy with how they handled that. If they had made me pay for that lasagna I would have been livid!

 

[sgtdisney]

Something similar happened to me and my wife (then Fiance) once at a Baker's Square, except it was even more gross. It was a dead fly in her salad. My wife is very queasy about icky things in her food and without giving too much information everything she had eaten before she saw the fly, she lost in the bathroom.. The waitress came and I explained what happened and she said they had been having problems with flies in the kitchen ?!?!?! I said please don't repeat that to my fiance. My wife came back and that fool told the same thing to my wife and asked her if she wanted another salad. She didn't of course. You know what, when we left they made us buy the dinner my wife didn't eat (so to speak) I was much younger then, you can bet now I would raise holy h*ll if that happened. We paid, and wrote letters to Baker's Square. Guess what they did? Nothing, at all. Didn't even reply and we sent it registered.

We have never been back to a Baker's Square since.

 

[RamseyTrio]

They should never have had you paid for your entree. I agree with a previous poster that it must have been some miscommunication on their part. When they brought the dessert menu you should have said "Um, what about my dinner?!?!?!" Perhaps that would have turned on the lightbulbs above their heads!

Here's my gross hair story - When I was a little girl my parents and I often ate at a local mom & pop restaurant in town. I remember they had amazing burgers and shakes. Anyway, we brought some shakes home one day and as my mom was drinking hers she had a HUGE hair come up the straw and into her mouth. Needless to say she ran into the bathroom pretty quickly and we never ate there again

 

[ducklite]

Same thing--DH was just finishing his surf and turf at Fultons, and under the baked potato was a long black hair.

The server and manager were very apologetic, comped DH's dinner ($50!) plus offered dessert on the house--we declined, we were stuffed.

It happens, it can happen, and there's not much you can do about it.

IMHO the way it's handled makes all the difference in the world. We'd go back to Fulton's, they made it as right as they possibly could.

Anne

 

[tigerfanrob]

At a local Italian restaurant in Memphis, I bit into a SCREW that was in my Lasagna. I was with 3 friends and the manager took care of all of our meals and gave us coupons for a free meal on our next visit.

 

[off2disney]

Obviously there was a miscommunication ...your meal should have been "comp-ed" or ou should have been offered something else, not just dessert. (Sometimes, though, when you find something yucky in your food, you might not be willing to try something else--once bit, twice shy, as the saying goes). Since they did not even offer to take it off your bill, I would have quietly asked to speak to the manager. The fact that it took fifteen minutes to get your server's attention was poor service, and not to have removed something from your bill that you obviously did not eat was even poorer service.

My policy is that "if you don't enjoy our food, tell me so that I can do something about it". I will get you something else if you want, or I will take it off your bill. I can't correct a problem if the customer goes away unhappy and tells others, but didn't tell me.
(I manage a restaurant, so I understand where you are coming from).

 

[Minniespal]

I would have spoken with the waitress and then with the manager and I certainly would not have paid for anything that I did not get the chance to eat.

 

[barbeml]

My Brother bit into his pizza at a Pizzeria Uno and found an open safety pin. Can only imagine what would have happened if he had swallowed it. The manager did not charge his table for anything, but I have to wonder where the heck that safety pin came from.

 

[MJS]

Gross! Sorry that happened to you and that you did not get a new entree. We have never tried this restaurant, and it sounds like a good one to skip!

 

[JulesMom]

I definitely would have said something. You should have gotten a new entree.

 

[chrissyk]

Originally posted by barbeml
My Brother bit into his pizza at a Pizzeria Uno and found an open safety pin. Can only imagine what would have happened if he had swallowed it. The manager did not charge his table for anything, but I have to wonder where the heck that safety pin came from.

Probably from the same place as the screw in the lasagna described above Some of these stories have really helped me to put the hair incident into perspective, LOL!! Apparently there are a LOT worse (and more dangerous!) things that you can find in your food.

I guess that I should have spoken up when we got the bill...I wish that I had now. I'm just glad to hear that my expectation that entree would be removed from the bill was not out-of-line.

 

[MelanieC]

Its amazing that they think that you would no longer want to "eat" when this happens. We went to an Applebees last month and my Oriental Chicken Salad was soggy and there were no almonds in it. When I told her that it was soggy, she took my plate and wanted to know if there was anything else I wanted. I told her "yes another salad that isn't soggy". Its funny how they just assume you wouldn't want the same thing or want to eat. I had only taken a few bites of it.
Melanie