Horrible experience at chain restaurant last night

[Uncle Remus]

Here we go:

A few months ago I moved out of state and some of my closest girlfriends brought me out for drinks and appetizers. We decided on a nice Mexican restaurant that had BOGO happy hour drinks

So three of us get margaritas, the other two order raspberry lemonade, which is listed along with the soft drinks as having free refills <--- remember that.

We get the drinks okay, start ordering appetizers and meals to split. The food comes out all wrong- looked like our orders had been mixed in with those of other tables, so we pick out which ones are ours and send her back for the rest. We wait... and wait... and wait... Understanding they're probably remaking the food, but half of us have food and the other half are still waiting. So we divide things up so everyone has something, no biggie. We order our second round of margaritas and the other food finally shows. Some nitpicky things (ie hold the tomatoes, wrong beans etc) are wrong but we were too hungry to care.

Then the bill comes. First, we were charged for all 6 margaritas, but it was happy hour so 3 should have been free. Not a huge deal, but an irritant. Then we noticed that we were charged for 4 raspberry lemonades, but there were only 2 people that ordered them (and got one refill apiece). Her explanation is that she brought "specialty lemonade" from the bar rather than the "gross stuff from the machine" and thus they charged per glass. We never asked for the specialty lemonade nor were we told it was extra Then we notice we were charged $2 per person for sides of guac and sour cream. The server brought these out with our nachos, but we never asked for them nor were we told they were extra To top it all of, she added the mandatory 18% gratuity for a party of 6, but there were only 5 of us!!

So we address the issues with her and she fights us back. We ask for the manager who agrees to take the extra charges off and apologizes for the confusion. We get the final bill and we'll say it adds up to $50. We asked for 2 cards to be charged $10 each ($20) and left $35 in cash, so added up to $55 total. The waitress comes back asking us what to do with the extra $5, and we said it was hers to keep (inferring it was her tip). She didn't understand whatsoever. So she charged the cards and brought us back the $5. We were tempted to take it back, but in the end we left it as her 10% tip. The whole meal we kept wondering what crazy thing she'd next to pad her tip

Okay, the mandatory 18% gratuity charge added by her would have pushed me over the edge.

 

[my3sonsagn]

Yep. I bit down on something hard and it was a Hello Kitty earring. I called the waiter over and he said he would investigate. He came back and said it was the cook's earring. Hello Kitty was missing a rhinestone eye, so I must have swallowed it. It literally made me sick and the management was not even apologetic.

Yuck! I think I would have made a call to the health dept right then!

 

[Feralpeg]

We went to a Chili's a couple of years ago. I ordered fajitas. When they came, there was only one tortilla and it was really hard. I ended up asking another server passing by if it would be possible to get more than one tortilla, and I showed her what I'd gotten from our server. She just shook her head and said she would get me fresh tortillas. She said that our server had picked up what was left of tortillas from another table and gave them to me.

 

[Tiger926]

It really was bad, and being that family is in the business, they are very understanding, patient and cooperative. But, as my dad said, a few simple things would have fixed the situation, but due to the server's attitude, the female manager's arrogance and major kitchen issues, it was just bad all around!

Tiger

 

[doxdogy]

We went to TGIFridays years ago for the lunch specials. The food was good, but the service was horrible. Even though it wasn't crowded the server never came back after he dropped off the food, until it was time to bring us the check. I think the bill was around $30, so I left him a $3 tip. Well, I am checking my account I noticed a charge for $43. The server had changed my $3 tip to a $13 tip. I know make sure that I write a $ in front of the tip amount.

 

[disneyismyname]

These stories .... I'm glad I don't go out to eat much!

My only horrible experiences at resturants come from my father trying to pick up the waitresses.

 

[drag n' fly]

Op before I even got chance to read your whole post my immediate thought was....well it cannot be any worse than the worst meal we have ever had at East Side Marios

P.s: I even contacted head office with my complaint it was so bad...I received no reply from anyone. Never ate there again.

 

[ols386]

We went to a Chili's a couple of years ago. I ordered fajitas. When they came, there was only one tortilla and it was really hard. I ended up asking another server passing by if it would be possible to get more than one tortilla, and I showed her what I'd gotten from our server. She just shook her head and said she would get me fresh tortillas. She said that our server had picked up what was left of tortillas from another table and gave them to me.

Wow, that's awful.

We went to TGIFridays years ago for the lunch specials. The food was good, but the service was horrible. Even though it wasn't crowded the server never came back after he dropped off the food, until it was time to bring us the check. I think the bill was around $30, so I left him a $3 tip. Well, I am checking my account I noticed a charge for $43. The server had changed my $3 tip to a $13 tip. I know make sure that I write a $ in front of the tip amount.

I think I would have reported it to the restaurant manager. That's basically stealing money from a customer.

 

[cm8]

We went to a Chili's a couple of years ago. I ordered fajitas. When they came, there was only one tortilla and it was really hard. I ended up asking another server passing by if it would be possible to get more than one tortilla, and I showed her what I'd gotten from our server. She just shook her head and said she would get me fresh tortillas. She said that our server had picked up what was left of tortillas from another table and gave them to me.

Are you serious? I would have shut it down that night! There is no excuse for that. I would have been and would have demanded a manager on the spot. I would have left too and they would have been picking up the tab for the items I had ordered too.

 

[Cat0727]

I would have walked out without even paying.

 

[IDoDis]

I really feel bad for the OP coz it was spozed to be a special occasion.

We recently stayed at the Hilton down in San Antonio 'n went to the hotel restaurant for some ice cream. Actually we went coz I wanted coffee 'n cigarettes at the same time, but I suggested ice cream for everyone else. Anyway, they serve coffee from a carafe so I ordered one coffee 'n two cups 'n one scoop of chocolate, one scoop of strawberry 'n one scoop of vanilla as I pointed to each person that was gettin' the ice cream.

Here's what we got:

AND one cup of coffee 'n an empty cup!!

I'm pretty sure the Hilton checks for green cards, but dang, they coulda checked to see if the guy understood English!

So you got the vanilla ice cream with strawberries instead of a scoop of strawberry! Wonder what happened to the chocolate?? Were you able to fix the problem or did you all just share what he brought?


A few years ago we went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes -- a chain restaurant that has a huge salad bar, pasta bar baked potato bar, and homemade soups and breads. We chose to go there because DH was dieting and only wanted a salad and a baked potato with chile on it.

When DH went to the potato bar, there were no baked potatoes. We were told it was going to be an hour before more were ready!

When I took DD (who was around 8 years old) to the soup bar, she chose chicken noodle soup. So I scooped a large ladle of soup into a bowl for her. When DD started to eat the soup, a spoonful of her soup, had a plastic & foil pill holder in floating in the spoonful. This would be from a package where you buy pills and then tear off a square for one pill, peel back the foil, and pop the pill out. Who knows if the pill had ended up in the soup, too.

We called over a manager and told him about the pill packaging in the soup and about the lack of baked potatoes. There was something else, too but I honestly can't remember now what it was -- something else they didn't have like pizza. Anyway, the manager went in the back to investigate. When he came back out, he said their cook was sick and must have dropped his cold tablet container in the soup he was preparing, but that we could rest assured that the cold pill did not fall in the soup! Yeah --we felt much better -- NOT!!

So now I'm picturing this sick cook sneezing all over the soup while stirring it with one hand and popping a cold pill in his mouth with his other hand. While he pops the cold pill in his mouth, he lets out a gigantic sneeze, causing him to drop the cold pill container in the soup, and probably he also blew the pill out of his mouth and into the soup during his sneeze.

Needless to say, we were given a gift card for our family of 4 to return another time -- which took a long time for us to go back!!! I think we went in the summer when the flu season was not an issue. Oh, and when we went back, they once again told us it would be an hour wait for the baked potatoes! So we got comped for 4 more free meals.

 

[Uncle Remus]

So you got the vanilla ice cream with strawberries instead of a scoop of strawberry! Wonder what happened to the chocolate?? Were you able to fix the problem or did you all just share what he brought?


A few years ago we went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes -- a chain restaurant that has a huge salad bar, pasta bar baked potato bar, and homemade soups and breads. We chose to go there because DH was dieting and only wanted a salad and a baked potato with chile on it.

When DH went to the potato bar, there were no baked potatoes. We were told it was going to be an hour before more were ready!

When I took DD (who was around 8 years old) to the soup bar, she chose chicken noodle soup. So I scooped a large ladle of soup into a bowl for her. When DD started to eat the soup, a spoonful of her soup, had a plastic & foil pill holder in floating in the spoonful. This would be from a package where you buy pills and then tear off a square for one pill, peel back the foil, and pop the pill out. Who knows if the pill had ended up in the soup, too.

We called over a manager and told him about the pill packaging in the soup and about the lack of baked potatoes. There was something else, too but I honestly can't remember now what it was -- something else they didn't have like pizza. Anyway, the manager went in the back to investigate. When he came back out, he said their cook was sick and must have dropped his cold tablet container in the soup he was preparing, but that we could rest assured that the cold pill did not fall in the soup! Yeah --we felt much better -- NOT!!

So now I'm picturing this sick cook sneezing all over the soup while stirring it with one hand and popping a cold pill in his mouth with his other hand. While he pops the cold pill in his mouth, he lets out a gigantic sneeze, causing him to drop the cold pill container in the soup, and probably he also blew the pill out of his mouth and into the soup during his sneeze.

Needless to say, we were given a gift card for our family of 4 to return another time -- which took a long time for us to go back!!! I think we went in the summer when the flu season was not an issue. Oh, and when we went back, they once again told us it would be an hour wait for the baked potatoes! So we got comped for 4 more free meals.

Have I mentioned we'll be in town in June?



Oh 'n the dip of chocolate is tucked behind all that whipped cream. The guys just ate the ice cream like it came, we didn't have the strength to attempt any further instructions to the waiter so we just laughed it off.

 

[IDoDis]

Have I mentioned we'll be in town in June?



Oh 'n the dip of chocolate is tucked behind all that whipped cream. The guys just ate the ice cream like it came, we didn't have the strength to attempt any further instructions to the waiter so we just laughed it off.

Yay!!!!

Remember, lunch is on me this time!!! We can work out details when it gets closer.

 

[Goofyluver]

So you got the vanilla ice cream with strawberries instead of a scoop of strawberry! Wonder what happened to the chocolate?? Were you able to fix the problem or did you all just share what he brought?


A few years ago we went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes -- a chain restaurant that has a huge salad bar, pasta bar baked potato bar, and homemade soups and breads. We chose to go there because DH was dieting and only wanted a salad and a baked potato with chile on it.

When DH went to the potato bar, there were no baked potatoes. We were told it was going to be an hour before more were ready!

When I took DD (who was around 8 years old) to the soup bar, she chose chicken noodle soup. So I scooped a large ladle of soup into a bowl for her. When DD started to eat the soup, a spoonful of her soup, had a plastic & foil pill holder in floating in the spoonful. This would be from a package where you buy pills and then tear off a square for one pill, peel back the foil, and pop the pill out. Who knows if the pill had ended up in the soup, too.

We called over a manager and told him about the pill packaging in the soup and about the lack of baked potatoes. There was something else, too but I honestly can't remember now what it was -- something else they didn't have like pizza. Anyway, the manager went in the back to investigate. When he came back out, he said their cook was sick and must have dropped his cold tablet container in the soup he was preparing, but that we could rest assured that the cold pill did not fall in the soup! Yeah --we felt much better -- NOT!!

So now I'm picturing this sick cook sneezing all over the soup while stirring it with one hand and popping a cold pill in his mouth with his other hand. While he pops the cold pill in his mouth, he lets out a gigantic sneeze, causing him to drop the cold pill container in the soup, and probably he also blew the pill out of his mouth and into the soup during his sneeze.

Needless to say, we were given a gift card for our family of 4 to return another time -- which took a long time for us to go back!!! I think we went in the summer when the flu season was not an issue. Oh, and when we went back, they once again told us it would be an hour wait for the baked potatoes! So we got comped for 4 more free meals.

What was really great was the one cup of coffee with an empty cup. How do you share one cup of coffee???

P.S.- I love Sweet Tomatoes. They have warm muffins and cookies.

 

[IDoDis]

What was really great was the one cup of coffee with an empty cup. How do you share one cup of coffee???

P.S.- I love Sweet Tomatoes. They have warm muffins and cookies.

I'm open to anything except seafood.

The one cup with coffee and the empty cup is weird. Now sharing a dessert is common, but divvying up a cup of coffee into two cups??