Bad Dining Experiences

[Seasons1992]

1 hour ago, KD in CA said:

I ate at a fancy restaurant recently and when the bill came it said ‘No meadcoin’!

 

I was furious.

 

Not every restaurant is Hammer's lot........

[ExiledInIllinois]

No.  There is always peace in the Valley w/me.  I am not a jerk.  I am very easy... Contrary to what @BringBackFergy says.  Don't listen to them. Don't listen to him about trucks and guys who quote lyrics too, but besides that, is a rather stand-up guy!

 

"...Oh sure the banner may be torn and the wind's gotten colder
Perhaps I've grown a little cynical
But I know no matter what the waitress brings
I shall drink it and always be full, yeah I will drink it and always be full..."

 

 

I always tip 20-25% no matter the experience. People like @Johnny Hammersticks worked hard servicing old battle axes like Old Lady Singer.

 

 

Edited January 29, 2019 by ExiledInIllinois

[coloradobillsfan]

Pretty sure you guys will understand this.. this was not in Buffalo of course

Got a triple order of wings for takeout - received one small blue cheese

Asked for 2 more, was told they are 50¢ each

Said I ordered a triple order - should get 3 containers of BC

Got flat out refused.  Asked for manager - she was the manager.  

Countered her attitude with a blaze of obscenities as I stormed out the door and never went back

Wings weren't good anyway, what a surprise  (pro tip for Coloradans here: Sha-Wing Food Truck has the best wings in CO)

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

I went to a little diner in a small town once. Not that great of a place, but it was a small town, and the only non fast food place open 24 hours a day. I ordered the chicken nuggets, and my friend got the Buffalo Boneless Wings. They got to the table, and my friend, who paid the same amount as me, had the same thing, it just had some Buffalo sauce. When I asked if I could have some sauce on the side, waitress said no problem. Then when I got my bill, charged me for it. It was only 69¢ (lol), but it was the principle that she didn't tell me there'd be a charge. She was so rude about it, that it was one of the only times I've ever not left a tip.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

5 minutes ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

I went to a little diner in a small town once. Not that great of a place, but it was a small town, and the only non fast food place open 24 hours a day. I ordered the chicken nuggets, and my friend got the Buffalo Boneless Wings. They got to the table, and my friend, who paid the same amount as me, had the same thing, it just had some Buffalo sauce. When I asked if I could have some sauce on the side, waitress said no problem. Then when I got my bill, charged me for it. It was only 69¢ (lol), but it was the principle that she didn't tell me there'd be a charge. She was so rude about it, that it was one of the only times I've ever not left a tip.

 

You called out a diner waitress for a 69 cent upcharge on your bill? ?

 

Cheap cheap ?

[Cripple Creek]

20 hours ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

I was waiting at this “elitist” tennis club in Martha’s Vineyard.  I waited on all kinds of celebrities...Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Henry Kissinger, Liza Minnelli, Harvey Weinstein (lots of stories about Harv) to name a few....

 

All of the wait staff would draw straws to see who got to wait on old lady Singer.  Her family invented the Singer sewing machine.  She was such a B word, and was a really crappy tipper for a multi-billionaire.  Anyway, I was forced to wait on her during a lunch shift.  She had 7 or 8 old bags with her.  The group had just finished their soup/salad course, and their entrees were coming out, so I began to clear their plates.  There was one woman who had like 2 spoonfuls if chowder left in her cup.  

 

When I reached for the first salad plate, old lady Singer grabbed me by my wrist and screamed in my face “Don’t you dare touch a plate on my table until everyone is finished!!”

 

I wanted to crawl under the table...

You are such a cad

[The Senator]

 

OK, another Boston story...

 

I was having dinner at Legal Seafood, Park Plaza location. I was dining alone, so I sat at the bar.  They had one of those overhead racks for wine glasses, and you can probably guess what happened.

 

Shortly after my main entree arrived, something happened to bring down pretty much the whole rack right in front of me.  Broken glass everywhere.  I was ordered not to move while they checked me over for glass, removed my food, and cleaned the mess. They replaced my entree, but I really wasn’t very hungry after all the commotion.

 

Now, you would expect the meal to be comp’ed - at least I did.  Nothing.  Not even a complimentary cocktail or glass of wine. I should have just walked out without paying, but I didn’t want any trouble.

 

Cheap Boston bastards.  I never ate at Legal again. Never will.

.

Edited January 29, 2019 by The Senator

[Mark80]

9 hours ago, unbillievable said:

 

Had a similar complaint with a hotel restaurant, room service. Hard to complain too much, because it was a different country.

 

Got back late and ordered salad for a friend. She's allergic to wheat, so the only thing on the menu she could eat was a salad. Repeated NO CROUTONs twice.

Arrived with croutons.

 

In my Pajamas, I walk it out to the hotel restaurant and explain that I ordered no croutons, specifically said ALLERGIC. Sat with the hostess in my pajamas waiting for it back.

10mins later, got it back with the croutons removed. CRUMBS still on top of the salad.

 

Called the restaurant Manager who brought over the cook who made the salad. Neither speak English. Hotel Manager comes over while I'm explaining my problem.

I was gesturing through charades, by choking myself, that wheat will KILL my friend, While saying "Allergic." -FYI the Spanish word is Allergico". (sounds close, just add "o")

 

20mins later, I got a bowl of lettuce. Just Lettuce. 

Told the manager I wanted a refund and walked off with nothing.

Did find a mango in my bag from earlier that morning....

 

My advice is to never go on a vacation with someone who has food allergies. Not worth the hassle.

 

Once went on a date with someone who was allergic to wheat (a while ago, may have been something similar if not wheat).  Said she couldn't even drink beer.  That was enough for me to never call her again.  I felt like Seinfeld, finding any excuse to not date someone.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

30 minutes ago, Mark80 said:

 

Once went on a date with someone who was allergic to wheat (a while ago, may have been something similar if not wheat).  Said she couldn't even drink beer.  That was enough for me to never call her again.  I felt like Seinfeld, finding any excuse to not date someone.

 

My wife is allergic to gluten and dairy.  Like even a little of either will make her very, very sick.  Speaking of bad dining experiences.  Try going out to a restaurant with my bride...lol.

[section122]

5 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

My wife is allergic to gluten and dairy.  Like even a little of either will make her very, very sick.  Speaking of bad dining experiences.  Try going out to a restaurant with my bride...lol.

 

My wife has the same exact allergies and she is also a type 1 diabetic.  The 2 of us could probably trade stories all day!  This story is from our honeymoon.

 

We picked our "all inclusive" location specifically because of conversations with the staff including "the chef" before we booked as it can be difficult for her to find foods that won't cause an issue.  We got to our destination on Sunday.  Sunday night we had dinner and they didn't have much selection for her.  No big deal chef comes back to work on Monday.  Chef comes back to work on Monday, calls our room to find out what my wife can eat and to work with her.  We are really impressed as he hangs up.  He calls us back and says proudly that he put in a special order with his food rep and it will all be delivered Wednesday!  We asked what we should do until then and he tells us to just make due!  

 

Now we are a little mad but it is our honeymoon so we try to make the best of it.  Wednesday arrives and my wife is pumped to go crazy on some food at Dinner.  Except the food truck came in late and they didn't have time to prepare food for her.  So the place comps us 2 tickets to a show that night as an apology.  We go to the show and my wife asks for a diet soda.  The waitress explains that they have no diet soda at the theater only in the restaurants and bars.  The girl recommended regular soda and my wife explained that she is diabetic.  The girl said "so what does that mean?  You can still have soda just don't drink too much." 

 

My wife is beyond upset now and not one to let things slide.  When we went to check out she brought up everything that went wrong.  The girl behind the counter said I'm sorry about the food but how was everything else? Fireworks.  My wife asked to speak to the manager who decided that she would comp us a free weekend at this place.  My wife kindly (I'm lying I was scared lol) explained that we would never set foot in that place again.  To shorten this story, the place stupidly sent a survey and my wife destroyed them on it.  Corporate called and refunded all but Thursday and Friday of our stay.  They also offered us a free weekend at the end of the phone call which we didn't and haven't (and won't knowing my wife lol) use.  

 

So many bad stories from our honeymoon it is amazing we are still married!  Our room had a pool in it and when we went to get in it we stopped as there was a lot of white "substance" floating in it.  It looked like someone had nutted in the pool and nobody cleaned it.  There was a champagne hot tub in the room as well which had green algae underneath it and what looked to be a crack in it.  They told us that the algae was mold because there was probably a leak at one time but not to worry about it as it was safe.  Just a really bad experience and a bunch of people we know went to the same place and had recommended it to us.  I don't recommend it lol.

[Bad Things]

1 hour ago, section122 said:

 

My wife has the same exact allergies and she is also a type 1 diabetic.  

...

Now we are a little mad but it is our honeymoon so we try to make the best of it.  Wednesday arrives and my wife is pumped to go crazy on some food at Dinner.  Except the food truck came in late and they didn't have time to prepare food for her.  So the place comps us 2 tickets to a show that night as an apology.  We go to the show and my wife asks for a diet soda.  The waitress explains that they have no diet soda at the theater only in the restaurants and bars.  The girl recommended regular soda and my wife explained that she is diabetic.  The girl said "so what does that mean?  You can still have soda just don't drink too much." 

 

 

Forgive me if I'm being ignorant, but if your wife has Type-1 Diabetes, why couldn't she simply give herself more insulin to compensate for the extra carbs in the soda?

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

9 minutes ago, Bad Things said:

 

Forgive me if I'm being ignorant, but if your wife has Type-1 Diabetes, why couldn't she simply give herself more insulin to compensate for the extra carbs in the soda?

I can't speak for type-1, but I'm type 2. That's something you can do on special occasions, but not on a regular basis. I used to drink almost nothing but regular Coke. That's probably the main culprit for causing my diabetes. I switched to Coke Zero, or Diet whatever is available.

 

Once in a great while, if that's all there is, I'll have a regular pop. After having one 12 ounce can, I feel kind of drunk, and now it tastes like pure syrup to me. Also, that's not the point. It's one thing to not serve a sugar free option (although in today's day and age, that's absurd). It's a completely different thing when people completely ignore your medical issues they know nothing about. I don't believe in "The customer is always right," however in the service industry, it's your job to do what you can, within reason, to appease the customer. Making assumptions about what someone can and can't assume is straight up rude.

 

Even as a fellow diabetic, who usually can have a regular pop once in a while, I'd never assume that their body will react the same as mine. That's between them and their doctor, and their close family. 

Edited January 29, 2019 by The Real Buffalo Joe

[WhoTom]

17 hours ago, keepthefaith said:

This was hilarious when it happened.  We the family were in the car running late to a weekend outing.  We decided make a quick stop at a Burger King drive through as we ran out of the house mostly skipping breakfast for a variety of reasons. Kids were all 13 and under I think.  It was approximately 11:00 AM. We all knew what we wanted for breakfast but when we began to order we were informed that it was now 11:01 and they were no longer serving breakfast.  Not being able to quickly switch gears and order lunch, I decided to pull through and park and order inside so we didn't hold up those behind us.  We all went inside, looked at the menu and ordered.  The order was for a variety of food.  After standing and watching the staff it was clear that there were some newbies in the kitchen and the "Manager" was really struggling with a full drive through and a number of inside customers.  Long story short, after about 15 minutes of waiting and inquiring we still didn't have our order and the burger cook obviously spoke about zero english.  He was piling whooper patties onto the flame broiled conveyor belt at a frantic pace while the "manager" was trying to communicate that other items needed to be cooked.  This cook continued to smile and nod and crank out whopper patties.  When the manager offered us a few bags of whoppers we agreed and left with literally a dozen or more of them.  We had enough leftover to offer to the rest of the group upon arrival at our destination.  You had to be there.  It was hysterical watching the action behind the counter. 

 

 

 

[Augie]

On 1/28/2019 at 4:34 PM, Johnny Hammersticks said:

I was waiting at this “elitist” tennis club in Martha’s Vineyard.  I waited on all kinds of celebrities...Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Henry Kissinger, Liza Minnelli, Harvey Weinstein (lots of stories about Harv) to name a few....

 

All of the wait staff would draw straws to see who got to wait on old lady Singer.  Her family invented the Singer sewing machine.  She was such a B word, and was a really crappy tipper for a multi-billionaire.  Anyway, I was forced to wait on her during a lunch shift.  She had 7 or 8 old bags with her.  The group had just finished their soup/salad course, and their entrees were coming out, so I began to clear their plates.  There was one woman who had like 2 spoonfuls if chowder left in her cup.  

 

When I reached for the first salad plate, old lady Singer grabbed me by my wrist and screamed in my face “Don’t you dare touch a plate on my table until everyone is finished!!”

 

I wanted to crawl under the table...

 

My wife was forced to take an etiquette class for work. She took that point very seriously. No plates removed until EVERYBODY is done with the course.  You got off easy, I think she bought a taser for people like you! 

 

But other than that, she’s quite sweet.....

[Augie]

4 hours ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

My wife is allergic to gluten and dairy.  Like even a little of either will make her very, very sick.  Speaking of bad dining experiences.  Try going out to a restaurant with my bride...lol.

 

Oh, I’ve been out to dinner with her countless time! She didn’t tell you?  ?

 

Wait, that may have been MY wife, but there are times when the thought of stopping for a slice gets the better of her.  Curious affliction at times, but there IS some truth to it. What really ticks me off is when we go out with her sister. My wife orders something, and her sister says “NO! She can’t have that!”  STFU. 

[shrader]

On 1/29/2019 at 1:09 PM, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

You called out a diner waitress for a 69 cent upcharge on your bill? ?

 

Cheap cheap ?

 

She was flirting and it went completely over his head.

[teef]

i can tell you a fun story.  nothing crazy, but it amused me.  

 

we were drinking at a pub called flattery's, and decided to place our order.  while one friend was ordering, another friend shouted out that the guy ordering would like a side of *****.  we all giggled and went on drinking.  when we got the bill at the end, sure enough we had been charged for a side of *****.  one penny.  

 

the filter hurts.  think about the skin that surrounds certain man parts.

Edited January 30, 2019 by teef

[Uncle Joe]

On 1/29/2019 at 9:49 AM, ExiledInIllinois said:

"...Oh sure the banner may be torn and the wind's gotten colder
Perhaps I've grown a little cynical
But I know no matter what the waitress brings
I shall drink it and always be full, yeah I will drink it and always be full..."

 

Nice BT reference.

 

Years ago we were planning to fishing off the Oregon coast. The bar was closed (at the jetty tips) so no fishing. So about 7 of us decide to go and have breakfast at a pretty decent Steak and Seafood restaurant. We went to the dining area and the special was seafood omelette. We all ordered and waited about 20 minutes or so. All the orders come out except 2. Everyone is eating so the 2 folks without there breakfast ask for theirs since we all ordered at the same time. The waitress goes to check. The chef come out to the reader board and erases the seafood omelette, writes seafood scramble and leaves. Waitress came back out in a few minutes with the 2 seafood scrambles.

Edited January 30, 2019 by Uncle Joe

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

48 minutes ago, Uncle Joe said:

Nice BT reference.

 

Years ago we were planning to fishing off the Oregon coast. The bar was closed (at the jetty tips) so no fishing. So about 7 of us decide to go and have breakfast at a pretty decent Steak and Seafood restaurant. We went to the dining area and the special was seafood omelette. We all ordered and waited about 20 minutes or so. All the orders come out except 2. Everyone is eating so the 2 folks without there breakfast ask for theirs since we all ordered at the same time. The waitress goes to check. The chef come out to the reader board and erases the seafood omelette, writes seafood scramble and leaves. Waitress came back out in a few minutes with the 2 seafood scrambles.

That's kind of funny actually. Lol.

[Logic]

My wife was a server at a very popular and busy brunch restaurant in downtown Portland, OR for a number of years. To give you an idea of what we're talking about here, wait times for brunch would routinely get into the 2-3 HOURS zone in the summer. People happily waited. That kind of place.

So this place has limited outside seating. A few tables lining two walls of the building, nothing major.

Wife said one time a couple walked up CARRYING A TABLE and said "can we sit outside?". She (hostessing that day) said "sure, it'll be about 2 hours". They replied "But we brought our own table!", as if that was a thing that someone can do at a restaurant.

I couldn't believe it. 

There were dozens of other "ridiculous customer" stories over the years, so I have more of those than "bad service" stories. People dining out are pretty consistently awful, by the way. Especially in the Yelp/Tripadvisor era.