More Free Food!?! 🍔🍟 What's Happening To Quality Service In America..?

ORDERING 'TO-GO' TAKES ON A NEW MEANING FOR RESTAURANT GOERS.

When was the last time you went out to eat?

What was your experience like?

Were you with someone, solo, or part of a group?

These questions come to our minds at one time or another, especially when we are the victims of bad service at a restaurant or food establishment. If you're like me, experiencing a location for the very FIRST time, makes all the difference whether you come back at all...

LET ME BEGIN 

with saying, unless you're a scam artist and enjoy ripping people off, I don't know how you personally feel about it but I don't like leaving a restaurant with the thought looming in my mind that I left with a *free meal because that's how bad service is rectified or fixed. It has become a 'normal' expectation everywhere it seems! Who truly goes out to eat wanting their waiter/waitress to screw up so they can be told "Your meal is on us" or "We'll take a discount off your meal" or "How about a free dessert!" really?!? really...

THE BACKDROP takes place in Ted's Grill. First time, let me reiterate. Sit-down meal at a booth, not order-to-go. Our waiter is a Caucasian male possibly in his 30's, maybe even 40's (can't tell with age these days because many people look younger than what their age tells!) Everything starts off 'okay' with the usual lingo: How are you ladies today? What would you like to drink? The guest I'm with usually knows exactly what she wants, ice-tea. I'm more explorative and usually like to try different lemonades or fruity drinks. He mentions their house-lemonade and of course I ask about refills, since the last time I went out to eat I assumed the fruity drink I ordered was refillable (it wasn't a specialty drink) and was told after it was brought that it was not -go figure.

DRAMA STARTS. 

We're seated in a booth next to a loud, rowdy bunch of kids at a table by themselves -grown beyond their years! I'm talking about yelling back and forth to each other, dropping silverware on the floor, just typical kids acting like they don't have any table manners. Nothing surprises me anymore because somewhere along the line kids of this 'millenial' generation have taken over the d-mn world! Free to do whatever the h-ll they want to do as if 'disciplinary' action has never happened once in their lives! The table next to theirs was filled with, of course, the adults! Off into their own thing, not minding or paying any attention to the kids at the table next to them.
DO YOU SENSE SOMETHING ODDLY PECULIAR ABOUT THIS SCENARIO?!?? 
I hope you do! If you don't then maybe you're one of the many adults out here who think it's perfectly fine to ignore your kids and let them act like hooligans in public. Whatever your reason may be it is unusual, just putting that out there.

SO WE'RE WAITING...

it's just a normal wait. I had to get up and go to the restroom and when I returned to the table my guest had her drink and mine was waiting for me, right next to a bowl of cucumbers. I'm not a cucumber fan even though I do have an affinity for pickles and the juice haha. Cucumbers haven't taken to my interest. Its quite 'interesting' how Ted's version is seasoned. I'm not won over, but it was different than eating it plainly. So we're chillin...I'm taking pics through IG, sharing them, tagging, and enjoying the scenery, and notice how long it's taking as we're watching these large party tables next to us receive their food, contently chowing and lively engaging. Our waiter is nowhere to be found and we start picking up on the little details...

DRINK NEEDS REFILLING.

Down to the watered down remains with ice. Where's the waiter?!? As I recall from my mother's viewpoint she could literally see him darting around, walking to the other side where it's for 'employees only', avoiding coming to our booth. As this continued patience was weighing thin because it made absolutely no sense whatsoever why we were not receiving the attentiveness as customers should. I'm not implying anything before anyone starts assuming the obvious, because I'll come outright to say we are both black women. Eventually he popped up to refill her glass, mine was still full, and tells us that the kitchen was 'backed up' for his reason why we haven't received our food.
At this point would you not believe that means, it won't be long before you receive your food?

MORE WAITING...WHAT THE H-LL IS GOING ON?!?

It made no difference that we are still waiting at our table and see everyone around us who supposedly came 'before' we did eating...A waitress walks quickly by [seems like everyone is in a hurry down this tight, narrow walk-way to and from the kitchen/bathroom and restaurant] and my mother stops her and asks for a manager. A Caucasian woman in her middle-late 50's comes over and that was the cue.

This is our FIRST time here and this has not been a PLEASANT (GOOD) EXPERIENCE.
I came here to see if it would be a place I would return to with a group of friends. I understand if it's busy, but it makes me question what the weekends are like... 
We've been waiting since 10 after 2.

In other words, if we're being told that the 'kitchen is backed up' and it's the weekend then why should we come back here ever again for 'attentive quality service'? It's NOT there!

She looks at the clock as if to make sure we were really telling the truth??!? Really? Already that was telling enough of how the situation was going to be handled. 

It continues on to the other 'excuse' of the two tables sitting around us (adults & children) and the fact it was a "party". Let me cut in to add this isn't the first time we've experienced this. IHOP has put us in the same predicament regarding large groups of people. I try, and lord knows I try to understand the circumstances, but when it comes down to it, our money is no less green than theirs. The quantity in $$$ surpasses the quality of treating ALL customers the same and bringing them the service they walk through the doors to receive. The doors are OPEN to everyone, NOT CLOSED.
If we knew our meal-time would be compromised by two tables we would've never bothered with stepping foot within that location.

SHUTTING UP THE UPSET, IMPATIENT CUSTOMER.

She was putting on the act, the kind that calms an upset customer down so that they won't spread negative reviews and make them all look bad. It went from asking us whether our waiter told us how 'healthy and beneficial bison is to our diet', having the option to buy it in bulk, they will make sure we have dessert, and lastly to having our tab covered on them.

I'm like here we go, again! Can we just have a NORMAL, good service at a restaurant without wondering where the waiter/waitress disappeared to, reminding them more than twice to bring amenities out & bring my ticket, so I can pay like a working citizen, and go home at a reasonable time to relax?!?
No, that just can't happen...

WE DON'T NEED A 'FREE-MEAL' :

How About YOU GIVE ME BACK THE TIME YOU ROBBED ME OF?

How About YOU TELL OUR WAITER TO APOLOGIZE FOR ABANDONING HIS POST, LACKING IN HIS JOB SKILLS, AND WHATEVER OTHER PROBLEMS HE HAS AND GET HIS ACT TOGETHER?

How about MORE CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING?
How about LESS hiring so-called 'experienced' workers WITHOUT TESTING THEIR SKILLS FIRST.

The List goes on.

HUNGER COLLAPSE.

Within minutes we finally see our plates brought out by a Caucasian woman and the manager. All cordiality. Would you like anything else? Is there anything else you need? Everything would've been fine if it wasn't for one error in the order. My mother ordered onion rings, not fries. They both looked at each other like yikes! oh no, as if the walls were coming in and skated instantly off to correct the mistake, Well let us get that for you! Again, she had to wait -while her food was hot and ready to eat in front of her. Thank God they moved with the quickness on this one or I'm sure there was going to be a mad black woman moment up in there.
ByTheWay, did I mention how delicious the burgers are? YES, I will tell you no lie, just GREAT.
Too bad the service couldn't match it. She had the Cheese bison burger and I had the Mushroom and Swiss bison burger (including sour cream!?!? Very good addition if you like it!)

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.

So why does it feel so uncomfortable, when you have to witness the 'shamed' tail-between-the legs drama with the waiter?!!? I'll tell you why, because if he had did his job correctly in the first place ALL of the drama and ridiculousness would've been avoided. Quite bluntly, NOT seeing his face would've allowed us a much more better and easier experience before leaving. We had to worry about him constantly coming back and forth, standing off to the side, looking into our faces (wondering how badly he screwed up) asking us, how is everything? Do you need anything? All the attentiveness we should've received in the FIRST place! Neither one of us gave him full attention because he didn't deserve it, right back at ya.

THE WAIT CONTINUES...

Taking on the dessert offer, we stop him before he disappears again to tell him we were ready to order our desserts. He grabs a small menu from one table, handing it to us, and tells us which desserts are made in the restaurant and which ones are pre-made (cheesecake). So, is it an original Cheesecake Factory slice then??? haha. As he explains, I'm listening so intently he did something that was a big no no. My mother caught it You still want your food right? And it stopped him in his tracks. If there's one thing I hate it's someone picking up my plate without asking me first if I'm done with it. I was like yea, leave my plate. It was a $15 burger, it aint going nowhere but home with me.
He leaves and again we wait for his return. He does bring back carry-out containers and leaves them on the table. Leaves again.
I'm seeing the manager walk by us at least five times, back and forth without once making sure we were still being taken care of and everything was fine, nothing. Something told me to not put anything into her apology and to not uphold her to her word. I forgot her name. My mother stopped her and by this point patience was completely gone. We're just going to go, most of our day is gone, we placed orders for the dessert and it's taking too long. She asks us what we ordered: apple crisp and cheesecake and the 'reason' this time was it needs to be heated up, but she was going to check on it.
Can you believe within moments of walking in the direction of the kitchen from the opposite who do we see? Yes, our disappearing waiter. What did he have in tow? Our desserts in a carry-out bag. After adding our covered left-overs to the bag with it we got our belongings and left. As we're leaving the manager comes back around to us have a good day ladies! As we're walking out the door, Hope you have a good day!
To top it all off as we're getting in the car to leave I notice our waiter come outside removing plates from one of the outdoor tables. What a coincidence...maybe he wanted one last look at his screw-up before they left? Looking for numbers on the car or perhaps what type of car perhaps?

LESSON OF THE DAY.

My mother had a feeling the manager didn't expect us to take her up on the 'desserts' with our meal. I mean, after all did she not say they will cover our entire meal for all the trouble? Adding on You may want to check out our desserts too! Heck yea, you screw up you make up for it.
We are not the ones who turned their day upside down, hanging around a restaurant for nearly 2 hours waiting to eat! I felt no shame adding two desserts to the 'bill'. Let's be honest, a free meal is nice. When you expect to shed out near $50-60 for a 'specialty' dining experience it feels surprisingly darn good to leave saving every last dime. I'm not going to front and say it hasn't been good for those past bad service encounters while dining out neither. What we can possibly agree on is when it becomes the end-all problem solution to every bad customer service and serviceable expectation out in this modernized quick-fix world then business etiquette is going down the drain.

What happened to work ethic? The RIGHT way of doing a job? Where's the care & concern anymore? Does anyone give a d-mn anymore while holding a hand out for a pay-check?!?
I'm griping on this rising issue in America while eating my free meal. In the most backward, unconventional way we received an unexpected blessing. That's how I'll see it.

BUFFALO OR BISON Meat has more nutrients and is healthier than chicken or beef. The redness of the raw meat comes from the nutrients it is packed with.