What Has Made You Not Go Back...

[Barbara L]

What has made you not go back to a restaurant, store, etc.?

There are a few places I can think of, but a particular Chinese restaurant comes to mind. We had eaten there before, but they changed management. My friends and I got our food from the buffet. As we started eating, I noticed a girl who worked there flirting with a guy who worked there (possibly the manager). As she flirted, I watched her drop a damp dishtowel on the floor, then pick it up and wipe the counter with it. When we left, the girl who took our money (who turned out to be the same one but we didn't notice) asked how everything was. I mentioned what we saw. She said, "That was me, and I did not do that." I said, "Yes you did do that and we were all watching as you did it." We never went back (we probably would have if they had changed management) and it wasn't long before they went out of business. I guess we weren't the only ones who weren't happy with them.

Barbara

 

[sattie]

Cruddy service... not just cruddy service, but the lack of the management team or employees trying to correct the situation by doing the right thing by the customer. Something can go wrong at a resturant or store anytime, as long as they are attentive to it and do their best to address the situation. I hate when something goes wrong and they act like they don't care.

Case in point, while dining at a local mexican food resturaunt, I asked if they had any hotter salsa. The waiter replied 'yes' and stated it was $1.75.. or at least that is what I thought I heard. Kind of pricey for salsa, specially when it came out in a tiny bowl, like a 1/2 cup. But I agreed. Then when we got the bill, it was $2.75 for that little rinky-dink serving of salsa! When we spoke to the cashier about it and that we thought it was a $1.75 and we were actually charged $2.75, she just shrugged her shoulders and said "Yea... so???"

I'm sorry, but at a mexican place, I expect to be able to get spicy without having to pay $3 extra for it!

OK... I'm done venting! LOL

 

[jpmcgrew]

Any place that has dirty bathrooms and filthy high chairs.Although I dont have kids the high chair is a good indicator.Or if food is just plain bad or inconsistant but here Im talking about just regular local family type restaurants not an up scale place.Its really tough to guess where to eat when I travel but have had good success just asking the locals.I can never go wrong in Santa Fe,NM or Taos too much competition.But where I live the 45 mile drive to town isnt worth it I can make better in less the time then to drive to town and back.There are only 2 places I like for lunch or breakfast when I go shopping for basics.The rest I order via email or thru the restaurant at the lodge on the ranch where I live.

 

[QSis]

I'm with Sattie: I won't return to a restaurant where something was bad and the staff won't compensate me for it.

I used to go to an Italian restaurant because I LOVED their fusilli with pesto. I took a date there one time, and just as he was finishing his meal, they brought over my entree.

I said that I couldn't eat it now, said I'd like to take it with me, and expected them to apologize and give me a price break. I got neither.

I asked to speak to the manager. The OWNER came over and argued with me, and refused to compensate me at all, and did not even apologize.

I've never returned, and I've badmouthed the restaurant every chance I get.

I'm a retail manager, and that behavior is totally inexcusable.

Lee

 

[Robo410]

poor service, poor value for quality of food served, poor food.

Italian place: basic pasta and red sauce (red gravy to many)...overcooked unsalted pasta, red sauce with no taste (because no salt, no herb, no vino, no visible onion or garlic) never went back

steak house: chili rubbed delmonico med rare...wasn't juicy, was more medium than rare (ok I'm still interested but...) almost no flavor because chili rub was bland, contained no spicy peppers, no salt, !!! consistency of meat was mushy ... over tenderized by enzymes or refrozen ... won't ever go back

Seafood house at beach town...Bouillebaise alla Marsaille (red sauce version) shell fish way overcooked tough and bitter, broth has no wine or herb flavors, served in a cast iron pot (cold). Hello!!! hot soup in cold cast iron cannot get to the diner hot... this is no thought frou frou and not worth it! never went back.

50s retro diner in small town on hiway: Bacon cheddar Cheese burger with let tom mayo pickle on seeded bun, toasted, side of rings, and small caesar, black and white malt... burger hot and juicy medium, good beef taste, nice brown on it, good roll fresh salad etc..nice applewood smoked bacon, cheddar had taste and was melted thoroughly, fine creamy malt, crispy rings. service was fast and polite. This place knows what it serves and how to serve it. It was clean and a pleasure to dine there and I have been back.

seafood house at a different beach town than one above:..."sir the fresh item tonight is the oysters" yes but I'd like to know about the fruita del mare. "Sir the fresh item tonight is the oysters" THe waiter did not dis my wish or the food from the kitchen but let me know that if I wanted fresh that day seafood, I should order the oysters. btw...she was right and they were fantastic. I've not been back but then again I don't get to central coast California that often...but if I do, there is a place or two in Moro Bay that steered me right and I will dine at again.

 

[expatgirl]

In addition to all the above that's been mentioned: LOUD MUSIC!!! Especially when they won't turn it down at your request or turn it back up again later on. I go out to eat and enjoy my food not to have my ear cells nuked.

 

[Robo410]

good point! hello I'm dining, I didn;t come to be aurally assulted.

 

[sattie]

Yea expatgirl, I'm with you on the music bit... ain't nothin like screaming at each other over dinner!!! LOL!

 

[expatgirl]

Aural assault (good one, Robo410!!!!!!!) and screaming over dinner, Sattie, are exactly what I'm talking about----it's ridiculous!! Here where I live, some of the restaurants are so entranced with having big screen TV's with music that they just hype up the music thinking that it's cool and that's what people want--but are so shocked when you ask them to turn it down but they always do and the tip goes up accordingly.

 

[Jeekinz]

This one is a tad scary.

I took my Mother and DW out to dinner one night to a restaurant we used to love. As we were waiting for our drinks, a waitress broke a wine glass in the ice maker. The ice maker was a large bin that you could access from either side of the bar, so the servers to get wine and soda orders.
I sat and watched her whispering the situation with the bartender. All she found was the stem of the glass as they proceded to take scoops of ice out.

 

[GotGarlic]

Once, I ordered a crabcake and was really put off by the shell fragments in it. I know that's pretty normal, but I just couldn't stand it. I've never ordered a crabcake since, and I never went back to that place.

 

[keltin]

My DW and I went to one restaurant and I ordered the Ribeye, medium rare. It came out brown on the outside and raw on the inside. Not rare.....raw. I showed the waitress and she apologized and sent it back. Eight minutes later it came back, and guess what, it was extremely rare (just barely over raw). I showed the waitress again, she apologized profusely and wanted to take it back. I asked for a to go box instead and told her I’d cook it myself at home. She didn’t charge me for my meal though, so I only ended up paying for DW’s meal which was good. I left the waitress a big tip (it wasn’t her fault and she was very nice), but still, I never went back.

I was at another place for lunch, and was waiting in line to place my order. I could see the prep teams making the items everyone was ordering. One guy was making a sub type sandwich. He was acting goofy and not paying attention, and he sliced his hand with the knife! He was bleeding, so he laid the knife down and went in the back. A few seconds later, a girl came up, grabbed the same knife, did NOT wash or sterilize it, and kept working on the sandwich!

I immediately left and called the health department about that one. It wasn’t long before they were out of business, so I imagine there were other complaints about that place.

 

[sattie]

This one is a tad scary.

I took my Mother and DW out to dinner one night to a restaurant we used to love. As we were waiting for our drinks, a waitress broke a wine glass in the ice maker. The ice maker was a large bin that you could access from either side of the bar, so the servers to get wine and soda orders.
I sat and watched her whispering the situation with the bartender. All she found was the stem of the glass as they proceded to take scoops of ice out.

HA!!! That is scary! When we were vacationing in Montana, a little place that we stopped off to eat at had one of those soda machines with the ice dispenser in the middle. I watched the waitress fill a glass with ice only to discover that it was empty and then proceeded to fill it with the ice out of the trough below where all the old sodas and what not are poured out.... blekkkk!!!!

 

[YT2095]

being asked every 5 mins whilst eating "is everything ok?"
after about the 5`th time you feel like saying "well it Would be if you didn`t keep Pestering us!".

I`m the same with shops too, if I walk in, and get Pounced on by a sales droid asking if they can help me, I turn heal and walk out without saying a word.

get OUT of my Space man!!!!!

 

[Robo410]

the two ice machine stories are typical of improperly trained staff and clueless management. What one "might" do at home, is NOT how one operates a food service business of any type!

There is one family pizza shop in my old home beach town that could have expanded and opened satalite shops etc. But "mama" said " NO, I can't suppervise how all the others would be run and our name is not going to be linked with bad service and product and less than spotless suroundings. " Bravo! quality over the $$

 

[sattie]

get OUT of my Space man!!!!!

AMEN!!!!

I hate when I am standing in line at the g-store and the people behind me insist on standing as close to me as they can, I move an inch, they move up an inch!!! If I can smell you or your breath, your to close!!!

 

[oldcampcook]

Jeekinz, that should have initiated a call to the local health departmen. I had the same thing related to me yesterday. One of the ladies at work went to a local chain restuarant and they found a chunk (the bottom of a wine glass) of glass in one of their ice tea glasses. I asked her if she had called the health department, and of course, she didnt.

 

[auntdot]

A restaurant we liked had most of the mains priced over $30.

We went every once in awhile. Enough for them to know us.

We were out for a quiet pleasant evening after a particularly tough couple of weeks and wanted to blow it out.

Went early and asked for a table by the window in a room at the back that is usually quiet. Ordered the meal, which was very tasty until a birthday party of ten eight year olds was seated at the next table.

They were very loud and raucus, the way kids that age are supposed to act at a party. But we did not need them next to us.

The staff offered to move us but we were three quarters through with our mains. We stopped eating, asked for the check and left.

On the way out the manager came to us and told us that had she known she never would have seated that party next to us.

A manager who says 'had she known' tells me she was incompetent.

No offer of a comp, just an admission by the manager had she had she not been so lax in her duties we would not have suffered the results.

OK in a Applebee's or such, sure, no problem. Kids are supposed to be there.

But when just the entrees are over thirty bucks, with everything else extra, and a pricey wine list, they might pay some attention to their patrons' comfort.

Have not gone back. And most folks about here are just not gonna pony up that kinda money for a meal.

 

[krichardson]

If I order a meal and receive it with meat in it! I am a vegetarian. Once I went to a very nice pizza kitchen and ordered the taco pizza with no meat. After eating one slice I noticed chicken on some of the other pieces, gross! Whenever I order a dish that has meat in it and ask for is sans meat I always say that I'm a vegetarian hoping that they might pay a little bit more attention. All too often they do not and I do not return.

 

[bowlingshirt]

Bottle of hot sauce with a Big Lots price tag still on it.

Being served burned food and the waiter asked me "Can you eat that?"