NEVER eat at the Rockenwagner Restaurant in Santa Monica.

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dquan97

Lifer
Jul 9, 2002
12,011
3
0
Originally posted by: richardycc
Is this place run by chinese? ;) One time we found a piece of glass inside of a dim sum, dont ask me how it got in there, so we asked to talk to the owner/manager, but of course they blew us off, so not only we didn't get a free replacement, they made us pay for the one that had the glass in it.

at least they didn't make you pay for the glass as well ;)
 

Lounatik

Golden Member
Oct 10, 1999
1,845
1
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Got one similar to this: I was eating at an O'Charley's and I ordered a Caesars salad . Luckily for me , I was looking down at my food as I was about to shovel it in my mouth. There was a 1" metal clip(used to hold up the shelving in the fridge) nestled in the middle of my forkful! Stupid waitron comes over and says " Huh, so there's the clip that we lost earlier" Manager comes over and sweats out a nice lashing by me and my wife, comps my meal and free dessert. Imagine the dental work if I had taken a good chomp down on that crouton!


Peace

Lounatik
 

PanzerIV

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2002
6,875
1
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About five months ago I was eating lunch at a local buffet with a coworker and she found a large piece of plastic in her food. The manager, at her request, came by and then proceeded to write the incident down on some type of report they use there. He comped her meal but I certainly wasn't expecting mine to be free as well since nothing was wrong with it.

I disagree with the beligerent manner the manager took in handling the issue but not that he didn't comp the entire party.
 

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
15,781
1
71
Most issues like these are purely up to the discretion of the manager/owner. Some will comp the offending entree, others will comp the whole meal. There's no "set guideline" to making people happy, because different people think they're entitled to either more or less than what is offered.

Comping the entire meal because of one fouled entree? Excessive by most standards, but a nice gesture.

Comping AND a gift certificate? Praiseworthy on the manager's part. Anyone who thinks they are "entitled" to more than what they paid because of "inconvenience" are greedy sons of bitches and are better off cooking at home.

After working in a restaurant, I have tired of people who think that because of a mistake, whether on our part or theirs, that they "deserve" free food/merchandise/etc. They "deserve" a kick in the cooter, that's what they deserve.
 

Yossarian

Lifer
Dec 26, 2000
18,010
1
81
I went to a restaurant in Santa Monica this weekend and had a bowl of soup. There was a fly in it! I called the waiter over and asked "what's that fly doing in my soup!??!?" He said, "looks like the backstroke!"
 

Brutuskend

Lifer
Apr 2, 2001
26,558
4
0
Originally posted by: Yossarian
I went to a restaurant in Santa Monica this weekend and had a bowl of soup. There was a fly in it! I called the waiter over and asked "what's that fly doing in my soup!??!?" He said, "looks like the backstroke!"

That joke is older than ME!!!

And thats saying a LOT!
 

NutBucket

Lifer
Aug 30, 2000
27,033
545
126
Originally posted by: Brutuskend
Originally posted by: Yossarian
I went to a restaurant in Santa Monica this weekend and had a bowl of soup. There was a fly in it! I called the waiter over and asked "what's that fly doing in my soup!??!?" He said, "looks like the backstroke!"

That joke is older than ME!!!

And thats saying a LOT!

"Waiter, there's soup on my fly!!"

I swear I'm going to say that when the day comes that I find a fly in my soup.
 

kranky

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
21,014
137
106
I'm going to agree with the posters who felt comping one meal was appropriate. My feeling is that if it had been two people, he might have comped both, but I'm guessing he didn't want to do it for four people. Out of curiosity, how much was the total bill?

He certainly didn't handle it well from reading the conversation, but the other meals were fine, after all. I suspect that a big factor was that it wasn't your coworker who was doing the complaining. The argument boiled down to "his meal had glass in it, so I want mine free too". The glass potato meal was freely comped.
 

Ameesh

Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
23,686
0
0
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Sounds like a dump. We found a fly in a plate of pasta at the olive garden. The manager came and offered us (party of four I think) that entree for free plus maybe a dessert. Shard of glass is way worse.

i found a needle in i dish of noodles at athai place, thats fvcked up
 

kranky

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
21,014
137
106
Originally posted by: Ameesh
i found a needle in i dish of noodles at athai place, thats fvcked up

So they recognized you from an earlier visit?

:p
 

gwlam12

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2001
6,946
1
71
Coco's in Arcadia on Baldwin Ave.

Two out of two occasions. Dinner.

1) Ladybug in the salad.
2) Live caterpillar in the salad.
 

gwlam12

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2001
6,946
1
71
Originally posted by: Ameesh
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Sounds like a dump. We found a fly in a plate of pasta at the olive garden. The manager came and offered us (party of four I think) that entree for free plus maybe a dessert. Shard of glass is way worse.

i found a needle in i dish of noodles at athai place, thats fvcked up

seriously. cant even imagine the pain that'd cause .
 

MaxDepth

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2001
8,758
43
91
Hmm. Maybe a comment by your company's big boss to Epicurious might show them a thing or two. So you met Hans? (the owner) I wouldn't be surprised if he was a prick. A few of my culinary friends have heard of him running through Sous chefs.

Wow. This is interesting. There is no mention of glass shards in the menu. And you all didn't pay extra? You run with a hoity-toity crowd there, Dezign.
 

gwlam12

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2001
6,946
1
71
Originally posted by: richardycc
Is this place run by chinese? ;) One time we found a piece of glass inside of a dim sum, dont ask me how it got in there, so we asked to talk to the owner/manager, but of course they blew us off, so not only we didn't get a free replacement, they made us pay for the one that had the glass in it.

The fact that you mentioned Chinese reminds me of a time when a guy a knew bit into a pork sung bun only to find out that he'd eaten half a roach. No compensation whatsoever.

Do you guys get grades for your restaurant like they do in LA? My experience I mentioned was in the pre-grading era.
 

gwlam12

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2001
6,946
1
71
3rd incident. Stuck my fork into a chicken pot pie from campus cafeteria to find out that the plastic wrapping was still on it (covered with crust, that's why I couldn't see it earlier.)
 

ArmenK

Golden Member
Oct 16, 2000
1,600
1
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I've been to Rockenwagner 4 times: 3 times for dinner and once for brunch. It is probably one of the best restaurants I have ever been to and I'm sure what happened to you is just a freak accident. The food hs always been great and its a very classy place (Ive seen movie stars there each time I have visited). I have never spoken to the owner of the place so I can't say what kind of person he is, but the restaurant itself is a terrific place.
 

MazerRackham

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2002
6,572
0
0
I have one that's got to be the most unique:

Way back in 1991 or 1992, my girlfriend (at the time) and I were at Island's in Pasadena (on Colorado Blvd., not in Old Town). Anyway, she ordered the chicken tacos, and right before she bites into it I looked over and saw that there was a microchip in it! No joke. It looked like a smaller version of those flash-ROM chips you can get from Fry's and load your stuff onto. example of chip

It was just so weird! I mean come, a microchip in a Taco at Island's? Anyway, it's been so long I can't remember if my meal was comped, but I know hers was at least.
 

slycat

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2001
5,656
0
0
u guys suck..how can u let that opportunity go?...friggin call everybody over.
Yell and scream...make a ruckus. U guys let them take the evidence away and
continued on eating?...i would have busted out my cellphone(with digicam) and
friggin taken evidence. Or ask people in the restaurant to borrow one...that'll make the
manager weak in the knees...and if someone calls the cops..even better, if this goes to
the city...they will get audited, cited, investigated, fined...etc.

now i bet they'll give u lifetime free chomps from then on.
 

Yossarian

Lifer
Dec 26, 2000
18,010
1
81
Originally posted by: ArmenK
I've been to Rockenwagner 4 times: 3 times for dinner and once for brunch. It is probably one of the best restaurants I have ever been to and I'm sure what happened to you is just a freak accident. The food hs always been great and its a very classy place (Ive seen movie stars there each time I have visited). I have never spoken to the owner of the place so I can't say what kind of person he is, but the restaurant itself is a terrific place.

The glass part is a freak accident. The owner being a jerkoff is not.
 

ArmenK

Golden Member
Oct 16, 2000
1,600
1
0
Originally posted by: slycat
u guys suck..how can u let that opportunity go?...friggin call everybody over.
Yell and scream...make a ruckus. U guys let them take the evidence away and
continued on eating?...i would have busted out my cellphone(with digicam) and
friggin taken evidence. Or ask people in the restaurant to borrow one...that'll make the
manager weak in the knees...and if someone calls the cops..even better, if this goes to
the city...they will get audited, cited, investigated, fined...etc.

now i bet they'll give u lifetime free chomps from then on.

You are a lawyer's dream and a honest person's nightmare.
 

gwlam12

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2001
6,946
1
71
Originally posted by: MazerRackham
I have one that's got to be the most unique:

Way back in 1991 or 1992, my girlfriend (at the time) and I were at Island's in Pasadena (on Colorado Blvd., not in Old Town). Anyway, she ordered the chicken tacos, and right before she bites into it I looked over and saw that there was a microchip in it! No joke. It looked like a smaller version of those flash-ROM chips you can get from Fry's and load your stuff onto. example of chip

It was just so weird! I mean come, a microchip in a Taco at Island's? Anyway, it's been so long I can't remember if my meal was comped, but I know hers was at least.

hey thats the one i go to! no such incident though.
 

Passions

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2000
6,855
2
0

At least it wasn't a condom in his soup!



Good thing not a condom in clam chowder.