What restaurants have consistently given you bad service?

[JamesV]

McDonalds, or at least 9 out of 10 of them.

I worked there when I was 16, and they have a rule for how long food is kept before being trashed. They even have little metal props with numbers on them, so at a glance the manager can tell how old something is.

Problem is food cost. I've also worked as a kitchen manager, so I know the subject. You got kids working for you, most lacking common sense or more often any care at all on the product they serve. So these McDonalds keep the fries til they sell, way past the 7-14 minute mark (don't remember exactly) that they are supposed to keep them.

Over the last 10 years, it has gotten common to get lukewarm soggy fries, and tbh I like Wendy's more, so McD's has lost my business. Their prices are getting pretty ridiculous also; $8 for a combo is retarded vs a $8 Boston Market meal.

 

[alkemyst]

The best tips are usually at the bar, so the best people usually end up there. Plus they'll see you staring a hole through them if the orders late.

WTF?!?

Unless you are in a hotel or rushing on lunch, eating at the bar <> best people at a restaurant.

 

[Leros]

There is a Thai place near the UT campus called Madam Mam's. They have great food but awful service.

I've eaten there a handful of times and never been successful in getting a refill. Also, they refuse to split the bill, but they're not honest about it. If you show up with a group of 4 people they say they can only split the bill 3 ways. If you show up with 3 people, they say they can only split the bill 2 ways.

 

[alkemyst]

There is a Thai place near the UT campus called Madam Mam's. They have great food but awful service.

I've eaten there a handful of times and never been successful in getting a refill. Also, they refuse to split the bill, but they're not honest about it. If you show up with a group of 4 people they say they can only split the bill 3 ways. If you show up with 3 people, they say they can only split the bill 2 ways.

cut your hair hippie.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

There is a Thai place near the UT campus called Madam Mam's. They have great food but awful service.

I've eaten there a handful of times and never been successful in getting a refill. Also, they refuse to split the bill, but they're not honest about it. If you show up with a group of 4 people they say they can only split the bill 3 ways. If you show up with 3 people, they say they can only split the bill 2 ways.

Whip out your abacus and show them how to do the math.

 

[shortylickens]

McDonalds, or at least 9 out of 10 of them.

I worked there when I was 16, and they have a rule for how long food is kept before being trashed. They even have little metal props with numbers on them, so at a glance the manager can tell how old something is.

Problem is food cost. I've also worked as a kitchen manager, so I know the subject. You got kids working for you, most lacking common sense or more often any care at all on the product they serve. So these McDonalds keep the fries til they sell, way past the 7-14 minute mark (don't remember exactly) that they are supposed to keep them.

Over the last 10 years, it has gotten common to get lukewarm soggy fries, and tbh I like Wendy's more, so McD's has lost my business. Their prices are getting pretty ridiculous also; $8 for a combo is retarded vs a $8 Boston Market meal.

My local McDonalds has been very good but I am willing to admit they're the exception.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

So you agreed with me, then proceed to argue something I never said.

:hmm:

Which is funny because you tried to pick a fight using something I never said.

True or false Zippy: A person that gets crappy service at a restaurant two or three times and keeps going back is an idiot.

 

[DrPizza]

I gave a relatively local (15 miles) place 3 strikes before I gave up. Never had a drink refilled or a waitress come back to the table even once between getting my food and bringing me the check. All three times, someone from the kitchen brought my food out, not my waitress. Not going back.

Stopped a highly recommended place for a fish fry last week. The meal was HUGE - enough for 2 people to completely stuff themselves. Enough fries for a family of 4. But, their prices are a bit higher because of the size; and apparently, there are a few people who enjoy it and like taking home leftovers. Not me. I don't like leftover reheated fish or french fries. On top of that, $5 for a pepsi?! Seriously?! (Typical for the region is $1.29 to $1.89 for that size, I know some of you would think nothing of that in a bigger city.) It was slightly more than an hour between ordering and getting our food, because they can't handle the capacity. We went with 5 other people who love the place - they didn't mind the wait because they knew there weren't enough fryers. We had gone at 4:45 though, to beat the rush. By 6, they were telling new customers there was an hour wait. If they cut the size in half, they could serve twice as many customers - and if the price were only cut by 1/3, it'd still be a bargain. No thanks - the level of service, as a result of the way they operate - was unacceptable to me. I should have been in and out in 45 minutes, not 2 hours and 45 minutes. (Their mac & cheese was probably the best I've had in my life though; I wish I had the recipe. All the waitress would tell us is that it's a blend of 7 different cheeses. )

 

[alkemyst]

The $5 drinks are obviously along with other things to limit customers.

To others, places like TGIF and the like are now relying on patrons to ask their servers for refills, etc. They are just booked too solid.

Food costs have more than doubled in a short period of time. Restaurants can only juggle so many things: number of staff, portion sizes/types, and price.

 

[mvbighead]

Lately, a lot of places have been pretty good. But some are just annoying.

A local chinese food place had a fairly ditsy blonde, and she asked for every single refill, "Would you like a refill?" I'm thinking, "Well, my glass is empty, so yeah?" Aside from that peave, the service was good, but the food was pretty mediocre.

Most of my local Ruby Tuesdays, BWW, and other shops have gotten pretty good with service. BWW used to be pretty pathetic. 45-60 minutes to get food, 10 minutes between refills, and wait staff standing around gabbing with a thumb up their ass.

One place I have finally tired of and will not go back is Applebees. Holeeee chit. We sat down and overheard some people getting pissed and leaving without even eating their meal because it took so long. Low an behold, it took us damn near two hours to get in and out for lunch on a simple soup/sandwich combo meal order. No apologies, no refills, no nothing. I sent in a rant via their website, and they gave me two $8 coupons for any order. I have yet to go back, and that was 3-4 years ago.

I just don't get some of these places. You sell food. It ain't complicated. Give a waiter/waitress a 5-10 tables, and just run through and check on your patrons with a pleasant attitude. Hell, a local sports bar I go to is commonly outnumbered 20 to 1 on waitstaff to patron ratio, and they're often reasonably faster than lesser occupied places.

 

[homercles337]

There is a Thai place near the UT campus called Madam Mam's. They have great food but awful service.

I've eaten there a handful of times and never been successful in getting a refill. Also, they refuse to split the bill, but they're not honest about it. If you show up with a group of 4 people they say they can only split the bill 3 ways. If you show up with 3 people, they say they can only split the bill 2 ways.

I was actually rather fond of Madam Mam's. When i was a postdoc there i was eating there at least once a week, often more than that. Of course, i always went early, just after 11, before the rush.

 

[alkemyst]

Lately, a lot of places have been pretty good. But some are just annoying.

A local chinese food place had a fairly ditsy blonde, and she asked for every single refill, "Would you like a refill?" I'm thinking, "Well, my glass is empty, so yeah?" Aside from that peave, the service was good, but the food was pretty mediocre.

Most of my local Ruby Tuesdays, BWW, and other shops have gotten pretty good with service. BWW used to be pretty pathetic. 45-60 minutes to get food, 10 minutes between refills, and wait staff standing around gabbing with a thumb up their ass.

One place I have finally tired of and will not go back is Applebees. Holeeee chit. We sat down and overheard some people getting pissed and leaving without even eating their meal because it took so long. Low an behold, it took us damn near two hours to get in and out for lunch on a simple soup/sandwich combo meal order. No apologies, no refills, no nothing. I sent in a rant via their website, and they gave me two $8 coupons for any order. I have yet to go back, and that was 3-4 years ago.

I just don't get some of these places. You sell food. It ain't complicated. Give a waiter/waitress a 5-10 tables, and just run through and check on your patrons with a pleasant attitude. Hell, a local sports bar I go to is commonly outnumbered 20 to 1 on waitstaff to patron ratio, and they're often reasonably faster than lesser occupied places.

I would think it pretty rude if my server just snatched away my glass for a refill or refilled it directly without asking.

 

[TwiceOver]

Every single Kentucky Fried Chicken or Long John Silver's

Never been to a good one. They all suck. Every so often I'm dumb enough to give them another shot and every time I'm let down. Every time. In 20 years I've never once finished a meal there and thought "Good job guys". Never. It's shit every time. Even McShitLand hits the right notes every now and again. KFC/LJS never. They should just take your money, tell you that your experience is going to be nothing but a disappointment, and then tell you to have a nice day without giving you any food. At least then you don't have to shit it out later or throw it up, it's like a 50/50 shot of which is going to happen.

It's even worse when the two are in the same location (both are owned by some satanic company hell bent on destroying fish and chicken fast food). If they are in the same location, you can have some of this or some of that, but NOT this with that. You can get a KFC meal, but it'll come with LJS fries instead of wedges. Since they are in the same building you cannot get a LJS chicken sandwich (the only palatable thing on their menu).

And I talk to people about this and everyone I know has the same experience no matter the location. "Yeah we try it every so often and it just disappoints so we say we'll never go back". That's the response I get from EVERYONE. It's part of the LJS/KFC experience I guess. At first I thought it was just the location here in my home town. This KFC was mixed in with a Taco Bell (same franchise owner except hell bent on making your ass hole hurt within an hour of eating their "food"). It was obvious and everyone knew that there were multiple drug dealers managing the place. It was such a nasty nasty shit hole that I only really ever went there to buy weed. A few years ago they fired the entire staff and shut down the building. About 3 months later the new LJS/KFC was setting up at their brand new location (the one that I was talking about in the beginning) and on day one their store manager gets arrested for smoking pot and dealing in the parking lot. Seriously? WTF. Who does the regional hiring, that guy should get fired.

The place continued to be a source of shitty food for ohh I'd say 3 years. Then last year the LJS side of the business I guess wasn't doing so hot so they stopped selling any LJS product. The sign still said LJS (until they taped over it with duct tape, yes I'm talking the big fucking sign that is seen from the interstate, taped over with grey duct tape) the building still had the LJS colors. It's really messed up looking.

Long story short, I continuously get poor service from Kentucky Fried Chicken and Long John Silver's.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I would think it pretty rude if my server just snatched away my glass for a refill or refilled it directly without asking.

Unfortunately, it's a pretty common occurrence. Many guests seem to think less interaction is preferable. I sometimes wonder why they go out at all except for the fact they're unable to feed themselves.

 

[mvbighead]

I would think it pretty rude if my server just snatched away my glass for a refill or refilled it directly without asking.

An empty glass (or glass of ice) is completely useless. Furthermore, most places (IE - Ruby Tuesday) will bring a fresh glass of your beverage and allow you to take the straw from your existing glass and put it into the fresh new glass. Hell, some places bring you a new glass with a new straw.

In any case, an empty glass serves no purpose. Just grab it and say that you'll be back with my refill. It isn't a complicated process.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I don't know if my expectations are just tempered relative to some but I've never really had a truly bad experience at a chain place. Every BWW I've been to has been just fine. There is one local place I refuse to go to now because they're ridiculously slow but that's it.

 

[NoCreativity]

An empty glass (or glass of ice) is completely useless. Furthermore, most places (IE - Ruby Tuesday) will bring a fresh glass of your beverage and allow you to take the straw from your existing glass and put it into the fresh new glass. Hell, some places bring you a new glass with a new straw.

In any case, an empty glass serves no purpose. Just grab it and say that you'll be back with my refill. It isn't a complicated process.

Or at a minimum at least ask if I want one. I always wonder about the places that give you your beverage and it's a glass of ice with a drop of soda/tea/whatever. Doesn't the server understand that just makes more work for them?

 

[alkemyst]

An empty glass (or glass of ice) is completely useless. Furthermore, most places (IE - Ruby Tuesday) will bring a fresh glass of your beverage and allow you to take the straw from your existing glass and put it into the fresh new glass. Hell, some places bring you a new glass with a new straw.

In any case, an empty glass serves no purpose. Just grab it and say that you'll be back with my refill. It isn't a complicated process.

Personally I like to just sip on the ice water as it melts. Also why bring another drink for someone that doesn't want one, total waste.

 

[TallBill]

None. I don't go back to places that give me crappy service.

I'll go back once, unless I can tell that its the whole restaurant that sucks. Sometimes its just a bad server or a bad day, or something caused them to be understaffed, etc.

 

[KeithTalent]

I'll go back once, unless I can tell that its the whole restaurant that sucks. Sometimes its just a bad server or a bad day, or something caused them to be understaffed, etc.

Yes, this, assuming the food warrants a re-visit.

KT

 

[QueBert]

There's a soul food place in SD called Bonnie Jeans, been a bunch of times. Service ranges from excellent to worst I've ever had. It's usually very slow but the food's so delicious they would have to stab me or something serious to keep me from going back. Would I like better service? Sure, but in the end I'll always take the best food I've had over the best service I've had no question.

 

[TallBill]

Yes, this, assuming the food warrants a re-visit.

KT

Very true. Even a kitchen staff can have a bad day. You can tell when something is prepared wrong or if it just flat out sucks all together.

Overcook my wings, maybe I'll come back on a different day of the week. Sauce tastes like ass or wings are tiny, yeah I'll pass.

 

[Clinkster]

None. I don't go back to places that give me crappy service.

OP take notes.

 

[etrigan420]

Local place here...I think they bill themselves as a "Brew-Pub".

Service sucked ass, food sucked ass, then they tried to screw me on the bill.

Turns out, they're also pretty notorious for offering *Good Deals* to get you in the door, then informing you that they "no longer have that menu item" after you've sat down ordered.

EDIT: Damn, didn't even see the "consistently" portion of the question. I will never return to the establishment mentioned above, thus robbing them of their chance for any sort of consistency with their shitty operation.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

BWW here have good service, but their burgers are burned to shit and back, their wings are ok, but the rest of their food is absolute garbage