Tuesday night we went to Denny's.* Well, it was more like early-eveningish, which is really sad because I can't figure out when I became old enough to consider anything before 5:30 dinnertime. It used to be a regular thing, the Tuesday at Denny's* meal because the kiddos eat free on Tuesdays. Yeah, pathetic, I know, but I gotta tell ya, this starting out as a writer gig doesn't pay a whole lot of money so we have to economize when we can.
Well, for a variety of reasons, including the fact that our oldest is now too old to eat off the kid's menu and is thus disqualified from the eating free on Tuesdays deal, we only go once in awhile. Oh, yeah, plus the food makes both J. and I sick. Literally. I think that goes along with being old enough to enjoy the thrill of an early bird special. Your stomach says: "Ha. You're over 30 now. To hell with good digestion."
Ordering Was the Easy Part
You wouldn't think it would be that difficult to put in an order. Oho, my friend, think again! The waitress looked like she was writing stuff down. Maybe not. Here's how we ordered. I really don't think we were all that picky.
M: I want a classic cheeseburger with American cheese, seasoned fries, none of the veggies on the burger and a side of BBQ sauce.
Me: I'll have the bacon cheeseburger with seasoned fries and only pickles on the burger.
Waitress: None of the lettuce, tomato or stuff?
Me: No, just pickles.
j: I want chicken and regular fries with no monsterella sticks. (He's 5, he doesn't like mozzarella sticks and can't say it either)
J: I'd like the Chef's salad. Does that have onions on it?
Waitress: (taps her pad with her pencil, kind of glares and glazes over at the same time) I don't know.
J: Well, if so, I don't want them please.
Here's What We Got- The FIRST Time
M: ended up with a cheeseburger without cheese, with all the veggies and no BBQ sauce
Me: ended up with a bacon cheeseburger and regular fries
j: ended up with 3 chicken nuggets, fries and 3 monsterella sticks
J: ended up with a salad tasting like onions, about which we heard the waitress yell before coming to the table: "He said he didn't want onions!"
Here's What We Got- The SECOND Time
A horribly dirty look from the waitress when we asked for the orders to be straightened out. A sigh and a glare like we were annoying her by being there. Two slices of cheese on a plate to put on the non-cheeseburger, a plate with the monsterella sticks picked off and another chicken nugget plopped down on it, a promise of seasoned fries and NO BBQ sauce!
Wait, It Gets Better
J. bites into a cherry tomato. It's rotten. Not, going soft, questionable, but I can it eat anyway rotten. Rotten! With brown and black spots on it. So, he summons the waitress and points it out to her. Again, the glare and the "you're being really difficult attitude." She comes back with two cherry tomatoes in a bowls and tells him she brought a couple more. Doesn't offer to take the salad back and doesn't apologize.
Then, the whole time we're eating (and BOY are we pissed while doing so) the waitress is standing behind the counter, one hip cocked to the side and staring at us. Like she is daring us to say anything else.
Time to Pay
By this time I am so uncomfortable that I escape to the bathroom when the check comes. J. and I have decided we really don't want to have to pay full price for this horrible dining experience. When I come back, J. says the waitress told him they took $2 and j.'s meal off the check.
J.'s response: It's Tuesday. Isn't his meal free anyway?So, I take the kids outside and leave J. to deal with the whole check issue. He comes out after awhile and says we didn't have to pay anything. The manager, apparently, was really apologetic and was going to take off some money. But then she turned around to see the waitress standing there, hands on hips, staring and glaring at my husband. She comped the meal.
My response: That's unacceptable. $2? That's insulting.
The Bottom Line
It's not just Denny's. Everywhere I go lately is like this. What is up with the whole attitude like we, as customers or consumers, are annoying the people who are getting paid to help us?? If we weren't there, they wouldn't have a job. No job, no pay. No pay, no stuff. It's simple. Sometimes I really hate leaving my house. Customer service just sucks.
* Please note that any Denny's links will bring you DIRECTLY to the "Contact Us" page. Make a complaint, if you've got one!
2 comments:
I think you hit a bad Denny's there. In Monterey, we had a really terrific one because they put up with a lot of nitwittedness from my friends and I who would stroll in at 3am and order cups of coffee with cream, but without the coffee. Considering the hour, the waitresses would be well within their rights to spit on our greasy super birds, but they were very good natured.
We weren't all bad. One time, for the helluva it. We were in Denny's and one waitress hadn't come on shift, yet, she was late. Tables weren't getting cleared. It wasn't horribly busy, but the manager was cranky and wanted the tables cleared. We jumped up and started clearing the tables and did that for about an hour til the other waitress came in.
As always, we left a good tip.
But, you're right, there are more and more places where customer service could use a boot in the bum.
I would definitely have to agree with everything said in this blog. I have NEVER had a good experience in Denny's in my entire life. It worries me that the majority of the food on the menu is some shade of beige/gold/tan or an off white/yellow.... This is a sure sign of repeated trips to the bathroom. ALL BOW TO THE PORCELAIN IDOL.
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