Half-Baked Service Is Rarely Well-Done

(We’re at a restaurant where, but for the exception of one table, the place is empty. After a 10-minute wait, the waitress finally comes over.)

Waitress: “What do you want?”

Me: “I’ll have a cheesesteak omelet and a diet coke. My grandfather will have coffee and a waffle, well-done.”

(20 minutes go by before I get my food, but my grandfather still hasn’t received his waffle. The waitress has not once been over to check on us or refill our empty drinks. Finally, after a total of 47 minutes, she brings him his waffle, but it’s only half-cooked.)

Me: “Why did it take 47 minutes for a waffle to cook?”

Waitress: “Oh, we burned it three times. That’s why it took so long.”

Me: “Well, we’re not paying for our meal. Your service has been lousy, you never ONCE came to check on us or refill our drinks, and it’s obvious you just don’t care in general.”

Waitress: “Well, you’ll have to discuss that with the manager, but you still need to pay for your meal.”

Me: “Okay, send him over.”

Waitress: “He’ll be here in three hours.” (Note: it’s 11:30 pm.)

Me: “Screw that! Here’s the payment for our meal, but you can expect that HR will hear about this…”

(That night, I got home and sent a letter to HR. The next day the owner of the franchise called me to offer his apology, refunded us our money and told me that he had watched the events unfold on camera. The next time we went to the restaurant, we found that my letter was in the office to show how customers should NOT be treated. The waitress was reprimanded to only one night a week and only allowed to wash windows. I haven’t seen her since.)