Okay, okay. I gave in, we went back to Al's Garden tonight. I wasn't particularly hungry, especially for anything here, so I planned on going and just chowing on some bread, they can't mess that up can they? So we get to the restaurant and the wait is 50 minutes. We figured that was grossly exaggerated, so we hung out with three very hungry kids, for over 50 minutes. It was crowded, the lobby at this location is much smaller that others, and so it was cramped and stuffy. But we made it through the wait. After which I am feeling quite hungry and so decide I might try my luck and get a dish of pasta. We get to our table, the server comes over, gets our drink order and is back real quick with the drinks and bread and all that. This is going to be great! The server is really on top of things, and even explains after bringing the soup and breadsticks that normally fettuccine alfredo is a dish that can be served any time because it isn't a special ordered dish, so he asks us how long we want to have with our soup before the pasta is served. We are still thinking, this guy is really on top of it.
I listen to a lot of radio, particularly sports talk radio, and one host has mentioned several times how he approaches service and tipping at restaurants. He said he normally starts out expecting to tip 30% or something like that, and then he deducts throughout the meal if the service is poor. So this server would be looking at a great tip at this point. Our server was also very good with the kids, which is nice. But that was basically the last we saw of him for quite a while, as far as tipping goes this guy started out at a good one, started losing value in the middle, but in the end wasn't all that bad, the place was quite busy.
When the pasta comes out it was brought by another server, pretty standard, and my drink was refilled by a different server also. We didn't see or get a follow-up from our server until we were nearly finished with our dinner which up until that point was pretty good. The pasta was hot and tasted nice. I was taking some of my pasta and cutting it up for Avery, when I saw what I saw underneath all the noodles and sauce, a long, dark hair...
I know that OG's slogan is something like 'In here you're family', but I don't particularly enjoy even family hair in my food.
It was at this point that the server had just shown up and was asking if there was anything else he could do for us. I said "Yeah, you can take (the hair) away (with the dishes you are clearing)." He apologized, asked if I wanted a fresh dish of pasta, minus the extra protein, and then said he would send over the manager. I wasn't disgusted or anything, I just said "It happens, no problem, and no thanks on the fresh pasta, I was nearly finished and was full anyways." The manager stopped by, apologized and said that they wouldn't charge us for the contaminated dish, all right down company and managerial lines for that. I am just glad that I, or Avery, didn't actually eat any pasta with the strand in it. Now that would have been disgusting! Flossing my teeth with some strangers hair.
I feel a little like Chris. Chris at one point had issues with having to wait for inordinate amounts of time in check out lanes at stores. He said it didn't matter which line he choose, it was going to be the slowest for one reason or another. I am starting to feel like I can't have a perfectly normal experience at Al's Garden. From the server eating my pasta with the fork I had been using all night, to servers who just can't get our order right, to finding a hair buried in the bottom of the dish.
I really don't know if I can ever go back.
Friday, January 23, 2009
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5 comments:
In my job I often tell peole who have had a horrible experience to travel with us again so we can "regain their confidence." And then I really hope that we DO regain their confidence, because the awful things that sometimes happen are not normal. For some people. :)
I give it two months. Al's Garden can expect you guys back sometime in March or April.
LOL, it's like that for us, only Applebee's instead of Al's. It doesn't matter how often I go there, something always happens, and the food is ALWAYS nasty. We should both families go out for dinner and just go to Spagetti factory for pete's sake.
Or Village Inn. I know it seems kind of ghetto, but they actually have really tasty skillets. Of course the service is poo-poo, but it's very inexpensive and really, the skillets are great! With pancakes, too, if you like them. Dave, I'm surprised you guys went back! Yuck!
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I, like Chris, always pick the wrong line, too! I don't understand it. Sometimes I even look at the lines, pick one, and then intentionally go to a different one to try to trick the line-people who determine how long we have to wait.
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