A Restaurant Experience

A Restaurant Experience

My wife and I had decided to go out for dinner one evening. When we arrived at the restaurant, the hostess directed us to our table, quickly setting down our menus and silverware before walking away as if her shift had ended. She never bothered to notice that the booth she had assigned us was completely unsuitable for a heavy person like myself. The booth seats were fixed in place, and there simply wasn't enough room for me to fit comfortably.

After she had hurried away, my wife and I decided to return to the lobby. I was already feeling frustrated with the poor customer service, and we hadn't even been able to sit down yet. The lack of attention to our needs was embarrassing and disappointing.

The hostess immediately noticed us standing in the lobby and approached us. Without even asking what was wrong, her facial expression clearly showed she was annoyed by our presence. When we explained that we couldn't sit at the assigned table, I expected her to ask why or show some concern. Instead, she simply said "Okay" in a dismissive tone. While this might seem like an accommodating response, her failure to ask about the problem showed she had no interest in learning how to better serve customers or prevent similar situations from happening to others.

The situation became even more embarrassing as other patrons throughout the restaurant were staring at us, undoubtedly understanding exactly what the problem was. It was obvious to anyone looking that there was no way I could have fit in that booth. The table couldn't be moved, and neither could the booth seats, making the situation impossible to remedy.

After we explained the issue and encountered her uncaring attitude, she led us to the opposite side of the restaurant and seated us in what was clearly a closed section. She moved a bag off our table, similar bags sitting on each table in that section, obviously indicating the area was not supposed to be in use. She set down different menus and silverware just as hastily as before, then quickly walked away again. I initially thought she might be upset with us for not being able to use the first table, but her attitude had been equally poor from the very beginning.

After sitting in the closed section for only a few minutes, a wonderful server came over to take our drink order. She was professional, friendly, and got our drinks to us quickly. Her service was a stark contrast to the hostess's behavior.

When she returned with our drinks, she offered to take our meal order. As I asked questions about various items on the menu, she informed us that we couldn't order several dishes because the fryer had been broken since Father's Day, which was ten days earlier. "That's fine," I said, accepting the limitation. My wife ordered the chicken alfredo with broccoli, which sounded appealing to me as well, so I ordered the same dish.

Our meals arrived relatively quickly, but there was a significant problem. We both received fettuccine Alfredo, but neither dish included any chicken. My wife noticed the missing chicken immediately, while I didn't realize it at first. "There's no chicken," she asked with a confused tone. The server looked at our bowls and exclaimed, "Oh no, I'll go check on that right away."

She returned to explain that the kitchen was preparing chicken for us, and we could simply add it to our Alfredo when it arrived. "That's fine," we responded, trying to be understanding. Our server was very apologetic and took full responsibility for the mistake, explaining that it was her fault because she had forgotten to enter the chicken into the computer system. We appreciated her honesty and told her it wasn't a problem, understanding that accidents happen.

However, the situation was somewhat disturbing. We had to wait for the chicken and were expected to add it to our dishes ourselves. While we weren't being lazy or demanding, we were both extremely hungry, having not eaten anything all day. We had slept most of the day since we were both off work, getting up late in the afternoon before deciding to go out for dinner. My wife had specifically chosen this restaurant because she loved eating there.

We were both becoming irritated because we didn't want our food to sit there getting cold while we waited. We decided to start eating our alfredo, consuming a good portion of our meals before the chicken finally arrived on two separate plates. I had eaten quite a bit more than my wife because she had gone to the restroom just as the chicken was being delivered to our table. While the other food had come out quickly, the chicken took much longer.

We finished our meals and packed up the leftovers to take home. Throughout this time, our table remained cluttered with plates and glasses from our drinks. I had consumed two glasses of iced tea, and one glass had been sitting empty for quite some time. I had drunk the first glass quickly because it was extremely hot outside. As I mentioned, we were both off work that day, and there was a heat advisory in effect with temperatures reaching 98 degrees. To make matters worse, our car's air conditioning had recently stopped working, making the trip to the restaurant uncomfortably hot, even with all the windows open.

Despite these issues, we never complained because the restaurant was very busy that day, and our server was doing her best under the circumstances. She had forgotten to enter the chicken order and hadn't cleaned our table, but she was constantly moving, remaining calm and professional. The table cleaning should have been handled by bussers anyway, and if the restaurant didn't have staff for that purpose, it was a management or ownership problem. Many businesses expect servers to handle everything, which might be manageable on normal days but becomes unrealistic during extremely busy periods. This expectation often reflects corporate greed rather than practical staffing decisions.

When my wife had expressed her desire to go to this particular restaurant because she loved it there, I had agreed because I also enjoyed the food. The meals are undeniably delicious, but I had forgotten about our previous experience there. We had visited the same restaurant about a year and a half earlier, arriving later in the evening. I had ordered the all-you-can-eat pasta special, which allowed customers to order different pasta dishes.

During that previous visit, I started with spaghetti and meatballs. The portion was quite small, but the taste was excellent. When I requested a second bowl, asking for fettuccine alfredo, I also attempted to order a third bowl of the same dish, knowing that would complete my meal. The portions were genuinely small, not the generous servings one might expect.

The server's response was frustrating. She told me, "You can only order one bowl at a time." I accepted this policy and said, "Okay, just give me the one bowl, and I'll order the third one afterward." Her response was even more aggravating: she rudely informed me that "the kitchen is about to close for the night." When I asked why she couldn't bring me two bowls at once if time was an issue, she insisted she wasn't allowed to do that.

Feeling frustrated, I said, "Okay, whatever," but I was genuinely upset. This server had been extremely rude throughout the interaction. She had allowed me to order the all-you-can-eat special without mentioning the closing time or warning me that I might not be able to complete multiple orders. I felt completely ripped off by the experience and told my wife that I would never return to that restaurant again.

However, as time passed, I had forgotten about that terrible service experience. I probably shouldn't have agreed to go back, but my wife's enthusiasm about the restaurant had influenced my decision. The food quality remains excellent, but the service continues to be problematic. I suspect I'll wait another year or two until I forget about these service issues, then probably return again, only to remember all the problems and likely write another detailed account of the experience.

Thank you. I wanted to share this experience because writing about these moments in life serves as a form of journaling for me. These real stories and encounters become part of my collection of experiences, and I believe they may find their way into one of my books someday. There's something valuable about documenting the everyday frustrations and small victories we all face, as they often reveal larger truths about customer service, human nature, and our expectations in society.

Also, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this piece, and I truly appreciate your support of my other work as well. Your readership means everything to a writer, and I'm grateful that you're willing to join me on these journeys through both the mundane and meaningful moments of life.

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