James' Roadside Cafe Wrentham MA
Anyone familiar w/this place? I've been 5 or 6 times and had some awesome breakfasts. Last Saturday I went (w/my friend and her 4 mo old baby in a car seat) and had a problem that I'm still shaking my head over.
I ordered an omelet w/roasted mushrooms, spinach and sharp cheddar. When it came I immediately felt a bit let down as it was a "puffy omelet" (whipped whites folded in) that was probably oven baked in a circular dish, and the top is completely brown. The filling is baked inside, so instead of nice gooey cheese in the center, the pieces of veggies are scattered throughout and I couldn't even detect any cheese. I tried eating it but the eggs were so dry that after 2-3 bites I told my friend I just couldn't eat it, and was sending it back. She said her scrambled were also very overcooked but she was starving and would deal w/it. I called the waitress over and said the eggs were very overcooked, would she take them back, and I'd just have my english muffin. She said "can I get you something else?" I said no thanks, we were on a schedule and didn't have time. She said "can I pack that to go?" and I said no thanks, and my friend and I exchanged puzzled looks as she walked away.
The bill comes and (you guessed it) the omelet is included. I called her over and chose to treat it like an oversight - I said you forgot the omelet on here, could you remove it and retotal? She says "oh, I didn't know you wanted it taken off the bill" Huh? 2 minutes later, the manager comes stalking over to our table. She says "is there a problem here?" in such a way that I knew this wasn't going to be good. I said "no, there's no problem, my eggs were improperly cooked so I sent them back and asked to have them removed from the bill". She asks what was wrong them, I explain, and she says "well, you should have ordered them lightly cooked". Now I'm not happy at all - I said I didn't "order them wrong", eggs are not meant to be cooked brown. She says "in any case, you shouldn't have dealt w/the waitress. You should have asked to see the manager so I could have looked at them. We could have recooked them". I replied that if that is her policy, that's btw her and her waitstaff, the waitress should know to alert her. She puts her hand up and says "I don't need to listen to this" and starts walking away. I look at my friend in amazement and say "she's an idiot!" She turns back w/fire in her eyes, storms back to the table and says "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME??" I replied "I said you're an idiot" She starts ranting about how we've been "nothing but trouble" since we got in. That is based on 2 things - when we got in the baby's car seat wouldn't fit in a booth, so we moved to a table w/a high chair. And my friend (picky eater who eats very bland food) asked if she could try the soup special - a sample of probably 2 tbsp was brought in a prep bowl. (she brought up both of these things in her rage-rant). I finally put my hand up palm out and said "lady, get out of my face - now I've had enough". She left but not before saying "don't come back here!" Like we would??
Is any of what I did NOT standard? From saying I didn't like how they were cooked and wanting them off the bill, to only dealing w/the waitress?
Jane
Feb 16, 2006 03:26PM
I forgot to add....on Monday I wrote an e-mail to the owner (their 2nd restaurant has a website with contact info) and never rec'd a reply.
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This place sounds wonderful. The situation described sounds like a typical experience at a poorly managed, poorly run retaurant. This is reason number 1, to me, why so many places fail in the first year. The manager should be fired immediately.
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I have never been here, but do live in the area. I dont think you should have called her an idiot, that crossed the line.
However, and this is based only on the facts as you are presenting them, it would seem that you should certainly not be expected to know their communication procedures.
If an item is cooked wrong, and you ask for it to be taken away, then it should come off the bill. Period.
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Keep in mind.....I said it not TO her but to my friend (she was a good 10 ft away) and only after being loudly berated in front of an entire restaurant full of people. She chose to come back and scream "what did you call me?"
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I understand that, but the fact remains that you called her an idiot out loud. She had good hearing, cant fault her for that.
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And I'm fine w/that - I just don't think I 'went over the line' after being yelled at. I'm a 41 yr old woman, not a 5 yr old.
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Reread your posting, you never mention her yelling in the exchange before you called her an idiot. Only after you called her an idiot. From the way you wrote, it would seem that you brought the conversation down a level, once you resorted to an insult. Whether you said it to her face or not is irrelevant, she heard it and rightly took offense.
I agree with you that it should have been taken off the bill in the first place. But you got that first inkling when the waitress asked you if you wanted it packed to go. Could have nipped that one in the bud right there. But hindsight is always clearer.
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It was a very long and confusing exchange, even more so in the typing out.
"But you got that first inkling when the waitress asked you if you wanted it packed to go. Could have nipped that one in the bud right there"
Definitely - it just didn't dawn on us. That's why we exchanged confused looks....like, why would I want it packed? But apparently I was supposed to have called the manager over and followed a proper procedure, so even at that stage I think it would've meant trouble. She apparently felt that for 37 cents worth of eggs and a scattering of mushrooms, I was trying to put one over on her.
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I can't say I've had a lot of experience--or any. I don't think I have ever sent food back. Now and then, someone I am dining with will send a dish back to be cooked some more. If we hear from a resaurant owner or a waiter, I bet we'll hear that most often people have their meals re-done, that the customer has their food prepared over again for them. In that respect, what you have done may be non-standard. If something isn't right, most businesses will want to make it right. You didn't give them that chance. Money-back refunds and/or cancelling the order might not happen too often.
There may have been chances to defuse the situation. When I run into food that is bad enough or service that isn't service at all, my response is to take my business elsewhere in the future. Bad food does not wreck an evening out, but the kind of bad experience you are describing will.
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IMHO, if you are in the service industry, you are never confrontational with you customers. I used to be the GM of several (9) service-oriented franchises and would not have found the manager's behavior acceptable, period.
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