Three Free... Hmm

[SilverOrb]

Been awhile since I've really posted, but last nights addition made this mini saga rather too unbelievable not to post. At least this sort of thing doesn't happen often to me.

Also, please don't ask where I ate or try to guess where I am from... If anyone figures it out I won't be able to post ANY stories about my job when I get to it.

Keep in mind that this happened pretty much three weekends in a row at three fairly nice places... (13-20 an entree in American Dollars, so we are not talking McDonald's here...)

1'st- Seafood

So we go to a seafood restaurant... And I'm not all that impressed with how salty my food is. I know I can be kind of picky though, so I scrape off the topping and resolve to just not eat there again. Not their fault, not everybody likes every place.

Meanwhile there is a big tray prop thing right smack dab in front of me in the restaurant with a big stack of dirty dishes on it. Not in a dish bin, just stacked up there. Proceeds to sit there for over 20 mins till I finally ask someone to move it. It was in such a place where I had to either stare at it as I ate or down at the plate. Hmmm.

Well then they asked about how I liked the seasoning.... So I told them. They sent a manager over (which I did not ask for) and he offered to remake the meal, but I had made it through most of it so I declined. As my boyfriend finished his meal though.... they did the dish thing AGAIN though. Huge stack of dirty dishes with half eaten food... right in front of me in plain sight. Now setting dishes there as they clear a table is cool, understandable, no issue... But they stacked them there and walked away, then another waitress stacked more! It was disgusting!

I asked for the manager... Though, embarrassing... Before he got there we realized he had comped my meal...*blushes*

I would never go back though. Ugh. Unappetizing.

2nd- Steak Joint

So we go to this super super busy steakhouse. Literally 30-40 people waiting for a table. Since is was just the two of us, we got in super quick, just about 10-15 mins if that. No biggie.

The boyfriend orders a prime rib with taters and a cup of chili... I had grilled salmon with taters (I'm a pescetarian). The food comes out, and my salmon is a little lukewarm. I really didn't think much of it though... I mean they were crazy busy, so I just figured it sat an extra minute or two while his prime rib was cooking. I figure prime rib takes a lot longer to cook?

So I'm munching along, and get to the second half. Which doesn't cut with my fork because it is completely uncooked after about a millimeter under the surface. No exaggeration there. Not cooked at all... Not sure how that happened since the first half was a little lukewarm but fine...

I got the waitresses attention, and her eyes got a little big. I was very polite, just was kind of hoping they would throw it on the grill if they could (after all I'd already ate half...) They brought over a manager who apologized again and said that they were making me new salmon and a new side too (cool!) and asked if she could get us anything else. We asked for my boyfriend's chili since he hadn't gotten it...

They ended up apologizing again,boxing the salmon to go, and not charging us for the salmon meal or the chili.

(I never asked not to be charged for any of that... I thought that the free addition piece of rather expensive fish more than made up for it, but I guess that's what being very polite and understanding gets you! I would totally go back. I felt they handled it very well... Though I got the impression they expected to be yelled at or something?)

3rd- Pizza

So we order takeout deep dish pizza... Which takes about 40 mins to cook and is on the expensive side for pizza. Place an order for 2 mediums (one for him, one for me) and he leaves to pick it up about 20, 25 mins later as it is a 15 min drive.

Thirty mins later I receive a text- "I don't know how you do it, but your pizza is going to be free. They 'forgot' to make it."

LOL. Apparently he got there.... He got there and paid for the order.... They first tried to give him the wrong order, then admitted that they forgot to make my pizza. They refunded the 20 plus dollars for my pizza and made it then... as he waited 20 mins for it. Hmmm.

But the pizza was awesome!!!!!

I'd go back... Just prob not to THAT one.

So yeah... Three weeks in a row, three fairly nice places, total bill about 55 American comped... And I didn't asked for any of it nor act like a sucky customer idiot.

Thoughts?

[Jay 2K Winger]

So yeah... Three weeks in a row, three fairly nice places, total bill about 55 American comped... And I didn't asked for any of it nor act like a sucky customer idiot.

Thoughts?

Clearly you have some sort of superpower that gets you free food.

But you must use this power for good, and not evil!

[Treasure]

Good for you... not so much in the "getting it comped" but in the way you handled things...
You had a problem, you brought it to someone's attention, you were polite and not a screaming raving "OMG!!!!eleventy! YOU will fix it or head will roll" EW.... you even stated what your preferred fix for the situation was (in at least one situation)

I know that the "Scarlet Shrimp" chain are pretty much johnny-on-the-spot with comps for any compliant... and even if that's not where you ate,it sounds like the sea food place you dined at has similar policies.

at the Steak Place, I am like you, if they had just taken and finished cooking my food I'd have been happy, the fact that they comped it... bonus.

Pizza - they handled that the only way they could... I have to ask, was your boyfriend's Pizza cold by the time he got home, did they remake his, or did he eat his while waiting for yours?

and while it is nice not to have to pay for food (that was wrong) ... it's nicer still to be able to eat what you ordered when/how you ordered it, w/o it being wrong in the first place...

[PepperElf]

and of course you also have shown what many SCs cannot figure out; being polite gets better results.

[Redbeard]

As far as the first place goes, I thinkg that you should have spoken up when the taste of the food is off, it's part of the business that you cater to the needs of your customers. Remember, it's not making a scene if something really IS off
As for the 2nd, health code prohibits refiring food once it's been partially eaten, so yay for free entree!

[Sheldonrs]

You might want to think about going to car dealerships now.

[Mamochan]

My favorite story of being nice was a new years a couple years back. I was taking photos of our fireworks downtown with my friend and decided to splurge during the shows to buy some sushi at an extremely fancy restaurant... We sat at the bar next to a guy who was another photographer out having a night with his GF when he spilled his drink on me.
He was sorry and I told him it was fine and we had a nice talk about how he was taking photos and the like. After a bit he decided he was going to pay for my meal I insisted not to. He would have nothing of it. at the end of it We got a 60$ meal for free.

[csquared]

Everyone is entitled to make mistakes. Just don't make too many. When you do make a mistake, acknowledge it and address it.

My favorite dinning experience was a $150.00 meal that I got for $50.00. The waiter made a couple of mistakes and said "Here is what I am going to do for you." I did not have to speak to the manager. At the end of the meal I asked to speak with the manager and complimented him on how the staff handled the situation and made this a very enjoyable evening.

As for the seafood place, I understand that not every place is going to make things to my liking. If you dislike something the first time you have it, is it because you do not like the way they made it or did they screw up?

It does sound like the pizza placed tried to pull a fast one on you. Glad they fessed up.

I would also give serious consideration to Sheldon's suggestion.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Read my post here

What you did was what we ALL in the retail life wish everyone would do to us. Treat us with respect. My post linked above is another good example.

If you treat us with respect and simply acknowledge that we are all human and that we make mistakes we are that more likely to own up to them and treat you with equal respect and correct our mistakes.

[suburbandecay]

The food comes out, and my salmon is a little lukewarm. I really didn't think much of it though... I mean they were crazy busy, so I just figured it sat an extra minute or two while his prime rib was cooking. I figure prime rib takes a lot longer to cook?

I just wanted to point out that prime rib (done right) takes several hours to cook properly. The kitchen just undercooked your salmon.

[wheeitsme]

I remember my first comped meal. We were at a chain Mexican sit-down place that we liked. They give you free chips and salsa before the meal and keep filling them up if you want them to. Our salsa had small chunks of white china in it. We called the waiter over and pointed it out. We figured that a dish had just fallen down and broken into a big serving container of salsa. He was very apologetic, and brought us out some new salsa.

Then the manager came over. We laughed and told her that while we appreciated their attempt at improving their already delicious salsa, we prefered the old recipe - sans china, (and that we just wanted to make sure they knew before someone got hurt).

When the bill came, both our meals were comped. We weren't expecting it at all. But we were appreciative and left our tip based on the original cost of the comped meals.

[EricKei]

And I didn't asked for any of it nor act like a sucky customer idiot.

Thoughts?

Exactly what you suggested in the post and what others have been saying -- the very fact that you were patient and polite makes you the sort of customer who *deserves* to get stuff comped ^_^ And yes, they probably did expect to get yelled at.

As for the place with the table full of dishes...Ewwww. I can understand setting a bus tray off to the side on an unused table, but it needs to go back as soon as it gets close to being full. I've worked in food long enough to know something that basic. Having it out in the middle of everything, tho? O_O I'm thinking an anonymous note to he Board of Health might be a good idea, especially if this is Corporate policy. If they were slammed, I can see doing that briefly, ya know, drop some plates off, refresh drinks, take plates back to be washed, but not letting things get that bad.