We got completely ignored tonight at Chili's...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

There's a Chili's by where we go grocery shopping, so we decided to stop in for an awesome blossom and some salad. We got seated, and we sat. And we sat. And we sat. We were there for ten minutes and while there were 6 servers running around, who saw us, none of them ever came over or asked if we'd been helped. We walked out. I told the hostess that I wasn't sure who was supposed to be in charge of that section, but no one ever came, so we just left. We went to the one at the other end of town and got incredible service. We will never go to the Belle Isle Chili's in OKC ever again. Tell your friends. Thanks for listening to the rant.
Has this happened to anyone else? And how did you handle it?
Duckie

[bluethruandthru]

1. I've had it happen several times.

Maybe it's me! Hah! I usually just grab one of the servers walking by and ask them if they'll take our order. They'll find out who the actual server is for that table. Or, I'd go back to the hostess and ask to be seated where you can be waited on.

[SeattleGirl]

2. That kind of stuff just pisses me off.

When that has happened to me, I will go find the closest server and tell them that we've been waiting X amount of time. Someone shows up right away. However, it pisses me off that I even HAVE to do that.

I know that wait staff in restaurants are often treated poorly by customers, who seem to view them as their own personal servents. but that's not an excuse to treat customers badly. (And BTW, I don't treat wait staff badly.)

[johnnie]

3. That happened to me once in Memphis

We went to get some food at a place that, we were told, served great ribs. We were the only white people there and we sat around for quite a while. We could see the people at the other tables snickering and the servers just walked right past us a few times and after about twenty - twenty five minutes we just split.

Oh well... We went somewhere were they served us.

[ForrestGump]

11. Next time, we'll go together

Many Black Memphians think very well of Elvis. :D

[johnnie]

13. Funny

I was with Cricket that night. She was really bummed because she was the one who suggested it.

[ForrestGump]

16. It's pretty bogus

And weird, because Memphis is a pretty cool town in many ways...heck, if you're white, you're already a minority there, but most people I've met there seemed very nice and were friendly to me. I guess you can never predict when and where the bozos will surface, though. :-(

[johnnie]

19. Yeah, it was weird

I never really has problems there because I was pasty. LOL
I had more problems when I spoke. That yankee twang came out and people would take notice. It was actually a joke among us because the people I was with are from the south and they noticed too. Now when I go there I try to say one or two words only and put a little drawl in my voice.

I'm serious, we would go out to eat and they would take everyone's order with the friendly "How y'all?" and when they would come to me I would order and they would clam up and get pissy..LOL. I wasn't being paranoid, everyone noticed. It isn't something that happened all the time, just once in a while. It was funny actually.

[Pithlet]

22. That's weird.

I'm a Yankee who has lived in Memphis for almost 7 years, retained my Yankee accent for the most part, and have never had anything like that happen to me :shrug: I usually get pretty good service wherever I go.

[johnnie]

23. Well, the ignoring was in Memphis

The other stuff was in other places down south. For the most part the people in Memphis are great. I would live there if I was looking for a place to move to.

[Pithlet]

25. Oh, okay.

Though, now that I think of it, my husband has the absolute worst luck with restaurant service, and since I met him in Memphis and we've done most of our dining out here since then, maybe there is something to that after all. It got to be a joke with our friends. One server even put the plate in front of him, and then with no explanation, took it right out from underneath him as he was going to take his first bite, and walked away with it. It could be that you and he share some bizarre curse :)

[johnnie]

27. OK, now that is funny

They took his plate away?..LOL

Maybe it is a curse :shrug:

[Pithlet]

28. It was.

He just sat there frozen for a couple of seconds, fork at the ready, stunned. We never did find out why she did that. She eventually came back with it, and we all went on with the meal as though nothing happened. We'd laugh about it every time we ate out with that group after that.

[peekaloo]

53. Was it at a place called 'Rendezvous'?

just curious.

[johnnie]

56. Oh no

They are great over there. I can't remember the name, but it wasn't downtown.

[peekaloo]

58. Okay. I once had a long wait there for service.

Then again they were packed, as usual.

:-)

[Brigid]

4. I once sat in a local Mexican place . . .

for half an hour. No server, no water, no bread, no order taken, nothing. I always wondered if they even noticed that I left.

[Darth_Kitten]

5. what's blossom by the way?

:)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

6. Breaded and deep fried Onion....

cut to look like a flower. It's YUMMY! Oh, and you dip it in Ranch or whatever.
Duckie

[Darth_Kitten]

7. sorry you were ignored....it was wrong!

:( I don't know about some customer service nowadays!

[driver8]

12. You would think that with the amount of competition that is out

there these days regarding restaurants, that places would make damn sure that their customers are taken care of.

It seems to me like the opposite is happening.

There is one local place that my wife and I like to go for breakfast. However, there is one server there that is slower than death on crutches. We know if we get him, we are screwed.

We used to go to this local pizza place just a few minutes down the road from us. There is one waitress there who knows everybody and always has to chat with everyone. Well, because we are not in her circle of friends, we received horrible service from her. I told my wife that I was going to speak with the manager and she told me, "Don't bother...we aren't coming back."

[Darth_Kitten]

20. thing is so many people just accept things as they are....

and when you want to say something or try to fix something, they ask you why do you care so much? Just let it go.... :(

[sakabatou]

76. It's not meant for one person

as I found out...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

79. Skip and I shared....

And still didn't eat all of it...but damn it was yummy.
Duckie

[driver8]

8. My friend and I went to this local diner for breakfast one morning.

We grabbed the only open table and sat down. About five minutes later the waitress went by and told us, "You can wait, but I don't know when I will be able to get to you."

Granted, the place was full but it isn't that big. I don't care how busy she is, that isn't something I would like a waitress to tell a customer if I owned the place.

Needless to say, we walked out and have never been back.

[swag]

9. You should have gone to Flinger's instead. It's really nice.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

10. We don't have those here.

Do we?

[swag]

15. Sorry,

feebish Office Space reference on my part.

[ForrestGump]

14. They must recruit their wait staff from

Best Buy, or Home Depot...

Sorry you had that non-bodacious experience, but glad you made up for it at the other location. I used to avoid Chili's because, in the college town I lived in, it was loud and beseiged by terminally trendy types, but...well, actually, I haven't been to a Chili's in a few years now, but I did develop a liking for a couple of their sandwiches when circumstances more than once forced me to patronize their Atlanta airport location. Guess I'm still not exactly eager to rush into one...

[Lydia Leftcoast]

33. Or Kinko's

I have stood and stood and stood waiting to send off a FedEx package while the people behind the counter walked past me, carefully not turning their heads.

[ForrestGump]

39. Yes, them, too. So many places follow the credo "the customer is always

invisible"...

[jmowreader]

69. I really hate that comment...

Some of us are trying to teach our people good customer service.

Okay, my little war story. My wife and I got off work one Sunday evening and went to the Pizza Hut on Skibo Road in Fayetteville. We get in there and it's almost empty--the waitress, the cook and four or five customers at two tables. We get seated and order drinks...and just as we do, some of the waitress's friends showed up. I don't remember the waitress's name--we'll call her Julie because we gotta call her something.

Ten minutes later, Julie suddenly remembers that there are people waiting for drinks, so she pours us two glasses of something we didn't order and brings them to our table, then charged off as fast as she could to get back to her conversation.

By now my wife is filling out a customer comment card using very mean words and I'm practicing drum rudiments using straws as sticks...and five minutes later she comes by to ask us if we'd like to try the salad bar. Why certainly we would, said I, we don't need any HELP to eat salad. (And I almost HAD that damn seven-stroke roll!)

Fifteen minutes after we start eating salad Julie brought another table their pizza. The poor bastards at the other table yelled at her...apparently, her conversation was so enthralling, the other customers' pizza had become ice cold behind the counter.

So I stood up while she was going back to the kitchen to get them a new pizza and said something like...

"Hi, Julie." I extended my hand as if to shake it. (My wife was looking at me kinda weird.) "My name is Jim. How are you today?"
Julie was fine.
"I'm glad to hear that. And this is my wife, who is a very nice person."
Julie was glad to hear that. Looking at me kinda weird, but glad to hear it.
"And now that we're all such good friends, could you possibly find the time in your busy schedule to bring us a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, mushrooms and black olives? And even though you guys like to store pizzas until they cool off enough to eat, let's live dangerously and get this one right after it's been sliced."

We didn't leave Julie a tip because, even though we're all such good buddies now, she really sucks as a waitress. Fucking let her boss bring her up to minimum wage out of his own pocket.

[Rabrrrrrr]

89. ROTFL!!

That's perfect!!

And good for you for stiffing the obnoxious shit. That kind of service deserves to rot at the $2+change wage that she's clearly working for. Mediocrity and shittiness should never be rewarded, even if the person is receiving a stupidly low wage. One of the major problems in America today is that we not only tolerate mediocrity, we give it a fucking party so it doesn't "feel bad". Fuck that.

:applause:

(I love the "let's live dangerously" line!)

[WCGreen]

17. Hint.....

Save your money and go to one or two good restaurants a month....

Forget the chains....

It's all crap anyway....

[Oeditpus Rex]

18. Happened to my ex and I

at an Olive Garden.

Waited 20 minutes or so. Nothing. Got up and walked out.

[Redstone]

21. That one of the reasons why we NEVER go to chain restaurants.

Of course, we're lucky enough to live in a place where there are plenty of locally-owned alternatives.

I know that's not the case everywhere.

Redstone

[MidwestMomma]

24. Happened to me once and I walked out too

You would have thought the earth was ending...suddenly everybody wanted to serve us. :)

You should go to the Chili's website and send a polite complaint and they'll probably send you a coupon for something free. I know Applebee's always will.

Glad you finally got a nice dinner.

[GalleryGod]

26. Sorry for your luck tonight. In nearly 40 years of dining out-I've

never had that problem , whether it be (evil)Chains, local diners, or Spago,Sardi's and Le Bec Fin.:shrug:

[Deja Q]

29. I always get ignored - or laughed at.

I walk out of the establishment.

Not that it does any good, but whatever. I know my worth.

[IntravenousDemilo]

43. Laughed at??? n/m

[solinvictus]

30. Happened to us four years ago at Romano's Macaroni Grill..

My wife came back from a really crappy camping trip with friends and wanted Italian. We went to Macaroni Grill, were seated, and completely ignored. I alerted a server and she had no interest in helping us. I then walked over to the shift manager who was sitting at the bar and ditto. So, we ate elsewhere and I emailed a detailed letter to corporate. I received a telephone call and an email from the regional manager apologizing for the service. She also informed me that the said manager had been fired and mailed us $75 in gift certificates. Raise hell with the company, but do it in an eloquent, disappointed,and outraged tone and they will listen every time.

[iconoclastic cat]

31. That kind of thing brings out the worst in me.

I tend to become very juvenile in those situations, i.e. start being loud or disruptive. It's strange, I almost can't help myself--it's like I get so frustrated that I go outside of myself, and I just start watching this person who looks and sounds like me doing things that are not normal for me at all. There was one of those awful chain drug stores down the street from me once, and one time I went to the register, but there was no clerk; I looked everywhere in the store, but there were only pharmacists. I ended up knocking all the merchandise from one of the shelves, but still nobody showed up. I ended up leaving without my items--I'll vandalize, but I won't steal.

[Whoa_Nelly]

32. Good info to have re: Belle Isle Chili's!

Thanks, Duckie! :hi:

Hey will be in OKC in a couple of weeks. Will PM you before I get there! :loveya:

[Floogeldy]

34. I'm outing YRD.

She shops at Wal Mart.

[Whoa_Nelly]

35. And you shop......Where?

:evilgrin:

[Floogeldy]

37. Not at Wal Mart!

;)

Let me know what side of town you are moving to and I'll turn you on to the good stores. :)

[Whoa_Nelly]

38. Will PM you when am in OKC...

Will be house hunting :woohoo:

Feel free to PM anytime...am hoping to make contact with good people like you :hi:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

63. I hope that includes me...

My shopping at walmart aside. :hi:

[Whoa_Nelly]

70. You know I'll PM you, dear Duckie!

:hi: :loveya:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

62. I do shop at walmart...

It's either that or drive all the way across town and spend 35 extra dollars at Super target. :shrug: I'll stick with Walmart, thank you.
Duckie

[Floogeldy]

71. Some say that I have a christ complex.

But I forgive them.

And I forgive you, too. :)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

36. This happens to me once or twice a year

Most recently last week.

I went to a large local Thai restaurant, where the host seated me immediately.

However, there seemed to be a jurisdictional problem, in that each of the two servers in my vicinity apparently assumed that I "belonged" to the other one.

I finally literally grabbed one by the sleeve and asked him if he was in charge of my table. He said he wasn't and would find out who was. He went and asked the host, only to find out that he was indeed my waiter.

I'm pretty patient, but ten minutes is my limit. I understand that kitchens get busy, but if no one has acknowledged me in ten minutes, and I can't grab a server's sleeve, I'm out of there.

[Nicole]

40. Wow I always get good service there

The Chilis on NW Expressway is the one I hate going to. We get waited on quickly enough but have hell getting drink refills. Seems the only time they come to the table is to take & deliver the order.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

64. Ask for Carissa.

She's amazing. She even gave us fresh glasses of iced tea. Usually they just refill.
Duckie

[Yollam]

41. You could always go to a real restaurant...

...you know, one owned by people?

Chili's is a corporate food factory. Half of their "food" comes out of a packet, a can, or a freezer.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

65. Those don't treat their employees too well...

They have to share their tips with the other servers. They put all their tips in a pot and evenly divide them. Then there's the whole thing about cleanliness. I've worked for several of the chains, and they have strict guidelines for their cleanliness, and unlike the hole in the walls, they get inspected. The ones with the most traffic get inspected more often than the smaller ones who have less mainly due to lack of staffing at the health department when it comes to health inspectors. For Example, if you eat at the Olive Garden, rest assured you could probably eat off the floors in the kitchen alley. I've never seen a cleaner floor. And in the back where they prepare the food, gloves and hair caps are required everyone who even walks back there. Same for the Kitchen.
Duckie

[Yollam]

72. That's a broad generalization to make about locally-owned restaurants

If you know how to find the good ones, they offer more interesting selections, and their employees aren't forced to wear silly pins on their clothes that they don't want, etc.

As for cleanliness, I think you are awfully naive. An awful lot of people working at the corporate chains are surly and resentful of the CRAPPY wages they get, and have been known to spit, ejaculate or otherwise foul the food they serve. You takes your chances at any restaurant.

I don't mean to say that you can't get a decent meal at a corporate food factory, but the offerings are monotonous stuff with no connection to the region in which they are doing business. What the hell is a "blooming onion"? Cajun? Southern? Soul food? Beats the hell out of me. More likely it was hatched from the same corporate minds that gave us the nauseatingly cloying "cinnabon".



:puke:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

78. That's kinda funny you say that...

CAuse most people here at DU make generalizations about how badly all big corps treat their employees. I guess that's ok, but my generalization is just crappy. :eyes:
BTW: Fridays hasn't made their employees have flair in a really long time. Thanks.
Duckie

[Yollam]

82. Look, if you prefer corpo chains, that's your business.

But it's a bit of a stretch to say that the corporate places are all sparkly sanitized clean, and the mom & pops are all filthy & treating their employees badly. At least with Mom & Pop outfits, more of the money stays in the community, and they don't help to make every single town in America look exactly the SAME.

I've had some surprisingly good meals from the "light" menu at Applebee's on occasion, but I could have the EXACT SAME MEAL in any town in America. I'd just rather sample something unique, ethnic, and/specific to that region and culture.

[RoyGBiv]

42. No problem ...

I tend to avoid Chili's generally, except the one near the airport. It has good bartenders. :-)

I've had that happen to me several times actually, enough that I can't remember where they all were. I went through this phase where I intentionally looked like a hoodlum, and this mostly happened then, so I kinda understood it.

Happened to me at a Denny's once, though, and it really hacked me off. It was about midnight, and the place wasn't terribly busy, but not empty either. The waitress did bring me a cup of coffee and then just disappeared. I was hungry -- and it was midnight -- so I didn't leave, but I had to go get another waitress from another station to wait take my order. The originally one eventually showed back up to deliver the check ... no apology or anything, just brought me the bill. I know they probably pool their tips, but I still made a point of walking over to the waitress who actually had helped me and gave her the tip directly.

[EstimatedProphet]

44. Same thing happened to us at a Steak & Shake

We sat for close to half an hour, then just walked out. They never even noticed us there.

[Robeson]

45. Chili's management is actually pretty responsive....

...I've had that happen to me a couple of times, and e-mailed their headquarters, told them the specific restaurant, and went into detail about what happened. Each time, I got back a free meal certificate from them. Hey, they don't know, unless you tell them. E-mail them.

[NewJeffCT]

52. You might even be able to get that from a store manager...

The free meal coupon, I mean.

[lpbk2713]

68. That's exactly why I never call, write or E-Mail the home office.

When I get bad service I just make it a point to never return. And because word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising I always tell other friends and family about the bad service I received. So that they can beware. I figure anybody can make a bogus complaint in order to get a free meal and in the back of my head I think the business in question might think the same thing, so that a legitimate complaint would really have no effect if it just automatically generates a coupon and that's the end of it.

And I really am not suggesting that the posters here have no valid reason to complain or that they are trying to get something for nothing. Just saying that is why I don't contact the home office.

[Sgent]

46. As a long time

restaurant person during & just after college, all I can say is it happens. Its unfortunate, and the management usually uses multiple techniques to avoid it.

One hint -- when it happens, its usually the fault of management for not providing enough support / giving out too many tables, failing to nurture new servers, or seating people above & beyond the waitstaff's capability. This last one can be tricky.

Some of the biggest arguments I got into with customers were regarding tables that sat empty on a weekday night. It didn't happen often, but I can remember a few times when we had 2-3X the number of customer's that we anticipated, and refused to seat customers until we had the servers available to help them (or kitchen got backed up).

I would rather someone be told to wait at the hostest stand or in the bar for an extra 10 minutes, than wind up giving subpar service or food.

[Ouabache]

47. Maybe the server for your section had to use the restroom?

I don't know, is that allowed of food service employees anymore?

Maybe they were taking an emergency phone call?
Maybe they were out in back having a smoke and using their cell?
Maybe they were in the kitchen trying to fill an off-menu request from an obnoxious guest, or from a regular who is a GREAT TIPPER?
Maybe they were in the kitchen trying to get another order corrected by a moody cook.

Could be lots more reasons too.

Someone should have at least taken a drink order from you, though, seems like.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

66. And the other four servers in that area that walked by us 3-4 times..

and the hostess that walked past three or four times. What are their excuses? :eyes:
Duckie

[NoPasaran]

48. You should have looked up

And checked if perhaps you were sitting under a canopy of invisibility. I don't know just why restaurants have them, but they're pretty common.

[NMMNG]

49. I had the same thing happen to me at a Friendly's

My friends and I went in and got seated. We waited and waited for about 12 minutes while servers ran around to every table but ours. Next thing you know a couple gets seated by the hostess and less than 30 seconds later their server is at their table offering them service. We got up and walked out. Although we walked by at least 4 employees nobody said a thing to us. I e-mailed a complaint to Friendly's and got no reply.

[SoCalDem]

50. Go to Chili's website, and tell them what happened

Lots of times, they actually DO want to know why business drops off.. IOf it happened to you, it probably happened to others..

My friend and I got horrible service at a Dennys's and I got a personal phone call from the district manager, and some free meal coupons..and that manager is no longer there..

I'm sure it was not because of what I told him, but that manager might have been on thin ice, and our treatment could have been the last straw..

[NewWaveChick1981]

51. It happens way too often in this neck of the woods, and we don't

put up with it. :grr: If we have not even been greeted by the server within a few minutes of being seated, we find the manager. If we still don't see any sign of a server within a couple of minutes, we LEAVE. We also pass the word to family and friends not to eat there. It's pretty effective. Oh, and if you visit their website (or use a comment card, if there is not a website), you can leave feedback. Make sure it's constructive feedback or they'll trash it, but I've gotten more than one call from an embarrassed manager. It doesn't mean I'll eat there again, but it gets the point across. :D

[Mutley]

54. I was a server at Chili's once upon a time...

Um. Don't eat at Chili's. :D

[XemaSab]

59. Do tell!!!

:o

[Mutley]

60. I can't say if they're all like this but...

Let's just say the cooks don't quite keep up to sanitation standards. And... hosing down a floor caked with an inch food at the end of the night will kill a place for anyone, forever. :puke:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

67. Yeah. That happens everywhere.

Hense the drains the in floor. I've seen the Chili's Kitchen. It's much better than a hole in the wall places.
Duckie

[Shakespeare]

88. All praise corporate food!

:eyes:

By the way, health code standards are the same for mom & pop restaurants as they are for the big chains. Your generalization about lack of cleanliness is just flat-out wrong.

[Rabrrrrrr]

55. That shit don't happen in Japan. Sure happens a lot in the US.

Not at good restaurants, though. But I' ve come across it a fair amount at the shit chain restaurants who hire the least common denominator because anyone with waitstaff talent knows they can go to a better restaurant and serve smarter people who aren't so fucking cheap with their tips.

[Yollam]

83. Yes, I can second that. The service is better here

and that's despite the fact that there is no tipping here.

[Rabrrrrrr]

86. It's one of the first things that hits me when I return from Japan

I get used to the shitty indifferent service here, and even lower my standards as to what I will consider "good" service, and then come back from Japan and realize that much of what I tolerate was actually just "shitty".

I've had better and more attentive service at Ramen places where I'm spending only 800 Yen, than I've had at typical American restaurants.

[Paladin]

57. I Walked Away From Chili's.....

...when they decided take the chili burger off their menu a few years ago. That burger was what made the chain popular in the first place, it was the only thing I ever ordered---and they discontinued it, putting a bunch of mediocre "southwestern" crap in its place. A restaurant named "Chili's" with all sorts of chili cook-off crap on the walls, and they no longer offer a chili burger. Fuck 'em.....

[Ava]

61. we got service about like that at a "ruby tuesdays" one time

my uncle and i ordered burgers and it took them at least 45 minutes to cook them. my uncle kept getting madder and madder and then finally asked the waitress, "what are they doing back there, killing the cow?"

:rofl:

[Sugar Smack]

73. Maybe Diana Ross was there!

I hear she can be a bit testy sometimes. Maybe she was hogging the waitstaff.:D

[Roon]

74. Oh, I hate that

I won't tolerate it, I leave.

[NorthernSpy]

75. strange -- I never get bad service

Luck of the draw, I guess.


:think:

[BreweryYardRat]

77. I had that happen at a locally-owned place once.

My dad and I sat there for thirty minutes, then got up and walked out. Don't ever eat at the Barnacle Bill's on Main Street in Sarasota, FL.

[bigwillq]

80. After about five minutes....

I would've asked why I wasn't be seated.


You have way too much patience.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

81. We WERE seated....

We were just ignored by the servers.

[bigwillq]

84. After five minutes....

I would've went up and asked why we weren't being waited on by the servers.

You have way too much patience.



:)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

85. I caught the eye of several people...

I was giving them the benefit of the doubt....
And yes, my husband is as Job. Patient.
Duckie

[NewJeffCT]

87. As somebody who worked at Chili's years back...

You're supposed to greet a new table in your section within 60 seconds and have drinks on their table within a few minutes after that.

The only reasons I can think of:
1) Confusion during a shift change (did they go in before 5pm?)

2) The server in that section had a hot date & was hoping to get cut, and was trying to convince another server to pick up that table for him/her. (I'm guessing this is what happened, as it's fairly common when most of the servers are college student aged)

3) A manager changed Yellow's table to another server, but it was not communicated to the new server (i.e., "Tell Bob that I want him to pick up Table 47, so Mary can go home early." only the message doesn't get to Bob and Mary is already gone...)

No excuse for any of it, but if nobody had greeted them within 3-4 minutes, even if to say, "Hi, welcome to Chili's, I'll be right with you," I would have immediately gone to a manager and asked why nobody had even greeted you. If that happens, you'll find the staff bending over backwards to accommodate you. You could even have the manager delivering food to your table.