So, my dad was in town for a tour of the 520 bridge, and we decided we'd meet and go out. After my husband made some quip about the moniker conjuring some medieval disease, we opted for the restaurant next door to the hotel in Federal Way, WA--Black Angus. On the front of the restaurant was a ginormous sign: "Wednesday nights--Prime Rib Special with Free Mud Pie."
We checked our watches--7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night. And we moseyed on in, already salivating for prime rib and pie. As soon as we sat down, my dad asked about the prime rib.
"We're out," the waitress snapped.
What??? They advertised a prime rib special. What restaurant runs out of prime rib on prime rib night???
After a few minutes, we regrouped and asked what they were substituting for the prime rib, so customers could still get the free mud pie.
"No substitutions."
And she confirmed with the manager.
Seriously???
At that point, I was ready to get up and leave, but my dad and my husband convinced me to give it a shot. We placed our orders for the least expensive items on the menu and waited for the food to arrive. The steaks were rare on the inside, and a tough well-done on the outside. The rubbery chicken was drowned in teriyaki sauce with the taste and consistency of cough syrup. The shrimp was soggy, the green beans shriveled and freezer-burned, and the salads wilted. And we were not about to order dessert.
We used coupons amounting to 20% off the total bill. The tip we paid was 15% to the penny (although if I had my way, I wouldn't have paid any at all, since the waitress was so unattentive and the customer service so poor).
To top off the whole experience, my normally cast-iron stomach was so upset that I spent the entire sleepless night worshipping the porcelain throne. Medieval disease indeed.
Food poisoning aside, what kind of a business establishment advertises a special that it doesn't actually provide, and offers no way for customers to substitute? That's no way to build a positive reputation and earn repeat business. As a retail business owner, that practice is pure idiocy.
I've only been at one other restaurant where the manager had worse customer service (although the food was undeniably fab)--P.F. Chang in Orem, UT--and I boycotted the restaurant for more than two years. And counting.
Next time, I'm going to save my $50 and go to Carl's Jr.
-Pineapple
