Last night, I had the best dinner EVER.
Unfortunately, it was hell to get there.
You know how, here in Huntsville, restaurants will open strong and then.. slowly.. the quality comes down? Yeah, well, Carrabba’s (SADLY) has taken that turn.Â
While we used to eat there almost once a week (Bryan, of all people, LOVES calamari), our temporary residence in the Playhouse curbed our frequency. And, apparently, without our frequent visits, the staff stopped caring.
We went there one Friday night (maybe opening night?) late, and had to send the calamari back because it was so incredibly salty that it made my stomach cramp after two bites. We were assured it would be removed from our bill, and they sent out another platter of calamari as an apology.
Sure enough, that damn plate of calamari was on our bill at the end. We let it go.. karma and all.. but the rancid taste of overly-salted squid may have turned me from the dish for a long while.
We went again last night because one of my biggest cravings is for a big, cold, crisp salad. Carrabba’s has a FABULOUS house salad, and I love their creamy parmesan house dressing. So I convinced Bryan that we should eat there (I really only wanted a salad, some soup, and some bread).
We got there to find (at least!) 12 empty tables. And we were told there would be a 15-20 minute wait. We sat and watched as people came in after us and were sat immediately. And when Bryan went to the restroom, I saw two separate tables send food back to the kitchen.
After our promised 20 minute wait, we were sat and quickly received drinks. We knew to put in our orders while our server was still at the table, and the food came out quickly. And then we never saw our server again.
Now, Bryan and I have a rule: if we’re not even acknowledged by ANY server or staff member for 20 minutes, we leave. We left O’Charley’s once without paying because no one would stop at our table. About two minutes shy of our rule, the server stopped by and apologized. After spending over an hour to eat salad and calamari, we were ready to hand over a credit card and get the hell out.
And because of their incompetence, we missed the crucial first half hour of Heroes. And quite frankly, my friends, THAT IS THE REAL TRAGEDY HERE.
(It was a damn awesome show, though.)
Steve and I were out a couple of weeks ago…and we had SUPER CRAPPY service. Do people just assume that youare going to tip…even if they suck?
The most awesome is at Ruby Tuesday’s: now your ticket comes with three options already made out for you: what your tip should be at 15%, 18%, and 20% based on your overall bill. And our waitress CIRCLED AND EXCLAMATION POINTED IT so that we would know.
I have to say, that as someone who served for MANY years, it’s an insult to think that you deserve a tip for crappy service. What was really frustrating was working your ass off for a party of fifteen and getting three dollars.