Did I do the right thing walking out?

[Octaveman]

I never said they trashed the place. I was responding to people who think the place should be trashed. I agree, they have been diplomatic and feel they handled it properly. I also understand that people will give a place one chance. I've done that too but at least I ate the food. Wouldn't that just eat away at you knowing that the food could be hella good but you're keeping yourself from eating at a place based on one experience someone else had who didn't even eat anything? I seriously don't get that logic.

[Busboy]

People who want to take a swing at a place after a bad experience should have the same right to respond passionatley and immediately (after counting to 100 slow, etc.).

I agree but ya see, they didn't eat anything so the only thing they can say is "We never got our food and our server abandoned us so we left. ps the soda's were good". If the reader is going to think the whole place sucks based on the "debaucle" then that's being unreasonable IMHO. I take reviews of places with a grain of salt because it's based on personal opinion and what may be good/bad service/food/whatever may not be good/bad for the other. Moods at the time of visit can alter ones experience so if the reviewer just got in a fight with his/her spouse or they just got fired or they experienced road rage trying to find a parking spot could all drastically affect any review of any place at any time.

Darin and his wife had bad service resulting in never getting their food. Should it stop anyone from going because of one stupid server? Things have to be put into perspective. I'm not minimizing their experience I'm just saying the place should not be trashed. If you're going to trash a place do it in person to the manager and not behind a computer where the people involved can't talk back in defense or agreement. Specially if they were never given the chance to rectify.

And finally, I assume that the people who say "give it another chance" after a debacle like the one described upthread either have a lot more money or many fewer restaurant choices than most people have.  Life is too short and dinners out too few.  Walk out and walk on to another place.

They never ate nor paid for food so their money is intact. Since they never ate there it's most certainly still a choice to try. It's not like they got their food, it was prepared bad, returned it 4x for correction and they still never got it right. I see nothing wrong with trying again. They sat at the wrong table at the wrong time. Go back and try again. Life is short but how short is it that you can't visit the same restaurant twice?

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Darin, by the way, showed great restraint in not naming the restaurant. I would have, in a heartbeat. And my savagery would have given the owners, the chef and any of the restaurants defenders a chance to speak up. And -- call me a fool -- I think most people smart enough to find a food site are smart enough to weigh the various views expressed on the topic and come to a reasonavble conclusion. The Joe Beef thread is a good example. And, for what it's worth, after reading they they didn't get food for an hour, my first thought isn't "I wonder how good the food would have been had it arrived," it's "this restaurant is not competent to be open for business."

The "give it another chance" because he never actually got to taste the food suggestion is borderline surreal. If you had a date and they stood you up (for no good reason) would you accept a second date because you never found out whether or not they were a great conversationalist? No, you'd hunt for someone who didn't treat you like unworthy peasant.

Darin apparently lives in Savannah, GA; not a place I've been to but one I hear is wonderful and likely offers a variety of decent places to eat. Barring some insatiable curiosity about this particular spot (please, Darin, dish! we need names) or a compelling uniqueness (only Mongolian in the state; Beard Foundation Best New Chef in the Southeast; astounding fish) I can't imagine him waking up with specatcular desire to return to a place that treated him so shabbily. Even in those cases I would be hard pressed to to return. Let someone who appreciates his business and bothers to serve him food get his money.

[Octaveman]

I am apparently a lot more laid back and forgiving than most here.

[Toasted]

I would of walked out too. Who has the time for this crap? I'm spending my money to enjoy a nice meal out and get screwed. I don't care who's fault it is, I won't be back. Name the restaurant or not. People still go to Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday's even though the food is disgusting. I really don't think it will matter.

[Busboy]

I am apparently a lot more laid back and forgiving than most here.

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Come join us on the dark side!

[plk]

Oh yeah, I would have walked out too. I'm pretty sure I have been in a situation like that and walked out, after just paying for the drinks. I guess I can see giving them another shot sometime in the future -- after trying all the restaurants you haven't tried yet in the Savannah area and revisiting the ones you like. At that point, I might go back, but given that we eat in more than we eat out, I probably wouldn't get around to it in my lifetime. It's just a matter of prioritizing the places who you know are good and the ones that you haven't tried yet over the places where you've already had one bad experience.

[divalasvegas]

I never said they trashed the place.  I was responding to people who think the place should be trashed.  I agree, they have been diplomatic and feel they handled it properly.  I also understand that people will give a place one chance.  I've done that too but at least I ate the food.  Wouldn't that just eat away at you knowing that the food could be hella good but you're keeping yourself from eating at a place based on one experience someone else had who didn't even eat anything?  I seriously don't get that logic.

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I can only speak for myself Octaveman but no it would not eat away at me to never have the opportunity to sample their food, especially in an area that probably has many fine dining establishments to choose from, especially since it's not just the ingredients or execution of a dish that makes it wonderful, but having it properly served as well.

When it comes to whether someone chooses to return to a restaurant, everyone's criteria is so different and very personal. For me, being treated shabbily or thoughtlessly is enough, for you--and I'm not belittling or arguing with your personal criteria at all--it is apparently only fair that you at least sample the food and/or give a restaurant another bite at the apple before you render judgement. Just different strokes for different folks really.

I'm sorry if I misinterpreted what you wrote when I responded about them not trashing the restaurant, but I was responding to what you had said earlier....

Darin and his wife had bad service resulting in never getting their food. Should it stop anyone from going because of one stupid server? Things have to be put into perspective. I'm not minimizing their experience I'm just saying the place should not be trashed. If you're going to trash a place do it in person to the manager and not behind a computer where the people involved can't talk back in defense or agreement. Specially if they were never given the chance to rectify.

....and from what you wrote you seemed to be speaking about them specifically. Again, sorry for any misinterpretation of your comments.

[GTO]

I'd have kicked something over on my way out too...

[Octaveman]

Diva, no problem. I'm not saying service is not a part of the equation. I firmly believe that a single incident is not cause for condemnation. Sure, go to other places first but again, there's more number of days to eat out than there is decent restaurants in any given city. There are SO many factors that can contribute to any experience in any restaurant that it's just unreasonable to never go back based on one a shot deal IMHO (given the facts of the original incident). Now if someone got the same level of service the 2nd time then game over.

Edited March 26, 2007 by Octaveman (log)