Worst restaurant experience you've ever had?

[RadicalModerate]

I have to wonder about that sign . . .

My Granddad used to have a sign tacked up on the back wall of his garage/filling station out there in Eastern Oklahoma County, in the vicinity of Shady Nook (just this side of Choctaw) that said: "Credit Makes Enemies. Let's Be Friends. Pay Cash"

The sign featured one of those old time "Monopoly game-lookin' advertising characters from the late 30's or early 40's.

Visiting "down here" in Oklahoma, and keeping my innocent eyes open in his garage--except for when he was arc-welding, of course (perhaps for one of the "colored folk" who mostly dwelled a short distance to the east)--made me wonder about the other sign that said "We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To Anyone" but only for a moment.

Dang. For just a second there I forgot this was about "bad restaurants". . . sorry.

[Jeepnokc]

That was the sole purpose of the sign.

I am 47 and I have never thought of the sign that way. I have always taken it to mean that if you are a complete a**, they could refuse service. I can see now where racial tones could be taken from the sign but I have never thought of it that way.

[boscorama]

You don't need a sign to refuse service to anyone. The statement reeks of old-time racism. It doesn't necessarily mean the proprietor is a blatant racist but rather mindlessly follows local custom.

[RadicalModerate]

You don't need a sign to refuse service to anyone. The statement reeks of old-time racism. It doesn't necessarily mean the proprietor is a blatant racist but rather mindlessly follows local custom.

There was no "old-time racism" where I grew up, therefore I can't comprehend all of the subjective connotations that you may be considering. =)

Where I grew up, the sign was posted to let patrons know who was boss and to discourage assholism on the premises.

Regardless of race, creed or color.

[Prunepicker]

You don't need a sign to refuse service to anyone. The statement reeks
of old-time racism. It doesn't necessarily mean the proprietor is a blatant
racist but rather mindlessly follows local custom.

Correct. I remember the signs diminishing @ 1964 or 1965.

As far as mindlessly following local customs go, anyone who followed
them were racist.

[Prunepicker]

I want to apologize for unintentionally hijacking this thread. I had
no idea it would create this much stir.

But it was a terrible restaurant experience.

[Prunepicker]

The Food Factory, Bethany, was quite a disappointment for me when it
first opened. They were so arrogant and insisted that City Bites moved
their location because they, Food Factory, were moving in. FF had no
reputation whatsoever. How could they be an influence? Oy vey!

The food wasn't very good and I haven't returned since. City Bites was
far, far better, and I don't like City Bites. In fact, if I'm offered a meal
at City Bites I'll order a baked potato.

[RadicalModerate]

Was it "terrible"? Or was it "memorable"?
(sorry . . . i'm not trying to be anti- or pro- semantic . . .)

I want to apologize for unintentionally hijacking this thread. I had
no idea it would create this much stir.

But it was a terrible restaurant experience.

[soonerguru]

I want to apologize for unintentionally hijacking this thread. I had
no idea it would create this much stir.

But it was a terrible restaurant experience.

I knew exactly what you were talking about before you even mentioned it. Younger folks who weren't around in the 1950s through 1970s have no idea how common this was. It's a credit to you for bringing this up. People who didn't experience that kind of racism have a hard time believing it ever existed, but I knew exactly what you were referring to before you spelled it out, because I was an alive and sentient being during that period.

[RadicalModerate]

Worst Restaurant Experience: McDonalds off I-35 up around Frontier City. Drive-Thru. I was hungry. Needed something. Got a frozen in the middle Filet-o-Fish. Even at the tender age of about 25 I thought of writing a letter to the management and even went through the Drive-Thru a second time to take names and make a note of the Toll-Free-Number to express my concerns.

Thankfully, I got over it.

[Prunepicker]

Worst Restaurant Experience: McDonalds off I-35 up around Frontier City.
Drive-Thru. I was hungry. Needed something. Got a frozen in the middle
Filet-o-Fish. Even at the tender age of about 25 I thought of writing a
letter to the management and even went through the Drive-Thru a second
time to take names and make a note of the Toll-Free-Number to express
my concerns.

Thankfully, I got over it.

LOL! I've had only one bad experience at McDonald's and it was luke
warm coffee via the drive through. I honked and honked and got a
manager. She made a fresh pot and returned my money.

Si habla Espanol es parle Francais.

[Plutonic Panda]

Worst Restaurant Experience: McDonalds off I-35 up around Frontier City. Drive-Thru. I was hungry. Needed something. Got a frozen in the middle Filet-o-Fish. Even at the tender age of about 25 I thought of writing a letter to the management and even went through the Drive-Thru a second time to take names and make a note of the Toll-Free-Number to express my concerns.

Thankfully, I got over it.

Had a lady(I use that term lightly) at the Bricktown Micky D's establishment take my order for some McNuggets. They were burnt to a crisp. I am not exaggerating that no I'm not, not one bit. When I brought that to her attention, she grabbed them from the counter in a furious manner and told me, and I quote "you don't need to be eatin' dem damn nuggets any damn way''. I told her I would be letting her superiors know about her malicious like attitude and she then said "I ain't even talkin to yo ass no mo''. I really didn't classify Mikcyds as a restaurant visible on the perm, but is my worse experience I've had to dage with this food organization.

[RadicalModerate]

What a bitch.
(it took me a few minutes to figure out what "to dage with this food organization" meant, but it finally dawned on me.)

Speaking of McDonalds . . . One of my worst restaurant experiences was ordering a McRib for the first (and last) time.
Those things seem to be made from some sort of alien lifeform roadkill.

[OSUMom]

Not me personally but my sis-in-law once went into a McDonalds and no one could speak English. She even asked for the manager, and he couldn't speak much more than the rest of the staff.

[kevinpate]

McRib ... Proof that Ronald is not God. No Omnipotent being would maul up a rib so sadly.

[mkjeeves]

I was visiting Paris on a tour with my wife, son and a bunch of his high school mates. We had whatever the tour evening meal was earlier in the evening, then went sight seeing until late in the evening. Just the three of us passed a cafe on our way back to the room and thought we might go in for some dessert or something. The place was about the size and layout of the Deep Deuce Grill except there were tables out front under a striped awning. Inside, bar on one side, tables with table cloths on the other. The place had maybe two people in the bar and one couple at a table.

A hurried woman greeted us in broken english, grabbed a couple of menus, quickly escorted us to a table and vanished before we could attempt to communicate. She came back in a few minutes and my wife asked if we could just get some desert explaining we had been walking quite a bit but had dinner earlier. The woman raised her hands and exclaimed "Oh, but you are all ready sitting down!" She turned and walked off, spoke some french to the man near the kitchen.

Ten minutes went by.

The man came and without a peep, removed the settings on the table. Then removed the table cloth. Then left. Never said a word. Never grunted.

After another minute of confusion, we finally got the clue. Dumb Americans. We got up, and made our way to the door while the man now between the kitchen door and the bar had plenty of words to say we couldn't make out but understood the sentiment.


I prefer Italy.

Worst experience in OKC was eating at Billy Baloos. That place was empty the night we ate there, maybe two other tables had people. They sat us as far away from the two tables, the kitchen, the entrance and cash register as we could have been and it was a fair sized dining room. It took f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to get waited on, to get our food and to get the check. There were no drink refills nor did the waitress check in during the meal and we couldn't get her attention. My wife's chicken salad was sour. After about 1.5 hours into the ordeal we got the check, paid at the table and didn't leave a tip. The waitress made it to the table as we made it to the door and she shouted across the dining room angrily "Where's my tip!?!"

[RadicalModerate]

^classic comedy gold, amigo. classic.
(approaching awesome. really.)

[Prunepicker]

McRib... Proof that Ronald is not God. No Omnipotent being would maul up
a rib so sadly.

I've never tried the mcrib for obvious reasons. In fact, I've never had a
quarter pounder or any of the other burgers created after the Big Mac,
which I like very much.

mcrib? No thanks.

[rezman]

The waitress made it to the table as we made it to the door and she shouted across the dining room angrily "Where's my tip!?!"

My response would have been " Stay out of the rain!"

[RadicalModerate]

Had a lady(I use that term lightly) at the Bricktown Micky D's establishment take my order for some McNuggets. They were burnt to a crisp. I am not exaggerating that no I'm not, not one bit. When I brought that to her attention, she grabbed them from the counter in a furious manner and told me, and I quote "you don't need to be eatin' dem damn nuggets any damn way''. I told her I would be letting her superiors know about her malicious like attitude and she then said "I ain't even talkin to yo ass no mo''. I really didn't classify Mikcyds as a restaurant visible on the perm, but is my worse experience I've had to dage with this food organization.

For what it's worth ,. . .
As we (that is, my wife and i plus a grandson and his buddy) were sitting around the "comfort zone" table on the patio out back, still basking in the glow of a visit to Ingrid's awaiting my re-make of a chicken curry dish with fish instead of chicken, I read your post, aloud, with complete sincerity. My wife said: "19? he's a good writer." I agreed. (it is possible that I borrowed from the Old Steve Allen Show, but that takes nothing away from the accuracy of your observations vis-à-vis McD's.)

I guess you are a Generation Bridger, dude . . . =)

[TeriOKC]

When my husband was married to his former wife, they went to the old Magnolia Café (in the early 1980's ). When their entrees arrived, he noticed that some type of bug was "spooning" a kernel of corn on his side dish (i.e. some type of small beetle(?) was hugging that corn kernel like nobody's business.) When it was (very nicely) brought to the attention of the waiter, he and the rest of the wait staff made a joke out of it. They did, thankfully, replace the entrée side, but no offer was made to comp the meal. In fact, when Jim asked for to-go box for the entrée itself, which he said was delicious, the waiter drew bugs all over it with an ink pen.

[RadicalModerate]

Perfect. thank you Teri.
If Reader's Digest still made $300 check awards for accuracy in reportage, they would cut you a check for double that amount. =)

[Bunty]

LOL! I've had only one bad experience at McDonald's and it was luke
warm coffee via the drive through. I honked and honked and got a
manager. She made a fresh pot and returned my money.

Si habla Espanol es parle Francais.

I've had a similar experience with coffee at an Olive Garden in Stillwater with a less happy ending. My coffee came to the table cold. I complained about it. The waiter brought me another cup, but to my aggravation it was still cold. The waiter said he wouldn't charge me for that and suggested I order something else, so I ordered iced tea. The Olive Garden in Stillwater is inconstant in food and service. For a better Italian dining experience in Stillwater, there is the Da Vinci's, which is in the same shopping center complex as the Olive Garden.

[Prunepicker]

When my husband was married to his former wife, they went to the old
Magnolia Café (in the early 1980's ). When their entrees arrived, he
noticed that some type of bug was "spooning" a kernel of corn on his side
dish (i.e. some type of small beetle(?) was hugging that corn kernel like
nobody's business.)

I remember Magnolia's. Horrors. Luckily I only played there and never
ate the food, to my knowledge. I'm trying to imagine if there was anything
crunchy in my drink.

[PiePie]

Geghis Grill, I tried it yesterday for the first time and it is terrible, I will not go back

Same for Ricky's Cafe which I tried years ago, why it is still in business is beyond me....