Worst restaurant experience you've ever had?

[ljbab728]

It's starting to seem like that the "worst restaurant experience" is evolving into what are the multiple restaurants that I don't like. It seems like we should keep to the original premise and say the one worst we have experienced and explain why instead of just saying that many places are terrible.

[PiePie]

It's starting to seem like that the "worst restaurant experience" is evolving into what are the multiple restaurants that I don't like. It seems like we should keep to the original premise and say the one worst we have experienced and explain why instead of just saying that many places are terrible.

Why Gehgis Grill is terrible: Undercooked rice, terrible service, even I asked the waitress to take the rice back and make it right but still undercooked anyway, the other food like chicken and steak and shrimp does not taste good

Why Ricky's Cafe is terrible: The rice tastes fake, it is hard to explain, I mean it does not taste like rice, it tastes like something else and the burritos and beans tasted like cardboard which is gross

Is that better?

[ljbab728]

Why Gehgis Grill is terrible: Undercooked rice, terrible service, even I asked the waitress to take the rice back and make it right but still undercooked anyway, the other food like chicken and steak and shrimp does not taste good

Why Ricky's Cafe is terrible: The rice tastes fake, it is hard to explain, I mean it does not taste like rice, it tastes like something else and the burritos and beans tasted like cardboard which is gross

Is that better?

It's better but it still doesn't address the topic of the worst when you give multiple examples of places you don't like and mainly just don't like the food.

[PiePie]

It's better but it still doesn't address the topic of the worst when you give multiple examples of places you don't like and mainly just don't like the food.

Oh well, I tried

[Bunty]

It's better but it still doesn't address the topic of the worst when you give multiple examples of places you don't like and mainly just don't like the food.

Well, topping getting cold coffee at the Olive Garden is giving them your credit card and getting someone else's card back. It didn't happen to me, but I've heard it happen to someone else.

[kevinpate]

In younger, hollow leg days, being told by a manager that contrary to my belief, I had actually had all that I could eat, and it was now time for me to depart. I thought I was good for at least another two servings of shrimp, but he seemed sooooo danged sure about it.

Actually, that was the second worst experience. The worst happened earlier in my life. I was sitting in an eatery in my hometown with some fellow members of the Order of the Hollow Leg. Right as we were wondering among ourselves what happened to their quite good all you could eat shrimp special, which had been running run for several weekends, another customer across the room asked his server why they no longer offered that particular special.

She looked at him pointed a long finger our way and announced, sans any pretense of a stage whisper ... "Because of them."

In retrospect, i suppose it is fair to say this was the first time I was ever shrimp shamed.

[OSUMom]

In younger, hollow leg days, being told by a manager that contrary to my belief, I had actually had all that I could eat, and it was now time for me to depart. I thought I was good for at least another two servings of shrimp, but he seemed sooooo danged sure about it.

Actually, that was the second worst experience. The worst happened earlier in my life. I was sitting in an eatery in my hometown with some fellow members of the Order of the Hollow Leg. Right as we were wondering among ourselves what happened to their quite good all you could eat shrimp special, which had been running run for several weekends, another customer across the room asked his server why they no longer offered that particular special.

She looked at him pointed a long finger our way and announced, sans any pretense of a stage whisper ... "Because of them."

In retrospect, i suppose it is fair to say this was the first time I was ever shrimp shamed.

My husband and a friend were kicked out of Catfish Cabin, back before it went buffet on one of their 'all you can eat' specials. I think it was shrimp too. They ticked the management off when they requested, no more sides, just keep bringing the shrimp!

[rezman]

I think my worst experience was at the old El Chico's that was at Britton and May.

After being seated at our table and ordering, I went to the men's room to wash my hands. I walked in to find that someone had vomited in and around the wash basin, rendering it useless. I quietly notified the manager of the problem and returned to my table. When I ordered my meal, I ordered it with rice and no beans. When I received my order, my plate had a huge puddle of refried beans surrounding my enchiladas. I told the waiter that I ordered rice only, no beans, and he just replied with, "well, we're out of rice so we gave you double beans", which I also quietly brought to the managers attention.

I can say that he comped our whole tab, but we never returned there again.

[RadicalModerate]

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.

I think I ate at Magnolia's once . . . My Pavlovian response is not a pleasant one for some reason . . .

"Waiter! I like the crunch of ice in my drink . . . but why does this here black cube have what appear to be legs?"

[RadicalModerate]

I think my worst experience was at the old El Chico's that was at Britton and May.

After being seated at our table and ordering, I went to the men's room to wash my hands. I walked in to find that someone had vomited in and around the wash basin, rendering it useless. I quietly notified the manager of the problem and returned to my table. When I ordered my meal, I ordered it with rice and no beans. When I received my order, my plate had a huge puddle of refried beans surrounding my enchiladas. I told the waiter that I ordered rice only, no beans, and he just replied with, "well, we're out of rice so we gave you double beans", which I also quietly brought to the managers attention.

I can say that he comped our whole tab, but we never returned there again.

Still . . . that El Chico location has phenominal corn . . . =)
(you can duplicate it at home by tossing some Herdez Green Sauce into some microwaved frozen corn and throwing in some of those red peppers from a jar plus something green)

[rezman]

Still . . . that El Chico location has phenominal corn . . . =)
(you can duplicate it at home by tossing some Herdez Green Sauce into some microwaved frozen corn and throwing in some of those red peppers from a jar plus something green)

Come to think of it,... That's what was in the sink... Pass The Tortillias Please!

[soonerguru]

I think my worst experience was at the old El Chico's that was at Britton and May.

After being seated at our table and ordering, I went to the men's room to wash my hands. I walked in to find that someone had vomited in and around the wash basin, rendering it useless. I quietly notified the manager of the problem and returned to my table. When I ordered my meal, I ordered it with rice and no beans. When I received my order, my plate had a huge puddle of refried beans surrounding my enchiladas. I told the waiter that I ordered rice only, no beans, and he just replied with, "well, we're out of rice so we gave you double beans", which I also quietly brought to the managers attention.

I can say that he comped our whole tab, but we never returned there again.

What a terrible restaurant. Ugh. The El Chico in Norman is OK, but talk about a chain that has rapidly gone downhill. Growing up, El Chico was actually very good Tex-Mex at one time.

[Pete]

^

As I have hypothesized elsewhere, I really think the few restaurants that have been around for more than 30 years or so merely suffer by modern comparisons.

It probably was never as good as you'd like to remember (it always seemed lame to me) and now has to carry on in the present, without the benefit of hazy memories and warm nostalgia. (I really believe this is the reason for so many people claiming almost every restaurant has gone 'downhill'. They all can't possibly getting worse.) And it has to compete against operations that are better in almost every way.

Like almost everything else in this world, restaurants are just way better now than before.

[soonerguru]

^

As I have hypothesized elsewhere, I really think the few restaurants that have been around for more than 30 years or so merely suffer by modern comparisons.

It probably was never as good as you'd like to remember (it always seemed lame to me) and now has to carry on in the present, without the benefit of hazy memories and warm nostalgia. (I really believe this is the reason for so many people claiming almost every restaurant has gone 'downhill'. They all can't possibly getting worse.) And it has to compete against operations that are better in almost every way.

Like almost everything else in this world, restaurants are just way better now than before.

I agree with your theory, but El Chico at one time only had a handful of locations, and they were quite good Tex-Mex. They expanded the chain in the late 1980s and started changing things around. The one on Britton is particularly bad and has almost always been so.

[Prunepicker]

I agree with your theory, but El Chico at one time only had a handful of
locations, and they were quite good Tex-Mex. They expanded the chain
in the late 1980s and started changing things around. The one on Britton
is particularly bad and has almost always been so.

I've always liked that particular El Chico, though it's been 2 years since
my last visit. Maybe I have poor taste in Tex-Mex.

[bchris02]

What a terrible restaurant. Ugh. The El Chico in Norman is OK, but talk about a chain that has rapidly gone downhill. Growing up, El Chico was actually very good Tex-Mex at one time.

The only time I ever ate at an El Chico and enjoyed it was one time in Dallas years ago. Every other location has been absolutely terrible. It definitely seems very sporadic in quality and whether its good or not depends largely on location. Personally I wonder how they've stayed in business so long with all the other choices out there today for Mexican food.

[Pete]

I agree with your theory, but El Chico at one time only had a handful of locations, and they were quite good Tex-Mex. They expanded the chain in the late 1980s and started changing things around. The one on Britton is particularly bad and has almost always been so.

I moved away in 1989 so I only know El Chico from before then and ate there relatively often because it was one of the few options; the one in Norman, too.

And I always thought it was lame and only became aware of the degree of lameness when we actually got a few more options.

And when you compare to today's Casa Perico, Abel's or even Ted's, it's amazing how far the standards have raised.

[Plutonic Panda]

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 . . . =)

Well, I will take that as a compliment even though I sustained a few grammar infractions lol

A "Generation Bridger", awww yeaaah. Hopefully that bridge is part of a future 5 stack interchange here in OKC