I’m never eating out again!

I went to O’Charley's for dinner last night…for the last time! Let’s see, where to begin…the girl who served us HAD to be on speed! She only had one other table to wait on but she kept running around like a chicken with her head cut off, bouncing from one location to the other but not getting anything accomplished. It took nearly 20 minutes to get our drinks because she said that she wasn’t allowed to make drinks…she had to wait on a manager. I asked for some jalapeno peppers to put on my salad…but by the time the jalapenos showed up, the salad was nearly gone. And remember, she only had one other table to wait on. When I politely asked what took so long, she told me that she wasn’t allowed to get the jalapenos; she had to wait for a manager. I wanted to ask her what the hell was her purpose and why couldn't the manager wait on me!

I ordered the Cajun chicken pasta; Trinity had the Teriyaki chicken (grilled chicken on a bed of rice with Hawaiian sauce and a pineapple on it). Of course it took 8 billion years to get it. Mine was cold...Trinity’s chicken had hardly any sauce on it and the “bed” of rice was so miniscule that it couldn’t have been more than 2 teaspoons of rice. So I sent it back. They nuked mine and when I tasted it, there was no “Cajun” to be found; just a whole bunch of paprika sprinkled on the top. The pasta was nasty and the chicken was dry as a bone. The extra rice and sauce that they brought Trinity didn’t help…still nasty. So we bounced, paying only for the salads that we ate.

So you say, so what! Everyone has a lousy dining experience from time to time. And I’d agree with you. But I haven’t had a decent dining experience in a very long time. Red Lobster was ghetto, Olive Garden’s portions shrank considerably, Chipotle made me sick as a dog, Max & Erma’s prices doubled and the quality of service was cut in half…all lousy experiences. But the crème de la crème was McDonald’s. I got mad a couple of weeks ago ‘cause I ordered a sausage gravy biscuit and this is what they gave me:

Notice closely the tiny amount of gravy (neither biscuit is covered). And look at the one on the bottom…looks like someone took a bite out of the biscuit!!! Usually the biscuits aren’t even visible ‘cause they’re swimming in gravy. Not much swimming going on here…When I took them back, the manager said that they have a new policy and that’s the “standard amount” of gravy. So I asked if that was a standard bite out of my biscuit as well!

First the doctor, now restaurants. Is it just me or has the quality of service plummeted in this country? Why are we being asked to pay for crappy service, cold food and kid sized portions? To hell with it, I’m staying home and cooking! Oh wait, I’m about to get married…I’ll have HER stay home and cook!

…Just my thoughts…err ranting for today…