Worst restaurant experiences you have had

[Improviser]

Old Valley's Steakhouse - Hartford off of 91.

We got about 1/3 of the way through our meals when my.wife found a dead (thank God) cockroach in the middle of her eggplant parmigiana. I was proud of myself. I calmly called over our server and told him. I quietly said we are getting up to go now. He said that he will get the bill for my dinner. I calmly let him know that wasn't acceptable.

I told him that If he did that I would make sure everyone around me knew why we were leaving and I still wouldn't pay for my dinner.

We just got up and left.

Good for you.

Though not quite a parallel account, it reminds me a bit of a story where a friend of mine's father was sitting at the counter in a Greek diner in Connecticut , and saw that his hamburger order in the kitchen fell to the floor and he heard the chef say in Greek, "Let him eat it, he won't know the difference."

When the hamburger was brought to my friend's father, he said to the waiter in Greek, "You eat it yourself," and left the restaurant without paying.

Obviously, neither the waiter nor the chef knew that the man understood and could speak Greek.

 

[8893]

Did you get the refund

Yes.

 

[xclamations]

Our server/waitress took our order, and clocked out. She didn't even pass us along to one of her co workers, or place our orders to the cooks. She literally took our orders and left. We did talk to the manager and got free meals.

Then at another place, some snarky server had an issue with me wearing shades not knowing I had just gone through eye surgery.. and I wasn't going to explain myself because I was still comprehending the audacity of this person to even dare say anything about having shades on. On top of that rushing us!? I honestly wanted to curse them out. We never went back and that was it.

 

[whalerfan]

A tie based on (lack of) service alone. Applebee's in Plainville and Tavern on the Trax in Berlin.

 

[cohenzone]

How many pages do we get? Synopsis

Many ants in Chinese take out in East Hartford years ago.

Piece of steel in a frozen parfait at the old Vallees on Airport Rd, Htfd. The manager, instead of offering something as good will, merely said words to the effect that you might expect to find something like that in a salad. Nope, I don’t really expect to find something like that in a salad.

Too many places with terrible service or way too long waits to be seated.

Driving to RI, we stopped at some place along either 6 or 44, I don’t recall. Ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. I think they served me a tortured chicken sandwich. I didn’t know you could pound chicken. To be thinner than newspaper.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Toenail in my iced tea from Cafe La France on South Main Street in downtown Providence. I still get chills thinking about it.

Also, not a restaurant experience, but I have a distinct recollection of pouring myself a bowl of cereal in college, eating a spoonful, and then watching in horror as the milk turned orange from the remnants of whatever one of my roommates had had for dinner the night before mixed with the milk.

 

[NJHusky]

Just a terrible service experience at brew pub years ago. Waitress was worse than non existent...like another poster, I had to get my own utensils, get my own water...had to go up to the bar to get a drink and to ask for condiments at the bar....bartender never bothered to bother the waitress. Same for second round of drinks...when it was time to leave had to go out through the kitchen so I could find the waitress having a cigarette outside...I literally only saw her when she took my order. (someone from kitchen brought it out) But when it was time to pay she was hovering for me to sign the receipt. Left her a .25 tip. She got about 4 feet away and said "did you realize you only left me a .25c tip. I said yes, this was without a doubt the worst service experience I've ever had in any establishment. Her snarky response instead of apologizing was to say, then why did you leave me anything? And my even snarkier reply was that I didn't want her to think I forgot.

I get that service is a tough business, and I never take out a cooking mistake on the server and will always tip on the full amount if there is a credit for an issue...But this person should not be in service and didn't even deserve the .25

 

[August_West]

Just a terrible service experience at brew pub years ago. Waitress was worse than non existent...like another poster, I had to get my own utensils, get my own water...had to go up to the bar to get a drink and to ask for condiments at the bar....bartender never bothered to bother the waitress. Same for second round of drinks...when it was time to leave had to go out through the kitchen so I could find the waitress having a cigarette outside...I literally only saw her when she took my order. (someone from kitchen brought it out) But when it was time to pay she was hovering for me to sign the receipt. Left her a .25 tip. She got about 4 feet away and said "did you realize you only left me a .25c tip. I said yes, this was without a doubt the worst service experience I've ever had in any establishment. Her snarky response instead of apologizing was to say, then why did you leave me anything? And my even snarkier reply was that I didn't want her to think I forgot.

I get that service is a tough business, and I never take out a cooking mistake on the server and will always tip on the full amount if there is a credit for an issue...But this person should not be in service and didn't even deserve the .25

Im trying to think of my worst. And I have a ton of foreign object anecdotes. But being a restaurant worker in my very young days, I almost want to forgive them if everything else is in line. Because let’s face it. Even Arby’s ( bad example , they rule, ok, let’s say Burger King) is not knowingly putting stuff out with junk in it. Sometimes uncontrollable it’s the response after that matters.


So my worst rest. Experiences are pretty almost always server based. That can always be controlled. And I have some beauts. Let me think this through.

 

[BlueDogs]

Maybe not the all-time worst, but definitely very disappointing: Gino's.

Expensive, tables that are way too close together, uncomfortable chairs, limited menu, and thoroughly mediocre food (and I'm being kind). I had Bolognese and it was as bland as can be, no flavor at all. My wife had lobster bisque and a fish dish, the soup came in a shallow bowl and couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 oz. in size - we're talking miniature. And it was also almost totally flavorless.

I had a $50 gift card to eat there just before covid broke. Definitely not going back on my own dime.

The service was ok. Not great, not terrible. Everything else about the meal was a failure.

Sorry Gino, stick to coaching basketball.

Gino’s is so disappointing. Overpriced, mediocre food at best and poor selection. Could be a great place. Heck. You can’t even order an expresso or cappuccino after an Italian dinner.

 

[donyell34]

This gives me the creeps, chills about ever eating out again. Thanks lol.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Oh I’ve had a shard of glass in my water 3 times here in SD.

 

[Ewekon]

Found a japanese beetle in an egg roll at a Chinese Restaurant in Fairfield many years ago.

It must have been confused.

Anyway, I once saw a rat at a restaurant in Durham, NC.

 

[Adesmar123]

It must have been confused.

Anyway, I once saw a rat at a restaurant in Durham, NC.

Mike Krzyzewski?

 

[Dove]

You ate at a restaurant and walked out on the tab?

Yep. They didn't lose a cent. We did leave a tip, tho.

 

[Improviser]

How many pages do we get? Synopsis

Many ants in Chinese take out in East Hartford years ago.

Piece of steel in a frozen parfait at the old Vallees on Airport Rd, Htfd. The manager, instead of offering something as good will, merely said words to the effect that you might expect to find something like that in a salad. Nope, I don’t really expect to find something like that in a salad.

Too many places with terrible service or way too long waits to be seated.

Driving to RI, we stopped at some place along either 6 or 44, I don’t recall. Ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. I think they served me a tortured chicken sandwich. I didn’t know you could pound chicken. To be thinner than newspaper.

The Old Vallees is getting "pounded" in this thread. I guess it was old and worn out. Well, I think Chowder Pot is there now, and they are decent as far as I know.

On the chicken, it probably was intentionally bought thin from the vendor because the restaurant could save money by paying less by the pound ,for thinner cut chicken. Thin sliced pieces weigh less and cost less.

I know for myself, I buy thin cut chicken because it cooks faster. But I have to watch it so that I don't overcook it and I put a lot of balsamic glaze on after to make it taste decent.

From the restaurant's point of view, cooking faster means they can serve more people and make more money.

Problem with thin cut chicken is it can get real dry, real fast. A bigger piece at a better restaurant like Longhorn tastes better because they marinate it hours before.

 

[Improviser]

Mike Krzyzewski?

Think he reads the BY, and saw that animation of him?

 

[Dove]

Toenail in my iced tea from Cafe La France on South Main Street in downtown Providence. I still get chills thinking about it.

Also, not a restaurant experience, but I have a distinct recollection of pouring myself a bowl of cereal in college, eating a spoonful, and then watching in horror as the milk turned orange from the remnants of whatever one of my roommates had had for dinner the night before mixed with the milk.

So one day in the late 80s I pour a bowl of Sugar Pops and douse with milk. I give the bowl a stir and up floats a live darkling beetle.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Im trying to think of my worst. And I have a ton of foreign object anecdotes. But being a restaurant worker in my very young days, I almost want to forgive them if everything else is in line. Because let’s face it. Even Arby’s ( bad example , they rule, ok, let’s say Burger King) is not knowingly putting stuff out with junk in it. Sometimes uncontrollable it’s the response after that matters.


So my worst rest. Experiences are pretty almost always server based. That can always be controlled. And I have some beauts. Let me think this through.

Dating an industry person for 4 years made me as sympathetic as it gets for the plight of a server. I completely agree with you and @NJHusky i never want to give less than 20%, you have to practically try to get less. I’ve only tipped less than 10% a couple times because those were the few times I didn’t feel bad. Normally I figure this person must be having a terrible day to cause them to screw up so badly, and here I am obviously about to make it worse.

 

[cohenzone]

The Old Vallees is getting "pounded" in this thread. I guess it was old and worn out. Well, I think Chowder Pot is there now, and they are decent as far as I know.

On the chicken, it probably was intentionally bought thin from the vendor because the restaurant could save money by paying less by the pound ,for thinner cut chicken. Thin sliced pieces weigh less and cost less.

I know for myself, I buy thin cut chicken because it cooks faster. But I have to watch it so that I don't overcook it and I put a lot of balsamic glaze on after to make it taste decent.

From the restaurant's point of view, cooking faster means they can serve more people and make more money.

Problem with thin cut chicken is it can get real dry, real fast. A bigger piece at a better restaurant like Longhorn tastes better because they marinate it hours before.

I’ve had many a grilled chicken sandwich. nothing close to that. I would call that a shaved chicken sandwich.

That Vallees experience was well before they closed. Haven’t been to Chowder Pot in years. Was decent food. My old office did a lot of retirement parties there including mine.

 

[cohenzone]

So one day in the late 80s I pour a bowls of Sugar Pops and douse with milk. I give the bowl a stir and up floats a live darkling beetle.

Served you right for eating Sugar Poos

 

[Adesmar123]

Dating an industry person for 4 years made me as sympathetic as it gets for the plight of a server. I completely agree with you and @NJHusky i never want to give less than 20%, you have to practically try to get less. I’ve only tipped less than 10% a couple times because those were the few times I didn’t feel bad. Normally I figure this person must be having a terrible day to cause them to screw up so badly, and here I am obviously about to make it worse.

The problem with tipping less than 20% is that unless you tell the server why, they just think you are a cheap or bad tipper. Telling them why takes a certain size balls that most people don't have.

 

[Rocktheworld]

The problem with tipping less than 20% is that unless you tell the server why, they just think you are a cheap or bad tipper. Telling them why takes a certain size balls that most people don't have.

You call it “balls”, I call it “being a Karen”

 

[Taco]

I once had a meal at a restaurant in Newark's Ironbound section and barely made it to the car before projectile vomiting started. I'm pretty sure that may have been my worst restaurant experience.

There are some great authentic Spanish /Portuguesee restaurants in that area.. Casa Vasca & The Spanish Taverns.

 

[UConnMike04]

Had one recently at a seafood restaurant on the shore overlooking the water. Been going there for years but they recently renovated and opened under new mgt. We got to our table and there were ants crawling on the table, so we moved tables and the next table was fine. Okay, we’re outside and things happen.

The waiter was by far the worst I’ve ever had. Took him 40 min to take our order (by this time we ordered apps along with our dinner bc we obv had enough time to look at the new menu). 20 min later he comes back with the wrong beer, and wine for my wife who doesn’t drink and never asked for wine. He was holding 3 or 4 electronic ordering devices and obv screwed it up. Long story short we finally get our food (which came with the appetizers, he was confused obv from when we ordered our apps then said we’ll just order dinner also since we knew what we wanted). The food was bland, didn’t send it back bc by this point it’s been over 2 hrs. Finally got my correct beer (had to ask busboy). We finish eating and ask for bill, he tells us the total off his electric device thingy and we say we want to see it to make sure it’s correct. He then rolls his eyes and shows us on the electric thing. Somehow it was right. Give him my card, he comes back with somebody else’s card! Thank God the couple who had my card didn’t leave and after a few minutes it was sorted out (Had to make sure I didn’t pay their bill bc they were a fam of 4 and it was just 2 of us). Left him a 10% tip, and got the hell out of there. Never again, sad bc we’ve been going to this place for years under the old mgt.

 

[Fishy]

One time I went to a lobster shack everyone here was raving about and I ordered a lobster roll.

It was just lobster, butter and a roll. It was as if a toddler had made it.