Worst experience you have ever had with a restaurant and its staff?

[Brandon]

And I will love to taste what passes for proper pizza in upstate NY.

We could start a serious pizza war here, but simply put NY pizza is floppy crap.

[Rothman]

And I will love to taste what passes for proper pizza in upstate NY.

We could start a serious pizza war here, but simply put NY pizza is floppy crap.

I have never understood being exclusive in this regard.  I love both thin crust and deep dish.

[kphoger]

And I will love to taste what passes for proper pizza in upstate NY.

We could start a serious pizza war here, but simply put NY pizza is floppy crap.

I have never understood being exclusive in this regard.  I love both thin crust and deep dish.

Ditto.  Love 'em both.

I should also mention that Chicago-style pizza is not what the rest of the country thinks it is.  The rest of the country seems to think it's basically deep-dish pizza, but that's just one part of what describes Chicago-style pizza.  If it doesn't look like this below, then it's not Chicago-style.  It can take 1½ hours to bake a good one, with two trips into the oven.  One slice is a filling lunch.

[formulanone]

And I will love to taste what passes for proper pizza in upstate NY.

We could start a serious pizza war here, but simply put NY pizza is floppy crap.

I have never understood being exclusive in this regard.  I love both thin crust and deep dish.

Me neither, I enjoy and expect some variations in my favorite types of food.

[Scott5114]

And I will love to taste what passes for proper pizza in upstate NY.

We could start a serious pizza war here, but simply put NY pizza is floppy crap.

I have never understood being exclusive in this regard.  I love both thin crust and deep dish.

Ditto.  Love 'em both.

I should also mention that Chicago-style pizza is not what the rest of the country thinks it is.  The rest of the country seems to think it's basically deep-dish pizza, but that's just one part of what describes Chicago-style pizza.  If it doesn't look like this below, then it's not Chicago-style.  It can take 1½ hours to bake a good one, with two trips into the oven.  One slice is a filling lunch.

Are the toppings hidden somewhere in the mass, there, or are they verboten in order to be Chicago style?

[Brandon]

Are the toppings hidden somewhere in the mass, there, or are they verboten in order to be Chicago style?

They're inside, under the sauce.

[Takumi]

The only place I've seen Chicago-style deep dish like that was when Pizzeria Uno was still a national chain. I was a teenager, so naturally I scraped the tomato off the top.

[Rothman]

How is Uno not national any longer?  Also, I  have had much better pizza than Uno's.  Any style they do, a whole lot of people around here can do better.

[Takumi]

Uno did a massive contraction in the mid-2000s. When it happened, I heard they were down to the few locations in Chicago, but I was misinformed.

[kphoger]

Chicago-style pizza

Are the toppings hidden somewhere in the mass, there, or are they verboten in order to be Chicago style?

They're inside, under the sauce.

Yep, under the sauce.  The order goes like this:  crust, then about 1½ solid inches of cheese, then toppings (typically pepperoni or ground Italian sausage or spinach), then sauce.  I used to get a slice for lunch every day back when I lived up there, until I realized I'd probably die of a heart attack within the year if I kept that up.

[BamaZeus]

My friends and I went to a Hooters in Chattanooga while on a road trip.    The restaurant was kinda empty for that hour of night, but there was some sort of guy in one corner of the restaurant in Arab garb apparently holding court with several of the waitresses.

Halfway through the meal, our waitress comes along to get our cups for refills.  I'm halfway through a plate of wings, and I'm pretty thirsty, so I'm looking forward to more soda.  She takes my cup and then never returns.

Again, the restaurant is mostly empty, so it's not like she got us confused with another table nearby.  Over half an hour goes by and she is nowhere to be found.  Finally, she shows up and asks if we need anything.  I look her dead in the eye and say "I'd like my drink, please", and she has no clue what I'm talking about.

Needless to say, she did not receive a tip.  I'm sure the Sheik in the back corner more than made up for it anyway.

[gilpdawg]

I always figured you could take a dish from a chain restaurant, put it next to a dish from a local restaurant, and most people wouldn't tell the difference.

Where's that story of a local store that was serving fried chicken, and everyone was fond of it.  Until, one day, someone happened to see an employee walk into the back of the store with containers of Popeye's Fried Chicken, and realized he were being served reheated chain-restaurant chicken.

Well, to be fair, Popeye's is awesome.


iPad

[SidS1045]

I had a really rotten experience at an Outback Steakhouse a few years ago.  The waiter, apparently a rookie, forgot about my wife and me.  After taking our order and bringing our bread and glasses of water, we didn't see him for 20 minutes.  We got his attention, he said he would check on our orders, and that was the last time we saw him.  After another 20 minutes had passed I went to the manager and told her what happened.  Without hesitation she had our dinners wrapped to go and comped the bill.

In fairness, I've been to that same Outback enough times to know that one bad experience was an aberration...and the manager certainly made it right.

[OracleUsr]

Reminds me of an IHOP in Charlotte one afternoon when I was still living there.  Got my food and waited an hour and a half for the check.

[hbelkins]

I had a really rotten experience at an Outback Steakhouse a few years ago.  The waiter, apparently a rookie, forgot about my wife and me.  After taking our order and bringing our bread and glasses of water, we didn't see him for 20 minutes.  We got his attention, he said he would check on our orders, and that was the last time we saw him.  After another 20 minutes had passed I went to the manager and told her what happened.  Without hesitation she had our dinners wrapped to go and comped the bill.

In fairness, I've been to that same Outback enough times to know that one bad experience was an aberration...and the manager certainly made it right.

Is it just me, or is Outback extremely overrated and overpriced?

Years ago, I took a date to Outback -- or I tried to. The wait for a table was at least an hour. We (this was a double-date with one of her good friends) decided to eat somewhere else.

My first Outback experience was underwhelming. I don't remember where it was, but I do remember coming away with the feeling of "what is supposed to be so great about this place?" The only other time I've been to one was in Middletown, NY. There was one just across the street from the hotel where I was staying, and I didn't feel like getting out and trying to explore the town to find what was where, so I just walked over there to get something quickly. I remained unimpressed, to the point where I doubt I'd ever go back to one unless there was nothing else to eat for miles around.

[kphoger]

I had a really rotten experience at an Outback Steakhouse a few years ago.  The waiter, apparently a rookie, forgot about my wife and me.  After taking our order and bringing our bread and glasses of water, we didn't see him for 20 minutes.  We got his attention, he said he would check on our orders, and that was the last time we saw him.  After another 20 minutes had passed I went to the manager and told her what happened.  Without hesitation she had our dinners wrapped to go and comped the bill.

In fairness, I've been to that same Outback enough times to know that one bad experience was an aberration...and the manager certainly made it right.

And, to me, the manager doing the right thing by apologizing and comping the bill, would make a huge difference, and would likely be the deciding factor on my returning in the future or not.

[SidS1045]

Is it just me, or is Outback extremely overrated and overpriced?

Years ago, I took a date to Outback -- or I tried to. The wait for a table was at least an hour. We (this was a double-date with one of her good friends) decided to eat somewhere else.

My first Outback experience was underwhelming. I don't remember where it was, but I do remember coming away with the feeling of "what is supposed to be so great about this place?" The only other time I've been to one was in Middletown, NY. There was one just across the street from the hotel where I was staying, and I didn't feel like getting out and trying to explore the town to find what was where, so I just walked over there to get something quickly. I remained unimpressed, to the point where I doubt I'd ever go back to one unless there was nothing else to eat for miles around.

It's not a big deal, and certainly not in the same league with places like Fleming's, McCormick & Schmick's or Ruth's Chris.  But, it's serviceable, decent food not too highly priced.  I've never had an issue with the food, just this one incident with service.

[SidS1045]

to me, the manager doing the right thing by apologizing and comping the bill, would make a huge difference, and would likely be the deciding factor on my returning in the future or not.

Absolutely.  People make mistakes, but in the customer service realm, what makes the difference is how those mistakes are handled.  This manager got it right.  We've been back to that Outback and it's been smooth sailing.

[jeffandnicole]

I had a really rotten experience at an Outback Steakhouse a few years ago.  The waiter, apparently a rookie, forgot about my wife and me.  After taking our order and bringing our bread and glasses of water, we didn’t see him for 20 minutes.  We got his attention, he said he would check on our orders, and that was the last time we saw him.  After another 20 minutes had passed I went to the manager and told her what happened.  Without hesitation she had our dinners wrapped to go and comped the bill.

In fairness, I’ve been to that same Outback enough times to know that one bad experience was an aberration...and the manager certainly made it right.

Is it just me, or is Outback extremely overrated and overpriced?

Years ago, I took a date to Outback -- or I tried to. The wait for a table was at least an hour. We (this was a double-date with one of her good friends) decided to eat somewhere else.

My first Outback experience was underwhelming. I don't remember where it was, but I do remember coming away with the feeling of "what is supposed to be so great about this place?" The only other time I've been to one was in Middletown, NY. There was one just across the street from the hotel where I was staying, and I didn't feel like getting out and trying to explore the town to find what was where, so I just walked over there to get something quickly. I remained unimpressed, to the point where I doubt I'd ever go back to one unless there was nothing else to eat for miles around.

Many years ago I thought they were overpriced, and hated the way they claimed their steak 'done-ness' was different than others (like a medium in the rest of the universe was a medium-rare there, or something like that).  Their pricing more recently seems to be more comparable to other chain restaurants.

As far as being impressed...it's hard to do so at chain restaurants.  You have hundreds of locations with thousands of cooks trying to cook the same thing identically every single time, with waitstaff that experiences such a high turnover rate that it's unlikely you'll ever see the same server twice. 

Personally, and I probably said it before, sitting at the bar usually results in getting a bartender that's been there a while.  Go during an offpeak time, and they're usually pretty generous with the food and extras.

[J N Winkler]

Is it just me, or is Outback extremely overrated and overpriced?

I personally don't eat at steakhouses except at family gatherings or when someone else is paying.  I am trying to limit red meat in my diet, and I generally find I can do significantly better at lower cost in both time and money in my own kitchen, with a flatiron steak and lemon pepper.  I have had prime rib cooked with mushrooms and wine and it is quite good, but also costs about four times as much as steak at home.

[briantroutman]

Is it just me, or is Outback extremely overrated and overpriced?

I visited an Outback only once around 2005. At the time, I was about 20 and had been to (and paid the checks at) many T.G.I. Fridays, Applebees, and the like through my high school and college years. I distinctly recall looking through the menu and thinking that the prices were considerably higher than I expected them to be–above the other chains mentioned, but with a similar overall feel and menu.

I've been a vegetarian for about a decade and have pretty much written off the chain "neighborhood bar and grill"  segment as well, so I haven't been to once since. Perhaps it's different these days.

[kphoger]

Is it just me, or is Outback extremely overrated and overpriced?

I personally don't eat at steakhouses except at family gatherings or when someone else is paying.  I am trying to limit red meat in my diet, and I generally find I can do significantly better at lower cost in both time and money in my own kitchen, with a flatiron steak and lemon pepper.  I have had prime rib cooked with mushrooms and wine and it is quite good, but also costs about four times as much as steak at home.

Not to mention you can cook a steak in a skillet with wine and mushrooms in your own kitchen, and then you still have the rest of the bottle to enjoy at no extra cost.

Is it just me, or is Outback extremely overrated and overpriced?

I visited an Outback only once around 2005. At the time, I was about 20 and had been to (and paid the checks at) many T.G.I. Fridays, Applebees, and the like through my high school and college years. I distinctly recall looking through the menu and thinking that the prices were considerably higher than I expected them to be–above the other chains mentioned, but with a similar overall feel and menu.

I've been a vegetarian for about a decade and have pretty much written off the chain "neighborhood bar and grill"  segment as well, so I haven't been to once since. Perhaps it's different these days.

IME, Outback can actually cook a good steak, though.  I've given up ordering a steak at Applebee's and Chili's, because it's unappetizing every other time.  They might as well not even ask you how you want it cooked, because it doesn't come out that way at the lower-end joints.

[bandit957]

Steak is for teeth people.

[Beltway]

I was eating at a Shoney's about 20 years ago.  A guy at the next table suddenly started belching loudly, and he started to get up (maybe to use the restroom), and then he blew lunch all over the table.  He ran for the restroom, and he spewed all over the floor several times while on the way.  This really took the edge off of my meal...

[Brian556]

I was eating at a Shoney's about 20 years ago.  A guy at the next table suddenly started belching loudly, and he started to get up (maybe to use the restroom), and then he blew lunch all over the table.  He ran for the restroom, and he spewed all over the floor several times while on the way.  This really took the edge off of my meal...

That is hilarious! I've never heard of belches preceding vomiting, so this was a unique event