Eatin' Bad

I have a progressive list of restaurants that I will never again give business to. The Wendy's at Crossroads in Roanoke is one. I learned after several visits that they did not deserve my money. The last time I went there (roughly 3 years ago) I ordered a Cheeseburger (only mayo and ketchup) and received instead a side salad, and nothing else. I can almost understand accidentally throwing lettuce and tomato onto a burger that was ordered without said items, but to neglect the burger altogether and give me a salad? That's missing the entire point of my order. They made the list.

The latest casualty in this franchise war is the Applebee's in Bluefield. During my fall break I decided to spend some time in the old college town and hang out with some friends. Monday evening several of us got together at the now infamous Applebee's for dinner. We ordered our food at just after 6pm. Half an hour passed and the only glimpse we caught of our waitress was when she was bringing something to another table, and even that was rare. She didn't check on our glasses to see if we needed more water. She didn't let us know that the food was coming or that things were slow going in the kitchen that night. Nearly an hour after we ordered, the food finally came out... in waves. I was the last to receive my food. And it was all cold. So I sent it back. This time, the waitress came back to let me know that the manager was cooking my food all over again, starting from new food. Great, this meant that by the time I got my food, everyone I was dining with would be finished.

After I got my dinner for the second time, the manager came out to have a word with me. Long story short, I got my dinner for free. Now, this is the first time I've experienced such poor service at this particular Applebee's. However, I don't often eat there, since I don't live in Bluefield anymore. The others said that it's always like that. Slow, poor service, etc. So congratulations Bluefield Applebee's. You are now on my list.

Please note that this does not exclude all Wendy's, Applebee's, or other blacklisted restaurants. I don't judge an entire chain based on one location's incompetence. But maybe Wendy and Mr. Applebee should know they're on thin ice.