I am extremely disappointed with the experience my family and I had today at Chugs Diner. This was especially frustrating because this has been a restaurant my wife, kids, and I have visited multiple times in the past, and we have always had excellent experiences with both the food and service. Unfortunately, today was the complete opposite.
I decided to bring my parents with me today, as they rarely get the opportunity to go out, and what should have been an enjoyable family meal turned into an incredibly frustrating experience from start to finish.
First, the server who greeted us was not welcoming at all. From the moment we sat down, she came across as dismissive, impatient, and seemed to be rushing us to place our orders instead of allowing us to comfortably look through the menu.
Second, I attempted to order the Cuban/American sandwich and simply asked for it without cheese because I am lactose intolerant. I was immediately told that removing the cheese was "not possible." I found that very strange considering removing an ingredient from a sandwich seems like a basic accommodation. I then decided to order the Chug Burrito instead, again asking for no cheese, and once again I was told that was "not possible." At that point, I felt like I had no choice but to order something I didn't really want. I genuinely do not understand why a restaurant cannot accommodate such a simple request.
Third, we ordered the 50/50 croquetas for the table as an appetizer, and when they arrived, they were cold and honestly seemed like they had not been fully heated through, almost as if they were still frozen in the middle. We had to send them back, and by the time the replacement came out, we had already received our entrees, completely defeating the purpose of ordering an appetizer.
Because the experience was already going poorly, we asked to speak with a manager or supervisor. Unfortunately, this made things even worse. We explained our frustrations regarding both the service and the inability to accommodate a simple food request. His response was incredibly dismissive. His exact explanation regarding removing cheese was essentially: "Unfortunately removing cheese slows our kitchen down, so order something without it." That response was shocking. I am a paying customer with a dietary restriction, and I simply asked for cheese to be left off two menu items. The unwillingness to even attempt to accommodate something so simple made absolutely no sense. Beyond that, I also expressed concern regarding our waitress's poor attitude and dismissive behavior, and he showed zero initiative in trying to improve the situation or make things right.
To make matters worse, I used the restroom during our visit and found the floor slippery and there was no soap available.
Lastly, at the end of our meal, we ordered a coffee/colada. We waited over 30 minutes and it never came. At one point I wanted to cancel it because we had already been waiting so long, but we had already paid the bill. We continued sitting there waiting while nothing happened. When I asked the manager about it, he simply said he would look into it and disappeared. I ultimately had to approach the person making the coffee myself to figure out what was happening.
I have visited Chugs many times before and have always enjoyed my experiences, which makes today's visit even more disappointing. I have genuinely never felt so disrespected, dismissed, and ignored at a restaurant that I previously enjoyed supporting.
What frustrates me most is that I brought my parents out to enjoy a nice meal together, something they rarely get to do, and instead they were left experiencing poor service, bad food quality, and management that seemed completely uninterested in helping.
After today's experience, I am genuinely reconsidering whether I will ever return. I expected much better from a place I have supported repeatedly over the years. read more