If I could give a zero, I would. My family and I have come to this restaurant for years and we have always loved it. Tonight, I was given a steak that was almost raw AND full of gristle. I couldn't FIND a bite without gristle in it. Not to mention, it tasted funny to me. I NEVER send food back...I was a waitress for a good amount of time, and I always feel too bad to do so. But my almost 90 year old grandparents were buying us all dinner (they haven't been able to make it down to the lake from Indiana in YEARS...first time back for them and possibly their last) and I wanted them to see that we all got a good meal. So, I asked politely if they could bring a different steak out. 30 minutes later, no steak (AND my 9 year old nephew STILL hadn't even gotten his chicken strips). So I told the waitress that if it wasn't almost done, I'd just eat another roll and call it a day (who wants to stuff your face while everyone else is done, tired, and ready to go home?!) She came back out with a roll and said it wasn't done yet. She was so sweet...it's unfortunate she works for a rude owner. A couple minutes later, she came back w the new steak and I said (after an hour and a half of being at the restaurant) I had waited so long I just wasn't hungry anymore after eating my potato and a couple of rolls. She took it back, politely apologized, and that was that. When it came time for my grandpa to pay, I asked the waitress (politely) if they had taken the steak off my ticket. Without missing a beat, the owner stepped up to the counter and grumbled "no. I'm the OWNER and I'm NOT taking it off." I was shocked. I told him it took 30 minutes to get the second one out and I wasn't going to make all the kids in our party wait another 15 minutes for me to eat (not to mention my grandparents who are almost 90)! He said "we made a mistake and we FIXED it." I said "30 minutes later, everyone was done!" And that's when he hatefully responded "I'm going to ask you to LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK." So, my dad went in to get the steak I didn't eat ...because, after all, we paid for it. Well, they stuck that gristle filled raw steak in a to-go box and handed it to him. I opened it and I couldn't believe it. My dad went right back in and asked for the SECOND steak that wasn't terrible. Reluctantly, they gave it to us, and it was HOT even through the styrofoam container. I'd bet money it was being warmed up for another customer. It's so sad to me that someone would run a business like that. Especially since we've been regulars for years. We will never be back. And we will be telling everyone we know what happened and how horrible this man was to me. I'm still so in shock that a business owner would be so catty and rude.
Sarah P. It's unfortunate that you are commenting about our family without knowing the entire story. There were 14 of us...I never said we thought the food was horrible. I said ONE steak was. I also didn't complain about the waitresses because I've been one...and I know how hard it is. However, since I'm being attacked for that respect I showed for them, I'll elaborate. My 9 year old nephew sat there waiting on his food until long after we got ours, and he sat there very patiently. I asked repeatedly, and so did other members of my family, where his chicken strips were. The last time I walked up to the register to ask about his food, there were 4 waitresses standing in a circle chatting--one of whom was holding a plate of chicken strips and fries in her hand that she then proceeded to carry to our table for my nephew. That is unacceptable. When a 9 year old is patiently waiting on his food for well over 30 minutes past everyone else getting theirs, you don't stand and chit chat while you've got the plate in your hand with the food getting cold. Unacceptable.
I have NEVER failed to tip, and I've never left less than 15% because, as I said, I was a waitress -- at Cracker Barrel nonetheless (among other places over the years)--and a $5 tip was like winning the lottery. So, before you judge our family and claim we did anything wrong, you should know the entire story. You don't. My brother was the one who suggested not tipping. Why? His son is that sweet 9 year old. He's a loving dad & brother who was looking out for his kid and his sister. He's also a cop who protects YOUR freedoms and works his butt off for every penny. And the service WAS awful. Was the waitress sweet? Yes. But the service was bad.
Did you hear the entire conversation I had initially with the owner?? Did you sit at our table and witness the entire situation? Did you sit with a 9 year old who was hungry and waiting for a VERY long time? Did you sit with SIX kids ages 1 to 11 while they waited forever for us all to finish due to this whole debacle? Did you hear every word my grandfather said? Did you witness us sitting at our table for 15 minutes before we even got drinks? No. You didn't. read more
