When I don't feel like fighting the crowds at the Maumee location, I come to the Frickers in Downtown Toledo. It's great because of its location, it is attached to Fifth Third Field, offering some of the best views of the game if you are fortunate enough to get the window seat.
I have been there many times, usually uneventful and a meal with friends as usual. But there was one particular visit that left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Everybody knows 25 cent wing Tuesdays if they know Frickers. Its an eat in special. Unlike the Maumee location, when you don't finish your wings, you may not take the wings out of the restaurant after you paid for them. But since it was our first time there, we didn't know that this was there policy. So we asked the waitress for a box, she brings small boxes. It didn't finish the wings or rest of our food, so we asked for bigger boxes. She snapped back with "Well I would give you bigger boxes, but I know you will try to put the wings in them." That made me burn since I didn't know there policy and instead of explaining it to us, she made me feel like I tried to murder someone.
So we say look at each other confused and say, "Well, yeah, that's what we wanted it for." And she snapped back with "its an eat in special only." Usually when you visit a restaurant, dine-in only means you have to sit and eat at the restaurant or else you don't get the special. Well we did sit, but they had another idea. So my friend said, "oh well, might as well put it in the small box instead of throw it away, I would like to eat it later." The waitress ran to get her manager, and thank goodness, because he handled business.
He made sure that we paid full price for the wings if we were to take it out of the restaurant. So my friend, though she thought that it was weird that she couldn't take the wings that they were going to throw away and put it in the foam box that she has already, gave them her charge card so that she would be charged full price, so that we could take our leftovers for later. So she signs, and proceeds to get up with the rest of us to leave. She grabs the small box with the chicken, but the manager flips. Though he was there to enforce their rules, charge us full price, but he wanted to make sure that we still didn't take any wings. So he didn't let us leave until he counted ten wings on our plates to be returned to the kitchen.
My friend had enough, she reminded him that she just paid full price for them, she wanted to enjoy them at home later and it was already in a box for her to take home. She didn't say it politely so he boiled back "It is an eat in special only, we can't give you boxes to take them out because at 25 cents we don't make any money."
Did he forget we paid full price?
Did he forget that we didn't have the eat in special?
Did he realize that we didn't need additional boxes, we already had some anyway?
So we stand there staring at him mad/upset/shocked and he finally pulls out his cell phone and says, "You know what? Officer (forget the name) is standing right outside and he has no problem dealing with all of you!"
So the box of chicken wings were placed quietly on the table, we walked away humiliated that this happened in front of other guests, over chicken wings. Other guests must have complained or pulled one over them, and their boiling point was reached with us.
I've been there since, just never again asked for a box. I learned my lesson, but I think that they went overboard. We weren't trying to pull one over their eyes, we were just trying to take our chicken home for later.
So I recommend everyone go to Maumee location instead. read more