It's been said that in spite of all the good experiences you may have had in the past with a particular restaurant, a single bad experience can irreparably ruin that restaurant for you. In my case, this particular Waffle House was a place I would visit regularly whenever I got off work early, for good reason. In those times, the food was delicious, the staff were friendly, and the air felt clean and welcoming. Sadly, this was not the case this time; this particular visit may have permanently ruined those good times for me, and as a result, I no longer feel comfortable returning to this establishment.
It was just past four in the morning on May 17, and I had just arrived at this Waffle House to escape from a light drizzle, expecting the usual friendly welcome from the staff. What I found instead were two workers who looked like they couldn't care less for their job (we'll get to one in particular later), as well as visible grime both in the kitchen and on the floors. Thankfully, I managed to find a clean booth to sit in, after which I gave the workers one of my usual orders: a Texas Bacon Patty Melt Plate with double hashbrowns and a Coke.
When I'm usually in this location, I'm always polite as can be with the staff, as they very much deserve. This time, it was extremely hard to keep that politeness, especially with the cook on duty at the time. As I observed them preparing to make my order, I could feel my positive energy sink to the bottom of my stomach; it was clear that they did not care for their job at all, and it showed in their performance. At their station--the very same station they use to cook the food, mind you--they also had an open energy drink and a half-eaten donut from a nearby donut shop, creating a cross-contamination risk; thankfully, they were smart enough to change gloves each time they drank or ate said drink or donut, but the risk of cross-contamination still existed as long as that drink and donut still sat there, which they did.
Things only got worse when my order arrived at my table, at which point a pit opened up in my soul. When I ordered my Texas Bacon Patty Melt Plate before, it usually came out mediocre at worst and heavenly at best, and my hashbrowns always came out nice and crispy. In the case of the hashbrowns--which were unfortunately single instead of double, as I had ordered--they still came out just as crispy as they did before, and the Coke was... well... Coke. But the sandwich itself... oh Lord, have mercy.
I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the single most unappetizing patty melt I've ever had in a Waffle House thus far. The sandwich was lukewarm, the cheese was hardly melted, the sourdough bread was soggy to the touch, and the patty was covered head to toe in grease. Really, this might have been the greasiest patty I've ever seen on a Waffle House sandwich. The onions in the sandwich didn't help with the taste, either (which was admittedly my fault, as I failed to mention that I didn't want onions), a taste that left my taste buds screaming for solace. Indeed, it was a struggle to even finish the sandwich, which, despite everything, I did.
All the while, the staff maintained that same careless lack of energy throughout the night, up to the point where I paid the bill. This was one of those few times where I didn't leave a tip like I usually did; I firmly believe that a tip has to be earned through good food and good service, neither of which were displayed that night. It makes me thankful that I learned that the nearby McDonald's now opened its lobby at 5 a.m., when I usually leave work early.
All in all, it's safe to say that this particular Waffle House is a location I will be avoiding from now on--or at least, until that particular cook hangs up their apron for good, and even then, I'll still be struggling to find a reason to come back. read more