Cell phone use in restaurants

No, I am not posting about how rude it is to talk on a cell phone in a restaurant.  I am, however, posting about something that involved using my cell phone in a restaurant.  Just not to call.

Gullybabe and I met some folks at a local chain family restaurant.  I don't like to name names, so let's just say it starts with an "M" and rhymes with "hairy calendar."

Normally, we wouldn't even go there.  But it wasn't our pick.  We were meeting others.  So I looked through the menu and found something that sounded acceptable: a gorgonzola salad.  Note, that is the actual name of it.  A salad of gorgonzola.  So, one would expect a fairly large portion of the meal to be, well, gorgonzola.

Sadly, this is what came:

Now, in case you couldn't tell, there actually is some gorgonzola there.  Here, perhaps this will help:

And here is a close up:

See, there is, in fact, gorgonzola.

However, I did not believe this was the image of gorgonzola the restaurant intended to convey through the use of a name like "gorgonzola salad."  So naturally, I wanted to complain.  And naturally, our waiter completely failed to return to check up on us.

We did manage to get the attention of a manager, who at least offered to return with some extra gorgonzola.  I didn't need much.  Just enough to actually register to anyone familiar with the substance that it was, in fact, part of the dish.  He did come back with a small container of the elusive cheese - enough that, combined with the original dose, the sum total may have approached perhaps two teaspoons of the magical substance!

I was not thrilled.  You see, this was not the only problem we had.  I don't like to toss around accusations like this, because of the concern of making a mistake and falsely brandishing someone, but I am pretty sure our waiter was not exactly what one would call "operating with the full use of his mental faculties."  Infer from that what you will.  Drinks were not delivered.  Orders were not taken properly.  There was general disappointment from the dinner party.  So the manager heard all about it.  And, to give the manager some credit, he did spring for dessert.

Still... not going back.  The service was abysmal.  The food failed to live up to expectations.  The manager was apologetic, but that wasn't much consolation.

Memo to restaurant executives: in today's world, an unhappy customer might have a cell phone camera and a website.  You have been warned!

Comments

[Independent Thinker]

Doctor Huxtable, there is sawdust on my salad!

[Gullyborg]

LOL!

[OregonGuy]

So there is a difference between necessary and sufficiency?

http://oregonguythinks.blogspot.com/2009/08/syllogism.html

Hopefully, you tipped "sufficiently", too.
.

[Cellular phones for sale]

Oh! I never try to eat "gorgonzola salad" before and this is the first time I saw it and even I will be disappointed about what happen. Glad that you got a shot of that "gorgonzola salad" as a prove. Anyway, thanks for sharing!

-seff-

[MizDi]

While I'm sorry you had a disappointing dining experience, I must say I'm relieved to *not* be the only one with bad restaurant experiences! It never fails ... if there's going to be a problem with anyone's order, it is *always* mine ... dirty dish, undercooked food, wrong dish .... grrrr. Unfortunately, it's normally not something that would show up well on a cell phone camera, but I'll start thinking of that ... now if I could just figure out how to get the picture from my phone to my computer...

[Gullyborg]

I sent the photo to my e-mail address.