What The Hell Happened To Restaurants?

It seems like the management of restaurants is not what it once was. Lately it seems they are doing something wrong. They seem to running out of items, and not minor items either. It seem they are running out of the items you would most likely go into them to get. Three restaurants had this happen, and all in the same week.

Was with a few friends this weekend, and around about 8pm we decided to order a few pizza for delivery  So we give Pizza Hut a call, as they are the closest pizza available. Well, this idea ended quickly, as they were "out of pizza". It seems they ran out of the frozen dough discs that they make all of there pizzas with. Sure it was 8pm on a Saturday, but that is no excuse. One would think they would have like an emergency stock, just on case, but no. If you are a pizza place, and have no pizza, why are you even staying open?

Right now, at the time of writing this, El Pollo Loco is running a special for a 10$ whole chicken. Seem like a good deal, but you sit in the drive through, engine idling, only to be told they are out of chicken. This has happen to me several times. Everything at this place (nearly) requires chicken. How does even a grossly incompetent manager allow this to happen? This is worse than Pizza Hut, as this not only wastes time, but also gas. One would think they would put a sign in the window, so you wouldn't waste 20 minutes in the drive through with everyone having the same conversation with the window.

The worst offender on this lately is Marie Callender's. There have special that come with your choice of pie. A decent deal, or they would be except for one thing, they seem to have problems keeping pies in stock. So I eat, and at the end of the meal the waitress ask what kind of pie I want. I say "Kahlua, please". A moment later she returns "We are out of Kahlua", very well I think, it is not that common a pie. So I say, "Fine, then I will have pecan pie, please". She goes in that, and comes back "We are out of that too". So at this point I ask "Well what pies do you have in stock?", to which she replies "I don't know". First this waitress should be fired for being this dense, secondly how can more than one pie be completely out?

What happened to the people that manage restaurants? Did they all collectively decide to shove their heads up their asses? Did the large corporations that own these places cut down on bonuses, and they are taking it out on customers? Either way, something needs to be done.

Restaurants Annoyances.

Everyone enjoys going out for a meal every so often. Not fast food, but a meal at a place where you are seated and served. Could be a diner, could be fine dining, but no matter the quality or style certain little annoyances happen all too often.

When you first set down you are usually imediately offered a drink. This should be simple, but in the last few years something new started happening. You say "Coke" or "diet Coke" and they reply "is Pepsi alright?", as if that is going to ruin the entire meal. This didn't used to happen. Did some lawsuit happen so now they need to correct you on what they have? I want something cold, wet, and mildly fizzy, just bring me what ever is on tap. This is easily the second worst thing about getting a drink.

While were on the subject of ordering drinks; why do some restaurants feel the need to put lemon wedges in your soda? The reason you ordered your drink, is almost certainly because you like the taste, adding this lemon garnish changes the taste. Why would do they feel the need to do this? It is like when you are getting a blow job and the chick reaches around to put a finger in your ass. You didn't ask for that, and you do want it. If you ask her about it, or the server about the lemon wedge, they will both say "well, some people like it", well some of the people you do this with are into some strange shit honey.

Then there are the people you are with. If you are in a group of three or more, someone is going to special order. Not a simple special order either, a simple one is fine, a "hold this" or "extra that", that is fine. What gets annoying is the person who has to make a change to nearly every part of the dish they ordered. Everyone else took no more than 10 seconds to order, and he is on minute 25 of exactly how he wants his dish made. If you need to make more than one change to what you are ordering, you do want it, so don't order it. This behavior just leads to your food being spit in.

All that being said, it is still better than cooking some nights. If only we could just cut a few things from the experience. Just perfect it a bit.