The Chili’s in Tuscaloosa, AL served Mike an “Awesome Blossom” that looks like it was run over by a truck. Mike didn’t complain to his waiter or the manager, but he did write to us:
We ordered our food and I ordered the “awesome blossom”. I’ve been a professional cook for 14 years and when I saw what I got I was personally offended. It looked to me like the cook had just scraped out the bottom of the deep fryer and threw it on the plate. I took a picture of the menu and our plate to show what they were advertising it as and what you actually get. They weren’t very busy, most of the tables were empty. It seemed to me the cook was just lazy.
Did I send it back? No. I don’t do that. Having worked in restaurants I know what often happens when food is sent back. Did I complain to the waiter? No. I didn’t see the point in that either. He was a nice guy, (we even gave him a pretty good tip) it was something beyond his control. So instead I silently fumed about it and vowed to never return to the restaurant. The sort of passive aggressive thing that probably happens thousands of times every night at restaurants all over the world that don’t deliver what they visually promise in their menus.
Mike, you are a paying customer; you should not have to stomach unacceptable food. A polite and quiet conversation with a manager wouldn’t have placed the blame undeservingly on the waiter, nor would it have subjected you to the possibly retributive wrath of a clearly reckless cook. If you haven’t already, send a letter to the corporate office.
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Oh, COME ON.
This is just whining. If he really cared, or if it was really “unacceptable” he would have tried to have something done about it, but he just snapped a photo with his cameraphone and ate it and paid for it anyways. This dude just wants to see his name on the Consumerist.
Next week we’ll be hearing that the lettuce on his Big Mac wasn’t as green as in the photo on the ad.
The few Chili’s around me do a better job at keeping the blossom the proper shape, however, I would eat the one above with out qualms.
I think the real question is how did it taste? If it tasted fine, who cares what it looks like. I too was a cook, so I know presentation is a huge part of the meal, but I judge on the quality, not the look. It does appear like mostly batter though, so I’m guessing it didn’t taste so good either. It looks more likely the bottom of the bag to me.
So what? Just tell the waiter, “Sorry, I’m completely unsatisfied with this but I don’t want another one. Please take it off our bill, thanks.”
Anyway, those awesome blossom things are disgusting. One of the most important rules in a casual restaurant: don’t order appetizers. They’re all fried in a way that makes them soggy and dripping with grease.
@SOhp101:
“One of the most important rules in a casual restaurant: don’t order appetizers.”
Actually I think that’s one of the most important rules in being neurotic and picky. Other than that I suggest you pull the stick out of your ass learn to enjoy food.
@Cowboys_fan: I agree. I don’t care what it looks like, I care what it tastes like. If it tastes good, it’s all I care about. It’s all going to come back out looking the same
This is why I REALLY thing the COOKS should be working for tips, NOT the wait staff. It’s usually THEIR fault when something goes wrong.
“BY HUNGRYGRRL AT 03:52 PM
Oh, COME ON.
This is just whining. If he really cared, or if it was really “unacceptable” he would have tried to have something done about it, but he just snapped a photo with his cameraphone and ate it and paid for it anyways. This dude just wants to see his name on the Consumerist.
Next week we’ll be hearing that the lettuce on his Big Mac wasn’t as green as in the photo on the ad.”
I really could care less about having had my name on the consumerist. the point of the post was that people expect what is advertised and when they don’t get it, they often say nothing.
this is a major reason smaller non-chain restaurants go out of business every day. people don’t complain to the manager A LOT. in fact, I’d say more often than not, what I did was what usually happens…they complain by not patronizing a place again. not everyone calls out bad service right then and there. a lot of people don’t want to ruin there evening with a confrontation or just plain want to avoid drama. there were a lot of reasons I didn’t bitch about it to the waiter or manager, the ones listed were just a few. I really didn’t feel like dealing with anybody at that point. I was just pissed. if I had calmly called over the manager or waiter and talked to him about it that surely would have been a great thing and the proper way to handle things but I wasn’t in a state to do that. I would have flipped out on the manager, cook, whoever I could have gotten a hold of and that would have accomplished nothing except to make me look like a crazy person. instead my wife and I finished what food we had, tried to enjoy the rest of the evening without having it been anything dramatic, and went home. the rest of the food was fine. and to answer another question, no we didn’t eat the rest of it. it tasted like it was from the bottom of the fryer.
but you got me! you totally called me out. hope it makes you feel better to be a much better consumer than me!
@morganlh85: COOKS DO. This is why I really wished people who ate in restaurants had a semblance of a clue before making idiots out of themselves in a comment. Your tip is split evenly between the:
Cooks
Wait Staff
Dish runners (if they have them)
and Bartender (if you ordered a drink with alcohol)
This is common for 90% of the restaurants out there especially chain ones like Chilies (which is owned by Brinker Corp and I KNOW splits tips among staff, since my fiancee formerly worked for them)
I can understand why he has decided not to go back, but as someone who works in a restaurant I think he should have spoken to the manager on duty.
If they don’t know about a problem, they don’t know that they may need to take steps to prevent this from happening to someone else.
The manager probably would have taken it off the bill, and apologized. There’s even the possibility of a gift card or some sort of offer to get you to give them another chance at a later date. I know I’ve had to do this on a few occasions.
The real question is, “Did it taste good?”. I honestly could give a shit what it looks like, as long as it has the taste I like. It could be a cheeseburger shaped like a dildo and as long as it was good, I’d eat the damn thing.
That IS the worst Awesome Blossom I’ve ever seen. However, justifying the passive-aggressive response is just being a complete pussy.
@SOhp101: I wasn’t aware that there was a set of rules for eating at a “casual” restaurant. Good thing you were here for us. At least you didn’t just tar all non-fine dining establishments with the same brush…that would be pretty unfair.
Oh, wait, that IS what you did. My mistake!
/sarcasm off
Seriously, eat what you want, where you want. Appetizers at some restaurants are good, and some are crap. And, within the same chain, different restaurants will produce different results. If you get something you think is subpar, send it back and don’t be ashamed. You’re paying, after all.
Or maybe Mike is just better and bending over and taking it like a real man!
@Haplo9000: Sounds like someone’s hemorrhaging blood out of her uterus.
/sarcasm off
Ever looked at the appetizer list in major casual restaurants? Usually consists of fried breaded chicken tenders, potato skins (fried), mozzarella sticks, etc. Of course you’re free to eat whatever you’d like. By all means, dig in.
you’re right. attempting to clarify my mindset at the time is being a pussy.@M3wThr33:
@rg: I’m a lover, not a fighter.
why wouldn’t you tell the waiter? when i waited tables, i just wouldn’t have brought something like that out. silly me, i thought part of my job was to put the correct order in and get the correct food out. he should have stood up to the kitchen.
FALCONFIRE, you should take your own advice about making an idiot of yourself to heart. As a former restaurant manager for several different chains, including Chili’s and Bahama Breeze, I can tell you that the vast majority of restaurant chefs DO NOT receive tipout.
Brinker and Darden, the two largest companies in the US DO NOT tipout to the back of the house. Servers tipout to the bar and to the foodrunners/busboys. And those tips are not an even split. It is usually 10% each to the bar and to the runners/bussers.
Please try and keep your comments to something you actually understand.
@Husker-fan: this is true to a point. if they don’t know about a problem, they can’t fix it…however, if they seemingly have zero oversight about what’s coming out of the kitchen, the place that’s the heart of their business, what’s to say they’d even give a shit to fix it at all anyway? they’d do something to appease me, shut me up, get me out of their restaurant, then it would most likely be back to business as usual.
LOL I did this with the Holiday Inn Express’ “Worlds Best Cinnamon Roll” – but just didn’t figure it was worth a Consumerist post.
Here’s the ad: [gallery.famille.org]
And here’s the cinnamon roll we were actually ‘served’ in Savannah, GA:
[gallery.famille.org]
Whew! I’m glad I got that off my chest.
When you see this sort of thing you have to remember that though a lot of people are comfortable with making a scene (maybe too happy to do so), other people are much less comfortable with it. I probably would have asked for it to be taken off the bill, but Mike just decided never to go back. I’ve seen plenty of people do this before – they won’t say a thing to the waiter, but as soon as they get out the restaurant they tell you they’re never going back. That’s not really whining, a lot of people are just very uncomfortable with even minor conflict.
This is sort of like a silent disease for restaurants – people come back and they never tell you why. It happens quite often, which is why low quality stuff can bite you in the butt even when nobody complains. I think he should at least write a letter (that photo should certainly help things) with the time and date and which location so corporate at least KNOWS when this happens.
For the people who are saying he should have just eaten it, that would take some pretty low standards and a cast iron stomach. Awesome Blossoms are just breaded onion soaked full of grease even in the best case, yes, but the stuff on the bottom is burned, crunchy, and even greasier than the normal stuff. The worst bit is that the soaked in grease has burned in too. And yes, I know some of you love it like that!
He stopped for food in Tuscaloosa, which is ALWAYS a bad mistake! And, his instincts were good about NOT complaining. Heck, even Alabama legislators will punch your lights out if you complain!
[www.youtube.com]
NEWS FLASH Food At Chili’s Not Always Very Good STOP THE PRESSES
I just really don’t friggen care about this one. They’re crack-like no matter what.
Oh and one of the alpha stoner foods if I’ve ever seen one (along with cheesesteaks, chocolate donuts, ice cream and pop tarts).
Stop the hate!
I disagree about not wanting to make an issue of it. Fact is that if he made a scene in the resturant some of the people would have noticed and a few of them would have been turned off from coming back. Posting it on a well hyped consumer board ensures a lot more exposure and in turn a lot more bad press. Give the people at the company a chance to make right on the issue before trying to make it seem like they can do no right.
The fact that you have food experience should just solidify that you know people will make mistakes and need to be called out on those mistakes. Contact the corporate offices, show them what happened then post an update. My $.02 at least
First of all, the server definitely should have taken some of the responsibility for the way the food looked. Unless he/she delivered it blindfolded, that plate never should have made it out the kitchen door. The tip most assuredly would have reflected the quality of the food, as well it should. (For the sake of clarity, I know there are situations where the food looks exactly as advertised, but in fact may be cooked wrong or otherwise contains a deficiency not visible to the server. In those situations penalizing the server is completely unacceptable).
Secondly, fine, say the OP raised a fuss and demanded the dish be replaced. Do you have any idea what happens to food returned to the kitchen? I completely agree that the OP should have given the plate back to the server and had the item removed from the bill. You do NOT want it remade.
Finally, it doesn’t matter if some of you don’t care what the food looks like, “as long as it tastes good, you’ll eat it.” You’re paying good money for a product. It damn well better LOOK correct, as well as TASTE correct. You certainly wouldn’t buy a brand new car that looked like someone had taken a ball peen hammer to it, would you? Well, if it runs good, that’s all that matters, right?
if you aren’t going to complain to the wait staff or management at the restaurant, you have no right to complain to others behind their back, that’s just rude.
Ever heard “if you aren’t part of the solution then you’re part of them problem”?
I understand Mike’s desire not to complain. A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were at O’Charley’s (first mistake) and they served us chicken fingers that we only cooked on the outside and were raw on the inside. Both the waitress and the manager appologized and offered to replace the item (obviously we had no desire to eat chicken after that!) and we declined. They still charged us, and I didn’t care enough to fight them on it. Instead we won’t be going back there anytime soon.
And yes, I though about emailing their customer service but all we would get is a gift card, which would have to be used at their resturant.
@kingoman: really? no right? if I paid for something I pretty much have a right to say whatever I want about it no? I think being served crap is rude. I think that the onus being on me to raise a stink about it when I’d much rather just enjoy a night with my wife is rude.
people can think I’m wrong for posting it here instead of keeping it a private matter between me and the chilis-megacorp but the fact of the matter is, this sort of thing is happening day in and day out just not on a popular website like this.
this food should never have been served. period.
it was garbage and it made it past all the checks and balances to my plate.
the cook saw it, the kitchen manager most likely saw it, the restaurant manager might have seen it had he/she been spending anytime in the kitchen, the various waitstaff that walked past my table had every opportunity to see it, and finally the waiter himself saw it. I think that’s pretty rude.
and I think it’s a sign of a much bigger problem, that being that they obviously saw it as normal to serve it like that.
but yeah, I’m the rude one.
@mrjimbo19:
so making a scene and scaring off customers in the restaurant (and probably freaking out a few customers just trying to enjoy a night out in the process), as you suggest, is more appropriate than this?
right. maybe. I guess.
@cookmefud:
I would say in this case letting people know who are directly in contact with that poor of food/service is the biggest concern. Beyond that though how is what you are doing now any different then scaring people off in the resturant right away?
This part is not directed at you persay but I think it does fit into an overall issue. People find it easier to complain and in turn create problems when they can hide behind the annonimity of the internet, perhaps service declines because no one is willing to stand up and make a scene about it at the time (myself included at times).
I still believe you should make an issue of it at the corporate level at least and see what the reaction is, perhaps they will be the ones to “win you back” and show you that they don’t stand for substandard food/service.
In regards to being concerned about sending the food back an easy solution is to just hold onto the item at the table wait for the regular ordered food to come out then send it back and ask for it to be removed from the bill. I don’t think your making to big deal about the issue I just feel you are not doing it in a way I would. Thats the beauty of the world though we can choose to do things in a way we see fit.
those things are fried onions??? they look kinda like frito lays chips I eat all the time haha.
How in the heck did this personally offend him? That would imply that this was done intentionally to HIM.
Not complaining dumb.
Tolerating your fellow employees do stuff to the food that gets back to the kitchen is even dumber.
This guy needs a Consumerist post against HIM.
I might be confusing Chili’s with another restaurant, but I think they used to have something called “onion petals” that were basically like a fried onion but already cut up. The breading was different, but this picture almost makes me think they were out of something and he got a combo of the old onion petals and the new awesome blossom.
Speaking as someone else who has “been in the industry” or whatever, there’s a very simple way to deal with this kind of thing.
If you receive an item that you ordered, but does not meet your standards or expectations, as soon as the waitron comes back to your table, politely inform them that the item doesn’t meet your standards and expectations, and request that it be removed from the bill. If you’re willing to eat it anyway, or already ate half before you decided you were not satisfied with it, simply ask that it be reduced to half price.
This has never failed to provide a satisfactory resolution, and it doesn’t involve replacing anything with a new order that may or may not involve “freebies”. Usually they will completely remove the item even if you offer to pay half.
Tip according to what the bill would be *if* the item hadn’t been removed, it’s not the waitron’s fault.
Abusing this to be a cheap-ass prick who freeloads off everyone is, of course, not encouraged. As always, jerks and fools are capable of ruining it for everyone else.
If it tastes fine and looks fine otherwise except for arrangement, eat it. Complain on your way out and pay in cash so they can’t tie your name to the complaint (although if they do anything to your food that’s illegal and you have every right to expect sent-back food to be taken care of correctly). That way you also can’t be perceived as a freeloader.
Or, complain to the manager the following day and explain that the food itself was OK but the presentation wasn’t, and you feel it important to mention for the future.
I’m sure this will sounds like a rude question, but why woulda professional chef with 14 years experience go to a Chili’s? To remember how not to do things?
@HungryGrrl: The very first post blames the victim. Nice.
We expect restaurants to prepare food properly. We have menus with photos so people know what they will get. So the food should at least mostly resemble the picture.
He’s not being a freeloader. He just wants the restaurant to do its job. I think that is more than fair especially since he was not trying to get free food out of it.
Personally, I never ask for anything to be removed from the bill, either. If that happens, it is on their initiative and not mine. And I’m never rude and I don’t raise my voice. My complaints are always of the “so the next person will get better food than I did” nature.
I thought Awesome Blossoms were found to be the only food that offered absolutely no nutritional value, and was more damaging to the body than any other food. Either way, the poster is awfully defensive about the responses he is getting. I’m surprised this even made it on the Consumerist. It’s such a non issue. I’m not saying I wouldn’t have been upset (i wouldn’t have ordered that crap in the first place) but I can only blame myself if I did not let someone working there know my disappointment with their product after eating it,smiling happily, paying for it, and leaving.
@SOhp101: Maybe that’s because people like those things? What’s wrong with that? I’ve had very good examples of the various things above, and very bad. I learn quickly where I can get the good stuff that isn’t greasy and tastes great.
I have a friend who’s a cook, too, and I know how unfair it is to assume all restaurants serve lousy food when tehy serve a certain dish.
@floofy: Maybe he is defensive because blaming the victim is wrong. Ever think of that?
I will say it yet again. This isn’t Consumerist anymore. This is BlameTheVictimist.
Every. Time.
I call bullshit. That picture looks like it’s already been manhandled. Can anyone in Tuscaloosa, AL confirm or is this just one man’s story?
The big giveaway that it’s not true is that Mike’s a cook. What’s a cook doing at Chili’s of all places?!
@cookmefud: You selectively didn’t read the part where he explains this. And your username looks like you registered just to post that. Seriously, that’s beyond sad.
I think he did have a legitimate pick. When I order a Whopper at Burger King, I don’t expect it to look like the picture.
But if I was paying extra for presentation (which he was) and presentation was sucky, I’d write a letter to consumerist too.
@HungryGrrl: BOOM! First post! Blame the consumer, it’s their fault! Once again, how stupid does anyone have to be to expect customer service, or food in a restaurant to be tasty.
We need another gawker blog for folks around here, ihateeveryone.com.
On topic, I agree that they should have complained at the time and had it removed from the bill. What is acceptable to one person may be unacceptable to others (as we all should be learning here).
@Buran: I know. Isn’t it great
“I think the real question is how did it taste? If it tasted fine, who cares what it looks like. I too was a cook, so I know presentation is a huge part of the meal, but I judge on the quality, not the look.”
You have, apparently, never worked in a restaurant above the level of a Chili’s then. Presentation is an equally important part of the meal relative to the taste in every meal that I eat or cook for myself. The amount of effort that one must take to come up with a dynamic, not to mention passable, presentation is negligible. Where I work, if it looks bad, then it gets replated.
While the person quoted above may not care what his food looks like, I guarantee you that most customers do. I should also hope that Chili’s corporate and the front and back house managers would be suitably dismayed at the crap that he was served.
Tell you what, how about you sue them for it not looking right. Then, sue all the fast food places in the world. You could get rich! woo hoo!
I thought this site WAS for whining about consumer problems!
I must have missed a meeting.
@Applekid:
the picture was manhandled?
what the hell are you talking about? it’s been stitched together with another picture I sent to the consumerist by the mod and resized. other than that, what are you looking for? a crowd of people to verify my story? there were like 10 people in the restaurant. like I said, it wasn’t busy. and I am not the type to stand up on my table and shout about my effing onion. but I sure as hell will relay the story to a website that’s about consumer issues.