Um, we’re a little sketched out by a survey question from the Mexican restaurant On The Border asking customers to agree or disagree with the statement: “I love On The Border.” Sure, sometimes we LOVE Mexican food, but we don’t really love any restaurant. It’s just too large a step to take with an eatery, you know? Reader Max is equally confused…
He writes:
My girlfriend and I recently dined at On The Border, and the server informed us of a contest they had going, to get more survey responders than another local OTB. However, the survey itself uses some odd language.
Another question was “I love the location of this On The Border,” to which I had to choose ‘neither agree nor disagree.’
I understand that surveys can’t help embellishing their company, but this is a little off-putting.
Slow down, On The Border. We’re much more inclined to first, say, like one of your restaurants. Or maybe you’re cleverer than we think and the question is designed to weed out el desperados.
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maybe it was supposed to read, “I love on the border”.
@Megalomania: Ha! I love in doorways, myself.
@Megalomania: Love is a battlefield, and by that I mean a border skirmish.
@Megalomania: No, the next question is “Could you learn to love me?”
Are they giving anything as a thank-you for the survey (a coupon for a future visit)? Then I might be willing to ‘love’ them. Are they here in NYC?
And judging by the progress bar, it looks like there a few more questions. I wonder what they might be.
@nybiker: lol, if they’ve resorted to “do you love [establishment]” this early in the survey…
I love you now, but I’ll let you know in the morning for sure.
@RandomHookup: I for one spend every night outside On The Border playing Peter Gabriel on my boom box.
…I don’t get it.
@xoforoct: Yeah, me neither. Are we getting to the point where our oh-so-priceless consumer rights keep us from being FORCED (with guns, probably) to declare our affection for a company?
I don’t just fill in the bubble for anyone, baby! You gotta win this love.
I may “love” On The Border…I’m just not “In Love” with On The Border…
lol what. it’s just a simple question. probably not the best verb choice, but it’s essentially the same as asking “i like mcdonalds”, “i like ice cream, or “i used to like consumerist”
@Gizmodo Steve: If I’d have been drinking a soda, you would have OMANK.
@SunnyLea: OMANK?
@Gizmodo Steve: Hahaha love your last example. But yeah, this story is really stupid, and if the person sending in the email was being serious when saying he/she thought it was “off-putting,” then that’s just sad really.
@Gizmodo Steve: I agree with this entire thread.
I think this person is taking it a little too seriously. Is there one of those tags at Consumerist? “taking it too seriously”?
I love lamp.
@OMG! Conies!: …are you just saying you love everything you see?
Slow news day, I guess.
“but we don’t really love any restaurant.”
Well, thanks for making me feel like a freak. I happen to love a few restaurants. You guys are like this super-picky English teacher I used to have… “Okay, dear, but we don’t really ‘love’ books, now do we? We love people, perhaps, but not things, surely?”
@SunnyLea: My dad used to say that about the word “hate”. Anytime I “hated” something, I was urged to say that I have a “strong distaste/dislike for…” instead. Needless to say, I hate my dad.
@SunnyLea: Don’t feel like a freak. I LOVE a few restaurants in the DC area, and feel as though I have been ripped from my lover having moved away recently.
Mexican food
Every merchant today thinks that they have to have “OMG! A+++++!!!!!!11one” ratings, like anything less is a failure. It really devalues the concept of ratings, and patronizes the customer, like they’re just too stupid to pick anything in between. Companies like this really ought to get back to the basics.
@humphrmi:
Yeah, after completing my wedding registry I was told by the consultant who helped me that Corporate views anything less than “Outstanding” on their surveys to a bad mark. A customer review of “good” means the consultant has to call and apologize and find out what they could have done better.
I was very happy with the service I received, but I thought it was pretty crazy that only “Outstanding” is acceptable.
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lthgh t mght b mr pprprt t sk “D y lv dnng t n Th Brdr?” stll dn’t gt th pnt f ths stry. gss Sndys r fr pstng nn-strs lk shppng prc rrrs, mt lblng rrrs nd slly srvy qstns.
Kp t clssy Cnsmrst!
@rambow681: I don’t get the fuss that is being made. I know people who will state things like “I love *establishment name here*” “I love On The Border”, it you don’t love it, mark Strongly disagree, if you mildly dislike it, mark disagree, if you like it, mark Agree and if you really love On The Border, mark Strongly Agree. It isn’t rocket science.
But if you don’t like the survey, don’t fill it out.
@rambow681: I don’t get the story, either. Heck, McD had an entire ad campaign based on their customers supposedly “lovin’ it”. I think few people mistook that slogan as McD implying that you want to marry their 99-cent menu…
@rinse: To be fair, some of their web ads said “I’d hit it”.
Yeah, I’m pretty lost here. I think it’s a totally valid question, and the answers are worthwhile data. In particular that question flag fan-boys in general, perhaps allowing the survey to adjust for skewed data.
I love On The Border. The Eagles are a great band.
@Mike8813: Thanks for reminding me. As I get older, I have to remember to change the CDs in my living room’s player. Same goes for my mp3 player.
/heads off to change a cd or two.
Honestly, Consumerist? I’m going to join everyone else who found this story a bit pointless. I don’t see anything wrong with the survey question and in my opinion, yes, you CAN love restaurants or inanimate objects.
Also, I take issue with the fact that, lately, you have been posting stories such as this one, and the “towel snuggie” thing. I understand that maybe these stories are here for comic relief but still… I sent in a story that I found funny and related to things Consumerist would write about and it was never posted. For anyone who wants to read it:
[www.thesun.co.uk]
But On The Border asking a normal survey question gets posted? *shrugs*
P.S. – To those who feel like telling me “If you don’t like the story then just ignore it”, please save your energy. I understand that I can ignore a story but I also feel that Consumerist can certainly do better than this…even on a Sunday.
@AlxFherMana: Fuckin A’!
@AlxFherMana: Consumerist writers get paid per page view. The more outrageous the headline, true or not, and the more debate the article generates the better.
@IfThenElvis: That does make sense, because there are some stories that clearly don’t match the headline. Better quality stories = Better site, Posting just for the numbers = quality can take a hit.
@AlxFherMana: +1 for that story.
@AlxFherMana:Thank you! I know some days can be slow, but sometimes posting stuff just for the numbers can reflect badly on the site.
I would be put off by a restaurant asking me something like that. I mean, it’s just a restaurant, not my boyfriend.
@ajlei:
Please rate your current boyfriend on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 = Strongly Disagree and 5 = Strongly Agree.
Was your most recent boyfriend experience better than previouse experiences?
Would your recommend your current boyfriend to friends and family?
The current price or costs of keeping your boyfriend are reflected in your overall satisfaction?
My wife and I love OTB. Ate there today, actually.
Restaurants used to incentivize surveys like this by giving you a code at the end of the survey. That, combined with your previous receipt, would get you a small reduction on your next purchase – something like free appetizer, desert (only up to a certain price point), or something like 10% off.
No more! No for completing a survey you are enrolled in a mythical sweepstakes were you “might” win $1000. Except no one ever seems to win one of these things – if you have please step forward.
These are cheap ways for restaurants to get you to do some of their market research for them for practically nothing. This is just one more way the customer gets less and less from the retail sector, for the same price.
On the Border, I remember when you were only 3 restaurants in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. It was then that I loved you. You had an unpretentious manner before you added the words “Grill & Cantina” to your name. Yes. Yes. I know you were pressured into it by sharply dressed men who meant well, but had no grasp of your dedication to good honest food. No, please don’t try to defend your actions. I loved you as a teenager but in my twenties you changed. Decisions were made to benefit the stockholders and your passions for me and anyone else who loved Tex-Mex slipped with each uptick of your stock price. I want badly to remember you the way you once were, but when your waiters in Virginia offer me “chips” instead of a warm platter of tortillas all I can do is bury my sorrow in a Negro Modello and silently cry.
@quail: You mean Modelo Negra, perhaps?
Yeah, gotta join in on the chorus of boos.
Lame topic and not a good restaurant either, unless you live very, very far away from a good Mexican restaurant.
@quagmire0: yeah and that’s just a disgrace in Texas. Then again, someone did mention something about Ft. Worth and Virginia, soooo….
From someone who works in market research, this is a normal middle point on five point scale in a survey.
It’s there for the non-commital/on-the-fence respondents. Some people find it useful. Others just use the four point scale without that middle point to make respondents choose one way or another.
At the end of the day, it’s nothing to be sketched out about.
@IfThenElvis: Incorrect.
@AlxFherMana: Sorry we didn’t post your story. I’m not the one flagging the emails for posting anymore, but I will say we seldom post stories that aren’t U.S.-centered. For more info, see this article: “How do you decide which stories to run?”
@Alex Chasick: Ah, I didn’t know that Gawker’s traffic based compensation program didn’t survive the CR buy-out:
based [valleywag.gawker.com]
@Alex Chasick: Thanks, Alex, that’s a helpful link. Should’ve read it before I sent the story in…still you have to admit it’s amusing!
I have never seen an On the Border where I live. I LOVE RUBIO’S!
Where’s the “I love your food but it gives me La Turista?”
@AlxFherMana: “P.S. – To those who feel like telling me “If you don’t like the story then just ignore it”, please save your energy.”
OR, you could just save yours and not write yet another stupid fucking “why is this on consumerist?” post.
@takes_so_little: Geez, what’s with the hostility? I didn’t think I’d been rude… Bad day, I guess.
I thought the ability to comment on something existed so that people could express themselves (you know, kind of like how you expressed your opinion of my comment…) but I guess not. Thanks for your feedback, though!
s ths rlly Cnsmrst wrthy? Y gys pck sm f th lmst crp t rprt.
@Gnuwave: +1
On the Border is obviously trying to be cute. Whether they were successful or not, that’s a matter of opinion.
@Gnuwave: Consumerist “worthy”? It’s a website. It’s not like there’s only so much page space that they can put things in and this means that something better got bumped. If you think it doesn’t matter, ignore it.
next question….
I love getting Montezuma’s Revenge.
I’m sorry, OTB. I mean, I *like* you, but I don’t *like-like* you… can we still be friends?
I don’t get this article – I’ve submitted valid emails to Consumerist about how Sony tries to get you to continue your subscriptions for their PS3 magazine by having a phony bill collection agency threaten legal action if you don’t continue, and THAT didn’t get run as far as I’m aware, and THIS DID?? Lame.