Marcellino Ristorante owner Sima Verzino wasn’t about to let a three-car pileup or “monsoon storms” stop Gerard Montemurro from keeping his dinner reservation. Sima offered to drive Gerard back to the restaurant, but Gerard demurred. After waiting an hour for AAA, he called back and asked if the offer was still on the table…
restaurants
Marcellino Ristorante Won't Let Car Crashes, Storms Interfere With Your Dinner Reservation
By 7.20.08
13 Confessions Of A Waiter
By 7.15.08
Except for those who actually work in the food service industry, the general public is largely unaware of restaurants’ inner-workings, and after you read the following article you may concede that ignorance is bliss. Reader’s Digest has complied a list of 13 confessions of a waiter which are excerpts from a book called “Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip–Confessions of a Cynical Waiter” by an author who simply goes by “The Waiter.” See some of our favorites, inside…
Why Won't Checkers/Rally's Make Their Nutrition Information Available?
By 7.9.08
When we posted our Ultimate Fast Food Nutrition Guide a few months ago, a couple readers pointed out that Checkers/Rally’s, the chrome and neon double drive-thru hamburger joint, has refused to provide nutrition information to customers for years.
Meet The Man Who Faked Heart Attacks To Escape Dinner Bills And Cab Fares
By 7.6.08
Police arrested Robert Farnham for “habitual criminality” and “fraud on a restaurant” after his doctor reported him for faking heart attacks to avoid paying bills. The Wisconsin resident, who has been caught pulling the same routine five times this year, most recently keeled over in Applebees to avoid paying $22.66 for a “steak, salad, mashed potatoes, a soda, a strawberry smoothie and a brownie.”
By 6.16.08
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Today from 2-8pm, A&W restaurants will be giving away free root beer floats. Offer probably void wherever the manager feels like it, and it’s not real beer so what’s the point, but good luck and have a happy Monday. [Business First] (Thanks to Jarrod!)
Why Is The Cheesecake Factory Kitchen Being Run By A Drill Sergeant?
By 6.10.08
Reader T is wondering why the Cheesecake Factory’s kitchen is being run by a drill sergeant. He says his meal was ruined by the “unrelenting, verbal assaults” that were wafting from the open kitchen into the dining room where he and the restaurant’s other customers were trying to eat.
The Restaurant Where You Pay What You Can Afford
By 6.6.08
The Today Show featured a family restaurant in Maine that is letting their customers order what they can afford. The scallop dinner is normally $18.95, but if you’ve only got $8.00 — they’ll make you an $8.00 version.
By 6.6.08
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Nathaniel’s restaurant in Owen Sound, Ontario laid off one of their employees because she donated her hair to raise money for cancer research and won’t wear a wig to cover her new haircut. The restaurant owner says he realizes that it’s not good PR for the restaurant, but claims to have heard from customers who would have been “appalled” to be served by a waitress with a buzz cut. We think she looks cute. [CTV](Thanks, Karan!!)
Chili's Chips, Now With Savory Chip-Warmer Knob
By 6.2.08
As if to prove that their chips are served warm, Chili’s is now serving their chips complete with the temperature control knob from the chip warmer. Reader Jared describes his chips with a twist, inside…
By 5.29.08
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Are waiters trying to inflate your wine bill by popping in and topping off everyone’s glass? Or is it just attentive service? [Slate via Dr.Vino]
Chili's Serves You Funky Chunky Sour Cream
By 5.9.08
Reader Linda was having lunch at Chili’s and decided to order some extra sour cream to eat with her mashed potatoes. She was surprised and disgusted to learn that like peanut butter, Chili’s sour cream comes in “smooth” and “extra chunky.” Her letter, inside…
Burger King Investigating Email Shenanigans In Tomato Price War
By 5.6.08
Last week a Florida journalist busted Burger King VP Stephen Grover for using his tween-aged daughter’s email account to slam a farm workers group—but that wasn’t the only weird email event related to this story. Now Burger King is taking steps to officially distance itself from Grover’s actions and the other internal emails by announcing it’s launched an “internal investigation” into all three.
L.A. County Tells Taco Trucks To Keep Moving
By 5.5.08
Peter writes to let us know that taco trucks in Los Angeles county now have to move to a new position every hour: “The county of Los Angeles has enacted some new legislation to prevent taco truck owners from staying in one spot, with penalties of a fine of up to $1000 or jail for failures to comply.” Why such a weird law? Because area restaurants say they’re stealing away customers. If you like your carne asada from the side of a truck, be prepared to start chasing them down as they circle through L.A. county in a weird Mexican-food carousel.
Arbol Cafe Responds To Tipping Controversy
By 4.30.08
Two weeks ago, we made note of a word war going…
Burger King Exec Hides Behind Daughter's Email Account To Trash Talk Opponents
By 4.29.08
The next time Burger King VP Stephen Grover goes online to spread FUD about labor advocates, he should probably leave his daughter out of it. For one thing, she’s a horrible accomplice and will spill her guts to the first reporter who calls. For another thing, this forthrightness clearly makes her too ethical to smear a group that’s trying to bring pay for tomato pickers up to living wage levels.
Philadelphia Cafe Keeping Server's Tips For Themselves?
By 4.16.08
There’s a war of words going on in the comments of a restaurant review in Philadelphia’s City Paper. Someone claiming to be a server has outed the Arbol Cafe for confiscating server’s tips. In response, someone claiming to speak for the cafe defended the practice, claiming that they need the tips to pay for their renovation.
Raleigh Restaurant Requires Credit Card For Reservation, Then Charges $20 Per Person Who Doesn't Show
By 4.14.08
It’s common for restaurants to not seat a party until everyone has arrived, but here’s something we’ve never seen before: requiring a credit card to make the reservation, then charging $20 per person who doesn’t show up—but still refusing to seat an incomplete party. When Matthew tried to get his party of ten seated without two of the people—basically saying he’d pay the $40 to get out of the bar and at a table—management refused. We think this restaurant doesn’t like its patrons very much.
Restaurant Gives 25% Discount To Birthday Diners, Writes "Bug On Food" For Reason On Check
By 3.25.08
A restaurant in Dubai gave a 25% discount to a party of birthday diners after they found four bugs in their food. Says a restaurant official, “The guys thought being friendly and having a joke about the environment would relax the diners because it was a birthday, but unfortunately it didn’t.” We sort of think after the second or third bug, you should probably just comp the meal—and then shut down the restaurant for fumigation.
