Category: gripes

gripes

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Golden cows?

All cows going organic?

Last night I stopped at the local Harris Teeter grocery store to get milk and check out my staples and occasional temptations for sales. While I love raspberries, I refuse to spend over $2.50 a pint. I have been known to stock up when the price drops below $2. Just this past summer the price was $1.50 and I picked up 20 packages! Another example is my favorite breakfast cereal “Krispex.”. Besides the fact that cereals low in sugar tend to rarely to go on sale, I’m convinced they only do when close to expiration, Krispex lists for around $4 for a comparatively small box. The best deal I found was buy one get one free when I had to get a raincheck. I got 10 boxes that shopping trip. Last night as I strolled down the aisle it was $2.50 a box :). Quite reserved, I grabbed 4 boxes.

Now to the back of the store to get milk. Not a sale sign to be seen. I stood in shock for a moment as I saw the store brand gallon at $3.89! Ouch! I will be sure to not drop a single drip and use it before expiration!

In summary, I hope the cows are getting some real good food and luxurious hotel accomodations. 🙂

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Pasta Mia….perhaps another day

After hearing so much about Pasta Mia, I took my partner out to celebrate his new job.  Forgetting that the restaurant in the Adams Morgan section of DC opens at 6:30, we waiting in line about 30 minutes early.  We were not the first in line!

After proving to not be “Smarter than a fifth grader,” we were seated and glanced at the menu.  A few things stuck out…

  1. Cash only (Quite a problem for me with no local bank ATM near by.)
  2. No Substitutions (Perhaps this was to be authentic, but seriously?)
  3. $14 minimum per person (Hmm….this was not a no cover bar.)
  4. No Chicken Parm? (This really was a pasta only establishment.)

So….after not seeing anything that really struck us as a must have, we left and celebrated at the “Duplex” diner at 18th and U street.

Having owned our own restaurant…..and not requiring a minimum charge amount or a minimum per person food cost, we were a bit discouraged.  Seriously…Mc Donald’s and Subway accept charge cards!  Based on the prices, I don’t think it would break the business if they were to accept the service fees associated with charge cards.

I do think that I will try Pasta Mia someday since so many talk about it, but will certainly have to be in a 100% pasta mood and have hit the ATM 🙂

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Bring a Flashlight to Costco

We take power for granted.   Your power company says that “they are always there.”  What happens when the power goes out?  When you are at home, light a candle.  When you are shopping, on come the emergency lights right?  WRONG.  If you are shopping at Costco, be sure to bring a flashlight.  After the initial screaming stopped, customers took out there cell phones and lit their way out.  Needless to say, I was not able to get shopping done…but let’s investigate.

  1. Lights go out.
  2. The store is pitch black, there are no emergency lights and no generator.
  3. After realizing emergency lights are not coming on, you work your way to the front where you hear an employee ask for you to leave your cart and exit the store.
What is wrong?
  1. No emergency lights
  2. No supervisors (One employee is asking where the supervisors are.)
  3. No communication system
  4. No staff clearing out the store.  If you did not come to the front, you would not see any employees.
What should have happened?
  1. Emergency lights should be installed and should have come on.  (In NY it was required of any business to have both lit exit signs and emergency lights.)
  2. Employees with flashlights should have been clearing out the store.  My suggestion would have been to start at the back and work as a team to clear each aisle.  
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Opps..let me comp that and then charge you for the replacement.

Anyone have a bad restaurant experience?  Perhaps since I was a restaurant owner and a waiter for close to 2 years, I am a bit less forgiving when it comes to eating out.  Here is the letter I wrote to the parent company of Bar Louie.  I would have expected a compensation, or at least an expedited replacement.  Perhaps it takes a long time to make a 8″ thin crust pizza, but I would have expected a faster turn around time and a visit from the manager on duty.

Hello,

   I wanted to mention my recent visit to Bar Louie in DC.  My order we inputted incorrectly into the computer by another staff as my waitress was apparently too busy.  My friends order was correct and he ate while I waited 15 minutes for a new pizza to be made. 

  When it came time for the check, I was happy that the waitress said that since it was a mistake on their part, she “comped” the pizza.  I was a bit confused as there were 2 pizzas listed on the bill.  There was a -$9.99 “Quality Control” on the bill, but that apparently was to negate the incorrect pizza.  From what the waitress explained, it was added and then removed from the bill per corporate.  As a restaurant owner myself, I can see it being a way to control shrink and food costs, but was mislead to believe that I was compensated for the error and delay.  I was not.  I would have talked with a manager, but was about to be late for a movie and did not have time. 

  I understand that is likely nothing you can do, but unfortunately, this is the second error and my last visit to Bar Louie.  Great food, but poor service.

Sincerely,

Jason Clock

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