22 June 2007

Drip, drip, drip

Went to dinner with mom & dad tonight at Macaroni Grill. Last time I was there, it was with visitors from Denmark, and they were not impressed. I'm guessing tonight was our last visit for another five years or so until mom forgets that we had dinner in the rain even though we were sitting inside....

Oh yes, it was raining outside, but the roof leaks. And the leaks dripped where? On our table. Or rather, on mom & I. All through dinner I kept noticing occasional water splooshes on my arm, but I didn't think anything of it. Then suddenly, mom pushes away from the table and says, "Are we done? Because I'm gettting wet."

Dad, being an extrovert, calls the waiter over to say, "You might want to let someone know that the roof is leaking here on this table." And the waiter (and then the Maitre'd) is dumb enough to say, "We know."

So.... they knew the roof leaked over that table, but they seated people there anyway? Brilliant. The stupid thing was admitting it. A smart person would have said, "Oh, really? Dang. I better tell a manager. Thanks for bringing that to our attention." Then you walk away, snickering, but you at least have done a public relations turn and appeared to be concerned about your patrons' comfort and (frankly) the sanitation standards of your business. Instead, they said, "Yeah, we knew you'd get dripped on all through your meal, and we know the drips go through the roof, the insulation, probablly all kinds of nasty roach poop and whatever, but we don't care because we already *got* your business."

I promised mom I would blog about the experience. Mom said, and I think she is brilliant, "I'll blog with my feet."

4 comments:

Wil said...

So, which one was it? Westheimer Rd. or Willowbrook?

Wil said...

Dearest Smukke, you need to get a lot more specific. A link to their corporate web site, the specific location of the restaurant. And the names of those in charge who were stupid enough to say "We know."

Because negative publicity, the verifiable kind, goes a long, long way. Particularly when it is the absolute truth, that's why.

BTW, I am sorry you and your parents had to experience this problem. Now call the health department in the town or city where the restaurant is located and file a formal complaint. Because there is no excuse. And it's time they were shut down for such stupidity. Include the building department in your calls -- that roof might collapse on customers at any time. At least you won't be shirking your responsibility to make the public aware of an unsafe situation.

Smukke said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Smukke said...

The Woodlands, actually. If the roof collapses, I'll feel very guilty for not having alerted the media in a more vociferous fashion. As it is, though, I think it's more of an annoyance than an actual health/safety hazard. But I could be wrong.