Is it too much to expect people to keep their word? What about a restaurant?
I’m thinking about adding a new
restaurant to my “never go to” list after what can only be described as bad
service this past Valentine’s Day. Knowing that everyone and their momma would
be out that night, I made a reservation at a nearby P.F. Chang’s. We headed
there early, to make sure we were there well before our reserved time. And when
I saw the crowd standing in the lobby, I was glad that we had a reservation.
The two young hostesses were very
polite as they checked us in and explained that we would receive a text when
our table was ready. As it was chilly outside, we decided to find a spot in the
lobby so that we could remain inside. From where we were standing, we could see
into the dining room and as we looked upon the diners enjoying their food, I
thought about how lucky we were to have a reservation.
And then the time for our
reservation passed and we began to wonder how much longer we would be standing
there. That’s when we overheard a conversation between another customer and our
hostesses, the gist of which was that his reservation was for fifteen minutes
before ours and he still had an estimated 45-minute wait. When asked how he
would have to wait until a total of 60 minutes to get his reserved table, the
hostesses admitted that their system had overbooked. Looking at the crowd in
the lobby, I think that was an understatement. That’s when we cancelled our
reservation and walked out of the restaurant.
Fortunately, as we walked to the
car, we spotted a restaurant called Blue Agave which advertised as an authentic
Mexican restaurant. They were able to seat us in less than five minutes, and we
enjoyed a wonderful meal with really good service. In fact, I think it was
better than what we would have gotten had we waited for over an hour at the
other place. If you’re in or near Warrington, PA, I highly recommend making a
trip to Blue Agave.
As for P.F. Chang’s? As I said
earlier, it might go on my “never go to” list joining T.G.I. Friday’s after an
incident years ago at one of its franchises. The way I see it, a reservation is
a restaurant giving me its word that there will be a table for me when I
arrive. In exchange, I agree to show up and spend money. On Valentine’s Day, I
showed up cash in hand but found no table available. The restaurant did not
keep its word.
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