Normally the staff is very efficient, helpful and friendly. But lately things have taken a turn in the wrong direction.
The other morning at the drive-up I ordered two large coffees, then attendant cut me off before I could complete my order.
When I reached the window I asked if I could add an express dozen. You would think that a "Donut Place" would be thrilled to sell donuts, but the young women informed me that they do not accept additional orders at the window.
"Really" I replied. Which was met with that blank look you see in mug shots.
I gave her a few seconds to take it all in and asked if she could please make an exception. For my effort I received one of those "go to hell whitey" looks you get from certain black people of a certain age when they think they are being dissed by a rich white guy in a Lexus SUV.
After a minute she provided the donuts and closed the window.
Dear Dunkin Donuts, I'm sorry that this additional request confused your staff so much that they forgot to provide a receipt, because they also forgot to charge me for anything.
O'Brion's Mt. Pleasant - The nice thing about O'Brion's is that they are far removed from the tourist areas of Charleston but easy to find inside the planned development called I'On.
It's a very small pub style establishment claiming a dozen beers on tap and two dozen in bottles in a upscale neighborhood.
But the customers service fail starts with the beer, while they have twelve taps some are apparently just for show. I ask our server, a dark haired chunky girl who is fanning herself (because its "a little hot" in the bar on this humid Saturday afternoon) for a "Fat Tire".
"We're out" she announces.
To my left a request for Amstel Light, and clockwise around our table Yuengling, Yuengling and an Ice Water, Iced Tea, and back to me, " Sam Adams?"
"We're out" I fail again. "New Castle?" I meekly ask.
And she's gone.
The bar is about half full, college games are all around but the television in our corner of the bar is showing the weather channel. Our bar height table is surrounded on both sides with parents and kids in soccer shorts and jerseys none are watching the weather channel.
When our server returns we ask to change the flat screen to the Carolina game. She says she'll ask the manager. The television will remain on the weather channel for the rest of our time at O'Brion's.
My clients ask "what's good?" Our server says "everything is good". Which means to me the kitchen is iffy at best. I press her for more information, my quiery is met with"I said its all good".
The kids around us are eating pizza that looks like "Totino's" right out of the box. I opt for a Reuben with chips. Noticing my client is still without water I also ask our server for a glass of ice water. Her reply is "sure".
A plus is their homemade chips with blue cheese, which are delivered to the table before the beer. We ask about our beer and the server tells us "We are out of Amstel Light, for whoever ordered that."
He offers to have what everyone else is having.
The beer shows up and we discover that we are all drinking Yuengling and jokingly ask our sever if the iced tea is really Yuengling. She is fanning herself again and doesn't crack even the slighest smile.
The food arrives and I inquire about the water again. Her answer is something about it's hot and she'll get to it.
I eat about half of my of my Ruben, its very good and everyone else seems satisfied with their food. One of the group asks our server for pepper as she walks by, she grabs the condiment caddy in the middle of the table and puts it in front of him. The caddy has pepper and salt though you have to look down into it to see the small bottles.
Before she leaves she picks up our empty plate of chips and points at my plate and asks "are you still working on that" I surrender "no". She offers a to go box, "no thank you", I reply.
Suddenly may plate is gone. I start to object but figure she was hungry and wanted to scarf is down behind the bar.
The weather channel drones on with hurricane graphics announcing doom for the Northeast.
My client asks for the check and the server asks if that would be separate checks? "No one check" my client answers.
Then the server asks again, "so one check?"
Myself and the two other men at the table offer to pay, the client prevails and the sever gets the message ONE CHECK!
A minute later the server shows up and hands me the check, my client reaches across the table takes the check from me and places his hundred dollar bill and the check on the table. Then he excuses himself and leaves for the restroom.
Our server returns, picks up the the check glances at it notices the 100, then looks to our group "Do you need change?"
"Yes" I answer.
The client is back at the table when the server returns, she's still fanning herself. "Here's your change" she announces. The client tells her she can keep it. Her answer is an astounding, "they told me to bring the change".
I debate grabbing the change and giving her back two dollars.
The amazing thing is that she really thinks she's the best waitress in the world, worthy of praise and large amount of cash for her service skills.
More reviews of O'Brion's Pub and Grille here and O'Brion's web site is here.
6 comments:
Cedar you have hit on one of the real reasons our country is on the fast track to ruin.
By God if you can't excel in the fast food or bartender world what can you do?
I've known people who have spent their entire lives as servers, they took pride in their work and considered themselves as experts in the art of food service.
What a joy it is to be waited on someone at a fine restaurant who knows their stuff.
But it is a dying art.
Are you expecting five star service at O'Brion's and Dunkin Donuts?
Consider yourself lucky if you they even get your order correct.
Another racist comment from Cedar Posts!
I've been to O'Brion's not bad, but nothing close to what is could be with the right management.
Chunky come on Cedar say the F word I dare you.
"go to hell whitey" looks you get from certain black people of a certain age when they think they are being dissed by a rich white guy
I love that line. And by God I get those looks all the time. And it's always over THEIR mistake. God forbid a white man should have the stones to attempt to correct a negro over their mistake. It does say something as a whole about the negroes however. We've dumbed down everything in this Country to accomodate them and they still can't get anything right.
Next time perhaps it will go better if I speak to them in their native tongue, "yo, yo, yo, Miz Thang, I done ax you fo some catch-up fo my muthafukin fries and shit. Word. I know right. Word. Yo, yo, yo, bitch, know what I'm sayin' and shit?"
Will never eat at Obrien's--thanks for warning. And the hate white people attitude has exploded since Obama's coronation....
Certainly agree with last 2 comments regarding the "black attitude". The sense of entitlement is amazing. Also they do seem more bold with Nobama in the white house but hopefully that experiment will end in 2012 and then we will see how blacks handle that. I'm expecting riots since they probably feel entitled to the white house now. Nobama has made race relations worse but only because blacks expect even more that they don't deserve. There are plenty of hard working blacks that have fit into the American business and social scene. They have success and this isn't directed at them - only at the 10-15% that make all blacks look bad with their attitudes and actions.
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