Showing posts with label bad service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bad service. Show all posts

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Atomic Wings - TriBeCa, NYC

For those of you who knows us personally, I'm sure that you would know that we are big fans of Groupon. Ok ok, I'll admit it. It's not 'us', it's more like 'me'. I'm a huge fan of Groupon! Well, to be fair, it's not just Groupon but other similar companies like Living Social, Yelp Deals and so on. Kevin would always just roll his eyes whenever I tell him that I have found another good deal on Groupon. Hey, you can't blame me. Some deals are just too good to miss out on, right? Now, it is also no secret that the both of us likes wings (this time it's the BOTH of us, not just me :P). You can imagine my excitement when I saw a deal on Groupon for Atomic Wings in the city! I believe it was like $12 for $25 worth of food. I've heard from various people that Atomic Wings makes the best wings in the city, so it was a good chance for us to try it.
When we bought the Groupon, we had to select which location (there are 9 different Atomic Wings outlets located all over the city) we wanted to redeem the Groupon at. After checking out Google Map, we went with the TriBeCa outlet, since it's located within walking distance from our regular PATH station. Little did we know then that the particular outlet wasn't exactly located in the best of areas. We headed out to TriBeCa last Saturday evening and boy, the neighborhood looked kinda shady. Not only did it look deserted, but it was dark and there were lotsa graffiti around. Ahhh well, we must not judge a restaurant by the area it's in. Maybe they have some really good wings in there, right? Well, we'll soon find out!
The entrance leading to Atomic Wings looked somewhat shady too. The restaurant is located below street level and we had to go down this really long and narrow stairway. From the signs outside, it looks like Atomic Wings is not only a wings place but also a so called 'sports bar'. From the moment we walked in, there was this really weird smell (I must say it's not pleasant :P) and the whole vibe of the place felt weird. The whole place looked dark and dingy, even with the bright orange walls. Whole whole back portion of the 'sports bar' was in total darkness, and there was this huge empty space. I assume that there used to be a pool table there, maybe? Apart from us, there was only another table of customers there. We saw a sign up by the counter saying that we could sit anywhere and the waiters will attend to us shortly. Only customers who wanted to take out their wings should order at the counter. So, we went to take a seat and looked at the menu while waiting.
After waiting for what seemed like forever, we finally figured out that the waiters are not coming over to take our order. They were just standing there, behind the counter, staring blankly at us. It was just so weird. If you want us to come up and order at the counter, just say so. You have this big sign saying sit down and we'll come by but you just stand there, without saying anything. We finally gave up and Kevin went up to the counter to order. There is a huge soda fountain by the counter but when we tried to order a fountain drink, they said it wasn't working. Why am I not surprise (rolls eyes). So, we had to order bottled soda instead.
Apart from wings, they also have salads, burgers, sandwiches and wraps on their menu. Since they are famous for their wings, we decided to stick to what they are famous for. We have a choice of either regular or boneless wings (you could also get half and half) and 13 different flavors to choose from. Kevin went with the single serving (10 pieces) of regular medium buffalo wings ($8.99). The wings came with some celery, carrots and blue cheese. When the wings first arrived, we were pretty impressed. They were huge! I guess the reviews were right...the wings from Atomic Wings are huge! I didn't try Kevin's wings but he said that they were nice. Not too spicy, just right.
I ordered a single serving of regular honey mustard wings ($8.99). It also came with celery, carrots and blue cheese. I must admit that yes, they looked really yummy. Did they taste yummy though? Wellllll, in all fairness, I think that the wings from Atomic Wings in general is great. However, this particular branch sucks! The wings were rather cold when it arrived. I really liked the taste of the wings and knew that the wings would be totally awesome if they were served hot (or warm, to say the least). I really don't understand how it could get cold in that short journey between the kitchen to our table when all the wings are supposed to be freshly cooked upon order?
We also shared a combo basket of waffle fries and onion fries ($6.99). When we first saw the price, we were thinking that it was a bit steep, just for a side. When the combo basket arrived, we knew why. It was big enough to feed a family of 6 (maybe even more!)!!! Look at how huge that serving was! I purposely took the picture with Kevin in it, so that you can have a a size reference. Also, check out the wings. Big wings, aren't they?
Our total bill came up to $31. We had the $25 Groupon, so we ended up paying an additional $6. $31 is really not too shabby for so much food. I think there was enough food to feed at least 4-5 people. Would we return to this particular Atomic Wings? Definitely not. However, we will have to visit another Atomic Wings outlet elsewhere to see if the service is any better. I guess it's worth checking out, since their wings are not too bad at all.


Atomic Wings - TriBeCa, NYC
311 Broadway
New York, NY 10007-1153
Tel: (212)571 7667
Web: http://www.atomicwings.com

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Tropicana Diner - Elizabeth, NJ

I've been meaning to blog about this place for quite some time but I never got around to it. Kevin and I were in Jersey Garden Mall (yes, AGAIN!) last month and as usual, we were shopping until dinnertime. We didn't want to eat in the mall so we decided to drive around Elizabeth to see what there is to eat. Kevin remembered going to this diner with his colleagues for lunch once and it pretty good. So, he suggested that we go have dinner there.
When we walked in, Kevin said it looked somewhat different. I later found out that it was recently renovated and under a new management. The decor was pretty errrmmm different, compared to all the other diners that we have been to. There we fake palm trees and tropical themed murals throughout the whole restaurant. I guess that's why it's called Tropicana? :P
After sitting us down and taking our orders, our server brought out two tiny slices of cheese pizza. Instead of serving us rolls, I guess they want to be different? I don't know. I find it a tad bit weird. The pizza was rather greasy and not really that great tasting. Maybe they made too many cheese pizzas during lunch and they were trying to get rid of it? Who knowsss...
Our meals came with a choice of either salad or soup. We both went with the Cream of Turkey soup. It was pretty good actually. Really creamy and good. There were also big chunks of turkey in it. I enjoyed it and I think Kevin did too.
For Kevin's main, he ordered the Virginia Ham Steak ($12.95). He chosen mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli as his side. The ham steak was really huge and it also came with three slices of grilled pineapple. Kevin said that it tasted alright, not too bad at all.
I got the Chopped Sirloin Steak ($11.95) with grilled sweet potato and steamed broccoli. When my meal arrived, it didn't have any sort of gravy on it. I remembered that it's supposed to come with mushroom sauce. Nevertheless, I took a small bite of the chopped steak and it tasted horrible! The meat was totally tasteless! I have never tasted anything so bland before. So, asked the server for some sauce (which should have been served in the first place). Instead of bringing me the mushroom sauce, he just brought me a bottle of A1 steak sauce!! For real??? I couldn't eat another bite, cos it was just too horrible. So, I just packed it up and planned to make my own gravy when I got home.
Since my main totally sucked, we decided to share a slice of cake for dessert. They have quite a large selection of desserts and we went with the Carrot Cake ($4.65). Now, this is really good. A slice of really moist carrot cake, with some caramel drizzled over it. Very very good.
The owner/manager was at the register when we were paying our bill. I mentioned to him that there wasn't any sauce with my chopped steak when it was served. He looked at me like he didn't know what I was talking about. I had to actually open up my take away box to SHOW him. He then went on to say, oh we don't usually put sauce on our chopped steak. By then, I was already a little bit upset with him. I said if you don't usually put sauce on it, why mention it in the menu? It clearly states that the chopped steak is served with mushroom sauce. Instead of admitting that they made a mistake, he went on to say "oh you will be surprised how many people don't like that with their chopped steak". It seems they only put it on if you ask them to. I said well, I did ask the server for some sauce but all I got was A1 steak sauce! He then just shaked his head and said no no, we don't usually serve sauce with chopped steak unless you ask. Man, are you dumb? I just said that I asked for sauce but wasn't given any. He then proceed to 'explain' to me that many people don't even know what chopped steak is and blablabla. I told him I know what chopped steak is and I know that it's supposed to come with sauce. I then mumbled under my breathe to Kevin that I will definitely blog about this on my blog and guess what? Mr No-We-Don't-Serve-That suddenly became Mr Nice Guy. He suddenly smiled, apologized and even offered to get me some mushroom sauce, so that I can take it home to eat with my chopped steak. I guess he only cares when the reputation of his diner is at stake. Too bad, damage has been done. There are many other good diners out here in Jersey, so I don't think we will return to Tropicana anytime soon (not even for their carrot cake, which by the way was very very good!).


Tropicana Diner - Elizabeth,NJ
537-545 Morris Ave,
Elizabeth, NJ 07208
Tel: (908)351 7775
Web: www.tropicanadiner.com

Monday, September 20, 2010

No more Dominos Pizza for us!

In the past, we have blogged quite a lot about specials from Dominos. We have also commented on their pretty fast delivery and easy to use online ordering via their website. However, a recent event has change all our positive opinions about Dominos and we have decided that we are not going to order from Dominos (at least the Bloomfield, NJ branch) ever again. Here's what happened.

The Wrong Order
On September 2nd, we ordered the two medium pizza with two topping promotion ($5.99 each) and a 2 liter bottle of Coke online. It's not the first time we that have ordered online and so far, we never had any problems with it. When our pizza arrived, Kevin noticed that on one of the pizzas, there was only one topping. He ordered extra large pepperoni and bacon but all he got was bacon. We doubled checked our receipt ( just to make sure that we really ordered extra large pepperoni and bacon) and yes, it shows extra large pepperoni on both the online receipt as well as the actual receipt. No problem, all we need to do is call them up to tell them of the mistake and they should bring us the correct order, right? Well, wrong! Continue reading.

The Phone Call
We called the Bloomfield, NJ branch and spoke to Esmirna. We told her that they brought us the wrong pizza and went on to explain to her that we ordered extra large pepperoni and bacon but all we got was bacon. We then asked if they were going to re deliver the correct pizza to us. Guess what? Esmirna just rudely said "WE AIN'T GOT NO EXTRA LARGE PEPPERONI". Excuse me? It was on the menu, we picked it, the order went through, you charged us for it and then you are saying that you don't have any extra large pepperoni? She then said "OH, YOU ORDERED IT ONLINE, RIGHT?" Yeah we did. She went on to say " WELL, IT'S AUTOMATIC THEN. THE ORDER JUST GOES THROUGH. WE DON'T HAVE ANY EXTRA LARGE PEPPERONI. IT'S NOT OUR FAULT, IT'S CORPORATE.". What do you mean it's corporate's fault? Anyways, we then asked her why didn't they call us if they are out? We could have changed to another topping or if you don't have any extra large pepperoni, just use regular pepperoni. Don't just give us one topping and act as if nothing happened. She then rudely said "WAIT!" and I could hear her talking to the manager (Carlos) saying that we want a new pizza and why didn't they call us if they didn't have extra large pepperoni...blablabla. We could hear Carlos rudely replying "NO NO IT'S NOT OUR FAULT, THEY ARE NOT GETTING ANOTHER PIZZA". She then came back and flat out said "NO IT'S NOT OUR FAULT, IT'S CORPORATES. WE CANNOT GIVE YOU ANOTHER PIZZA!". Not wanting to argue anymore, we just asked for her name. She then got all defensive and asked "WHAT YOU WANT MY NAME FOR?". Then we said that since you insist it's corporate's fault, we will bring this matter to corporate and file a complaint against the Bloomfield branch. We ordered and paid for a two topping pizza but was given a one topping pizza. That's outright cheating. She then rudely said "FINE, GO AHEAD!" and in a challenging voice asked "YOU WANT CORPORATES NUMBER? I CAN GIVE THAT TO YOU TOO!". So, I took the number from her and hung up. Not a single word of apology from them even though they didn't deliver what we ordered.

The First Email To Corporate
Since it was already pretty late, we figured that we should just send out an email instead of calling (most probably nobody will be working at this hour). So, we went to the Dominos website and filled up their contact form, telling them all that has transpired. With an hour, we received a reply from them. I am not sure if it's automated or if "Denise' actually typed it out, but here is their reply:

September 02, 2010
Dominos Case #: 809259


Hi Kevin,

Thank you for taking the time to contact the Domino's Pizza Customer Care Team and notifying us of this matter. We will forward this information to the appropriate department for further investigation.
Sincerely,
Denise
Pizza Customer Care

Again, not a single word of apology from Dominos. Of course, we understand that they will have to look into this matter to see what actually happened. However, if it was me, I would just apologize first (even if the customer is wrong and the company is right). Anyways, we left it at that and allowed them to do their 'investigation'.

The Second Email to Corporate
One week went by and still no news from Dominos. What's taking them to long? In my opinion, it's a straight forward case. We ordered something, but we received the wrong order and the branch refused to deliver the right order to us. What's there to investigate? Anyway, we emailed them again and asked what's happening? Mind you, it's been a week and not a single person from Dominos apologized yet.

The Reply from Dominos
On September 10th, we received an email from Ryan.

Dominos Case #: 809259
Hi Kevin,


Thank you for taking the time to contact the Domino's Pizza Customer Care Team. I apologize the local management has not addressed your concern. I will once again inform the local representative of the Newark store of the unsatisfactory situation you experienced so they may address these types of issues in their training efforts.

I will be sending gift certificates through the mail for your use at any Domino's Pizza store. Please accept the gift certificates in appreciation of your business and for taking the time to bring this situation to our attention. You should receive the gift certificates in approximately 7-10 days.

We hope to regain your trust in the future and have the opportunity to serve you again as our loyal customer.

Sincerely,
Ryan

Domino's Pizza Customer Care


If you noticed, it's the first time anybody from Dominos apologized. However, he didn't apologize for bringing us the wrong order and refusing to redeliver the correct pizza to us. He didn't apologize for charging us for a two topping pizza but delivering a one topping pizza. He didn't apologize for the extremely rude staff at the Bloomfield, NJ branch. He was just sorry that the local management didn't address our 'concern'. Concern??? Excuse me...I think it's more than just a 'concern'. Putting aside the rude staff and also having to sent a 'reminder' email, the fact remains that we were given a one topping pizza but paid for a two topping pizza. Even though we are talking about a small amount, that's outright cheating! Wouldn't that warrant at least an apology?

Our Gift Certificates
On September 18th, we received this letter and $15 worth of gift certificates in the mail. Not wanting to be petty, but if you noticed, not a single word of apology. Yes, we thank you for the gift certificates (which was how much we paid, minus delivery charges and tax) but in my opinion, it still doesn't make it right. What would? Just a simple "I'm sorry, we screwed up this time" would have worked. This shows, up til now, Dominos still refuse to admit that it was their mistake and thinks that the $15 worth of gift certificates will shut us up. I am not saying that we won't use it, oh yes we will. However, that will probably be the last time we will ever eat a Dominos pizza. They are not the only players in the market, there are many other pizza companies out there. Looks like Dominos has lost two very loyal customers. Instead of giving us the certificates, maybe they should have put that $15 towards classes to teach their employees some manners instead. :P

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Farm 2 Bistro - Nutley, NJ

When we saw the deal on Groupon for Farm 2 Bistro, we just had to get it. The deal was $15 for a $30 voucher. I've been meaning to check out this place since forever, so with the Groupon deal, it was a good time to do so. Armed with our Groupon, we headed out to Nutley a few Sundays ago for dinner (Yes, I know. I've been meaning to blog about this for quite a while but never got around to it). It's located on Franklin Ave, the main strip in Nutley. Since it was a Sunday, there wasn't really many shops open around that area, so there were ample off street parking.
What made me want to check Farm 2 Bistro out in the first place was it's whole concept and the lifestyle that it promotes. Most of their ingredients are purchased from local farms and markets, when in season. Because of that, they have a diverse menu and feature different specials everyday. They also pride themselves in serving really fresh and healthy food. In fact, their tag phrase is "Farm to Plate, in a Day". I like the whole idea and concept of learning how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
The moment we walked into the restaurant, we were like "wow". The decor was definitely errrr eclectic. There were a few picnic tables in the middle and a mismatch of tables and chairs all around. Random things were hanging on the walls but the tin ceiling was pretty cool though. There was also a weird musky kinda smell that I cannot place, maybe it's just an old building. The whole place had this laid back hippie kinda feel to it. We felt a bit out of place and a lil weird :P
The waitress took our drinks order and gave us the dinner menu to look through. Both Kevin and I ordered Unsweetened Iced Tea ($3 each). Farm 2 Bistro is also a BYOB, so you can bring along your favorite bottle of wine to go with dinner, if you choose to.
Kevin ordered the Shepard's Pie ($16, even though the online menu says $15). The portion was really small though. I asked Kevin if it was any good and he said it was just alright. I guess it wasn't all that great but it wasn't bad either. However, to pay $16 for this tiny mediocre serving of Shepard's Pie is little too much.
I ordered the Balsamic Chicken ($16, again..it says $15 on the online menu). Seared chicken breast, marinated in Balsamic Vinaigrette. It was served with fresh mozzarella, local tomatoes and pesto on top. Now, this was really really good. Again, the portion was really small but it tasted great. As much as I love the taste, I do not know if paying $16 for such a small portion, is justifiable. I would understand if it's a nice restaurant, but this is just a small and casual suburban cafe. I don't know.
There was a whole table filled with home made cakes, muffins and pastries, on display, just next to us. They all looked super yummy, so we decided to share a slice of carrot cake ($5). I must say that it's as yummy as it looks. Really moist and delicious! That really ended our meal on a sweet note :D
Now, here comes the part that ruined our whole dinner experience. When we first walked in, we showed the waitress our Groupon voucher. She said alright. Then, when the bill came, you can see from the pic above that she took out $30 from our total bill BUT added on a 18% tip for herself! It was just the two of us and not a huge party of six or more. Why should she add on a 18% gratuity? When we asked her, she just said that because we used a Groupon voucher, she HAD to add that in. Now, no where on the voucher or the Groupon website does it say that it's mandatory to add in a 18% gratuity. Of course we will tip her, but it is not right for her to add in the 18% herself, INSIST that it's done because we used the Groupon voucher and that's the policy. She was just outright lying thru her teeth. Boy, I really dislike people like that. The service in that place wasn't all that great, definitely not worth getting that 18%. We didn't want to argue with her anymore, so we just paid the bill and left. With the steep prices, small portions and horrible service...I don't think we will ever return again, no matter how good the Balsamic Chicken or Carrot Cake was.

Farm 2 Bistro - Nutley, NJ
177 Franklin Avenue,
Nutley, NJ 07110
Tel: (973) 667 3276
Web: http://www.farmbistro.com