225BatonRouge.com - Blogs

You may not know it by looking at me, but I love food. I can honestly say about 70 percent of my thoughts involve what I'll be eating next. As a matter of fact, I am reaching for a mini Reese's peanut butter cup now. Seriously. Mmmmm, Reese's peanut butter cup….

Although I enjoy cooking, I'm having problems with my refrigerator freezing everything in the back third of the unit, which limits my ability to keep much, especially produce. So, I'm eating out a lot. Which brings me to my story of dining woe in Baton Rouge.

Lately, my appetite keeps getting ruined by bad restaurant service. I worked in a restaurant for several years, and I know how awful customers can be when it comes to their food. I am not that awful. I also know most of the staff does not get a decent salary and they rely on tips to make ends meet. Well, I can only assume some of my recent servers are just working to prove to their parents they can keep a job. With the service I've been receiving, they couldn’t possibly be supporting themselves.

Paranoia is one of my personality traits so I will not be naming restaurants where I received bad service. Don't e-mail me and ask either, since everyone knows everyone here and I will most certainly end up being served a burger with a side of spit. I've heard the horror stories; I know it happens.

My negative experiences have varied, and sometimes have even been repeated. The good thing I can say is it usually doesn't happen at the same place twice, although there are a couple chains (local and national) where it has. My worst experience yet takes place at a new restaurant that everyone was raving about. Everything begins well–we’re seated without a wait, and our waitress is incredibly charismatic and polite. Soon things would quickly slip into a debacle.

I order some incredibly unhealthy fried onion thing, which is good in theory but usually regretted. We order our meal, and then we wait. And wait. After a significant period, the onion finally arrives looking like it's been sat on. You would think with all the time it took it would be extra crispy and delicious. Not true. Then comes the food, literally right behind the appetizer.

Then it happens. I see the glass of water in slow motion as the waitress sets the tray on the table and haphazardly pushes it toward me, spilling the ENTIRE glass of ice water in my already chilly lap. As I catch the ice trying to escape its way down my thigh, she says "At least it wasn't tea." Yes, at least it wasn't tea. Don't mention the fact I have to leave the restaurant with shorts soaked only in the wrong places. I guess I should just be glad it’s not going to be sticky or stain.

So now I've soggy pants, a soggy appetizer and less than mediocre entrées (one of which was compared to chewing a tire). As the staff bring me napkins and towels, which by the way, do not absorb anything, a manager comes over and says "Something spilled on you?" Obviously, powers of observation are the key to management at this place. Then our waitress pipes up, "And it wasn't me this time." This time? What? Can this seriously be a common dining experience? I have been assured the actual manager was horrified by this account, and has promised to "take care of us" the next time we’re foolish enough to forget this experience and return. I'll make sure to dress in my best rainwear and keep my expectations low.

Fortunately, there is at least one place in town where I am guaranteed a good waitress and her name is Helen at Cheeburger Cheeburger. She is always friendly, despite customers screaming at her or getting broken glass in her shoes, and is the only waitress I've ever had who asks to seat us in her section.

I will especially appreciate her now, considering it may be the only restaurant I visit from now on.