Randall Ruback

Review of WheatField's Eatery & Bakery

Waitress was incapable of understanding what milk ...

Waitress was incapable of understanding what milk free means. I am an ovo pescatarian. I do eat eggs and fish. In exasperation after the waitress makes her fifth suggestion of gravy on top of salmon in place of hollandaise sauce, I call the manager when the waitress doesn't return to finalize my order and have no faith she got the order right in the first place. The manager completes our order, having herself offered two milk substitutes (these people are not too sharp). Having fasted 25 hours, and our newest order having finally been placed after 50 minutes at the restaurant, I request bread to break our fast. The dinner rolls are delivered. Tasted like sugary Wonder bread - but I say not a word.

I overhear discussion behind my back. Apparently the first waitress is bent out of shape that we asked for bread given our dietary restrictions. Whose business is it of anyone's if I ask for a bite of bread?! THEY delayed our order and our meal. Next, the same waitress (who no longer is our waitress), returns to our table, invades our evening, and announces she is upset and angry at me. Totally inappropriate, and rude. We get up to leave. The manager comes out with a big threatening 6 foot four dishwasher guy. I guess the waitress addressed me with the manager's permission. Forget protocol, listen to the customer, ask what happened, assess. Had it been someone on my staff and learned that they had verbally jumped a customer, no question, the employee would be instantly fired, I'd apologize profusely and entreat the customer in any way that i could to heal the situation - not start an argument in public. I flip on my phone video. They back off. We continue to exit.

This place is absolutely bizarre, unprofessional, inattentive, and the manager is inept and the workers poorly trained. My family was in the food industry for 70 years. I recalled that we had been there previously, and the server (now the manager) had been as dense as tonight's waitress, just is 40 years older - so this was a typical evening for them. How do people like this rise to management?

While I always treat service people with respect, I do believe in the motto: the customer is always right. Clearly if this was the motto of this business they would enjoy better ratings here. An added note to the manager: ask the customer what happened before you get riled up. Workers do cover for their mistakes. Learn to listen better. Know about the contents of your products, and when in doubt, ask the chef. Waitress: grow up. Never rail on a customer - ever, or you do damage to your business, and in a normal well managed restaurant you will be fired on the spot - but then, this would NEVER happen in a well run establishment.

PS: We went to the Outback Restaurant, great waiter, great service, great food, no problem answering my dietary request, and our waiter was happy to ask the cook about ingredients and get back to us. In fact, the manager and waiter Carlos went out of their way to please us, as though they personally felt responsible for the failures within their own industry. Wow! It was refreshing going to a restaurant that was eager to please, knowledgable, and professional - and Outback is a steak house!

Thank you Outback!