My mother has always said that if we go to a restaurant and someone’s going to get either 1) crappy service or B) the wrong food, that it would be my father. And experience has proven her to be right for the most part. Well, now it would appear that I’ve inherited his luck, at least as far as KFC is concerned.
Recently, KFC started advertising their new grilled chicken – in fact, there was even a day when anyone could go to KFC and get a free piece of grilled chicken just to try it. I wasn’t able to take advantage of that deal because I think I had a doctor’s appointment over my lunch hour that day, but the whole grilled chicken intrigued me, especially since A) I’d recently joined Weight Watchers, 2) I love chicken, and thirdly, because grilled be better for me than fried. So, I convinced my main fiend, Jennifer, to go there for lunch.
We got there about 12:15, we went early (for us) because we were starving. As we walked into the restaurant, there were about 7 people in line in front of us. We overheard the person at the counter telling the first person up there that they only had dark meat in the grilled chicken at the moment. Now, maybe I was wrong to assume things, but again, it was 12:15 PM – lunch time – and I assumed that: first) they had white meat already down and cooking or II) they were in the process of putting some white meat down to cook.
By the time when I got up to the line, and the woman told me, in response to my inquiry about white meat, that they didn’t have any, I began to wonder… I’d assumed they just didn’t have any cooked. Maybe they had run out totally. So I asked, to clarify, if they were going to have some soon, because if it were cooking, I could wait. She told me that it takes about 20 minutes to cook. I said, um, but might it already be IN the process of cooking? Like if they put it down 10 minutes earlier, then waiting 10 minutes wouldn’t be that bad. So she gave me a look and went to go check. She came back and said that it wasn’t down yet. So I asked if they had dark meat, with another look she went to go check and said they did. I ordered the dark meat (not my preference, but still, I’m ok), green beans (the lowest side point-wise) and mashed potatoes without gravy (I don’t like gravy, in general, this isn’t a diet-related choice).
I’m guessing that you’re thinking my ordeal is now over, but no, she asked if I wanted a drink. Now, see, there was this sign right behind her that said 2 piece grilled chicken meal, with two sides and a drink, for $4.99. So, I said yes I would like the drink that comes WITH the deal! The lovely woman looks at me point blank and says, “no, it doesn’t come with the meal.” I graciously pointed out the sign BEHIND HER! She said that isn’t going on anymore. I’m thinking “Anymore? KFC’s only been selling this grilled chicken for a week! Oy!” By now I’m really losing my thrill over lunch in general – which is saying a lot! I told her that I didn’t care, just give me the freakin’ drink!! Of course, when I got my receipt, the 2 piece meal was $3.99 and the drink was $1.00 so essentially, it was the meal and the drink for $4.99 just like the SIGN BEHIND HER said!
Well, then I was happy to see that she was the person who prepared my food. Yeah. I get to the table with my drink, napkin, spork, etc. I opened the box to discover that the leg looked like it came off of a baby chick rather than an adult chicken and both it and the thigh looked like they’d been sitting under the heat lamp since the free chicken day. As for my green beans, well, they were cole slaw, and the mashed potatoes were swimming in gravy. I almost cried. Jennifer was all, “go up and complain!” But I just wanted to get out of there. My meal, which I had carefully calculated to be a certain amount of points, was now almost double the points and my lunch had been ruined. I'm sure you'll understand why I might not be going back to KFC any time soon. Sigh.
OK, so you got a crappy meal for $3.99. Last week we went to Outback Steakhouse. The waitress brought me a thick New York Strip steak that was bleeding and full of gristle instead of the petite sirloin that I ordered "Med". I RARELY order a steak at a restaurant because I rarely eat beef. But I do know the difference between a 6 oz sirloin (medium) and a 12 oz NY strip which is bleeding and full of gristle (as they usually have gristle and I don't like them). She volunteered to take it back and cook it a little longer and I told her OK. Well Bill and I sat waiting for 15 minutes after we had already eaten our baked potatoes and he had eaten his supper. Then finally the waitress came with my steak and I asked her to put it in a To Go box. She came back with it in stryafoam. I took one look at it and saw that the steak was a 6oz looking steak that was browned. I tried to cut it when I got home and it was BURNED BLACK on the bottom and dried out and well done and hard. So someone got a big laugh out of that. "That will teach her to complain" I'll bet they said. Well I learned the lesson that I will not eat there anymore. We spent more than $50. there and it will be the last time.
ReplyDeleteHope this makes you feel better. If it doesn't I could tell you about the time everyone got their food but me (has happened twice) and I never did get my meal.
chris