Total lack of Customer Service in Dominic's Restaurant

[Harry]

Tonight we went to dinner in Dominic's in the Landing. Was enjoying dinner when the waitress came by and said oh, by the way the credit card machine is down. I said OK, what should I do? The waitress said don't worry it will be back up in a minute or two so we finished our dinner. About 15 minutes later we flagged down our waitress to find out what was going on and she said she didn't know and left. After about 15 more minutes we flagged down another waiter and asked if we could have the bill. Another 5 minutes or so our waitress brought the bill by and again stated the credit card machine was still down. I asked for the manager. After another few minutes the manager came by and stated that there was only 3 ways to pay. One was by cash, one was by credit card and one was by check and she would only accept that because the credit card machine was down. I stated I couldn't pay cash and what options did I have. She stated there were no options. I asked how long the credit card machine was going to be down and she stated she wasn't sure. I stated we have been waiting to settle up for the bill for well over a half hour and that we would be happy to return tomorrow to settle up. She stated this could not be and that I had to take care of the bill before leaving. I requested for her to call the police because the options given weren't acceptable. She stated the police had already been called and they weren't expected to be there for a while. I said then I guess I would go and return later to settle up and she stated that wasn't going to happen. Then she requested name and address so I gave her a return address label. She stated she needed photo ID so I provided. I assumed that I was going to be able to leave and return to settle up later but then she stated that if I left the premises a warrant would be sworn out for me. Finally, the police showed up and guess what. Magically, the credit card maching came back on and we did settle up. I had over an hour involved because the credit card machine wasn't working. This is p-- poor management and what kind of customer service is this. I am positive I will never return to that restaurant again and will let everyone who wants to know what else happened that I can't print here. What do you think??????? I personally can't wait for Olive Garden to open. ???

[samhass]

That is outrageous.

[barb1191]

Dominics should be reported to the AG, BBB, local news station (not the Sun), consumer protective agency, and federal senior citizen advocate agency.

When a credit card machine is down, they are still able to process a transaction. All they have to do is call the CC company and get an authorization number for the transaction to write on the bill. Sure sounded like some unethical business going on there.

Best way to expose them is to contact the Ocala/Orlando TV news station, consumer advocate dept or the like. It will be announced over the news broadcast. That's one way to expose the critters.

Best of luck.....barb

[Rokinronda]

OMG, That Manager should be reported, and FIRED!!!. BARB is correct!! Credit Card Authorization contact #'s are posted above any managers desk. A phone call and all is set!! Total disregard of the customer. The customer should have been told the problem immediately, offering free dessert while waiting a few minutes. After a few minutes a check presented with the option of a manual post handled by the manager OR offer that they could pay at their convenience, since they had inconvenienced him enough!!! Management ALWAYS has a manual card copy machine handy

[samhass]

On top of that, I find the food to be mediocre at best.

[disnefile]

They will be following the way of Wiskey Creek soon. I heard tht they are for sale

[travelstiles]

We had a few bad experiences there. During our last visit when we requested a table outside at dinnertime ( 6 pm), the young lady at the desk rolled her eyesand said she'd have to see if she could find someone to wait on us (there were 2 tables seated outside already). Halfway through our meal, our waiter disappeared for over 30 minutes. When he returned he apologized, explaining that the manager had called him into a meeting for the last 20 minutes - even after he told her we were waiting for our beverages. When we asked for the check he never returned - a waitress dropped it off and said he was no longer there... :dontknow:

[efrahin]

I agree with the quality of the food. Mediocre is above my grading. Those idiots do not know or they have not been trained. Every place that accept BCards has a hand machine and sale slips for this type of problem. A smart person will do a hand transaction and get the customer name and phone number in case of a problem. In the worst of the case how much can they loose on a dinner??? I only visited them once and it was enough.

[Jullie]

Unbelievable....I would have looked around for the Candid Camera Crew....
I agree, they need to be exposed.

[nitehawk]

When they first opened they were OK. as of about four months ago we stopped eating there as the food and service has gone down hill

[diskman]

Sounds like an inexperienced mgr or one with NO common sense :edit: :dontknow:

[Harry]

The person I dealt with claimed to be the owner??????????? :dontknow:

[zcaveman]

We ate there once and it was a bad exprerience and we never returned. Others said it was great. I liked Augustines in Spanish Springs. Why did they ever leave? :dontknow:

[chuckster]

We ate there once and it was a bad exprerience and we never returned. Others said it was great. I liked Augustines in Spanish Springs. Why did they ever leave? :dontknow:


Also enjoyed Augustines which was Village managed. Unfortunately the Villages left that operation and it became Toscas (not very successful) and subsequently Bourbon Street.

[Harry]

One of the things the owner could have done is to call the 800 number (every credit card retailer has this capability) and complete a manual transaction. Since the owner didn't want to fuss with this method of problem resolution she would rather have an unhappy customer who won't never be back. Must be nice to have so much business you can choose who you want for customers.

[bestmickey]

Knowing the owner could have done a manual credit card transaction, maybe you should have asked the cop to charge the owner with harassment!

[marianne237]

The shame of the thing is that businesses in TV are hurting for customers and then to do something like this is unthinkable. IMHO it indirectly gives the good restaurants a black eye because we'll all be wary when we hear things like this happening.

[Talk Host]

I have never heard of anything quite like this before. :o

[troubletog]

WE haven't gotten to TV yet but hope to be there in Jan for a visit. I will make sure that we don't visit Dominics (If it's still there)! Thanks for the info.

[Puterguru]

Wow this is just terrible. I was planiing on eating there within the next week too. I would strogly suggest that each one of us call that place, ask to speak to the manager and tell them how we will not be dining there EVER because of this ridiculous incident.

[jtdraig]

Another alternative would have been to refer "Harry" to the ATM which is just up the street. Can a restaurant manager be this brain dead in a place where an incident like this will be all over the internet within hours? Whiskey Creek died, in part, because of this. Looks like Dominic's will be outta here shortly.

[Villages Kahuna]

Wow! We stopped in to Dominic's a couple of weeks ago on a Tuesday night when Rocky & The Rollers were playing. Without any trouble we got an outside table facing the LSL square and the entertainment. It took 10 minutes for a waiter to come to our table to offer menus, bread and water. It took 50 minutes to get our order. And we asked for extra bread and napkins, they never were delivered.

Having described the abominable service, I do have to say that the food my wife and I ordered was outstanding!

It's pretty clear that something is wrong at Dominic's. They seem to struggle with customer service while at the other end of the block, Urban Flats is cranking along. That spells management to me.

[Floridagal]

So sorry to hear that. I went to Dominic's for lunch with some friends they other day and we had a great meal and service. Maybe at dinner things are different.

[Laura]

I was at Bealls the other day and their credit card machine was down too. So they did each transaction by calling the 800 number for each individual credit card. It worked in Bealls, it should have worked in Dominic's. Again I agree, poor management.

[chelsea24]

We went to Dominic's a couple of weeks ago with a big group and not only had great food, but wonderful service. However, what happened to you was uncalled for. Yes, as far as I know, every place has the ability to phone in for an authorization. My husband asked" Why didn't you just go to an ATM", but then we both agreed, why should you have to? This is their problem. Plain and simple. My hubby had his own business, and I can't tell you the times people would forget their cards or checks. We just took ID and let them return. And again, we did have the ability to phone in for authorization if our terminal was down.

This is just a ridiculous situation and I would have been furious. IMHO customer service in general is disgraceful in this country. And I can't stand the 5 menus you have to go through to get a human being on the phone!

A couple of weeks ago, I had Apple (from Manila) on one speaker phone and Microsoft (from Pakistan) on another speaker phone. And I said "Look guys, I've got two of the largest companies in the world here. Talk to each other and figure out this problem!" Five hours, FIVE HOURS, later, the problem was still not fixed and they kept blaming each other! Later that night, frustrated, I was telling my girlfriend Carol in Chicago, and she fixed the problem in 5 minutes.

I just can't tell you how disgusted I am with the lack of quality, care and customer service that's out there today. >:(

[REH]

This is interesting..We just purchased at TV's but on a trip a couple of months ago we stopped to have lunch and in all my years I have never failed to leave a good tip. I did not leave one as the service was terrible and the waiter was the worst. I won't go into detail but when he asked how we liked our lunch my wife explained the numerous problems and he started to argue, be insultive and all in all was the worst we have ever encountered. It was the first time ever I actually did not leave a tip. It is good to find I was not alone on my history.

[LvmyPug2]

No excuse for this but I was thinking that maybe the manager was trying to save the surcharge the credit card companies charge businesses? I've had a couple of merchants ask me if I had cash and then reluctantly took my cc when I said I didn't want the item if I couldn't put it on my cc.

[Chazz]

Sounds to me like a financial problem, as well. It's hard for me to believe that a manager or, worse, an owner could otherwise act so irresponsibly by putting his business at risk for no good reason.javascript:void(0);

I've just spread the word to my friends, and I'm sure many others will do the same.

[blueeagle65]

Later that night, frustrated, I was telling my girlfriend Carol in Chicago, and she fixed the problem in 5 minutes.




Chelsea - would you post Carol's phone number so she can help us, too?

[uujudy]

No excuse for this but I was thinking that maybe the manager was trying to save the surcharge the credit card companies charge businesses? I've had a couple of merchants ask me if I had cash and then reluctantly took my cc when I said I didn't want the item if I couldn't put it on my cc.



What's with these merchants? ::) WHO carries cash these days? I can't even tell you the last time I wrote a check. With online billpaying and credit cards that give you airline miles or cashback, why would you pay any other way? Gotta love those credit card perks! :bigthumbsup:
PS: The problem I had with Dominic's was the chair seat. Those wrought iron chairs were mighty uncomfortable. A cushion would have made the dining experience more enjoyable. I sat on my sweater.

[luvflowers1585]

The one night I was at Dominic's with a group of friends was my last. The food came soooo late, the orders were mixed up, a pizza arrived with about 40 Greek olives (or some kind, certainly not black olives) with salt and pepper??? It was not at all what my friend had ordered. I never even received my dinner that night.

When we spoke with the manager to find out why these things were happening, she said that the problem with the food was because the former owner had taken all of the recipes with him.

luvflowers1585

[Talk Host]

When we spoke with the manager to find out why these things were happening, she said that the problem with the food was because the former owner had taken all of the recipes with him.



:a20: :a20: 1rnfl 1rnfl

[travelstiles]

the video doesn't seem to be working, Jan.

[Talk Host]

the video doesn't seem to be working, Jan.


Which video? If you are refering to the picture under my signature, that is just a picture and not a video. ;D

[Barefoot]

The one night I was at Dominic's with a group of friends was my last. When we spoke with the manager to find out why these things were happening, she said that the problem with the food was because the former owner had taken all of the recipes with him.
luvflowers1585

OK, I've heard a lot of excuses for bad food or service, but this tops the list! I actually like it; at least it is creative. :a20:

[downeaster]

Barefoot,

He could have said the dog ate the recpies. But then he would have to admit there was a dog in the kitchen.

DC

[Sidney Lanier]

My wife and I were part of the large group a couple of weeks ago that Chelsea posted about. We came in fairly late, yet the wait staff were accommodating not only in terms of pulling tables together to accommodate us but even accepted my suggestion to set them up in such a way that it wasn't just one looooong table but rather closer to a large square so we could all see/talk to one another, which took a little more time to do. Service was timely and upbeat (we even applauded our server!), and my food was certainly good. Surprising how different the experiences are of different folk. I can certainly appreciate the horrors that the person who started this thread had to deal with; if I had been in that position, I would certainly have ended up feeling the same way. What an idiot the manager who was on that night had to have been!

[sneese]

This past March, my friend and I were at Dominic's for dinner. As I was eating my pasta with meat sauce, I bit down on a large piece of bone. I told my server and the manager, a truly ditzy manager to say the least through her actions accused me of planting the bone. She said that the place where they get their meat from is fresh ground and does not have bones in their meat. What a crock of baloney was that? She just walked away, never offered an I'm sorry, here, let me get you a dessert or any sympathy for the fact that I had cracked a tooth. What a schlock was this girl/young woman as a manager. She surely wasn't manager material. I will NEVER go to Dominics again, NEVER. I tell everyone I know about my experience there and advise them to go elsewhere.

Perhaps if we all do that to eating establishments that do not treat their customers well, some of these places will either change or go out of business.

[SallyL]

It is my understanding that they just filed Chapter 7.

[Bethanyaustin]

I find this outraged, I love to eat at Dominic's and i love to go there on a daily basis. The staff as well as the other patrons treat people like this is a family place to go. You feel comfortable going there, I think that you all are guilty of stretching the truth, the machines were down. So what, I have been there when this happend and they took a check from me. It wasn't a big deal at all, though others may have made it into a big deal. I guess i was mannered and didn't act like an animal, I know one thing, they treat you like you belong to some thing ....and I find nothing wrong with the management. It's a kind atmosphere, and I haven't seen any crude actions. Theres always specials, they have a FREE buffet for the bar patrons...1.30 beer. Theres always something fun going on at Dominic's, They have Open Mic night. As for the prices, there no higher then bonefish, you can't find better deals. 9.95 for a full lunch....(Salad, entree, drink). For fine dinning thats a deal. You all must have nothing better to do then just complain. Pitty.

As for the rest of you, you obviously are ill-mannered, otherwise your service would have been excellent.

[Villages Kahuna]

I'm glad you like Dominic's, Bethany. But when I visited a few weeks ago, I couldn't get the waiter to come to the table. Like I described, almost an hour to get dinner is way too long. I couldn't possibly have been ill-mannered...I could never get any of their servers to even come to the table so I could talk to them.

But then again, I'll bet they decided what I might be thinking without even talking with me...just like you appear to have done. You should consider opening a psychic service in TV. You apparently have the ability to assess and evaluate the actions and thoughts of others without ever having met them. That is a rare skill.

[Frangyomory]

barb1191 is correct. A simple phone call would have taken care of your bill. We have been to Dominics twice. Never again. First time I asked for bread. They said they didn't serve bread so I asked for the manager to make a suggestion. Told him that I never heard of an Italian restaurant that didn't serve bread. He said authentic Italian restaurants did not serve bread.....crapola. That was their first week so I gave them the benefit of a doubt.

Went back a few months later. Poor service and food not hot.

Not back since. I am not surprised at your service problem. Many restaurants here don't care about the customer, especially in Fall and Winter. They feel that we need them and they don't need us as they can turn the tables many times during the dinner hours. They depend on the Winter population to get them through.

Supposed "country clubs" can be the worst of these offenders. However, you can find some excellent dining experiences so just keep on trying the places and make yourself a list of good experiences and please, as a fellow resident I ask, post your experiences for the rest of us.

Wish you the best in the future.

[Frangyomory]

$1.30 a beer wouldn't attract me to Dominics and I doubt that everyone but you, Bethany, acted badly at Dominics. I have not liked the place for quite some time and I doubt that the rest of us are ill mannered fools. Perhaps we should all drink a dozen or so of the $1.30 beers and try it again????? What do you think Harry????

[Russ_Boston]

Beth - the point about the machines being down is that they could just call the CC company and process manually OR they could just take down the info and process later when it comes back up. Any merchant who takes CC's knows how to proceed. Who the heck carries checks anymore?

[Harry]

I guess I'm guilty of being ill-mannered. I don't take kindly to having the police called and being accused of not paying the bill when it wasn't the truth. I don't like someone that is supposed to be in business to serve the public not doing the job and blaming everyone else for their own shortcomings. We were given no options, we didn't have any checks with us and after all our information was given to the manager-owner she stated if we left she was going to press charges. At her request I even provided my drivers license for her to take the info from. There were a lot of options she could have used but it was easier for her to call the police instead of dealing with the situation in a fair and reasonable manner. She could have easily called the credit card company and gotten authorization or took my info and had me return later when the credit card machine was working but decided not to. She was unreasonable and I am guilty of being ill-mannered. I was the paying customer and because of that have the right to choose where and when I am going to spend my money. I do not need to be embarrassed or harassed by any business in order to enjoy dinner. It is because of these facts and the total lack of respect I received that night that I choose not to spend my money at Dominic's.

[samhass]

Our ladies group had a luncheon there a couple weeks ago. They said it had changed hands very recently and for the better. :dontknow:

[Maddie]

I ate the other night at Dominic's and had a great experince! The ambiance was elegant and the server was great. Of course that food was the best. From what I understand they are under new ownership and are in the process of revamping the place. The manager on that evening was a young, cute blonde that was really nice and professional. After talking to her for awhile she seemed smart as a whip and ready to turn the place around. Sounds like she has the experience they need to survive!

[carlent]

Beth......I have to jump in on this one. We did not eat at Dominic's last Sept when we were in TV. That being said, I think that you make a few valid points. I also think that you are right on target when you say that some folks " have nothing better to do" then complain. It's a sort of let's jump on the bandwagan and folow other's who are complaining about a particular restaurant...instead of talking about the good things and then if there is some negatives....say it in a kind way....a way that will help them improve!
My 2 cents

Carlent

[Mikitv]

Customer Service can make or break any business and they should learn from their mistakes. They should also look at TOTV and see just how many people have read the comments here about their business.

[samhass]

So when did it change hands? Sounds like people have eaten there very recently and are still unhappy. If so, that's a shame.



I ate the other night at Dominic's and had a great experince! The ambiance was elegant and the server was great. Of course that food was the best. From what I understand they are under new ownership and are in the process of revamping the place. The manager on that evening was a young, cute blonde that was really nice and professional. After talking to her for awhile she seemed smart as a whip and ready to turn the place around. Sounds like she has the experience they need to survive!

[Sidney Lanier]

Bethanyaustin, I am one of the few posts on this thread that had a favorable experience at Dominic's, both service and food. However, when I read your post (quoted below), two things come to mind:

1. Though you say that you love to eat at Dominic's, the bulk of your post reads more like it comes from someone with a vested interest in the restaurant, not from a patron. I could certainly be wrong, and if I am, will be happy to say so. However, if I am right, then your attitude toward those patrons who posted on this thread would help account for the experiences that they cite.

2. Although my experience was a positive one, I wouldn't dream of sitting in judgment of the majority of posters on this thread who found the experience lacking and, in some instances, extremely lacking (to put it politely...). I had the good fortune to learn an important life lesson along the way: (a) the job of God is already taken, and (b) I'm not qualified for it anyway.



I find this outraged, I love to eat at Dominic's and i love to go there on a daily basis. The staff as well as the other patrons treat people like this is a family place to go. You feel comfortable going there, I think that you all are guilty of stretching the truth, the machines were down. So what, I have been there when this happend and they took a check from me. It wasn't a big deal at all, though others may have made it into a big deal. I guess i was mannered and didn't act like an animal, I know one thing, they treat you like you belong to some thing ....and I find nothing wrong with the management. It's a kind atmosphere, and I haven't seen any crude actions. Theres always specials, they have a FREE buffet for the bar patrons...1.30 beer. Theres always something fun going on at Dominic's, They have Open Mic night. As for the prices, there no higher then bonefish, you can't find better deals. 9.95 for a full lunch....(Salad, entree, drink). For fine dinning thats a deal. You all must have nothing better to do then just complain. Pitty.

As for the rest of you, you obviously are ill-mannered, otherwise your service would have been excellent.