Cane Garden restaurant

[imbrennan]

We're usually very pleased with our meals at Cane Garden but not today.

For the first time ever I sent a meal back - black and blue chicken salad. No blue cheese, chicken was overcooked, cold and hard (obviously done well before we ever arrived in the restaurant) salad mainly consisted of all the dark green rougher salad leaves although there were one or two tomatoes and a couple of onion rings.

We ordered fries with the meals and when the waitress brought the main courses out we were told that the fries weren't ready and would come later -unfortunately much later.

My husband had spinach tacos filled with what should have been turkey,bacon, tomatoes etc. but there was hardly any filling and the 2 tacos were just dumped on a plain plate - no salad or anything to make it look interesting. 0 out of 10 for presentation for that meal!

Also, I have to say that the waitress left a lot to be desired as regards service, friendliness and personality. Unlike Olive Garden where the staff are so friendly and helpful. Obviously the staff there get rewarded with great tips for their service but I doubt whether our waitress in Cane Garden gets a lot in the way of tips.

We have always told our friends that Cane Garden is one of the better restaurants in the Villages but I think we'll be looking elsewhere now. Anyone got any good recommendations. We haven't tried Cody Roadhouse yet but will give it a try.

[gemorc]

You are going to ruffle alot of feathers by saying anything bad about Cain Garden. My only question is did you report this bad experience to the manager, and if so what was his/her responce.

[Bogie Shooter]

You are going to ruffle alot of feathers by saying anything bad about Cain Garden. My only question is did you report this bad experience to the manager, and if so what was his/her responce.
I too would like to hear what management had to say.

[chuckinca]

Go back again in a month and you will love it. Many TV resturants are hot and cold that way, really annoying!


.

[l2ridehd]

I have always been a Cane Garden fan, however last Sunday I experianced bad service for the first time. Food was still fine, but service missed the mark. Lots of help sitting around in the booths chating vs taking care of customers. My bet is they got a new manager. That is usually some of the first signs of that change.

[Bogie Shooter]

I have always been a Cane Garden fan, however last Sunday I experianced bad service for the first time. Food was still fine, but service missed the mark. Lots of help sitting around in the booths chating vs taking care of customers. My bet is they got a new manager. That is usually some of the first signs of that change.
What did management say when you complained about poor service?

[imbrennan]

I didn't actually complain to the Manager. I didn't feel that sending a meal back justified asking to speak to him. I guess he has a lot of other things to deal with.

I just called one of the wait staff (think it was one of the receptionists who was going past) and told her I would like to send the meal back and the reasons why. She just went off and eventually a fresh meal was provided.

I didn't complain about the waitress - didn't want her to get into trouble. She wasn't rude or anything she just didn't seem to want to bother with us and just wasn't up to the sort of standard my husband and I have experienced before in The Villages -especially after the excellent service we have just had in Olive Garden. The Olive Garden waitress was excellent so it rather showed up the lack of attention we were getting there.

[Bogie Shooter]

I didn't actually complain to the Manager. I didn't feel that sending a meal back justified asking to speak to him. I guess he has a lot of other things to deal with.

I just called one of the wait staff (think it was one of the receptionists who was going past) and told her I would like to send the meal back and the reasons why. She just went off and eventually a fresh meal was provided.

I didn't complain about the waitress - didn't want her to get into trouble. She wasn't rude or anything she just didn't seem to want to bother with us and just wasn't up to the sort of standard my husband and I have experienced before in The Villages -especially after the excellent service we have just had in Olive Garden. The Olive Garden waitress was excellent so it rather showed up the lack of attention we were getting there.

Why do you say the manager has a lot of other things to deal with? What could be more important than a meal being sent back to the kitchen?
You didn't complain about the waitress........and now she continues with "poor service".

How do you think Cane Garden can correct your observation of "poor service" if you do not bring it to their attention?
Do you think posting it here will accomplish that?
Too often people have an experience similiar to yours and come on here trashing the restaurant. The result is 500-600 views and now the restaurant has a bad reputation (is that what you wanted?). Isn't it possible that a 5 minute discussion with the manager might have avoided all of that?

[imbrennan]

Sorry if I upset you Bogie Shooter but, as I am sure you will agree, I'm quite entitled to express my opinion and you will notice that someone else wrote a thread which agreed with my comment.

OK so 500-600 people view the comments but they aren't lemmings that follow everyone else are they? Surely they have opinions and minds of their own and can go along and enjoy the food and service and make up their own minds.

We normally love Cane Garden and have always gone there and recommended it to other people. I just made the point that this time it wasn't as good as usual.

If I wanted to trash a restaurant I would have mentioned last year at Mallory where I definitely had an upset stomach after a white chicken salad. And no, I didn't complain to the manager because the upset stomach occurred after I left and what the heck could he have done about it anyway!

Hey if I am supposed to be trashing restaurants let's not forget Hacienda where the lasagna was disgusting and the Greek restaurant over near the old Walmart where hubby and I would never venture again.

[Taj44]

Imbrennan, thanks for expressing your opinon.

[DougR]

I would have to agree with Bogie Shooter inasmuch that management should have been alerted to the many ongoing problems with your dining experience.
In your original post you talked of the ingredients in the Black-n-Blue Chicken Salad and the tacos not being up to expectation, the presentation of the taco dish, the late fries, and the undesirable service, friendliness and personality of the waitress. What more could go wrong before something is said?
It seems that more than one person has provided poor service at your visit. First, the kitchen staff messed up both of your meals (chicken salad and tacos). And then the waitress was less than desirable. The fries which arrived "much later" contributed to this ongoing unpleasant experience.
As Bogie Shooter stated--how can Cane Garden correct problems both in the kitchen with the cook and on the floor with the waitress, if management is not made aware of these problems.
I understand that you dont want to see the waitress (or cook) get in trouble, and im sure they wont if this is the first isolated incident against them. But if this is an ongoing problem with these individuals, then im sure the management and owner want to know about it so they can take corrective action before their business suffers.
This is my opinion, and when I go to Cane Garden I will remember the concerns you voiced here to see if anything similar results to me.

[Bonny]

Sorry if I upset you Bogie Shooter but, as I am sure you will agree, I'm quite entitled to express my opinion and you will notice that someone else wrote a thread which agreed with my comment.

OK so 500-600 people view the comments but they aren't lemmings that follow everyone else are they? Surely they have opinions and minds of their own and can go along and enjoy the food and service and make up their own minds.

We normally love Cane Garden and have always gone there and recommended it to other people. I just made the point that this time it wasn't as good as usual.

If I wanted to trash a restaurant I would have mentioned last year at Mallory where I definitely had an upset stomach after a white chicken salad. And no, I didn't complain to the manager because the upset stomach occurred after I left and what the heck could he have done about it anyway!

Hey if I am supposed to be trashing restaurants let's not forget Hacienda where the lasagna was disgusting and the Greek restaurant over near the old Walmart where hubby and I would never venture again.

I'm a little concerned about your remark, why tell the manager if you got an upset stomach from the food. First of all he could check & see what may have happened so that no one else gets it. Second, he could correct any mistakes that may have caused this.
I have eaten at restaurants & have gotten an upset stomach. It's not always the fault of the restaurant. Sometimes it may have been other things I ate that just didn't agree. Another time I didn't realize until the next day that I was getting a bad cold. Nothing to do with the restaurant.
I've had the lasagna at Hacienda & really like it. It's just a matter of taste. Doesn't mean it's bad.
If we want good food & good service, we need to let the restaurants know when things are not right.

[Grill Meister]

One of the responses predicted "ruffled feathers", that's because Cain Gardens is considered the bedrock of good food and good service. It's a restraunt that has always been consistently excellent.

I agree that there was little need to notify the manager if you wanted to return a dish and the waiter was polite and attentive to your request. Otherwise, yes, if the waitstaff and the food is not up to par, do yourself and others a favor and let management know that they are coming up short of their excellent standards.

I hope that when you try Cain again, you see a marked improvement in your experience....if not.....let management know.

[golfnut]

imho i thought imbrennan did a very professional job of relating a bad experience, he is under no obligation to report it to the manager, many people are very uncomfortable doing it. on this forum many people are quick to say there is some obligation to report it because how can they correct it if they aren't aware of it, 1) just because it's reported doesn't guarantee it will be corrected, 2) imo a good manager walks among the patrons regularly asking about their experience and doesn't rely on patrons to seek him out. visitors of this forum will be able to read this thread and with a grain of salt formulate their own course of action, no need to chide imbrennan for his course of action. imbrennan i appreciate your post, and to answer your original question (which i don't think was addressed yet) i have been to cody's several times and have always had a very pleasant dining experience and i recommed them highly....gn

[Grill Meister]

The reason someone suggested that a few feathers would be "ruffled" is because Cain has always been considered the bedrock of good food and good service.

By all means, please do yourself and all of us a favor....if the food or the service was not well prepared and presented, let management know. We don't want Cain standards to go down.

I hope that your next meal at Cain will be a different and improved experience.

[bluedog103]

I didn't actually complain to the Manager. I didn't feel that sending a meal back justified asking to speak to him. I guess he has a lot of other things to deal with.

I just called one of the wait staff (think it was one of the receptionists who was going past) and told her I would like to send the meal back and the reasons why. She just went off and eventually a fresh meal was provided.

I didn't complain about the waitress - didn't want her to get into trouble. She wasn't rude or anything she just didn't seem to want to bother with us and just wasn't up to the sort of standard my husband and I have experienced before in The Villages -especially after the excellent service we have just had in Olive Garden. The Olive Garden waitress was excellent so it rather showed up the lack of attention we were getting there.

As a young man I worked in a number of restaurants. I will say this based on my experience: I would never, ever send a meal back to the kitchen asking for a replacement. I've seen too often what happens to that replacement meal before it's returned to the customer and believe me, it ain't pretty. Your waiter has no control over what happens when the meal is prepared.
I would, however, complain to the manager, perhaps getting a free meal on my next visit.
Never, never get the cook angry at you. You never know........

[Talk Host]

As a young man I worked in a number of restaurants. I will say this based on my experience: I would never, ever send a meal back to the kitchen asking for a replacement. I've seen too often what happens to that replacement meal before it's returned to the customer and believe me, it ain't pretty. Your waiter has no control over what happens when the meal is prepared.
I would, however, complain to the manager, perhaps getting a free meal on my next visit.
Never, never get the cook angry at you. You never know........

What exactly would happen to the food in the kitchen when it is returned? It's a pretty strong statement to leave hanging with explanation.

[golfnut]

come on th are you implying that you haven't heard any of the stories, you've been around the block a couple of times.....gn

[Xavier]

Why do you say the manager has a lot of other things to deal with? What could be more important than a meal being sent back to the kitchen?
You didn't complain about the waitress........and now she continues with "poor service".

How do you think Cane Garden can correct your observation of "poor service" if you do not bring it to their attention?
Do you think posting it here will accomplish that?
Too often people have an experience similiar to yours and come on here trashing the restaurant. The result is 500-600 views and now the restaurant has a bad reputation (is that what you wanted?). Isn't it possible that a 5 minute discussion with the manager might have avoided all of that?

Many of us have noted that this is not an unusual response to imbrennan's post. It's been delivered in much the same manner many, many times. I would even say that it's a good message. BUT it loses it's effectiveness when it's delivered like it is coming from a unapproachable father chastising his small child. It shuts down listening. It's all in the delivery.

imbrennan, I thank you for your post.

[golfnut]

:agree:....gn

[bluedog103]

What exactly would happen to the food in the kitchen when it is returned? It's a pretty strong statement to leave hanging with explanation.

In one instance the guy at the grill also owned this particular greasy spoon.
One morning he was annoyed that someone sent their eggs back. He cracked new eggs on the grill, leaned over and blew his nose on this poor customer's breakfast. Then he said something like "let's see if he likes these eggs".
I was grossed out but I was a 16 year old kid who needed a job so I didn't say a thing.
I also saw folks in the kitchen clam on a couple of meals when the customer complained. Didn't happen often but still, I'll never send a meal back.

[golfnut]

greasy spoon...enough said...there are more of these stories on the internet than i can count...but i'm sure they are all true...moral of the story, ______, fill in the blank.....gn

[ohiogolf]

BlueDog103:

You made me LOL!!!! I had not heard the word "clam" used as a verb in almost 40 years. It brought back high school memories.

[Pturner]

Sorry if I upset you Bogie Shooter but, as I am sure you will agree, I'm quite entitled to express my opinion and you will notice that someone else wrote a thread which agreed with my comment.

OK so 500-600 people view the comments but they aren't lemmings that follow everyone else are they? Surely they have opinions and minds of their own and can go along and enjoy the food and service and make up their own minds.

We normally love Cane Garden and have always gone there and recommended it to other people. I just made the point that this time it wasn't as good as usual.

If I wanted to trash a restaurant I would have mentioned last year at Mallory where I definitely had an upset stomach after a white chicken salad. And no, I didn't complain to the manager because the upset stomach occurred after I left and what the heck could he have done about it anyway!

Hey if I am supposed to be trashing restaurants let's not forget Hacienda where the lasagna was disgusting and the Greek restaurant over near the old Walmart where hubby and I would never venture again.

Hi Imbrennan,
I agree you are not obligated to complain to management. I do like Bogie's suggestion, also made by others, that letting management know of a negative experience can be a positive approach. When done with honey instead of vinegar, it can-- no guarantees, of course-- be appreciated by management, and lead to positive corrective action (e.g., not firing but better training or quality control measures).

Your post could have the same result. If others experience the same slip in quality, they might be more likely to speak up, knowing that theirs was not an isolated incident-- as yours might well have been.

Personally, I love Cane Gardens and hope that if there are new problems, management will correct them. Thanks for heads up. Thanks too, to Bogie Shooter and others for encouraging those with bad experiences to communicate with management in hopes of keeping quality up to high standards for the all of us.

[sweetsu]

Everything is great at Cody's! And I mean everything! Angela who is a manager there is the sweetest and greatest gal. Definitely worth a try and I know you'll go back over and over again....so many choices.

[duffysmom]

We frequently get take out from Too Jays in Sumpter and are always pleased. Our last visit was unpleasant. The brisket was extremely tough and inedible. My husband was annoyed since he spent some time going into Sumpter to pick it up so he called to let them know of his disappointment. He was sent a coupon for the equivalent amount he spent on the brisket along with a personal letter from the manager apologizing. That is good management and explains why TJ's is always busy. Happy customers.:clap2:

[golfnut]

toojay's classic (corned beef and pastrami) with a smear of liver is my absolute favorite sandwich, they are one of our favorite restaurants....gn

[Pturner]

We frequently get take out from Too Jays in Sumpter and are always pleased. Our last visit was unpleasant. The brisket was extremely tough and inedible. My husband was annoyed since he spent some time going into Sumpter to pick it up so he called to let them know of his disappointment. He was sent a coupon for the equivalent amount he spent on the brisket along with a personal letter from the manager apologizing. That is good management and explains why TJ's is always busy. Happy customers.:clap2:

I love TooJays! Been to one in Boca Raton and the ones on both squares in TV and never had a bad experience. It was nice of you to communicate your issue with management and very nice to know of the positive response!:thumbup:

[zcaveman]

TooJays has gotten very skimpy on their desserts. The elcair is about 1/3 of the original size and the Napoleon is about 1/4 of its original size and not as sweet. I asked about the eclair and was told that they were told to make it smaller. But I can special order the larger size. Too bad. I don't have time to sit around and wait for a special order.

[Russ_Boston]

Just buy 3 - problem solved:)

[golfnut]

tj's sandwich's are so big i have no room for dessert, but i would be really surprised if they shrunk that much, but i am curious did the price change ( i think i know the answer)??...gn

[skip0358]

Wife and I went for dinner last night. We were told 20 minute wait. Went to the bar for a cocktail no sooner got the drink our table was ready. Seated promptly a waitress was right there at the table with menues, advised us of the specials. We ordered appitizers and our meal. Both the app. & meal were very good, served promptly, cooked to our liking, served HOT, ordered dessert. No problems at all. Will continue to go back.:a040::MOJE_whot:

[Bogie Shooter]

We're usually very pleased with our meals at Cane Garden but not today.

For the first time ever I sent a meal back - black and blue chicken salad. No blue cheese, chicken was overcooked, cold and hard (obviously done well before we ever arrived in the restaurant) salad mainly consisted of all the dark green rougher salad leaves although there were one or two tomatoes and a couple of onion rings.

We ordered fries with the meals and when the waitress brought the main courses out we were told that the fries weren't ready and would come later -unfortunately much later.

My husband had spinach tacos filled with what should have been turkey,bacon, tomatoes etc. but there was hardly any filling and the 2 tacos were just dumped on a plain plate - no salad or anything to make it look interesting. 0 out of 10 for presentation for that meal!

Also, I have to say that the waitress left a lot to be desired as regards service, friendliness and personality. Unlike Olive Garden where the staff are so friendly and helpful. Obviously the staff there get rewarded with great tips for their service but I doubt whether our waitress in Cane Garden gets a lot in the way of tips.

We have always told our friends that Cane Garden is one of the better restaurants in the Villages but I think we'll be looking elsewhere now. Anyone got any good recommendations. We haven't tried Cody Roadhouse yet but will give it a try.

Well, I was wrong. Nearly 2500 have viewed your negative comments, not the 500-600 I predicted.

[mac9]

tj's might be making the desserts smaller, but it seems that it has not hurt their business. Group of 6 went there this am around 930 and was told that there was a 2 hour wait (LSL). Not wanting breakfast at noon,we went to the Waterfront. Had a great buffet breakfast(included omelets, eggs and pancakes to order). Price was $10 and incuded coffee and oj. Service was great as well as the view of the water. Would definitely go there again.

[imbrennan]

Well, I was wrong. Nearly 2500 have viewed your negative comments, not the 500-600 I predicted.

For goodness sake Bogie Shooter, give it a rest. OK, so more people have viewed - maybe 2934 people will go along to Cane Garden now just to check it out and be only too pleased to prove me wrong and make their comments on line. I hope so in a way as I would like to go back there if things are better.

I have looked at all the other comments on here (some very supportive thanks - especially the comment about being chastised like a child as I happen to be a woman of 63!) and am trying to find a reason why the food was not good when I went.

According to the comments Skip 0358 just went along and had a great meal in the evening and I wonder if that could have been the difference. (Not that there should be a difference of course). I think we were there at about 3.00 pm after a game of golf - which maybe isn't a good time as it is between lunch and dinner. Perhaps that's why the chicken was overcooked and cold - maybe it was left from lunchtime. Maybe the normal chef had finished his shift. Whatever the reason - I am trying to give Cane Garden an excuse here.

Believe it or not I actually sent a meal back in Emeril's restaurant down in Orlando (Universal Studios)? I ordered their bread pudding but it was cold and hard and had obviously been standing around a while. We didn't ask see the Manager there either. We just called the waiter over, explained the problem and he was most apologetic. There were four of us and when he came back with my much improved bread pudding we were given complimentary desserts and coffee for the four of us and they didn't charge me for Emeril's cookbook that I ordered - but I didn't expect that and nor was I looking for it. I just wanted a nicer bread pudding - I'm not out for all I can get out of a restaurant.

Because some of you have chastised me for not speaking to the management I have been wondering why I didn't and have come to the conclusion that maybe it's because I am a woman from England and we don't usually ask to see the Manager in our country. (Someone from home will probably come on and say that they do now)!

We would normally just send the meal back with the waiter and get it changed. At times when we have complained "at home" about the long wait time or whatever we are compensated with a free glass of wine or a reduction on the bill but we never ask to see the Manager. (Well my husband and I don't anyway). To me my handling of the situation was just normal for us, but maybe if the replacement meal wasn't satisfactory then we might ask to see the Manager.

Anyway, I think that's about enough on the subject from me now.

[Russ_Boston]

I'm with you Brennan - For the most part if something about the food is dissatisfying I simply ask for a new one (if it were cold or something) or something in its place (if it were not to my expectations). Anyone who has worked in a restaurant will tell you that it happens ALL the time. And for the most part a good manager is aware of issues like this. (although sometimes the servers and the kitchen have a wink-wink relationship to keep it off the manager's ears!)

In general I've had numerous very satisfying meals and service at Cane. When I visit TV I usually go twice a week or so. There was one meal that I just didn't like but that was my tastes not the meal itself so I just suffered through it. I just won't order the meal again.

[Bogie Shooter]

Anyway, I think that's about enough on the subject from me now.




.......If I wanted to trash a restaurant I would have mentioned last year at Mallory where I definitely had an upset stomach after a white chicken salad. And no, I didn't complain to the manager because the upset stomach occurred after I left and what the heck could he have done about it anyway!

.........Hey if I am supposed to be trashing restaurants let's not forget Hacienda where the lasagna was disgusting and the Greek restaurant over near the old Walmart where hubby and I would never venture again.

........Believe it or not I actually sent a meal back in Emeril's restaurant down in Orlando (Universal Studios)? I ordered their bread pudding but it was cold and hard and had obviously been standing around a while. We didn't ask see the Manager there either. We just called the waiter over, explained the problem and he was most apologetic. There were four of us and when he came back with my much improved bread pudding we were given complimentary desserts and coffee for the four of us and they didn't charge me for Emeril's cookbook that I ordered - but I didn't expect that and nor was I looking for it. I just wanted a nicer bread pudding

.........We would normally just send the meal back with the waiter and get it changed. At times when we have complained "at home" about the long wait time or whatever we are compensated with a free glass of wine or a reduction on the bill but we never ask to see the Manager.

And, this is all from me.