Talk of The Villages Florida - Carrabba's Horror Story

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- - Carrabba's Horror Story (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/restaurant-discussions-90/carrabbas-horror-story-39624/)

I appreciate the info re: Carrabba's but if I complied a list of all restaurants that have been complained about here on TOTV over the past 4 years there would be no place to eat in TV! And that's not much of an exaggeration. I've been to Carrabba's many times with no issues so I'll continue to go.

Could you explain what you mean by a 4 inch piece of metal? Was it some sort of cooking utensil?

We are not sure what it was...it looked more like the piece of metal if you take a pair of reading glasses and broke off one of the side and then straighten it out. It was literally just a straight pole of about 4 inches by 1 cm, but looked like it had been broken of of something. It didn't look like a temperature probe but may have come from some other cooking utensil.

Perhaps you could have been a little more assertive with the manager. We eat at Carabba's often and have never had an unpleasant experience. Cannot say the same for other restaurants in the area that others may rave about. Wonder how long Russ's list is?????

Quote:

Originally Posted by adenicol (Post 364153)

My wife and son took me to Carrabba's at the Target Shopping center on HWY 27 in The Villages for Fathers day. It was the worse dinning experience I have ever had.

To start with, when we got there the line was out the door to get your name on the waiting list. We waited our turn. When we were next in line at the podium there was a party of about 5 people trying to get out the door so we stepped aside to let them through. The person before us finished giving his name and left and we stepped up to the hostess . I told her there were three of us. She said in a not so nice tone, "I believe these people were next" and she then turned away from us and helped two other people before taking our name.

Next, when our food came there was a huge (at least 4 inches long) piece of metal laying on my wife's plate, half embedded into her chicken. The server took the metal away and my wife had to ask him to take that back and bring her a new one. He took it and when he was in the back all he did was place it on another plate. When he bought it back out, there was still a hole in the chicken from where the metal was sticking out.

Meanwhile the manager came over and asked what happened, we told him and he said he was sorry and then left.

When the check finally came the waiter asked if the manager was going to comp it and we said he didn't say anything. The waiter said he would check and came back a few minutes later and said that the manager said we were fine with it (I don't know how many people are fine with a piece of metal sticking out of their food) and that he wasn't going to do anything.

The check came to 44.94 and we gave the waiter a $50. He said he would be back with change and when he came back he gave us a $5.00 bill. I usually don't complain about two or three cents but in light of what happened, it's adds to the problem that he kept $0.06 of the check.

Needless to say, we won't be going back to Carrabba's.

Look at the good side --- three less people in line next time I go there

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladylake1 (Post 364255)

Wonder how long Russ's list is?????

Don't keep a list because I need to make up my own mind.

The reaon I asked about the metal was because if it was a cooking utensil (like an skewer type thing to turn and cook the chicken) then it stands to reason that the subsequent piece of chicken would also have the same hole in it.

Moral - Don't eat chicken.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adenicol (Post 364246)

Yes, it was six cents. And we did leave him a tip as well on top of that. I realize it was probably just an oversight on his part and I don't blame him for all the other stuff that happened but it just added insult to injury after everything else.

We did send a letter to corporate through the feedback link on the receipt they gave us as well as through their website (being the feedback link didn't ask for any personal contact information). We haven't heard back from them yet but it has only been one day.

I disagree, I don't believe it was an oversight. This happens way too often. The server just decides that the customer will not care and from the description of what took place , he was wrong. I will bet that if everything had been a great experience, the .06 would never have been discussed.
Rigtht?:spoken:

Your right, if everything else went ok, I wouldn't have even cared about the six cents.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitehawk (Post 364256)

Look at the good side --- three less people in line next time I go there

Really! Really!

I am sorry, I read this 'horror" story and did not think it was much of a "horror" story.
I would assume that the chicken is cooked on a skewer and thus the "hole"...and the 6 cents....hmmmmm.
Sorry, I'll still eat there.

The moral of the story is "Never stand in line for food" - the restaurant will be full, the the kitchen at capacity and the wait staff pushed to their limit - a recipe for a poor dining experience.

Guess we've been lucky, but have never had a bad experience in 4 Carrabbas in S. Fla. and the one in TV. Sometimes when restaurants are overwhelmed with customers they lose their usual domineer and don't give the usual pampering customers seek in that type of restaurant.

I ageee 100% with Russ Boston that every restaurant in the Villages will have complaints made about it over time.Like Russ,I go myself and judge for myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BowleesCreekYachtClub (Post 364361)

The moral of the story is "Never stand in line for food" - the restaurant will be full, the the kitchen at capacity and the wait staff pushed to their limit - a recipe for a poor dining experience.

Having said that - we've never had a problem dining in any of the restaurants in The Villages - not that we've been to them all - yet!

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarbuckSammy (Post 364359)

I agree, no horror here, a busy resturant on fathers day, they left a cooking utensil in the food and 6 cents is gone, retirement is over, gotta go back to work.