[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.