after finding rancid food or eating food that made them sick.
I haven’t gone back to a deli after starting to eat a fungusy grapefruit.
I got sick after eating a burger from a fast food place and never felt like going back.
A psychology prof told me this avoidance was a pretty basic and powerful form of aversive conditioning
Anybody else have a similar experience?
There was an interesting thread on Chowhound quite a while ago entitled, “What to do if your food is moving”. It had the most revolting description of bug-infested food that I’ve ever read. Something about hundreds of silverfish in packaged food. Retch.
No, but I’ve never gone back to a restaurant for really bad service (non-existent).
Only dedication and persistance from Mr Cazzle forced me to go back and start eating McDonalds after I had a (six week) bout of Viral Labrynthitis come on only an hour or so after eating there. It wasn’t McDonald’s fault, just coincidence, but I’ve never been able to feel the same about their food.
I will never eat at Subway again.
After several order screw-ups, overcharges, and general employee rudeness, I just cannot bring myself to give those people any more of my money.
I am not a bitchy person, either. Just something about this particular location/attitude that torques my gourd.
The Sunrise Bar in south Minneapolis serves absolutely the best bar burgers I’ve ever had, except they gave me food poisining 14+ years ago. I haven’t been there since. Won’t, either.
Fool me once…
I avoid Shony’s because of the used band-aid in my drink.
I avoid Burger Kings because of those three days I worked for them.
I avoid a certain restaurant in Rockford, Illinois because of the waitress who didn’t bring me my shake until after me and my two friends had finished our meals. I told her I changed my mind and didn’t want my shake now that my meal was done and she screamed at me and said, “Here’s your shake and you’re gonna drink it or else!” She then threatened to call the police even though she was the one acting in a threatening manner. I didn’t pay for the shake.
The Country Way in South Paris, Maine. Absolutely the most god-awful food I’d ever eaten.
The owners must have family on the board of health because there are at least 3 cases of food poisoning there every summer, yet they manage to stay in business.
I’ve gotten sick after eating restaurant food - but I think it has more to do with rich cream sauces than poisoning. I just avoid those types of dishes now.
Regarding the bad service track: there is a certain seafood-themed fancypants restaurant in Springfield, Illinois whose door I will never darken again.
In my freshman year of high school (late 80’s), a group of us made reservations to eat there before the homecoming dance. We showed up in plenty of time and waited patiently and quietly in the lobby in the sightlines of the headwaiter. And we waited. And waited. We watched as several adult couples and groups came in and were ushered to tables very quickly. After we had waited roughly 30 minutes past our reservation time, we decided that we were officially being snubbed. My brother, who had arranged the reservation, told the headwaiter that we had to leave because we couldn’t wait any longer - one of the girls in our group was up for the homecoming queen and we needed to get her to the dance. There wasn’t going to be enough time left to eat and make the drive out to the dance. The guy assured us that we would be seated immediately and that they would rush our food for us. Foolishly, we opted to stay and eat. They didn’t rush jack. We arrived at school with only an hour left to the dance, and just as they were going to announce the court. (By the way, our friend was elected the queen.)
Yes, we should have told the headwaiter “no thank you” and left, but we were just kids and not sure what to do. You may consider the lesson learned. I understand that mistakes can happen, but this was a clear case of “Oh, they’re only kids. We can push them aside for our more important guests.” Wrong! The sporadic high-school-aged customer of today is the long-term paying adult customer of tomorrow. My memory is excellent and my contempt has not lessened over time. As a friend of mine once said, “Don’t make me work to give you my business.” Not if you were the last restaurant on earth would I patronize you…
Jack in the Box.
I’m currently two for two for food poisoning after eating at Jack in the Box. When I was about 12 I had a cheese burger for dinner, and the next morning regretted it very strongly:) When I was 15, I decided to try it again and got a Sourdough Jack. Cut to next morning, with FDISK vomiting his brains out for the remainder of the next day. I don’t think it has anything to do with an allergy or sensitivity to ingredients, as I can eat food from anywhere else with no ill effects, so I’ve permanently snubbed Jack in the Box.
I used to go to a little Arabic restaurant in a shopping centre here. They were always really kind to me, even when I ate alone. I recommended it to loads of people.
Then I went one day with friends and it was a bit odd. They forgot my salad. I pointed this out. The rather surly waitress pointed to my friend’s side salad (part of his meal) and said it was that. Clearly it wasn’t, I’d ordered a full meal salad of quite a different kind. Anyway I was confused, and she was new, so I didn’t press the point, and stupidly ended up paying full meal price for a free side salad.
Anyway benefit of the doubt/second chances. I went back with my bf a month or so later. Mystery 1: the menu had gone. “Oh it is new management madam” [Ah…] “we have a new menu, we could make you what you like.”
“Well, the last time I came my friend had the grill special - with hummous and salad included - do you still do that?”
“Certainly madam, grill - hummous - salad - we make for you very nice.”
Despite the fact there were two of us dining, they brought us ONE meal. They served it to my bf, and didn’t even provide an extra plate for me. The food wasn’t even that great.
Then the bill came. Whereas my friend’s all in one special had been 25 dirhams, they charged us 35 - just for the grill, then high separate prices for the hummous and tiny salad.
When they came to take our money they could tell something was up, that we were bigtime pissed off. “Is there problem madam?”
Me - “Well actually yes, this is far too much money, this is not what we paid before.”
Manager, looking shifty and embarrassed - “OK - mistake - mistake - we make cheaper.”
Me - “No thanks, I will pay this, and I will not come back.”
Manager, trying to placate - “We make cheaper next time, madam, much cheaper.”
Me - “No, you WON’T see me again.”
Definitely NOT. You deliberately ripped me off because you thought I was a stupid white tourist who (a) didn’t know prices and (b) wouldn’t be a regular customer. Well I had been a regular customer. And I’m not now. I have de-recommended your restaurant and spread my criticism of it far and wide. If I prevent just one diner from choosing your restaurant for one meal, I figure I’ve made my money back.
Primi Piatti in the Waterfront in Cape Town, will never ever see my money again if I can help it. Terrible service doesn’t begin to describe…
I try to avoid Friendly’s - not because there bad but they just don’t seem to hit the spot. Also Red Lobster due to one time that I went and the bill was much higher then I expected.
One more time at a local chinese food place. my wife and I (my g/f at the time) ordered beef and broccli (however you spell it) the broc. came loaded with bugs. We returned it got our money back and just so happened moved that week so never returned. I don’t know if we would have gone back and the guys all knew me too so it was very noticealbe when after complaining we never came back.
There is one pub in London, The Churchill Arms in Kensington Church Street if you want to avoid it, that I will never set my foot in again. I was there (in London) with a friend to visit the Great British Beer Festival among other things and we had just popped in to have another pint of a very nice ale that we had had a couple of days before in the little pub in one corner of the brewery building.
Anyway, when we got our glasses and took our first swig be both almost choked as there was almost no beer left in the fluid. Most of it hade turned into acetic acid :eek: (beeregar?). After a long while we finally managed to get the barman’s attention (we were almost the only customers around, and it must have taken at least five minutes) and complained about the beer. He poured some, went around the corner and came back saying that there was nothing wrong and that it was supposed to taste that way. We immediately left, leaving are glasses on the bar, never to return. :mad:
When we came home to Stockholm again we told the Dutch manager of the only real Irish pub in town (i.e. owned by an Irishman) about it and he said that he had witnessed something similar in London once, but the old man who was the victim that time didn’t just walk out. He turned his glass upside domn on the bar first.
I gotta ask, Octavia Smythe-Bunion I. Esq., what restaurant was it? I’m in Springfield now and have a certain …dislike for a seafood joint. I’m wondering if it is the same one.
Tibs.
p.s. Sorry about the hi-jack!
My family has done this several times. Two restaurants got taken off the list of places ever to dine at because on both occasions, we saw a roach skitter across the booth shortly after we were seated. Another time my dad found a bug in his salad.
I agree that bad service can get a restaurant banned from my list. There is a mediterranean place here in Ann Arbor, chicken shwarma to die for. I can’t bring myself to give them my money, their service is just THAT horrible.
I would actually forgive something icky in my food, once, if they’re apologetic and replace it etc. But rudeness, making me wait on purpose, not caring if you have my business or not? FORGET YOU.
Just be thankful they didn’t charge you for the extra protein.
Wouldn’t happen to be Zanzibar, would it?
Probably not, as it isn’t really a Mediterranean restaurant. But Zanzibar is one of the two restaurants on my “banned for life” list. I went there one time when I lived in Ann Arbor a couple of years ago. My girlfriend and I were young (I had just graduated college) and we were apparently not worthy to be seated or served by the young waitress who really didn’t want to be there. After finally getting seated and served, after several other groups of older, apparently more “distinguished” people came in (no one had reservations), the service was shitty.
It’s kind of a vicious circle - young people get treated like shit, so they don’t tip well, which causes them to be treated like shit.
Fuck Zanzibar. I get pissed every time I go back to A2 and see that it’s still open.
Don’t even get me started on PizzaPapalis in Detroit’s Greektown…
A certain pub in Montreal when I found out they allegedly recycled pitchers of beer and french fries. :eek: