Perhaps they were running some Thousand-Island through a collander to strain out the pickle pieces.
Did you tell that story to Monty Python?
OK. Now I need to have some Prime Rib. Bloody rare.
As I’ve mentioned several times, I work in a dining hall when I’m at college.
On most days the shop where I work has three meats available: Grilled London Broil, Roasted Smoked Chicken and some special that varies day to day. On most days, we’re out of the chicken by 6 PM, two hours before we close. On about two days a month, we’d run out of London Broil, often on Sundays, when we don’t have a special.
It sucks to have to have to turn people away because you’re completely out of meat and, needless to say, some people get really mad.
As I’m sure you’d guess, running out almost always the result of a bad management decision.
Mr. S stopped at Subway a few weeks ago to be told that they were out of bread. BREAD!
Yes, I know they bake it on site and were probably between batches, but it’s called planning, people.
I’ve been to Chili’s when they’ve been out of chili. 
A few years ago, we were in South Lake Tahoe, and the restaurant was out of eggs and bread.
HOWEVER! They did have french toast, which is bread, dipped in eggs and fried. Evidently, they were using some sort of pre-made frozen french toast.
Leaving seemed to be more important at the time since there was a baby involved… but I have called the health department - once upon a time. We were having dinner in one of Atlanta’s more well known establishments (Pleasant Pheasant) when I bit into a chunk of glass from my salad. :eek:
It cut my mouth before I realized what it was so I called the waiter over and showed him the glass. He shrugged and walked off. We were so dumbfounded we got up and walked out. I know, I know, that’s not the right idea under the circumstances but we just wanted out of there. I placed the glass in a matchbox and mailed it to the health department the next day. After I called them as well.
I once waitressed in a seafood restaurant.
One Mother’s Day, we ran out everything. After we ran out of shrimp, the manager closed an hour early.
When I worked at Arby’s as a teenager we ran out of roast beef once. There was some big coupon promotion dealie going on, and we just didn’t anticipate that cars would be lined up around the friggin’ block, ordering like 15 sandwiches apiece! Since we had to cook the roast beef for 3 hours, we were kind of screwed for a couple hours there. And I got to be the one on drive through, trying to explain to these furious people how ARBY’S could run out of ROAST BEEF. Jesus…don’t ever deny people their meat or they get PISSED.
FTR, we stayed open because we still had tons of other menu items folks could order. Of course, no one wanted anything but roast beef.
shudder
Some years back I went into a local BBQ place (that proudly proclaims it has “the worst BBQ in Texas”) to get some BBQ’d chicken, sausage and brisket. They served the meat out in the litchen where it was cooked, then you went inside to get your side orders and pay for everything.
We got our meat and went for some sides.
I’d like some potato salad, please - sorry, all out.
How about some pinto beans? Sorry, outta that too.
Do you have any apple pie? Nope.
This is at 5pm on a Friday evening.
I don’t know the exact statute, but I’m pretty sure, in the state of Texas, that it is illegal to call yourself a BBQ place if you don’t got no 'tater salad, beans or apple pie.
I once went to Carl’s Jr. and asked for an Original Six Dollar Burger, which at the time they were incessantly advertising as the absolute best reason to visit your local Carl’s Jr. The place was empty and I was looking forward to getting out of there quickly with my tasty burger.
The kid at the register told me they were out. “You’re out of burgers?!?” I said. Yup. But now I kind of wonder if he just didn’t want to do any work and so was sending all the customers away.
My wife one time was in a small town and stopped at the local Mom & Pop ice cream stand. She ordered a banana split. The counter person went back to the kitchen and my wife could hear the conversation.
One banana split, please.
We’re out of bananas.
But she ordered a banana split.
Crap. I guess I’ll have to run next door to the grocery store.
About this time, my wife is trying to get their attention to tell them she could order something else, but she can’t catch anyone’s eye.
The door slams as the cook leaves, and a few minutes later she hears the door open and shut again as the cook comes back from the store.
A couple minutes after that, the counter person (finally) brings out the banana split.
Except, they forgot to put the bananas in it!!!
But that’s just it. Their bread-and-butter profit maker isn’t run-of-the-mill coffee drinks. It’s $4.75 milkshakes that taste vaguely of coffee and strongly of chocolate or caramel. It’s gotten to the point that, I made a Starbucks run for my office and I was the only one who ordered coffee.
Boycott Starbucks, not because of any noble ideal, but simply because they suck.
This isn’t quite as bas as some of the other stories, but there is this cuban restaurant we go to sometimes. (Versailles in Encino). One of their regular specials is shrimp and scallops. Over the course of 5 visits I tried to order that and they were out of scallops the first 4. I didn’t mind too much as they had other stuff that I like…but come on already! I wanted scallops damnit!
We tried to go to a KFC in Louisville once and order an eight-piece white meat only. They refused to sell it to us claiming they might run out of white meat if they did.
I’ve never understood that one.
Well, I was at a restaurant that ran out of salt.
Salt.
I (and my high school debate team) had a very “Cheese Shop”-like experience the last time we went to a Sambo’s (however, there were no cats and nobody ended up getting shot). This was during the dying days of the franchise and apparently the company had cut back (or elminated altogether) its food deliveries to its remaining outlets. As a result, place was almost out of everything. Whenever we tried to order something, the waitress would either tell us right there that they were out or, after writing down our order, return several minutes later to inform us that they had just run out. One of the few things they had left was spaghetti … but no spaghetti sauce. The only thing they could put on it was brown gravy. Needless to say, none of us were that desperate for sustenance to order that (but we were getting close).
That is such a shame! No Hooters should have flat-chested girls!
I think I’ll have to go there and talk to them about that. Where is it? Exact directions would be appreciated. And who was the flattest chested among them? I’ll want to talk to her first. And likely, most.
I am reminded of when my ex went to a coffee place for lunch and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. They were out of bread. The waitress offered a tuna sandwich instead. Very long story short, ex ended up ordering a tuna sandwich, grilled, with cheese, and hold the tuna.
[hijack]Speaking of 'jack, this was at Jumpin Jack’s, a roadside burger stand in upstate NY. It’s similarly an unwritten law that a roadside burger stand has to have curly fries.
So I went to upstate NY to visit my mom in Albany and I wanted some roadside burgerstand curly fries. We called a couple places (that didn’t really qualify, being more restaurants from their description to me,) and they didnt have any, then my 12-yr-old sister said “what about Arby’s? They have curly fries”. First of all, that doesn’t really count and second of all, they’re flavored rather than simply fried.
So I remember passing a roadside place called Jumpin Jacks, replete with the opening jack-in-the-box sign that seems like it hadnt been replaced since the late 60s. So I say they must have fries, so let’s go there.
Turns out they did have curly fries, but they were also seasoned :smack: