Musings on music, sports, life in general from Quincy, Illinois.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Restaurant Blues

On Saturday mornings, provided the time and inclination, the five-block walk to the Hardees and 12th and Jefferson can be a wonderful thing. Nothing cures the draft beer blues like a couple of artery-hardening breakfast sandwiches.

The service is always slow but bearable. Unfortunately this morning, it was slow and not bearable.

I am hesitant to be critical of those in the restaurant trade. I worked in several restaurants and know what hard and low-paying jobs they are. This morning at Hardees they were swamped at the drive-in and inside, and I waited 25 minutes for my two sandwiches to go, which cost me all of $2 (bless my Dutch heart).

It's awkward when an order gets screwed up. Do you go to the counter and ask about it? The problem was obviously on the line, where somebody was sssslllllooooowwwwllllyyy putting together orders. The servers out front gave me pained looks and I felt genuinely bad for them.

Six or seven people who came in after me got their orders, including a customer who ordered and got her food in about four minutes, so I finally just gave up and walked out. A person at the drive through also gave up and left while I was waiting. Maybe I should have been more of a jerk about it, but they can have the $2.

It's hard to get mad at management. Good help is hard to find, and the employees were at least trying.

Is this too whiny? Is this too big of a deal? Maybe. We're all human. Well, most of us, anyway. Perhaps just walking out made it worse. They didn't get a chance to correct the error or mixup.

I can't afford to eat out that much, but there are good places to eat in Quincy. The Steak N Shake on Broadway is a favorite. Tiramisu at Third and Hampshire has awesome food and great service. Lately we've been getting takeout from the pasta place at Eighth and State, and I love the 14th and Harrison Hy Vee chinese food.

As a matter of fact, the next time I get those Saturday morning blues, I might just walk to 14th and Harrison, because they apparently have good breakfasts, too.

But for this morning, I think I'll make myself an omelette .....

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I dunno,

One of the differences between blogs and other vehicles is that you can simply talk about what annoys you.

My tomorrow's piece is like that and I got totally trashed by my politically serious friends for writing about "Mr.-my-after-shave-arrives-five-minutes-before-I-do." but I was still glad I wrote it.

Better know what your serum cholesterol is, though.

Rodney Hart said...

Fortunately the stress at work unclogs my arteries.

Anonymous said...

I was in there that am, think I saw you walk out, you're a tall due, ain't you? I think you walked out the South door. Anyway, I know they struggle in there, and Jeff tries hard. My expectations are very low when I go there, which kinda helps. Like you, for me it's close and conveniant, but I waited 25 minutes also, much longer than usual. I keep thinking what they could put in there at that site, like a White Castle or Popeyes, that would do better. I know their reputation is getting bad around town. Also, the earlier in the morning you go in, the better they do, usually. Come on Jeff, get that place in shape!

Rodney Hart said...

Don't know if a different place would do any better. Would they be able to hire better help?

You are right about the earlier the better, but that can be tough after a late night, if you know what I mean.

Good comment, thanks!

Anonymous said...

I see the 12th & Jefferson Hardees is going to provide Quincy with their full menu of delicacies on Christmas Day. Is it really necessary to be open on Christmas? Can't their clientele make it 36 hours without a glutton burger?