17 replies to this topic

[Chapala Man]

Shira,
Just read your message regarding your Chicken Salad Sandwich at the Legion, when you and your friend went there to eat.

"A friend and I ate at the Legion on a Wednesday a few weeks ago. She had the lasagne and said it was good. Someone had written about their wonderful chicken salad so I ordered the chicken salad sandwich. It was a lot of dry bread and a very thiin filling of something, I know not what.
It had been years since I ate there and it will be many years until I try it again."

Wouldn't it have been better to complain to the waiter or Management, so that the problem could have been worked out. Perhaps your would have received at free meal, and not given the American Legion a Black Mark.
Complaining to this Board does nothing to help the problem, but a complaint to Management of the Legion could help a lot of things.

[Mainecoons]

A lot of what goes on in this section are first-hand reports and reviews about restaurants.

For example, I ate breakfast there twice. It was far, far below the level of Sunrise IMO.

[Shira]

Chapala Man this forum is for reviews. I reviewed with an even hand. I praised where it seemed to be due and condemned what was one of the worst meals I have had in 12 years here.
If someone wants to write about wonderful meals there they also have the right to do that. We discuss things and my review is accurate from my experience but open to be refuted by someone who may have had a better experience with whatever it is they served me.
Read my my newest review.

[elbelgicano]

Chapala Man this forum is for reviews. I reviewed with an even hand. I praised where it seemed to be due and condemned what was one of the worst meals I have had in 12 years here.
If someone wants to write about wonderful meals there they also have the right to do that. We discuss things and my review is accurate from my experience but open to be refuted by someone who may have had a better experience with whatever it is they served me.
Read my my newest review.

With all due respect, Shira,... what surprises me most (and this is your right of course) is that you say that you have one bad meal (while your friend loved her Lasagna) and you immediately decide not to return there for many years,.... why being so harsh and drastic (and then the whole world needs to know about it) ? I believe in 2nd chances.

[Tingting]

Why is it that some places are treated like sacred cows on this board? She gave an accounting of her experience. Nothing more, nothing less. So why is it that she should give the place a second chance? Maybe she´s had a prior bad experience there or maybe this one was bad enough to turn her off for good.

I´ve eaten at the Legion on a couple of occasions. Neither the service nor the food was memorable enough for me to return since.

[elbelgicano]

Why is it that some places are treated like sacred cows on this board? She gave an accounting of her experience. Nothing more, nothing less. So why is it that she should give the place a second chance? Maybe she´s had a prior bad experience there or maybe this one was bad enough to turn her off for good.

I´ve eaten at the Legion on a couple of occasions. Neither the service nor the food was memorable enough for me to return since.

I believe in being critical but at the same time, I like to take into account :
- that every business = employment .... families depending on the income of restaurant jobs + indirect jobs
- that the cook might have had a bad day, or the customer might have had one
- before all, first giving feedback to the owner/cook.... the only way things can really improve.
- more than NOB it is difficult to find the right workers (and that is and has been my business)
- it is hard enough as it is to run a business here.

For all these reasons, I believe in 2nd chances and thinking before using this powerful weapon (the internet), aiming at one particular business.

Rony

[chapalafan]

Shira has every right to critique the food served at the American Legion. The Legion should not be exempt from criticism or from praise as are all other restaurants. My experience there is not getting my food served hot, but that is my personal preference.

[HelperGuy]

In no other business is it okay if a staff member has a bad day, or if workers are hard to find; nor do we care if it's hard to run. Restaurants have only one goal: to serve good food, in a timely manner, with good service. As Chapalafan says, why should they be exempt?

And I don't think the Legion is suffering too much as a business. And they've had many, many second chances.

[elbelgicano]

Shira has every right to critique the food served at the American Legion. The Legion should not be exempt from criticism or from praise as are all other restaurants. My experience there is not getting my food served hot, but that is my personal preference.

Chapalafan, please read more carefully, Nobody is denying anybody's right. That is your (wrong) conclusion.
Try also to see the other side of this story.
I had a restaurant here once and if somebody was not happy about something, I appreciated it so much that the customer talked to me FIRST so that I can apologize, offer a free meal (I messed up once, mixing up orders) and fix the problem. If I had done nothing after that, that would have been a different story !!

Freedom of expression is so very important but it takes a little more guts to tell people in the face what you don't like. I have seen (and reacted to it) it happening to other restaurants on this webboard also (criticising openly without talking to the accused first)Behind our little screen we feel so mighty and we are all culinary experts.
Isn´t it part of living in Mexico, trying to be just a little more flexible and easy going....

Let me finish by asking you one thing..... When you were still working, how would you have felt, if after a small mistake you make in your job (and no, Helperguy, we are all people and ALL make mistakes), without talking to you first, your mistake would have been covered in the newspaper and YOU wouldn´t get a second chance ? Not too happy, I guess ?

Rony

[Chapala Man]

Shira has every right to critique the food served at the American Legion. The Legion should not be exempt from criticism or from praise as are all other restaurants. My experience there is not getting my food served hot, but that is my personal preference.

Sure she has that right, but what I do not understand why she did not go the the Management and get the problem straightened out. Then get of the Web Board and tell EVERYONE if they refused to do anything about the problem. And your not getting your food hot, is a good reason to send it back. I would have, but would not have gotten on the Web Board and said "I sent my food back because it was not hot enough". Sometimes I think so many are acting like children, rather than adults, but that is MHO.

[Tingting]

Why is it a case of acting like a child if she merely stated her experience? Again, why is the Legion a sacred cow and yet you´re not rallying against every other negative posting? Rony (el belgicano) made some very excellent points, but as a successful former business owner, I can also tell you that not every situation will allow you to complain. My first visit to the Legion, I was served by a very disgruntled waiter who was extremely surly every time he approached our table. Should I complain when, for all I know, he could spit in my food (ok, extreme, but...)?The second time, there was nothing special about the food or the prices to make me want to return. Granted, it´s been a while, but the place looked very dilapidated and it made me question the quality of the food. It wasn´t clear who was in charge, if anyone. It was more of a free-for-all. Of course, time has passed and they may have cleaned up their act, but I only give 2 chances...and when food is involved, that´s one more than it should be.

[ChrisB]

When we go to the legion people introduce themselves and shake hands. You couldn't find a friendlier bunch!

[Jeanette]

ChapalaMan, if you hadn't started this thread, Shira's opinion would be long down the list of threads on this board. And probably long forgotten.

You might have done the Legion a better service by not starting it up again.

[Chapala Man]

Jeanette,
You are so right, but EVERYONE is missing the point. It just so happened that I picked up on the Legion. But what I have said, I still believe. Regardless of where one eats, if there is a problem, please go to the Management to get to problem solved, before putting bad things about the establishment. Has anyone every seen a sign in a Restaurant that reads: If you like the food, here, tell others, and if you don't, please tell us.
And by the way Tingting, the only Sacred Cows that I know of are in India.
I have said all I am going to on this topic, because I realize now that I am not dealing with Adults.
Jeanette you and Rony are the only ones that act like Adults. I did not mean to be attacking anyone, but apparently some people did.

[Shira]

Chapala Man and elbelgicano,
I eat out very often. I frequent many of the restaurants at Lakeside. When I am served the worst meal in all my years here, do you really think I want to subject myself to eating there again. That sandwich set a new record for bad.

[Tingting]

"I have said all I am going to on this topic, because I realize now that I am not dealing with Adults."

Priceless.

[grc]

I understand how a bad review can hurt a restaurant, but having read the blog for over a year now, I also know that everyone has their own opinions about a restaurant. Two things are important to me ... one that I know when someone has a good or bad experience. We have limited funds, and I hate the idea of possibly wasting them on a less than good meal. Two .. that we take the advise of a previous posting and tell the management. This will allow those who do go to get a better meal, we hope.

From all the restaurant postings, I am forewarned about a particular menu item or service issues. It lets me make choices and "arm" myself with some important information.

Carol

[CocinaMod]

Since both sides have said their piece, several times, I'm shutting this down before it gets personal (I have a sixth sense about these things!)