Everybody has been to a restaurant where they were left less than impressed, but have you ever had an experience so awful that you had to say to yourself "I'll Never Eat There Again?" These people have, and then some!
“We Sat Down At The Booth, And I Noticed A Strange Smell Around The Table”
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“I went to an Applebee’s with my family last year. We sat down in a booth, and I noticed a strange smell around the table. I rest my feet on the floor. It was summer and I was wearing flip flops. I hear this strange squelch noise, and it came from under my shoe. I blink in confusion and decide to look under the table. It was a dirty, open diaper. I had dipped my foot and toes in baby diarrhea. Some jerk parents just decided to leave it there, and some jerk cleaners didn’t appear to see OR smell it…”
“I Took A Bite And Cold Shivers Ran Down My Spine”
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“I was on a road-trip with my family, and we stopped at a Subway to eat lunch. I ordered the same sub as always: the chicken-bacon-ranch. Hungrily, I took my first bite into the sandwich. S.chhhrrnchhh Cold shivers ran down my spine, like nails on a chalkboard or when one pulls a wooden drawer out at a funny angle. I had bitten into a hard piece of ligament or tendon. Oh well, I have a strong stomach and a long history of eating sandwiches such as this. I simply picked out the piece of chicken and happily started over on my sandwich. Schhrrrnnchh. I looked at the chicken this time: purple and lumpy, the chicken looked more like a piece of eggplant. I continued to remove pieces of chicken from the sandwich. All of them contained pieces of sinew. I did not eat for a full 24 hours after that incident. I have not eaten at Subway in almost a year.”
“It Was Over A Month Before We Could Relax”
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“It was a restaurant in Waikiki, the last night of our vacation. The place was crawling with bedbugs. We didn’t know they were bedbugs at the time, didn’t actually figure that out until we were back home and the telltale bites developed. We had to call the hotel and tell them we may have introduced bedbugs to the room. (They freaked out but hey, it was their employee who’d recommended the place.) We had to empty out the freezer to deep freeze everything we couldn’t boil or leave roasting in a black garbage bag on a sunny patio for weeks. We had to put special covers on our mattresses and vacuum and scrub every surface every day. Our house wasn’t infested but it was over a month before we could relax. When I called the restaurant, the manager said, ‘Oh yeah, we have a terrible bed bug infestation, we have an exterminator come once a month, but every place in Waikiki hase bedbugs, everybody knows that, you should read the local newspaper.’ When we wrote about it on Trip Advisor, the same manager called us to ask us to remove the review. In return, we’d get dinner on the house if we ever returned. Not only am I not going ever going back to that restaurant, I’m not ever going back to Oahu.”
“Hold On, We’re On The Phone With Poisons Hotline…”
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“Showed up at a restaurant and ordered breakfast. Then saw a couple leaving and the maitre’d chased them down the street and ask them not to leave just yet. This happened a few times until there was a small group of people milling around outside giving each other wtf looks. Eventually, I overheard the maitre’d explaining, ‘I’m really sorry, there’s been a small problem in the kitchen – but the chef is just on the phone to the poisons and information hotline, so we’ll be able to tell you more in a second.’ In the meantime, a waitress told us they wouldn’t be able to serve us, so we should go. Curious we joined the throng of people now standing around outside.
Eventually, the maitre’d addressed us as a group and said: ‘I’m sorry to keep you all waiting here, but we just wanted to be sure about what has happened. The chef had set a large pot of water with caustic soda on the stove to boil, in order to clean it. Unfortunately, our apprentice used that pot to poach your eggs. We have just checked with the Poisons and Information hotline, who told us that you will all probably be ok because you would have started to show symptoms already had you been given a toxic dose. However, we need to inform you that should you display any of the following symptoms, you should seek medical attention immediately; vomiting, diarrhea, loss of hearing, loss of sight, bleeding from the eyes, ears, mouth, or anus, or any lesions appearing on your skin. Thank you all very much, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience.’
They closed down a month or so later.”
“My Dad Looked At The Receipt And Saw That…”
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“When my family was on vacation in Florida, we went to a steakhouse, and I swear to god our waitress was higher than a kite. She kept mixing up orders and forgetting things and dropping stuff all over the restaurant. Not great service, but not awful. The kicker came when it was time to pay. Our table and two other tables nearby paid with credit cards, and she took all three checks. When she came back, she had no idea which credit card belonged to whom. When everything got sorted out, my dad looked at the receipt and saw that we had been charged for the meal of the people next to us. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, except their meal was a lot more expensive than ours was. My dad asked to see the manager, who basically told him, ‘Tough crap’ and wouldn’t make things right, even though everyone at all three tables was super pissed off.”
“This Is So Bad That It Sounds Made Up…”
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“This is so bad that it sounds made up, but it’s 100% true. When I was about 17, I worked at this place called Roger’s Pitt BBQ. My job was salad bar duty. The boss explained how my main job was to flip over food in the little plastic trays to make it look fresh, and pick out the visibly rotten stuff. So I did that for a while, but when I got to the dressing and couldn’t tell the difference between Ranch and Bleu Cheese, I started to get grossed out. A mentally challenged guy who stood around with a broom not doing anything would rub up against me every time I passed him, and when I went into the back to talk to the boss, I saw rotten meat and blood all over the counters. It was so bad that it smelled sweet like a dead animal in the woods. The boss and the manager were smoking cigarettes and dropping their ashes into the cole slaw shredder. I said I wanted to quit, and the boss got really angry and yelled at me that I would never have a good job with my bad attitude. I gave her my apron and cried on the way home. I got an eye infection from wiping my tears after handling the food there. And they actually did send me a check for my one hour’s worth of work…I didn’t cash it. Dirty money, if you ask me.”
“SCREW OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE”
” I went to Outback Steakhouse with my girlfriend for dinner. It was busy, but we had a decent waitress so service wasn’t that bad. I got ballsy and ordered Prime Rib, the most expensive steak on the menu if I recall correctly. When I got my steak, I noticed it was browned all the way around. I cut into it and it was cooked all the way through. Bullcrap.
Sent the waiter back with it and the manager comes out and tells me they precook the prime rib. Really? Why? Who does this? I get the normal steak instead, and it comes out burnt on the outside and cold in the middle. Sent THAT back and they microwaved it. WHO DOES THIS?
I’ve worked in a kitchen for 6 years, I know how to cook steak, I know when it’s microwaved. Why would you even try that?
SCREW OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE.”
“I Took My Voucher To The Restaurant And Immediately Realized I Was…”
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“A major Las Vegas hotel where I was staying for a conference was offering guests a special ‘dinner-and-a-show’ prepaid package deal. It was for a meal at the hotel’s Japanese cooking-at-the-table restaurant and a show in one of their theaters. I went for it, mostly as the show was to be Andrew Dice Clay (comeback attempt?). That evening, I took my voucher to the restaurant and immediately realized I was a special class of customer, with much studying of the ticket, furrowed brows, and discussion in hushed tones. The restaurant was mostly empty but a chair was brought to one of the already occupied tables and the other customers were rudely shuffled sideways to make room for me. I ate what I was offered by the table chef and servers and the meal was good, but I was very uncomfortable with the whole scene – clearly, they didn’t want me there.
Showtime was approaching and the Dice-man was about to go on, so I left a nice tip beside my plate and walked out (remember I’d already paid). I visited the restroom and when I came out, headed for the theater, I passed the restaurant again. Suddenly my waiter came running out and stopped me, speaking harshly in Japanese. I figured that he didn’t understand that I had already paid the hotel for the dinner. A small crowd gathered as this guy shouted at me and held my elbow. Finally, someone else from inside the restaurant who spoke both English and Japanese helped our communications.
It turned out that they knew I had already paid for my meal, but they wanted extra money for the fried rice I’d been served. Apparently, fried rice was not included in the special deal through the hotel. I looked at the giant, luxurious hotel around me, considered the thousand dollars I was spending on the room, thought of the $100 I’d spent on the dinner-and-show deal, and then shrugged my shoulders — hard to believe they were demanding $8 more from me for a lump of fried rice I had not even ordered. I walked with them back to the restaurant, went back to the table and picked up the $20 bill I’d left as a tip. I put it back in my wallet, and then counted out eight ones and handed them to the guy who was hounding me. I then walked out and went to the show — which was awful as you might expect.”
“There Were No Knobs On The Sink”
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“After I used the toilet at a local pizzeria, I discovered that there were no knobs on the sink. There weren’t any motion sensors or anything either. The sink just couldn’t be turned on. I was annoyed, but not really that upset since I had only gone number one.
But then later I realized that the employees use this same bathroom.”
“SCREW THAT PLACE”
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“It was my last night at home for winter break before I had to fly back across the country the next day to go back to school. My parents decided to take me and my girlfriend who was visiting to a new Irish pub that had opened up in town. I got the shepherds pie, it was pretty good. That night I was woken by a rather peculiar feeling of my digestive system trying to evacuate everything in it through any orifice that was available. I vomited and shat my brains out for hours. Food poisoning from undercooked lamb is not fun.
Nothing more humbling than having your mom and gf try to see if you’re Ok while being half naked on the toilet, too afraid to turn around to puke because you might shat on the wall if you do.
Ended up missing my flight the next day and barely made it to school before the start of the semester and I still can’t look at lamb without feeling ill. SCREW THAT PLACE.
“I Took A Bite Out Of My Burger, And Realized I Bit Into A Large Chunk Of…”
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“I once got a burger at a diner-style restaurant where I bit into a large chunk of plastic in the patty. It was like a chunk out of a thick PVC pipe. I was more confused than anything — what the hell was going on in that kitchen, where did this thing come from? They comped my burger and gave me a $5 off coupon for ‘next time.’ There never was a ‘next time.'”
“For Those Of You Who Still Like Hard Rock Cafe, You’ve Been Forewarned”
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“I was eating at a Hard Rock Cafe, so those of you that still like the place, you have been forewarned. I was in Washington D.C. with my mom and my brother. We were having a jolly old time. But that’s irrelevant. We were walking around the streets looking for a place to eat, and we came across a Hard Rock Cafe. Great! We love that place, with all the crap on the walls. It isn’t busy at all, so we get seated right away and we get our drinks. Next up is our food; I think I ordered a burger or something. Anyway, as soon as I’m about to take my first bite, I see my brother (who was sitting across from me) staring at my mother (who was sitting to the left of me). I looked to see what the hubbub was all about. My mom is staring at her plate, in awe, because there is a (dead) cockroach just sitting next to her potatoes. It was perfectly preserved, almost as if the cook placed it there as an added decoration or something. I came really close to barfing, and needless to say we got our money back. I didn’t eat for the rest of the day.”
“I Saw Them Delivering Meat To The Chinese Restaurant. It Was…”
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“I was picking up some furniture once and saw them delivering meat to the Chinese restaurant next door. It was a half a pig thrown into the back of an unrefrigerated van that was caked with dried blood and flies.”
“I’ll Never Go Back Because I Witnessed…”
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“I won’t eat at the deli next door to my office anymore. Not because it’s dirty or anything, but because I witnessed this: I was in there one day for lunch getting some food. The guy in front of me (he worked in the same office building as me) ordered a turkey sandwich with cheese. The cashier forgot to ring up $.50 for the slice of cheese in the sandwich. The guy paid and left the deli. Midway through the transaction with me, the cashier forgot he didn’t charge the $.50 to the last guy. He STOPPED everything with me and bolted outside after the guy asking for $.50. I couldn’t hear the exchange, as I was inside and they were outside, but it clearly became a screaming match. The customer took two quarters out of his pocket, threw them at the cashier, then threw his sandwich in a nearby trash can. I immediately put my food down and walked out (I hadn’t paid yet). I haven’t been back since.”
“After 2.5 Hours Of Waiting, We Start To Get Ready To Leave. Our Order Comes Out, Except…”
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“One fine romantic night, my special lady friend and I were undecided about dinner. On a whim, we chose BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. My sister used to work there, and I’ve been there numerous times before with no bad taste left in my mouth. This time, it was not meant to be. Firstly, I ordered a beer – their IPA; immediately something doesn’t taste right. I’ve tasted my share of beers and this IPA tasted rancid. I took 2 sips and set it aside. The lady friend and I convey our order and talk about current events and sports for what seems like a long time – I look at my watch and it’s an HOUR later. Now, I’m a patient man but there are limits. I flag down the waiter who says there’s a problem in the kitchen but our order should be out soon. Another HOUR goes by. We are beyond hungry at this point, as we were already hungry when we got there. We see everyone else getting their food around us (large parties of 8+), but not our order.
After 2.5 hours of waiting, we start to get ready to leave – just as we are about to stand up and go, our order comes out. What joy! Except…it was wrong. Dead wrong. We collectively sighed and asked the waiter to please correct it; the waiter looks death-stricken and exasperates his apologies and goes back to the kitchen. 3 hours from ordering, we get our order correctly delivered, but at that point I have a headache from hunger and we have all but lost our appetites. Never the less, we dine while discussing how we should be comped for our wait time and hoping that we don’t have to be ‘Those People’ that brings it up. Fortunately, our waiter preempted us and gave us our tab — he charged us only for our alcoholic beverages. We used a $50 BJ’s gift card to cover a $14.90 tab and left the rest as a tip for his service, all things considered — he really made the effort to make us happy. That, and we didn’t want a balance on the card to give us reason to come back.”
“I Sit Down And Notice These Black Little Specks On The Walls And Curtains…”
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“I got a Groupon for a sushi place, it apparently was pretty popular because there was constantly a line out the door to be seated. I sit down and after about five minutes I notice these black little specks on the walls and curtains. I look closer and each one is a fruit fly. Honestly, a couple wouldn’t bother me, but the wall was speckled everywhere with them. It was weird because they were on every wood picture frame on the restaurant and were really lethargic. Nobody else seemed to notice.”
“I Inquired About The Bill, And Was Told The Extra Chargers Were…”
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“I was charged for tap water. Seemingly innocuous I know, but it is the principle and how I was treated afterward…We ordered our food, the order was wrong but was still good and the lunch rush was on so I didn’t quibble. The bill came and it was 20% over what we expected and written in Chinese. I queried the bill and was told that the extra charges were a combination of the difference in price of what we ordered and what we got and the cost of the two glasses of tap water. Now, I believe that tap water — that costs fractions of a penny out of the tap — should not be charged at a 1000% markup, even if the establishment has to wash the glasses and take the time to serve it. The charge for the water was not made clear on the menu or when ordered.
I just happened to know that as a result of The Licensing Act Of 2003 Order 2010, all newly issued licenses required tap water to be provided for free. I stated this to the duty manager, who rather rudely declined to remove the charge, saying that the owner would not accept it. Seeing as we had places to go and didn’t want to cause a fuss (this is England after all! Pip! Pip!), we paid and left. Later I sent an email to the council, who to their infinite credit sent the complaint on to the relevant department who went round to the restaurant and let them know that they were in breach of their license. Warnings all round!”
“I Went To A Denny’s (First Mistake)”
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“I went to a Denny’s (first mistake) with my brother for dinner. When we got done the waitress said, ‘Also our credit card system is down so we will only be taking cash.’ Between the two of us, we had $15 for our $18 bill. When we went to cash out, the manager said this was unacceptable and that one of us would have to stay at the restaurant while the other went to get cash, alternatively we could leave our credit card number (including the 3 digit number on the back) with him and he would run the card manually when the system came back up. My brother ended up leaving to get money while I waited for him to come back. We will never go to that Denny’s again because of 3 freaking dollars.”
“She Took A Few Bites Then Stopped…She Started To Get A Weird Look On Her Face”
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“Not my story but someone at my table. We were at Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ. We all got our food and started to eat. This girl took a few bites then stopped…. she started to get a weird look on her face. She reaches in her mouth and pulls out a razor blade (it was a blade with a hole at the top, probably used to cut the meat for her salad). She tells the waitress, then the manager comes over within 2 seconds. Asks for the blade so ‘they’ can give it to corporate (ya right), comps her meal and gives her a new salad of the same type. She starts to flip out saying that she isn’t eating it. Then they offer her something else on the menu. She has never been there since.”
“After 45 Minutes Of Working There, I Quit And…”
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“”I worked at this place for one day, It was a deli-type place. I had five years kitchen experience and needed the work in a small town. Within 5 minutes I was questioning their sanitary disposition — unregulated temperatures, improper disposal methods and general disregard for cleanliness. After a half hour I told myself I needed the money, could look past it, and do my best to make improvements over time… then came the french fry that broke the camel’s back. They dumped a basket of fries into their fryer, but when it came out, it had a brown film, or sludge over the delicious crispy-fried potato product. I asked if they were going to serve that to the customer, they said yes, it’s the gravy. After further questioning, I found out they inherited the property and the oil hasn’t been changed in 7 years. After 45min of working there, I quit and called the health inspector. I never looked back.”
