Not the Fridays I Remember from the Past

Or you can "get them back" by going back and ordering a whole shitload
of stuff, wait for a little until you know they started to cook it all
and leave. lol

Tis why I don't go to chain restraunts anymore!

TGIF has a diverse clientele, and thus they appropriately chose to
cater to all. Some people enjoy rap music, and these people patronize
Friday's (the DH and I for example)so it is only fair to play a
rotating genre of music. Diversity is the spice of life. Embrace it.

maybe he was new? he should have worn a nametag that said "training".
We were all new once

don't be so shy and unassertive. ask them to turn down the music.
ask for the manager if the staff isn't performing correctly. take
some initiative and you'd be surprised. make it clear you aren't
going to put up with anything. when i worked at holiday inn, people
asked us to turn down the music all the time, we were happy to do so,
even tho it wasn't loud, some people just want to talk. they have a
manager for a reason, make use of him/her. once you make it clear to
them what you expect, at least they can get on the same page. but
they can't read your mind, so speak up.

The Friday's near me is not at all like you describe. It is almost
always a great experience, though I think a new chef was training a
few weeks back ;)

On the other hand, I remember a Friday's in the Baltimore area that
was a *bit* more like you describe. However, even there the servers
knew the menu and had a good attitude about the restaurant.

I think you should speak with the manager about your experience - my
manager's number is on the receipts. This may be a local issue, and
speaking to the manager may verify that. I would try other Friday's
before giving up on the company. I find some of their dishes quite
tasty, and mine has the high energy staff you speak of. Also, the
music is laid back, the place is clean and the service is freindly and
prompt. I have never seen anything sent back.

The spinach and artichoke dip is twice what it costs at Applebees
(after 9:00 AP is half price), but it is twice as good. The chips are
freshly baked and the dip is much better.

Last time I went to a Friday's I remember the music being awfully loud
and blaring as well. The food was still pretty good, but the waitstaff
seemed bored and irritated at having to do their jobs.

Sigh

Really doesn't make eating out much fun!

In my opinion, Fridays has gone downhill. The prices shot up, but the
food does not reflect the quality of a price increase.

Sounds like this location is especially bad. I would give the manager
a buzz as well.

I would have been turned off by the loud music from the beginning.
That speaks volumes (no pun intended lol) about how its run too.

I hope you do get a response from them and are able to share with us
what they tell you. Hopefully they will take care of you after this
and speak with the employees there.

A letter writer's contact information is attached to every letter sent
through PFB. Therefore, not putting the location information in the
letter itself is not a huge issue because Fridays can simply get that
info when they contact the letter writer.

Not all Fridays are like this. The one nearest to me is pretty good,
particularly in service, but it's also in Miller Park (where the
Milwaukee Brewers play) so they're probably better equipped in dealing
with the public.

I think it's great you let corporate know of the problems at this
location. The waiter may have been new, which is why he wasn't clear
about the menu, but then that's an indication that addiional training
is needed.

Normally I'd suggest talking to the manager, but in this case
management is probably at least part of the problem.

I wondered immediately when I read this if you might have been on
vacation or something. Then you confirmed below that you are not from
the area. My parents took me to DC when I was much younger. We
stayed about 20 minutes outside of DC proper. My Dad had seen a sign
for obscenely low priced Pizza Hut pizza, so that's where he decided
to take us for dinner that night. It was HORRIBLE! LOUD music, luke
warm food, and grease like I've never seen on a pizza before. There
was at least a quarter inch of visible grease on top of the pizza. We
all felt ill that night after eating. I'm guessing that just like
this particular Pizza Hut location, the TJIF is a product of the
surrounding area and the people willing to work there. Like others
have suggested, I would rewrite the letter pointing out the exact
location to corporate. Maybe there was a hotel or other reference
that you could use to retrace your steps and come up with the road
name?

Linda,

It's possible that your server was just hired, possibly even his first
day. I'd cut him some slack.

I remember going to Friday's way back in the early 80s. Their food
was absolutely delicious, with an extensive menu selection. My last
visit to Friday's was several years ago, and it was like stepping into
a completely different place. It seems as though it's more of a bar
now, with a few items to eat for the drinking crowd. Quite the
opposite of what it used to be. Needless to say, I haven't been back
since, and don't plan on returning anytime in the foreseeable future.

That TGI Fridays is headed for closing if it keeps that up. That
sounds like a really badly run store.

I also wish you had included the exact location of this place as
corporate will not be able to do much without that information.

Thank you for your help. I just asked my husband and he said it was in
Va. south on US 1 either in Alexandria or close to it. We had gotten
turned around and somewhat lost so I was not sure where we were. Are
you familar with that resturant or do we need to be more specific?




thanks again.

We are not from the area and I do believe that was the one that you
mentioned. I just could not remember the road we were on and did not
want to misrepresent another Friday's.

You made the point that this was at a Friday's "outside of Washington
DC." Is there a reason that you didn't specify which one? There are
several in the DC Metro area, across two states (not including DC,
itself). Was this the one on Rockville Pike? The one near just off
I-385 on Route 7? And so forth.

It's clear that this restaurant is having major problems and poor
management. Corporate is going to need to know WHICH restaurant is
responsible, not simply that it was in the DC Metro area.

Sounds like a poorly managed restaurant. Consider resending a letter
with the specific location of the one you're complaining about.

lindalou,

In case you didn't know, the M.O. of most of the commenters at Planet
Feedback is to find fault with the letter writer and nitpick every
statement that you make or action that you take.

Don't let it get you down. They get REALLY mad when you poke them
back. Kind of like caged animals.

They can dish it out, but they can't take it.