Uncouth Crowd at Chicken Joint

January 1, 2013

in Fast Food Stories

After a long day out of town (our town is very small so most of our shopping has to be done hours away), it’s nice to come home with a meal someone else cooked and in containers you won’t have to wash – and that was the exact reason we had for stopping at a famous fried chicken place.

I suppose we should have taken the noise and things we saw and heard as some kind of warning signal, but since the chain’s food quality always tended to be the best, we figured we would overlook the rest: the cashier boy pulling off his sneakers to show them off, the same boy yelling to friends/coworkers and using offensive language, and the wad of people, probably one of the employee’s families, sitting at a table by the door – and not just at the table, but also on the floor. Their stuff was everywhere, and they were loud, too. Two kids were running wild. Despite the mildly unsanitary and majorly unprofessional way things were handled, we were hungry and tired so we decided to hope the chain’s reputation would at the very least speak for the food.

Unfortunately, it did not. The chicken looked alright, but it was warm (not hot) and chewy, as though it had been heated for a week by a light bulb.

Being fair and patient people, we tried the restaurant just once more – and while it was still very loud, with nearly everyone yelling conversationally, and the chicken still had the appeal of a dirty sock – at least the lazy-looking bunch wasn’t still crowding two tables at the door. We’ve never been back to that place, nor will we ever be; next time we’re hungry on the way home, a convenience store’s chocolate bar selection will suffice.

– Melody

{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }

Jane January 1, 2013 at 9:03 am

You have got to be kidding? What do you expect from a fast food chain? good service , hot food? That chicken had been sitting under a light bulb for hours

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Melody January 6, 2013 at 2:20 pm

Yes, thanks for repeating my own words – but I didn't say it was a fast-food chain; just a chain. One with a pretty high reputation for good food and service, at that.

– Melody

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Beth August 19, 2015 at 6:04 pm

Maybe you are missing brain cells… you posted this under the fast food section. I'm guessing you walked in with your nose in the air expecting fine dining because you were unable to read the fast food chain sign out front.

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sexygal August 29, 2016 at 5:21 am

What was the name of the chain??? I HATE it when you posters relate a story bur leave out the names, dang it! What's the damn purpose of refusing to name the places on this site?!!?

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Local Reader January 2, 2013 at 12:05 pm

Sometimes an e-mail or letter to the corporate holding company helps. It might not fix your situation right away, but it might be that one complaint that tips the scales in favor of changing things. (that and a call to the local health inspectors about unsanitary conditions)

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Taylor January 3, 2013 at 10:52 am

If this is the chicken fast food place I’m thinking of, I had three bad experiences with it. The first time I complained to corporate and was given gift certificates, which made me decide to go back. When I went back with those, they forgot some of our sides. When we called to complain, they agreed to give us the entire meal for free when we next went back. When we went back first the manager tried to tell us we could only get the meal when a certain manager was working, when they had never specified originally. Then it took an hour to get our food. At a FAST food place. The entire time the manager was yelling at the employees too. And of course doing nothing useful herself. I haven’t been back since.

On a different note, what makes you think that group of people was an employee’s family? Did any employee keep talking to them or anything? Sometimes you get terrible people, and especially in a chain where “the customer is always right” you can’t say anything to them without fear of losing your job, even if they’re making things difficult for other customers, so their behavior alone could be for many reasons and doesn’t necessarily point towards preferential treatment for family.

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Melody January 6, 2013 at 2:23 pm

Yes, the boy who had taken his shoes off kept talking to them, and it seemed they spent enough time there to spread out like they were in the privacy of their own home or something – maybe they were just really comfortable (and in-the-way) patrons, but it sure seemed they were related…

– Melody

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Taylor January 8, 2013 at 10:49 am

Oh okay, if the boy kept talking to them they must have been related or at least friends. That really sucks.

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mrsjamiecbaker January 4, 2013 at 2:23 pm

I've learned the hard way that if you walk into a restaurant, be it fast food or fine dining, and you feel uncomfortable, your best bet is to walk right back out the door! Unruly patrons are one thing, but someone who handles food going around taking their shoes off is a whole other problem. That should have been a warning sign that the food wouldn't be up to par and that you should leave.

I have found that speaking up can do wonders. There is a sandwich shop near my home that utterly failed my family one day. I took to Twitter to complain and was immediately contacted by a manager. The very next time we went into the sandwich shop, the place had done a complete 180; staffing problems were fixed and the employees were helpful, polite, and professional. It can definitely pay to speak up 🙂

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Aaron January 8, 2013 at 12:45 pm

Hmmm. You had some chewy chicken. Is this really hell? I gave it 1 star.

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melody January 10, 2013 at 2:30 pm

It wasn't just that – it was the unsanitary, loud, rude, and such that had me writing this. I wasn't the only one disgusted…

– Melody

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Jack January 9, 2013 at 1:19 am

Being a fair person you gave them another chance. LOL! You deserve what you got.

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Melody January 10, 2013 at 2:31 pm

Nobody deserves bad service when they pay for something!

– Melody

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Simon January 11, 2013 at 11:15 am

This isn't the kind of service you'd expect from anyone! Hope they clean up their act soon.

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Melody January 15, 2013 at 6:39 am

Thanks, I agree totally – and to think some people thought this was okay! (I get that it's not the worst story out there, but personally I say that's a good thing) 🙂

– Melody

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