The Burger

It twas the the night of the Super Bowl, I needed a place to enjoy a good meal and relax, while taking a moment to enjoy the Super Bowl festivities on television. Usher Raymond was performing, me being a Usher fan, I had no choice but to make sure I saw the halftime show. Granted the halftime show wasn’t the main reason I stopped to watch the game, I actually enjoy the game of football, playing and watching. Granted I prefer to be at the football stadium during times of watching the game. But that’s another story, I will possibly explain in a different journalism blog. ? I stop to watch the game whenever I have time to focus and watch it. Which is rare, but it happens from time to time. Super Bowl is one of those rare moments.?

As I started to walk into the location I noticed an extremely unattractive female. Unattractive females are an extreme sign something is out of order. I have yet to notice an unattractive and all things around are in order. Most times if there's a group of unattractive females located in the area there’s a good chance somethings going on unattractively. If there are a group of attractive females in one place, this means something sneaky is going on. Why? Because it’s always someone trying to be sneaky in order to deal with attractive females or someone trying to blind side you with attractive females in order to deter your attention. Needless to say I ignored my understanding because that's a stereotype. Right? Supposedly….? But my ignoring of my stereotyped understanding proved, not following my understanding leaves me wrong every time. Granted this philosophy works with all types of unattractive and attractive people.

As I walked into the AppleBee’s located at 459 Hackensack Ave Hackensack, NJ 07601.? The first thing that caught my attention was how inactive the location was. This should have been a sign, right there, not to stay and eat at the location. I mean come on, it is Super Bowl Sunday and you barely have a packed house.? Granted the SuperBowl didn't start for approximately three hours, give or take. But from my understanding, locations worth enjoying are locations that pack house early. Needless to say I entered the location anyway. As I entered the location I was immediately seated. I requested for a table with an outlet so that I may do a little computer work and charge my cellular phone.? I got to my seat and the server came and allowed me to order my drink and food. I ordered appetizers and a two part meal. Mozzarella sticks, Fiesta Chicken and Classic Cheese Burger cooked medium and a Pink Lemonade.?

Let’s start off with my drink, because I used to be a restaurant server in my younger years and the first lesson taught in becoming a restaurant server, a “must know '' is never allow the customer / table you are serving to get low on their beverage. '' Your customer should never have to request for more beverage, you should already be prepared to refill at the halfway line of the drink. If anything, request if the customer would like more to drink". ? Unfortunately with my server I was forced to call for her attention on multiple occasions to refill my drink. Most times my server was sitting at a table chatting with her co workers laughing and or eating. I had my drink refilled maybe about five times. Yet, when I got my bill I was charged for each refill. We all know refills are supposed to be free and if not the server is supposed to make you aware you will be charged for a refill. Needless to say the server never said a word. I was simply handed a bill with about 8 refills, which my guess she just guesstimated the refills. Oh yeah not to mention, I ended up with two different servers before my check was cleared because my first server was off the clock and never told me goodbye or that she was no longer my server.?

Let’s get back to my meal. I had a two part meal. Two full meals with an appetizer, because that was part of the deal I had chosen. I decided to split the meals up, because I wanted one meal right away and the other once the Super Bowl came on.? I was given my appetizer, Mozzarella sticks then, my first meal The Fiesta Chicken. I literally had no problem there. It wasn’t until my second meal, when I had to search for my server and find out she had gone for the day and a new server was on shift. The new server was aware of my meal and confirmed with me a classic burger cooked medium. It took a few moments for my burger to come to me in which I had no problem waiting. The game was on and I was preoccupied enjoying it. When my meal got to me everything seemed well until I bit into the burger and realized I was not given a medium burger at all. I was given a rare cooked burger not medium rare but rare with cold french fries/ barely lukewarm. I explained to my server the burger was not cook properly and she explained to me the burger was cooked medium. I explained to her medium doesnt have pink inside the burger and based on the amount of pink in my burger it wasn’t even a medium rare burger. I told her about my french fries also and she obliged to bring me another plate. Needless to say the plate was a different plate but the fries was still cold/ barely lukewarm and the burger was cooked well done. But the sandwich tasted microwaved, right along with the french fries. I could not accept the meal, I almost vomited. Because I despise microwaved bread. I know microwaved bread when I taste it because microwaved bread makes bread taste rubbery. And though the fries were lukewarm they may have been microwaved too. I requested the server to simply to replace my meal with the meal I had in the beginning Fiesta Chicken, because my stomach was in need of something. ? The server brought me back another Fiesta Chicken meal. The meal was nothing like I had in the beginning. If it was I probably didn’t notice because I was extremely hungry. Either way the chicken had a funny taste to it. A taste that chicken normally have after it has went stale after cooking. The rice tasted microwaved and lukewarm. I couldn’t believe what I was tasting. I didn’t feel like arguing with my server again about my meal so I just scrapped over what I could and left the rest of the meal.?

It was check time and my bill came out 4 times as much as it should have been. Why? Because I was charged for 8 drinks / refills, as I mentioned earlier. I was also charged for the plates of food sent back to the kitchen which were not cooked properly. I know…. Outrageous right? I requested the manager immediately. The manager began to defend the charges and I explained to him I am not a fool, I understand and am aware these charges are a no no. No one pays for food they don’t eat, and no one pays for refills, especially if you do not make the customer aware refills are going to be charged.? Lastly I was charged for the meal I swapped out? with because my food wasn’t prepared right. The manager decided to reduce my bill down to the original fee (give or take a dollar) I was supposed to pay had my meal had no issues. He claimed it was a discount because of all the drinks. If you could say disrespectful? “yes” this was disrespectful. It was like a slap in the face and some disrespectful words said after. I was livid, in always but good. Yet, I stayed calm, though I am sure my face read anger all over it and my voice spoke in a tone I will whip yo a$$. Yet, as respectfully as I could I expressed to him. The food was trash for the most part, and if you look over at my table you will see majority of my last meal still on the plate. I had to send back multiple plates and you charge me for refills that are more refills than I actually drink and in which I was not made aware I would be charged for. I can count I am not a fool, this is the same fee I would pay had my meal been set properly. I wanted a minimum of 50% off. He obliged and took all charges except my appetizers and one drink.? Granted I am sure with the issues I had my meal should have been free. But, because it was a horrible location I understood with all those errors and the management debating being ignorant to recognizing upfront the right thing to do, and being late at night, after the SuperBowl was over and I was tired of arguing; I understood a free meal wasn’t going to happen without another stressful conversation. It’s bad management that or he’s a newbie. Because anyone with a right mind would have never put up an argument, he would have said I understand the issue, the meal is free, and sorry for your inconvenience. Instead this guy tried to nickel and dime me after a million and one errors.