Jeannie in NJ Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I had to refuse to accept and pay for food at a restaurant last night. There is a restuarant off shore that had been there forever. It had been a wonderful deli, the best ever, very reasonable prices, tons of food, no issues at all. Well it moved to a bigger location down the road . Last night we went to the first night in the new place. The menu was totally different, it is now a steakhouse, VERY expensive, nothing familiar. I ordered a Jersey tomato and mozzarella plate. I asked for sure will these be Jersey tomatoes, she said yes. Well on the plate were 3 small , tiny wedges of pale, boring, tasteless tomato that are found pre packaged in the grocery store, 3 pieces of cheese the size of a quarter coin and no olive oil or any seasonings. They were charging $7.95 for this. I told the waitress "I can't accept this, take it away" I never do anything like this. My cousin and I then ordered vegatable plates, the waitress said that there would be grilled red peppers and a medley of other veggies. Well it was a plate of mushy, watery zucciini with nothing else. The charge was $8.95. Her husband got a caesar salad with grilled chicken, cost about $15.00 . It was small, no croutons and 3 bites of chicken. Dh and dd got the only decent food, they ordered chicken salad sandwiches. Well, we complained about the veg plates and the casaer salad. The waitress did adjust our bill. We asked her what had happened to the old place that we knew, loved and had been constant customers for the last several years. SHe said that the owners son had taken over the place and changed everything. This is in a not so well off town, the people here will not be able to support a place like this, Dh predicts they will be closed by Dec. Sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Ohh that's a shame. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterflymommy Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 We don't eat out anymore, but we used to go to a great restaurant that changed hands-- before it switched it had the most amazing mediterranean cuisine, very cheap. Afterwards we tried going there-- our food took 45 minutes to arrive-- and it was plain, mushy white rice with a hunk of boiled chicken (this was supposedly chicken marsala....). Salad was plain lettuce with some vinegar on it. Ugh! We paid the bill and never went back. You have to wonder if the people who acquire these places even taste the food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlylocks Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Sounds like an episode from "Kitchen Nightmares"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 This *is* sad. We recently had a similar experience at a local seafood restaurant we have loved for years. It is family-owned. We went for Mother's Day dinner....first in many years, so we were excited. I always order for the kids (five of them). My husband stepped away with the baby, so I also ordered his shrimp. The waitress had an attitude the entire time she talked to us, even before the order. My dad was treating us, so I overlooked it at first. After I ordered, she left the table without taking my parents' orders. I thought it was odd, but was not really bothered at the time. I got up and went to ask the waitress to come back to take their order. When I got to the kitchen, the waitress had her back to me and was letting loose about how *ridiculous* it was that *one* person would order for *nine* people. I was like :eek:!!! The other waitress came to speak to me. I told her we would stay and eat only if we got another waitress. Five minutes later, the rude waitress returned....no apology, just wanting to take the other order. I refused and asked for another waitress. She tried to get me to feel sorry for her because she had had a difficult day! :001_huh: She left, and ten minutes later, we still did not have another waitress, so we left and went to O. Garden. We prefer to support family-owned restaurants, but.....:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 Olive Garden is my dd's favorite restaurant. Me meet my cousin there and she always brings us coupons from the paper which take off so much per order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 My sister (the same one who lost her FIL yesterday) and her husband bought a diner as an investment. They had a manager all lined up. That manager managed to lose 20,000 in four months. I could tell you horror stories. They fired her, and now my sis has been running it. Shortly after she started running it, she found out she is expecting #6. Even before yesterday, she was tired to the point of just making it through the day. She'd love to hire someone (her kids need her at home), but they are just starting to get customers back. If they get another bad manager.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I ordered a Jersey tomato and mozzarella plate. I asked for sure will these be Jersey tomatoes, she said yes. Where did she think you were from, Alaska??? 'Cause a Jersey girl knows a Jersey tomato! So sorry that you lost a great go-to place. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Ok, I'll ask.....what's a Jersey tomato? A tomato from New Jersey? How is it different from a regular tomato?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 SHe said that the owners son had taken over the place and changed everything. This is in a not so well off town, the people here will not be able to support a place like this, Dh predicts they will be closed by Dec. Sad. Just a guess here, but the very sad part is that the son probably didn't pay for the restaurant with cash or even take out a bank loan. The parents probably sold it to him and are holding the note, expecting monthly payments to support their retirement. The mis-management and closing will have ramifications on his parents, too. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Ok, I'll ask.....what's a Jersey tomato? A tomato from New Jersey? How is it different from a regular tomato?? A Jersey tomato is a tomato grown in New Jersey. New Jersey has really good conditions for growing tomatoes, and the tomatoes from there are considered really flavorful and extra good. But I've got to wonder--are they ripe already in late May? If so, I'm even more jealous of your proximity to good tomatoes! OP, that sucks. I'm glad the waitress didn't give you any grief about taking those items off the bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 some Jersey tomatoes are called Beefsteak tomatoes, they are that good. You can even make a great sandwich with just an Italian roll, Jersey tomatoes, olive oil and seasonings such as basil or oregano. A popular dish here is the Jersey tomatoes, with mozzarela cheese , olive oil and seasonings and nothing else. Once you eat a Jersey tomato you will NEVER eat any other tomato ever. For mothers day, my dh and dc gave me 3 Jerseys still on the vine, some cheese and a big bottle of olive oil, it was great. I don't know where he got them from, I have not noticed them in the stores yet but I have not really been looking yet. Yes, I married an Italian, even tho I am Scotch-Irish by birth. Our dc are Korean by birth but say that they are Italian by culture and family lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Ugh. I just hate to eat out anymore because of stuff like this. Prices keep going up and up, portions keep getting smaller (on the things that just MIGHT be worth paying more for), and cheaper/lesser ingredients are being substituted for better quality ones. Add to the above that half the time the servers are rude, indifferent, drop food on you (had this happen twice in a year), or just not around, AND the fact that the restaurants are kept TOO COLD, AND the folks with screaming kids.... yeah. I hate to eat out anymore. I'm sorry you lost such a great place to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 A popular dish here is the Jersey tomatoes, with mozzarela cheese , olive oil and seasonings and nothing else. Once you eat a Jersey tomato you will NEVER eat any other tomato ever. And once you've had fresh mozzarella (like my dh used to pick up in Hoboken), it's torture to go back to the packaged stuff. (We lived in Jersey for 9 years.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dands Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I had fresh straberries sliced where an onion was chopped at a 5 star restaurant :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 But I've got to wonder--are they ripe already in late May? In a word, no. But I'm guessing since we're in 7b, Jeannie was hoping the chef was in touch with someone who took a risk and planted early, and possibly had some early tomatoes. Most of the state is Zones 6b/7a/7b. Handy NJ site for plant maps: http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-new-jersey-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 yes, Nono, the waitress swore up and down that they had Jersey tomotoes in the kitchen. Yeah, right. My cousin even said to the waitress "Isn't it too early for Jerseys and the waitress said, Oh, but we have some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 yes, Nono, the waitress swore up and down that they had Jersey tomotoes in the kitchen. Yeah, right. My cousin even said to the waitress "Isn't it too early for Jerseys and the waitress said, Oh, but we have some. Sounds like they were from Camden. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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