One…singular sensation…

Just a brief note complimenting a chain restaurant. It is soooooo rare that I would have anything good to say about chains, that I feel it’s only fair to them to say something good.

Tonight we took the kids to Uno’s, with two other families. When you think of unhealthy, pre-fab places, you’re there. But nonetheless, I grabbed my bottle of Lipitor, and we headed out. It was packed!!! I tell you, if the economy is suffering at all, it isn’t there, at least at 7:15pm on a Saturday night.

We had a very attentive waitress (Jackie) and everything came out correctly, except for my burger. It was cooked exactly the way I like it, and it was served hot, but I had asked for it without their house burger sauce, and of course, it was covered in it. Oh well…I sent it back, and she was very apologetic, and that was fine. I would wait and didn’t have any problem with that. It seemed like just some basic mistake and I didn’t mention another word other than saying “Jackie, I asked for this without sauce.”

Well, no sooner had Jackie gone into the kitchen than the manager ran right up to us. He was extraordinarily solicitous and apologetic, and I never uttered a word. He said “we’ve taken your burger off the bill. Can I get you a complimentary salad or soup while you wait?” I declined, and a few minutes later, the burger came out, and the manager stopped by again to apologize, and while he was taking away some dirty plates, told me he would send some fresh, hot fries over (Mom, don’t worry…I was eating roasted vegetables with the burger.) Mom, stop reading…okay, we ate some of the fries.

At the end of the meal, they brought over a giant chocolate chip cookie, served in a pizza pan, warm, with vanilla ice cream and a candle for Mrs. Palate’s birthday. After the requisite embarrassing Uno’s birthday song, once again, the manager apologized for my burger mistake, and comped us on the dessert too.

I share this story with all of you because I think that Uno’s really tries hard, and when something is wrong with your meal, you’re more likely to let it slide if the staff is attentive and apologetic. This manager was bending over backwards to make up for a relatively small mistake, and I appreciate his efforts. I also think that when the economy is in the tank, Uno’s, or any place for that matter, will not want to risk your business when there are so many other choices around. I give them credit for realizing that there are a lot of choices for the dining-out dollar, and I’ll remember this, which is exactly the result they want.

Thanks for reading…now enjoy Three Dog Night.