A recent dismal lunch at a perennially consistent restaurant leads me to wonder what prompts others to stop going to a restaurant that has long been part of your normal dining rotation.
A few things stick out in my mind as automatic: food suffers due to new management / ownership and doesn't rebound, pattern of health dept shutters for serious violations, verbally abusive management to staff or customers, etc.
The restaurant experience that made me think about this included multiple serious service issues, room temperature soup, piece of over cooked pork (charred to death,) entrées missing a key item and cold lumpia. The items missing from the entrées were brought out later. A table of 9 were sat after our table of 2, ordered their food after us, and received their food prior to us receiving room temperature soup. There was a lady who had to wait for a table while we were already sat and was told that, "we aren't going to tell you (her) to leave but it would be a while" before she got her table. I appreciate that open communication. She was sat, ordered, and also received her food before we received our soup. We ordered a couple lunch specials and made no substitutions but if we had, the wait would have been acceptable. Later on in the meal, we were asked how everything was. I responded that it was just ok. Our bill did have a 10% discount but that was due to wearing Cubs gear, a promotion we were unaware of.
I know that I could have been more direct and complained. I didn't feel like it would have had any effect. Would you keep this place in your rotation? What brings you to that tipping point of not going back to a place that used to warrant regular visits?
"And if you don't know, now you know." -BIG