IHOP in Willoughby, f...cking, AGAIN!!
I cannot believe how incredibly disorganized and still lacking in cohesiveness the IHOP at Euclid Avenue and SOM Center Road in Willoughby, Ohio is. This is the third time I have been there and the third time I have been disappointed. The food has always been acceptable or more, though the menu and the service are often not the same. Case in point: Redskin potatoes, as cooked on the last visit were baked in herbs and butter this time they looked like home fries. One of my companions said they tasted fine but if he wanted home fried that is what he would have ordered. The syrup containers were only half full and very sticky AND I had to ask for one that was missing. I do have a question as well; does IHOP not have regular maple syrup? I though we had had it brought to us warm in a carafe on the first two visits, but no one in the party could remember. Although I did not get our server’s name she was sufficient.
On to the big problem, still. Once again there were WAY too many people hanging around doing nothing but talking to each other, wait staff I mean. When leaving it was requested that I speak with a manager on duty, in the first place, one could not determine who was management and who was not as there seemed to be at least four different dress “codes” in effect. Secondly, the two I saw that looked to be doing managerial duties were wearing some disgustingly dirty clothes. (As a former cook myself I know that happens, but there should be an available change of clothes if they are going to be seen but customers).
When I did speak with some purported to be “one of them,” meaning managers on duty, I could not tell if it was true as she was in a dirty white t-shirt and had nothing on her shirt depicting any status or even a name. The last time I was there she went back to get a manager who just told her to ”handle it.” I can describe her as having what sounds to be a slightly Hispanic accent dark hair and a tongue stud that was noticeable when she talked. I told her of the problems I still saw; meaning the people everywhere, and she immediately began making excuses. In fact, we did not count all of them this time but at one point there were seven servers, two cooks, one host/hostess, and two people who might have been managers, just standing in the dining room looking around. Also there seemed to be a great deal of action around the southern door to the kitchen. You should think about a one way, “in on one side and out on the other,” concept. We were almost waiting for an inevitable crash between employees. But I digress, the “manager” I spoke to said there were all of those servers standing around, “because we were just giving them assignments.” I stated that it had been going on since we got there and that was over an hour ago. She said she could only say what was going on at that specific time to which I replied that she should not have even commented then because I had already stated that it had been going on for some time.
This excursion occurred at approximately 2:PM on Sunday 7/2/2006. The place was not busy but again we were about to be seated at a booth and the same large people were together. Tell your host staff to pay attention to the size of their customers. No booth is big enough for five large sized people. Also cut down on the quantity of servers. Four good servers should be able to handle that dining room at the busiest times. Make sure your servers know they should walk around tables to serve each customer. And, lastly, tell your staff to pay attention to what they say and the customers say, as that might help them get better. You guys still need way too much work considering how long you have been open. I would be embarrassed if I were the owner of the franchise.
On to the big problem, still. Once again there were WAY too many people hanging around doing nothing but talking to each other, wait staff I mean. When leaving it was requested that I speak with a manager on duty, in the first place, one could not determine who was management and who was not as there seemed to be at least four different dress “codes” in effect. Secondly, the two I saw that looked to be doing managerial duties were wearing some disgustingly dirty clothes. (As a former cook myself I know that happens, but there should be an available change of clothes if they are going to be seen but customers).
When I did speak with some purported to be “one of them,” meaning managers on duty, I could not tell if it was true as she was in a dirty white t-shirt and had nothing on her shirt depicting any status or even a name. The last time I was there she went back to get a manager who just told her to ”handle it.” I can describe her as having what sounds to be a slightly Hispanic accent dark hair and a tongue stud that was noticeable when she talked. I told her of the problems I still saw; meaning the people everywhere, and she immediately began making excuses. In fact, we did not count all of them this time but at one point there were seven servers, two cooks, one host/hostess, and two people who might have been managers, just standing in the dining room looking around. Also there seemed to be a great deal of action around the southern door to the kitchen. You should think about a one way, “in on one side and out on the other,” concept. We were almost waiting for an inevitable crash between employees. But I digress, the “manager” I spoke to said there were all of those servers standing around, “because we were just giving them assignments.” I stated that it had been going on since we got there and that was over an hour ago. She said she could only say what was going on at that specific time to which I replied that she should not have even commented then because I had already stated that it had been going on for some time.
This excursion occurred at approximately 2:PM on Sunday 7/2/2006. The place was not busy but again we were about to be seated at a booth and the same large people were together. Tell your host staff to pay attention to the size of their customers. No booth is big enough for five large sized people. Also cut down on the quantity of servers. Four good servers should be able to handle that dining room at the busiest times. Make sure your servers know they should walk around tables to serve each customer. And, lastly, tell your staff to pay attention to what they say and the customers say, as that might help them get better. You guys still need way too much work considering how long you have been open. I would be embarrassed if I were the owner of the franchise.
posted by johnathan e at 6:39 PM
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