Oh good grief I just got back from dinner at Romeos here in Decatur. I don't think I've ever had an experience at an eatery as I did tonight. I am so writing them a letter and I'm posting it here as well.
12 Oct 07
Dear Romeo's,
This evening my friend and I decided to dine at your fine establishment. I tried to talk her into going to
Camino Real as it is my favorite restaurant, sometimes I visit as many as three times in one week, but no, she wanted to go to Romeos so I conceded. We arrived at 5:45 and put our name on the seating list as a party of four with the need of two additional high chairs. We sat patiently in the foyer until we began to notice that other similar sized groups were arriving after we did and being seated before we were. My friend
approached the host to inquire how much longer it would be, noting that we felt like we were being skipped over. We had been skipped over but the host made excuses to the contrary. Why can't anyone just say "
ooops"? This wasn't a big deal, it must happen often. We didn't have to wait a horribly long time. We just didn't want to sit there with our children playing in the fountain all night.
Finally we were seated in the bar area. There were better than half a dozen empty tables in the bar. Why were so many people waiting to be seated with all these empty tables?
Our drink orders were taken even before we could sit down and in no time were placed on the table in front of us. My glass of ice water was placed directly, and by directly I mean five inches from the edge of the table, in front of my friend's seven month old baby. As soon as the waitress let go of the glass the infant reached for it and spilled the freezing contents all over himself. The waitress huffed as if inconvenienced and went to get
papertowels. Not once did the server offer an
appology to the mother of this soaked child, as if it was this baby's own fault. I was floored. I would have
appologized profusely every time I walked past the table. Of course I would have known better than to set a drink (or a loaf of bread with a sharp knife) in front of a young child.
As our orders were being taken, my friend and I asked for separate tickets. She and her two children and a to go order on one and my order with my daughter's and grandson's and a to go order on the other. I joked to the waitress that our men had to work late so we went to eat without them but felt guilty so we were carrying dinner home for them.
As our salad was arriving the children pointed out that their Sprites tasted funny. They were right, they were
awful. We sent them back and the
soft drinks were replaced. I was still waiting for a fresh glass of water.
The meals arrived as lovely and delicious as ever and we enjoyed them as we have each time we've dined at Romeo's.
Then the to go
orders came in a big paper bag. They came in one big paper bag. We ordered them on separate tickets so wouldn't it make sense that we may need the dinners packaged separately? So we sent the server back to the kitchen to bag the meals separately. When he returned to the table with two bags he announced as he raised one bag that this was the Pasta
Meatza. I took that bag and he gave the other to my friend.
After quite a wait the checks finally came. We scrutinized our charges. I seldom look at the bill, I just sign the credit card ticket and leave. My friend and I discovered that we were charged a quarter extra for the to go orders. It's not like you had to deliver them. Twenty five cents extra for not messing up a table and causing extra wear and tear on the flooring and -- it was the box wasn't it? It had to be the box. We ordered over sixty bucks worth of meal and were charged twenty five cents for the little foil cartons.
I arrived home and presented my husband with the Pasta
Meatza he had been waiting for. He pealed the lid from the dish and -- I bet you can guess what happened then. Yes, he found my friend's
talapia dinner instead. My husband's dinner was all the way across town sitting on the wrong dinner table.
I wish I had taken notice of the server's name but I sat facing the wall and had my back to her each time she came to our table. She'll be the one complaining about a twenty five cent tip.
I don't think my friend and our families will be returning to
Romeo's for quite a while. We'll miss the Pasta
Meatza but we can get better service at Taco Bell.
Sincerely,
[I did sign with my name and address but I'm not posting it here]
That's it. Goodnight.
Bright sunrise to the east . . .
Lovely rainbow to the west.
Our Bacardi tour guide standing beside the bat fountain. This tour is free by the way.
These are the tree murals in the foyer. The tell the story of Christopher Columbus discovering PR, the Spaniards bring sugar cane, and the pirates bringing rum. I think that's what it was.
The bar inside the Bacardi visitors center.
Us.
The front of the cisitors center.
The actual distillery building.
The Bat Pavillion shaped like an in-flight bat.
Views from the bus window.
The Fort San Cristobal
View from the fort
Which way out?
This way?
Or that?
More views from the fort.
