Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Free appetite suppressant

I am having dinner tonight with my fab friend, Bean. Hopefully the following does not occur. She and her Hub, CW, went out to eat recently. She had heard positive word of mouth about a this particular restaurant so in they went. And sat down in anticipation of a great meal and great service. 

When the server put Bean's first course on the table, a bowl of soup, she and CW politely smiled as they watched the server pull her thumbs out of the broth and wipe them on her apron. CW asked her if she wanted to leave to which Bean replied, "No. That's fine. I just won't eat it."

As if they needed additional evidence that they should have immediately fled, a few minutes later after noticing the entire restaurant was nearly empty, Bean caught a glimpse through the swinging kitchen door of the cook. He was busy preparing their order and simultaneously smoking a cigarette.

Ahhh, the nicotine straw that finally broke the wet- thumbed camel's back. inally, the prompt they needed to leave.

There is your free appetite suppressant for the day.

66 comments:

Unknown said...

Ew.Ew.Ew. Thumbs in the soup....ugh!!

:)

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

Makes you wonder who they were paying off in the department of health......


EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Kat said...

Guess we won't see this fine establishment on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" anytime soon. Did they even bother going anywhere else after this fiasco? YUK! Kat

A Daft Scots Lass said...

smoking and fingers in the soup! report them!

Chez Zizi said...

UGH, how gross is that?
Zizette

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Yeah, but did he put the cigarette out in the soup? I'm thinkin' I'll eat at home tonight.

Jenn@ You know... that blog? said...

OH GROSS! I hope they talked to the manager or did a local review on the place. I do restaurant reviews here; that sort of thing really needs to be made public. How gross!

Gigi said...

I have a whole new fear and loathing of restaurants after recently reading Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential." This sounds right out of its pages!

Will Burke said...

I like my smoke breaks, but TIME AND PLACE PEOPLE!! Honestly!

Anonymous said...

This clean freak has reported a few restaurants in my time. I hope I don't encounter this joint anytime I'm in your city.

BigSis said...

Yup, I'll be cooking dinner tonight. And tomorrow. And next time we eat out, it will be a place with an open kitchen.

Maria said...

I think I will refrain from ever eating out again...Double yuck!

jules said...

Ugh! How awkward! I mean, I would feel scared to say, "hey you had your dirty hands in my soup" for fear they would sabotage the rest of my food.

Brian Miller said...

was wondering what that texture was in my food...mmm...blacht!

Kir said...

Oh. Dear. God.
I normally will eat practically anything, but this was sooooo not appetizing.

But it did make me gag and giggle at the same time.

mCat said...

Thank you. I was needing an anorexic day and you just provided it for me. You're such a giver.

Joann Mannix said...

I always try my best not to think about what goes on behind those swinging doors. It's tough, because I know all the sick details. I waitressed my way through college and the things I have seen . . .

I won't gross you out any further.

We were at dinner the other night with friends and I saw the waiter hand one of our friends his cocktail and yes, his thumb was submerged in our friend's Scotch. I mentioned to our friend after the waiter left, but being a guy, he just took a gulp and reassured me the alcohol would burn off the germs.

Yuck.

Grand Pooba said...

Oh my God. The thumbs in the soup? I totally would of said something and not just because I'm a smart ass!

Unknown said...

Gross! I once was at a restaurant where the waitress was filling my water glass. She accidently dumped ice over the side of the glass and proceeded to pick it up off the table with her bare hands and tossed it back into the glass!

Sana said...

oh nasty. This is why I get skeptical about the quality fast food, let alone sit down restaurants.

Tara said...

Ugh, I work for a company that supplies restaurant equipment. If you would see the things that we see when we go into places, you'd never eat again.

I think my favorite was when my mom went into a local chain restaurant and watched the cook take off his disposable gloves, shove them in his back pocket, go to use the restroom, come back into the kitchen digging the gloves back out of his pocket and putting them back on..... It's gross, but I could go on and on about this subject YUCK!

Aunt Becky said...

Okay, I don't want to eat again. For a long time. BLECH.

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

You just never know!
<><

foxy said...

WOW. Really???? That is just unbelievable!

Nicole said...

BLECH! That is so gross and I can't even imagine how a restaurant could even stay in business with that sort of a problem! EW EW EW!

Kristina P. said...

Thanks for ruining my appetite!

Intense Guy said...

Aren't you glad you didn't observe the non-hand washing dude come out of the mensroom too?

:)

Bossy Betty said...

I prefer the index finger in my soup. I feel as if I am being given direction to eat it.

Unknown said...

And that is why I am terrified to go to any new restaurant.
Gross.

Writing Without Periods! said...

Who does things like that...ugh! However, I want a friend named Bean. That is very cool.
Mary

Herding Cats said...

Wow. That's just....disgusting.

Pollyanna said...

Gotta wonder about the person who gave the restaurant the "thumbs up" (ha, I kill me). I'm not sure I'd be eating any of their homemade offerings in the future if thumbs in the soup and cigarettes in the kitchen are included in their definition of a great restaurant. Honestly, I hold restaurants to a higher standard than I have in my own kitchen . . .

Unknown said...

Oh yuck! No wonder the place was mostly empty! But a cigarette? EWE!

Anonymous said...

That is disgusting. I may put my fingers in the soup when I make it at home but no one's paying $10 per bowl for it. Gross.

Babes Mami said...

mmmm mmmm nicotine and germs!!

MommaKiss said...

i've worked in food service. this is sadly mild. that said, most of the icky stuff happened where no one could see it.

brokenteepee said...

erm, yuck!

One Photo said...

No restaurant would allow people to smoke in the kitchen and hope to keep their customer base. I can't imagine this place will be open for too long.

The mad woman behind the blog said...

yup, that did it. Job done.
Thanks!

Ellen@FirednFabulous said...

No, this CANNOT be true. Don't you have to at least DO something to deserve such terrible and disgusting service??

Anonymous said...

yummmm.

Stephanie Faris said...

I'd call the health department on them. Sounds like it's time for a little surprise inspection...

Caty said...

gross! Guess you won't be dining there tonite...at least, you hope not :)

Little Ms Blogger said...

Okay that's just gross, but I have a story that can top it.

1997 - cooking demonstration class by Sheila Lukins -- she's sick, wiping her nose on her sleeve. The food she was demonstrating was to be served to the audience. Needless to say, I stopped on the way home for lunch.

Allyson & Jere said...

Foul!

That is all I can muster here. Just a big fat FOUL!

Sometimes, I get all high and mighty and think I'll just stop going out to restraunts all together,because really...I'm sure THAT kind of stuff happens alll the time. And i get grossed out at the thought. But then, I get hungry, and I go out anyway.

It's a vicious cycle really.

undomestic mama said...

Disgusting!

Fragrant Liar said...

Yeah, thanks. I was about to sit down for a bite to eat something fattening, but the thumbs in the soup did it for me. I appreciate it. I do.

Liz Mays said...

I'd be investigating the source of that positive word of mouth!

K A B L O O E Y said...

Yup, truly gross, but I'm still hungry.

wendy said...

ARE, YOU. KIDDING.
yikes

Help! Mama Remote... said...

I'm with bluviolet on this one.

Vodka Logic said...

yuck, yuck, yuck..... and one of the best ways to ruin a restaurant is work there... I'd hate to tell you some of the stories....

J.J. in L.A. said...

Yikes! Someone obviously has stock in the restaurant if they're spreading positive reviews.

secret agent woman said...

Yigh. I was sitting at a breakfast counter at a Waffle House with my son one and watched the cook pick up a handful of hashbrowns of one plate and transfer them to another - bare-handed! The woman sitting next to me and I just looked at each other in horror. But too late, we'd both already nearly finished our breakfasts.

Unknown said...

I shudder to think about what goes on behind closed doors in most fine food establishments.

Ewwww.

Unknown said...

(yet I must have an iron-clad stomach b/c it didn't stop me from eating this giant cinnamon roll from Dolce---a bakery you must visit when you next see Marcia Garcia. And Cupcake A La Mode, too. Start making a list).

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

YUck!

Leah Rubin said...

Yikes, I may never eat out again! I know there's a lot of awful stuff that goes on in restaurants, but this is disgusting!

My hub likes to say I got my name from saying, Let's Eat At Home so much... Get it, LEAH? Oh, he's so lame...

imbeingheldhostage said...

Ewwwww! YUCk.
I once worked for two days in a place as a waitress. I was appalled by the kitchen, but once when my tray tipped and a plate went crashing to the floor, the cook asked, "Can you save any of it?". My table thanked me when I went out to explain their lunch would take a little longer and they thanked me for not saving it. They had HEARD him :-(
Just ewww.

Unknown said...

That's just lovely!

I just came across your blog. The name drew me in. I'm a GA girl too.

Mrs. M said...

Sounds like something out of a horror movie!

Emily said...

Ew. Gross. Double gross. I don't suppose you'll tell which restaurant so I don't happen to go there!? :)

Cranky Mommy said...

Even though the metro area we both live in is very large, I will still wonder if I'm in *that* restaurant or not.
If you ever go to James Island / Folly Beach SC I'll tell you which cute cafe to avoid because 2 weeks ago we were told, "I'm sorry you saw a rat in the sunroom. Sometimes we hear them in the ceiling - it's so annoying."

HalfAsstic.com said...

I think I'd be snapping pictures with the ol' cell phone and sending to the health department. That's? disgusting.

Vivienne @ the V Spot said...

ack. really. ack.

Anonymous said...

Thumb in the soup made me throw up in my mouth a little bit, gag!