Are my recent issues with Noodles and Company in Owings Mills indicative of a problem with the whole oganization?

All:

Some of you are aware of the issue that I have recently had with Noodles and Company. I used to go to one of their shops frequently enough, maybe 3-4 times a month. My wife and I enjoy their food, and like the fact that as a general rule, we can eat healthy foods quickly there. Noodles is one of only a few places where I can honestly say that.

On Thursday of last week (1/19/2012) my wife and I went to the local Owings Mills location, and ordered dinner in. Usually we get carry out. I don't eat lunch, so I was fairly hungry. SO was my wife. We ordered:

1 medium sized dinner for each of us
1 soup for me/1 side salad for my wife
1 order of pot stickers to share

Since the restaurant was crowded, we had 2 choices of where to sit. I'm not comfortable in booths, so I chose a small table for 2 in the corner. When the "waitress" (I use the term loosely out of respect for actual wait staff) got to our table, she LOUDLY exclaimed to a crowded restaurant:

"Ya'll gonna eat ALL THIS FOOD!?! It ain't gonna fit on this table!! I SWORE it was for at least 3! I got 3 silverwares!!"

So, to get her to shut her mouth, we moved to stools at a bar set up. Much less comfortable.

We stayed about 10 minutes or less, got to go containers and left. I should have said something there, but I'm not confrontational by nature, and I WILL NOT TOLERATE embarrassing my wife. Period.

People who eat at restaurants are not CUSTOMERS or PEOPLE WHO PAY YOU, we are guests. Period. And they should never be humiliated by illiterate sounding teenagers who have the social graces of a 2 year old. People like that should NEVER be in customer facing positions in ANY industry.

In any case, this is why we won't be eating at their establishments in the near future. I used to recommend them to everyone. I took clients to lunches at that location, too. No longer.

When we got home, I took this to twitter. I actually got a quick response from someone with Noodles who wanted to chat (@noodlescompany). I was asked to send them my story via email. I did that evening, and was thinking I would get some sort of response. There has been none to this point.

So, what I am doing is boycotting Noodles and Company until I get some sort of response. What do I want, you might ask:

1. The offender fired
2. Training for the staff on how to be polite, and literate
3. Branch management trained on what to look for regarding these sorts of scenes

I ask anyone who has had negative experiences with @noodlescompany to let me know. I want to know if I'm the only one who has this issue (poor service/poor customer relations) or if it's a more systemic issue with their company.  I hope not.  I've gotten in touch with them via Twitter and email, and I hope I can soon post a positive update on this story.  I am hoping that the issue is with one server, and not the whole branch.

Thanks, all.

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Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/147374096995450880 Sent via TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com)

Crappy service is the worst

Three strikes and you are out. The Wendy's on Reisterstown Road (across from the old Solo Cup factory) has the worst service over ever seen.

Ive been cursed at by the drive through people. I've had the wrong food given me, and this is the last time I give them my money. Don't go there.

Qdoba hits one out of the park.

Quick one today. I tried something new at Qdoba. They called it Mexican Gumbo. I called it awesome.

Basically it is burrito soup, with no guacamole. I loved it. Will eat it again.

Try it today, let me know what you think!

The Dramatic Return

Ok, so it's been awhile. But, I've obviously still been eating, so here we go again......

So as you know, I eat my way through the Baltimore area. I have been working in that area for awhile, and since I drive around and sell telecommunications services for a very large company that recently bought a broadcast TV network and....well.....you figure it out. I drive about and sell, and when I get hungry, I eat.

In the last month, I've come across 2 places to eat that I cannot seemingly do without. It's actually quite sad - I'm addicted to something......

I'm addicted to crepe's.

That's right: Crepes.

There is a little place near my home called Sofi's Crepes. They make crepes (duh). They are excellent. I have visited them 4 times in the last 2 weeks, 3 of them for breakfast. They make an assortment of "sweet" and "savory" crepes, which are all available at any point of the day. I strongly recommend their breakfast crepes. I also strongly recommend adding bacon to every savory crepe.

That's actually the brilliance of this spot: you can add ANYTHING to a crepe. As we all know, bacon makes everything better - and wrapping it in a crepe with eggs an sharp cheddar cheese is definitely a winner.

I cannot say this more definitively: eat crepe's at Sofi's. There are a few locations, but visit Nina at the Sofi's Crepes in Owings Mills. Tell her Keith said "hi". You will most certainly not regret it.

The 2nd place I wanted to mention today is possibly the greatest Italian food place I've had the ability to eat at. It's called American Bistro, and it's also in the Owings Mills area. It's great. My favorite things about it are the freshness of the food, the home-made pasta sauces, and the service. My wife and I have been there 2 different times, and both times we were lucky enough to get the same waitress. Her name is Emma, and she's an awesome waitress, which always helps.

Aside from the service, the food is in fact excellent. I want you all to go out and eat here, tonight (or tomorrow). Get the crab ravioli. It's AWESOME. It consists of cheese ravioli's, rosa sauce, and jumbo lump crab meat. That sounds simple, and in a way, it is. But it's excellent. Again, the deal here is quality. Its a very simple dish, but it's one of the 10 best dishes I've eaten.

Eat at the American Bistro as soon as you can - you will not be disappointed.

So, there you have it: breakfast (Sofi's) lunch (either) and dinner (American Bistro) in Owings Mills, Md.

I promise to blog more often. Follow me on twitter for my crazy adventures between meals: @therealkparsons or @3WordsOrLessRev for food info.

Thanks for reading. Remember: Eating = happy!