Dining as a tourist in US? (buffets etc)

On 2006-06-17 15:54:19 -0400, "k" said:


"Doug McDonald" wrote in message
...
k wrote:


Doug, your standards are quite low. Denny's food IS bad, or at least
what I had was bad. My experience was in the Nashville area. The
table was dirty, as was the floor around the booth,

You are inferring a whole chain from one place and if you are the
poster I think (based on the number of ) 28 years ago! I've eaten at
many Denny's ... and none were dirty , etc., or had bad food.

Doug McDonald

I infer a lot from bad meals, actually. It was my first meal in a
place that opens for breakfast, and they got both eggs and coffee
wrong, and they served margarine without warning. From that
experience, what should I view as a sign that I might want to go back?
You know what they say ... burned once ...

If indeed some Denny's are not bad, how would I tell by looking? They
all look alike, so no thanks.

Seems to me as though Doug either has stock in Denny's or can't resist
arguing. I know of no other reasons for making such a point of such a
trivial issue about a trivial restaurant chain.

I might remind him & others that several years ago, Denny's was
penalized for gross racial bias against blacks.

sechumlib wrote:



You are inferring a whole chain from one place and if you are the
poster I think (based on the number of ) 28 years ago! I've eaten at
many Denny's ... and none were dirty , etc., or had bad food.

Doug McDonald

I infer a lot from bad meals, actually. It was my first meal in a
place that opens for breakfast, and they got both eggs and coffee
wrong, and they served margarine without warning. From that
experience, what should I view as a sign that I might want to go back?
You know what they say ... burned once ...

If indeed some Denny's are not bad, how would I tell by looking? They
all look alike, so no thanks.

Seems to me as though Doug either has stock in Denny's or can't resist
arguing. I know of no other reasons for making such a point of such a
trivial issue about a trivial restaurant chain.

I might remind him & others that several years ago, Denny's was
penalized for gross racial bias against blacks.

I don't know what that has to do with the quality of their food or the
cleanliness of their restaurants. What penalty was it that Denny's faced for
their discrimination? All I can find is agreements to strive for
diversification, to hire more FTIBs and offer more franchise opportunities
to FTIBs.

"KGB (KGB)" wrote:

Overall, my wife and I have nothing but praise for serving staff in
the USA and one single incident certainly hasn't changed our opinion.
Compared to here in England, US restaurant employees are efficient and
courteous. The last time my wife and I went out for a meal in a
fairly smart restaurant here in England, after waiting over half an
hour between courses, receiving the wrong food and indifferent
service, for the very first time in our lives we actually did complain
to the manager/owner, who merely shrugged his shoulders and said "You
can't please everybody". That attitude is unfortunately becoming the
norm here in England and is one situation where we Brits could
certainly learn a lot from you Americans.


I live very close to the US and have been there many times. One of the
things that you can usually count on in hotels and restaurants is pleasant
service. It may not always be fast or good, but it is almost always
pleasant.

The only country about which I commonly hear complaints about out and out
rudeness is the UK, specifically England.

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Doug McDonald wrote in article
:

Dave Smith wrote:

Maybe Denny's is is too bourgeoisie for them. There aren't many around here and
I have only eaten at them when there was nothing else around. There was
certainly no problem with cleanliness. It was basically home cooking types of
meals with the special American franchise ambience. The food was quite
acceptable, but I can usually find better for less.

That's another way to put it, and I agree.

Me, too, pretty much. One slight advantage of locations like
Denny's/Stuckey's/even McDonald's for travelers is that within narrow
limits the menu, food and ambience will be the same anywhere you find
one in the US or Canada.
--
Don Kirkman

On Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:00:49 -0700, Don Kirkman
wrote:

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Doug McDonald wrote in article
:

Dave Smith wrote:

Maybe Denny's is is too bourgeoisie for them. There aren't many around here and
I have only eaten at them when there was nothing else around. There was
certainly no problem with cleanliness. It was basically home cooking types of
meals with the special American franchise ambience. The food was quite
acceptable, but I can usually find better for less.

That's another way to put it, and I agree.

Me, too, pretty much. One slight advantage of locations like
Denny's/Stuckey's/even McDonald's for travelers is that within narrow
limits the menu, food and ambience will be the same anywhere you find
one in the US or Canada.

And often when one is "on the road" it is difficult to find places to
eat other than fast food restaurants (if they can be called
restaurants). These chains are everywhere, along with some
regional variations such as Waffle House in the South and Carl Jr.'s
in the West.

I once drove across the U.S. in the dead of winter -- it was not the
season for exploring the towns, etc., and pretty much had to settle
for what was convenient along the Interstate highways.. By the end
of the trip I never again wanted to set foot in another of these
places. Sometimes I was lucky and found a Holiday Inn -- a chain, but
at their restaurants there was far more appealing food.

On 2006-06-17 20:00:49 -0400, Don Kirkman said:

One slight advantage of locations like
Denny's/Stuckey's/even McDonald's for travelers is that within narrow
limits the menu, food and ambience will be the same anywhere you find
one in the US or Canada.

Dullsville!

In article , panNOTRASH@musician.
org says...

On 15 Jun 2006 01:22:00 GMT, (Hunt) wrote:

[SNIP]

Let's just keep it simple, shall we? I'll do as I wish and you do as you wish.
I see no need to further justify what I do, when I travel abroad. You are free
to "stiff the blokes," and no one will be the wiser.

Hunt

On 18 Jun 2006 03:17:18 GMT, (Hunt) wrote:

In article , panNOTRASH@musician.
org says...

On 15 Jun 2006 01:22:00 GMT, (Hunt) wrote:

[SNIP]

Let's just keep it simple, shall we? I'll do as I wish and you do as you wish.
I see no need to further justify what I do, when I travel abroad. You are free
to "stiff the blokes," and no one will be the wiser.

You're the one who tips in places where tipping is not customary,
right? I had trouble remembering you from the one who refuses to tip
the customary amount in New York. Not tipping where tips are not
customary is not "stiffing" anyone.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the NOTRASH. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

sechumlib wrote:


I infer a lot from bad meals, actually. It was my first meal in a
place that opens for breakfast, and they got both eggs and coffee
wrong, and they served margarine without warning. From that
experience, what should I view as a sign that I might want to go
back? You know what they say ... burned once ...

If indeed some Denny's are not bad, how would I tell by looking? They
all look alike, so no thanks.

Seems to me as though Doug either has stock in Denny's


nope

or can't resist
arguing.

yep .... I can't stand people being wrong.


I know of no other reasons for making such a point of such a
trivial issue about a trivial restaurant chain.


That's true .... but he can be accused of exactly teh same
over-posting as you accuse me of. Let me ask: why are you
attacking HIM ..who is basically wronmg, and not I, who is
basically right?

Doug McDonald

"sechumlib" wrote in message
news:2006061717135816807-sechumlib@liberalnet...
On 2006-06-17 15:54:19 -0400, "k" said:


"Doug McDonald" wrote in message
...
k wrote:


Doug, your standards are quite low. Denny's food IS bad, or at least
what I had was bad. My experience was in the Nashville area. The
table was dirty, as was the floor around the booth,

You are inferring a whole chain from one place and if you are the poster
I think (based on the number of ) 28 years ago! I've eaten at many
Denny's ... and none were dirty , etc., or had bad food.

Doug McDonald

I infer a lot from bad meals, actually. It was my first meal in a place
that opens for breakfast, and they got both eggs and coffee wrong, and
they served margarine without warning. From that experience, what
should I view as a sign that I might want to go back? You know what they
say ... burned once ...

If indeed some Denny's are not bad, how would I tell by looking? They
all look alike, so no thanks.

Seems to me as though Doug either has stock in Denny's or can't resist
arguing. I know of no other reasons for making such a point of such a
trivial issue about a trivial restaurant chain.


Well, you and "k" were overstating your case and giving the OP bad
information. My experience coincides with Doug's. When traveling, I try to
seek out non-chain restaurants, but, lacking alternatives, Denny's was
perfectly acceptable (and, in my experience, perfectly clean).

Marianne