Topic: The Restaurant Review
Ok, first things first. Make no mistake about it, I love the McRib sandwich from McDonald's and can't wait for its return each time. I then stuff myself with them until the promotion is over, then try to recover from the barbecue pork sandwich overdose. Yes, when done right, McRib is a glorious thing and I am a McRib junkie from way back. I'd probably way a thousand pounds if they kept it on the menu all the time. I'm willing to risk it though, if they would like to make it a permanent addition.
Anyway, so my little one loves McDonald's, as do most small children. The Happy Meals, the toys, the playground area, interacting with the other children, for her it is nothing but a good time, and since the location at 6306 Saratoga is just down the road from my house, we usual frequent that location. Generally speaking, I don't have too many complaints about the location, they do a passable job of keeping it clean, and the food is usually as good as it gets at a McDonald's, whatever your opinion of that may be. My guess is that you don't need a reviewer to tell you whether you like the food or not at this point. The staff has always been friendly and helpful, and while not perfect, they have always made right any mistakes quickly and helpfully.
This time, however, things were a bit different for our weekly visit. McRib returned last week, so I have been on my McRib trip since then, getting them from various locations around the city, but mainly the location on the west side of Corpus Christi, near downtown, and the Saratoga location near my house. The west side location has provided me with perfect McRibs each time. The Saratoga location, and the subject material for this review, however, has been a sad failure. In case you are unfamiliar with the way a McRib should look according to the McDonald's site (and I think this picture is hilarious):
As you can see, it is a pork patty, dipped in barbecue sauce, with onions and pickles, served on an oblong roll. Just a fantastic thing. So baby and I were at the Saratoga McDonald's getting the usual, a four piece chicken nugget Happy Meal with milk and fries, and I, the McRib value meal with the extra McRib for a buck. All was well and good. Our order was prepared quickly and fairly accurately, with the only omission being a barbecue dipping sauce for baby's nuggets. While that may seem trivial, I assure you it is not for baby. No matter though, it was easily remedied and the staff quickly provided the necessary dipping sauce.
The problems didn't start until we got back to our table. First off, the drink area looked like the ice maker and soda fountains had exploded all over the place. Not a big deal, but it would have been nice had someone wiped the place down a bit. The second issue is that none of the tables that were open in the play area had been cleaned. There were quite a few open ones, so it wasn't an issue that a few people had just left, it was an issue of no one having done a proper cleaning job in a while. Again, not a super big deal, kids are messy and sometimes tables don't get wiped down, so I did it myself and we sat down to dinner. Imagine my surprise when I opened my sandwich box to fine this:
I mean, seriously McDonald's, hamburger buns? The McRib hasn't been back long enough for you to run out of the proper buns, and it wasn't like I was there late or anything, it was only six in the afternoon. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I haven't received a McRib on a hamburger bun at any other location I've eaten at so far, so why have I gotten this kind of treatment at the Saratoga McDonald's two out of the three times I've been there? Really guys, it's time to get your business together and get it right. Worst part of all is that they don't mention they don't have the right rolls to you when you order, so you don't have a choice in the matter. It really pisses me off. At least tell me you don't have the right makings for the sandwich when I order, so I can decide if I want half my McRib patty hanging out the end of the bun. And just in case the folks that run that location don't know, this is how it's done on the west side and every other McDonald's I've been to:
lazy