When one goes to TGI Fridays, they have certain expectations: a fun lively atmosphere, a bar surrounded with TV’s so you can watch your favorite sports team, and farm to table fresh food! Well, maybe not that last part. I mean, Loaded Potato Skins doesn’t exactly imply that it was locally sourced. When you go to Fridays, you pretty much know what you are going to get, but I don’t think anyone expects their broccoli to be served in the plastic bag that it was microwaved in
Sadly, that’s what happened to Facebook user Kyle this week and, lucky for us, he posted a photo of it on the the TGI Fridays Facebook page. At first, I thought that maybe it was a delivery which would maybe lessen the severity of the mistake, but the picture clearly shows a couple of menus meaning it happened in the restaurant. How many people had to totally not give a shit in order for this to happen?
First off, the line cook whose job is to “steam” the broccoli did what he probably does hundreds of times per week, which is to pop a serving of veg into the microwave and hit a button. But then did the line cook forget to take it out of the bag? Or was it someone else’s job to dump the broccoli onto a plate?
Secondly, I’m sure there was an expo person who was monitoring the line and making sure tickets were being cooked and sent out. I’ve worked at some corporate restaurants and there is always an expo person. Did that person see a big steaming bag of broccoli sitting on the line and think “meh, whatever” and call for a food runner?
Thirdly, the food runner or server picked up that plastic bag and then carried it to the table to serve to Kyle. You would think they would question why that broccoli was in a bag. Maybe the customer wanted it to go or maybe there was some other reason that someone decided to leave the broccoli in a bag. But, no. That person also shrugged their shoulders and served the food with a side of who gives a fuck.
This leaves us where we are now: Kyle posting a photo of it on Facebook letting the world see how truly un-farm to table the broccoli is at TGI Fridays. Of course the TGI Fridays team replied asking for more details about the situation which pretty much means that Kyle has a gift card on the way.
To the folks who work at that particular TGI Fridays I say this: try harder. Do better. You are not required to care about your job, but you are expected to at least look like you care. Serving a customer the vegetables in the very same bag that it was microwaved in is a pretty good indication that you aren’t trying. At all. Like, seriously, did you even look at what was on the serving tray? However, I must thank you for your carelessness because when I woke up today I didn’t know what I was going to blog about but then this gift of Broccoli in a Bag showed up at my doorstep. Good job.
EDIT: So, the picture did not come from Kyle and it was originally shared in a closed Facebook group. Kyle all be trying to steal focus and shit. Ah, well. Nobody ever said I was a crackerjack reporter… Here is what the original poster had to say about the experience:
Hey guys! I actually posted this in a private server group! It is soooo not fake! I’ve been a server/bartender for 3 years. I’ve expo’d and cooked too. I dined at a typical Fridays around 3pm. When I got there there were NO tables in the restaurant, one server one bartender. It was just my boyfriend and I. I ordered an order of ribs sub broccoli and my boyfriend ordered a pasta. My ribs came out no broccoli, not my bf’s food. He told us my bf’s food is coming up and I remind my server we didn’t have silverware and I’m missing my broccoli. He comes back and drops the broccoli off like this and runs off to his other tables. (Two more had just walked in) still no silverware still no pasta. I can’t stop laughing at my bagged broccoli. Long story short, manager comes by and doesn’t say anything about the broccoli but has a twisted look on his face ??? I knew what was going on bc I’ve been through it. I didn’t complain. Just ate my broccoli and ribs, boyfriend exchanged his pasta for something else. We paid, tipped and left ??♀️ simple as that!
MacKenzie Mosca
Those tables were removed from Friday’s about 6 years ago. If they are around, it’s in an employee break room. Or you’re going to a franchise location that gives no fucks and hasn’t updated their look in about 3 reimages.
I call shenanigans, either way.
Andy
This happened to me once at a Dave & Busters. It was a fairly slow afternoon when it occurred. When I brought it up to the bartender, I was reassured with “that’s how you know it’s fresh”….. without a hint of irony.
Ashley
Most restaurants, especially Fridays, are under staffed these days so there probably was no expo or food runner. A cook probably put it in the window and left it in the bag to keep it hot until ready to run and a brand new person in training just ran it like that instead of putting it on the proper plate without the bag. I bet!
Dave
I actually had that happen at my fridays recently. No expo, no food runner, cooks leave in bag to keep hot. New host trying to help ran it in the bag, had no clue why that was wrong.
Ginger
wow. and still in the save-a-day. I have had these days though, as a server, the QA is cut, the To Go is cut, there’s just me (bartender) and one other server and we’re greeting, seating, taking orders, expediting, taking payments and making change while (I am) still making all bar drinks and running To Go. The manager and the one cook who is on duty are in the kitchen and we ran out of clean silverware. You don’t expect to get slammed at 3 pm, but it can happen!!
Sam
I wouldn’t put it past some
Some of the people I have worked with are so stupid and would serve costomers anything as long as the cook put it on a plate
Dan
They still have menus ,no other plates and it in a day a day. Looks like some one trying to be funny.
Lola
I cannot fathom how this could be real! This is something an employee would personally eat out of… not serve to an employee. There’s no way lol. Someone would have to be brand new to the business or totally clueless ….?
Lola
Sorry I meant serve to a guest lol
Scott
Lol! It’s even in a saves the day. This has to be fake
Pete Pandorf
It’s still in a sav a day too. Either the person who ran the broccoli is completely new to the business, or the customer is fishing for a gift card.
Kaos
Why wold she be “fishing for a gift card?” They served it that way. She told them about it. If they offer her a gift card cool, but it’s not like the several different workers…all th way down the line didn’t all screw up.