CombatCritic's Wall of Shame: wall of shame

Showing posts with label wall of shame. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Washougal, WA: 2 Rivers Left Me In A Father's Day River Of Tears

2 Rivers Bar and Grill
1700 Main Street, Ste 110
Washougal, WA 98671
Phone number: (360) 210-7987
Website: 2riversbar.com
Prices: $$$$

I received an extremely odd "welcome", if you can call it that, as I walked through the doors for the first time, having delayed my initial visit after reading their many mediocre reviews and allowing them time to work all the bugs out. As I stood in front of the huge bar, the man serving drinks, whom I will assume was the owner, asked me, "can I help you?", to which I replied with some amazement, "Yes, I would like to sit down and eat some food, please". Why else would somebody walk into a restaurant if it was not to sit down and eat a meal? What do I look like, a bible salesman? What a stupid question.

I ordered a pFriem IPA ($6), but was not asked if I wanted water, which I was desperate for after walking 18 holes of golf in the Father's Day sun. The IPA was decent, but $6 is a tad high if they hope to draw a crowd, especially early on a Sunday evening when they had just a smattering of customers. You can get similar IPAs around town for $4 to $5, so why should I spend an extra buck to come here?

I learned a couple days after my visit that the Father's Day Special was a "Prime New York Steak with peppercorn sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus", YUM!, but I did not see it advertised anywhere and they did not communicate the special to me, so I ordered a 1/2 pound Cheeseburger ($15) with bacon, grilled onions, and garlic aioli, also coming with a side of french fries. The burger was obviously not handmade in house, probably frozen, and the grilled onions and garlic aioli, if there were any at all, must have been wrapped up in the overly crispy folded-up clump of bacon they stuck on top of the burger (see photo). The "cheddar cheese" was apparently of the processed variety, white, very thin, and perfectly square and the burger was dry, even after putting some mayo on the bun. It was not very flavorful. With nary a garnish on the big white plate, the burger looked more like a slider (see photos) than a 1/2 pound burger.

BTW, I was repositioning the plate to take photos for my review when the owner blurted out across the room: "Do you want me to take it outside so you can get a better picture?". The other people at the bar laughed at me, as if it were funny, but I found the comment extremely rude, completely uncalled for, and very unprofessional.

The space is nice, although sparsely decorated, but they should have kept the massive wood-fired pizza oven left by the previous occupants instead of replacing it with an overly large bar which dominates the large room. We needed a good mom and pop Italian restaurant with red and white checkered table clothes and chianti bottles with wax from recently departed candles dripping down the sides, not another modern, gastro/brew pub of which there are far too many in our area.

Based on the many other less than stellar reviews posted recently and my questionable Father's Day experience, it seems as though the owners have already given up. How can you expect a new business to thrive if you do not even bother to publish a website for months after opening and serve customers frozen burgers and fries, charging $15 for an inferior burger to the one I can get at the bar across the street for under $10. Here it is eight months after opening and they have still not even bothered to list a website on their Yelp page ... MEH!

I received a very negative and slanderous reply (as well as a similar DM) from "Derik", the alleged owner of 2 Rivers, after writing this review, so I thought it appropriate to update my review and downgrade my rating, which I have done. Derik called me a "vagrant" and "creepy", resorting to making up a story about me rather than take responsibility for their horrible customer service and rude behavior. He is a liar. Here is his public reply to my review:

Comment from Derik F. of 2 Rivers Bar and Grill
Business Owner

6/23/2019 So this review made us finally get on Yelp on respond to people even though we know most people get on Yelp to complain or try to get something for free.

This guy walked in and we thought from his appearance he was a transient we had to ask to leave weeks before. He walked in started walking arond and looking very strange. It made many other customers uncomfortable. I asked how can I help you, and he blurted out I want to eat. He was advised he could take a seat anywhere he liked. He sat at the bar and immediately people seated close by started to shuffle down. I asked if I could stay let him with anything to drink. He asked a couple questions about beer and decided on one. He was given a menu and he looked it over and started doing weird things under the counter. Another customer pulled me aside and said he thought he was trying to take pictures of the female servers. I immediately went back over to the bar and he put his phone away. I asked if he needed anything and he had a few questions and decided upon a burger. He was checked on many times and continued to act strange. My goal at that point was to get him served and out of the location so he didn't continue to make my staff or customers feel uncomfortable. His food came out and he pulled out his phone under the counter again. I wanted to make sure he was aware we knew what he was doing, so I stated " we can take the food outside if you want better pics". He quickly put his phone away at that point and are his burger quickly.

When he was done I removed his plate and gave him his check.
He never made any attempt to clarify what he was taking pictures of and why he wanted pictures of the food or servers.

He paid his check and left some business card about being the "Combat Critic". I remitting guy from stalking our Facebook page and being rude before we even opened.

Anyway, it gave a lot of people at the restaurant a good laugh when I shared that he thought he was some sort of world wide food critic/chef/ consumer crusader.

He is very awkward and not allowed in our location.

As far as food, he's trying to give a bad review because he was caught being a creeper taking pictures. Be aware of this one.

I am a highly decorated retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and combat disabled veteran. I was wearing golf attire that day, golf shorts, a new, collared Under Armor shirt, and a pair of white Nike Air sneakers. If I looked like a vagrant, Derik must be used to Beverly Hill's vagrants. I take great pride in my military service as I do my integrity and honor. I resent being called a vagrant and have my character slandered by a whining business owner who cannot accept the truth ... 2 Rivers Bar and Grill sucks, their management is out of control, and the place will be closed before September 1st, 2019.

CombatCritic Now Gives 2 Rivers Bar and Grill 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF SHAME" ... Go There, While You Still Can, And Be Insulted By The Owners ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Boise, ID: Attitude And Filth Earns Super 8 Boise A Spot On My "Wall Of Shame"

Super 8 by Wyndham Boise
2773 Elder Street
I-84 Exit 53 at Vista Avenue
Boise, ID 83705
Phone number: (800) 536-9326
Website: wyndhamhotels.com/super-8
Prices: $$$$

The price was decent, I will give them that, but you get what you pay for. I have stayed in other Super 8s and the experience was much better. However, there are some serious management, attitude, and cleanliness problems in the Boise location.

The front desk clerk was abrupt and unfriendly when I arrived between 9pm and 10pm after a long day on the road. When I got to the room the light on the phone was flashing, so I called the front desk. "The instructions are on the phone - I don't know how to shut it off", I was told and he hung up. There were no instructions on the phone, so the light kept blinking all night long.

The toilet seat had not been lifted by the maid for cleaning made obvious by the lone pubic hair (not mine) sitting atop the toilet seat when I arrived. There were poop stains from the previous gust still in the toilet and the TP roll was less than half full. There were three bath towels, but just one hand towel and no washcloths.

The AC unit had no markings, having been worn off over the years, so I could not tell what temperature to set it at for the night and the refrigerator was INOP, so I could not keep any food in it overnight. One of the pillows was black with filth of some type, so I had to use my own pillows.

At $73, including tax, I have stayed in much nicer and cleaner hotels on the sea at numerous places around the world. For Boise, this place should be in the sub-$50 range.

CombatCritic Gives Super 8 by Wyndham Boise 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My WALL OF SHAME ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Letter Of Complaint To Malta Public Transport - Shame On You

Malta Public Transport
Mdina Road,
Qormi, Malta
Phone: +356 2122 2000
Website: MaltaPublicTransport.com
Email: enquiries@publictransport.com.mt

Malta is a rather small island with a sizeable network of buses, but the buses rarely run on time and when they finally arrive, they are normally packed to the gills with people and with nowhere to sit, even for the disabled. There are usually three disabled seats, but they are normally occupied by young, lazy people who never offer their seat to those who may need it more than they do.

Their website and app look great on the surface, but they either do not work, are impossible to navigate, and/or have incorrect information.

When we arrived on the island, we called for a taxi from the port to our Airbnb apartment about 25 minutes (6-7 miles) away, but we were told "there are no taxis available, maybe in an hour", so we walked 30 minutes into downtown Valletta and finally found a bus. It was crammed full of people and with our two backpacks and a suitcase, were forced to stand for the hour long journey with a rude driver who flew around the very windy road, throwing us from side to side and re-injuring our already painful shoulders, three out of four with torn rotator cuffs.

I sent them the following email:

"You need to update the timetables on your website because they are wrong and do not coincide with those posted at bus stops. Your Journey Planner does not work at all, either on your website or your app, so how do you expect tourists to navigate Malta with so little and such poor information.

I am a disabled veteran and we waited for the scheduled 1638 (4:38PM) #45 (Valletta-Bugibba) bus in Mosta last night for over an hour, well past the scheduled arrival of the next #45 bus at 1708 (5:08PM). We finally took another bus to the bus terminal in Bugibba and walked 20 minutes to our apartment rather than wait for the #45 bus that might never show up.

You should be ashamed of the terrible state of your website and the schedule inconsistencies of your transportation services. As a retired US Air Force transportation officer, I would be fired immediately if such discrepancies occurred on my watch and under my command.

You can read my review of Malta Public Transport on my popular travel blog: http://www.CombatCritic.com.

Sincerely,

CombatCritic"

We waited again to get home this evening in Mdina for well over 45 minutes for a bus that was scheduled to arrive at 1645 (4:45PM). We saw the bus arrive before its scheduled departure time across the street from the bus stop where we were waiting, but the posted departure at our stop had mysteriously changed to 1715 (5:15PM) even though the bus sat empty across the street. We finally went and asked the driver if his was the bus for Bugibba and he confirmed that it was, graciously allowing us to board even though it was at the arrival stop, not the departure stop.

Some simple fixes could improve customer service immensely. I will not detail them here, but the poorly functioning website and app would be a great place to start. There is also something known as "GPS" that could be installed on buses to give customers real time information on location and arrival times, allowing customers to do something productive while they wait rather than standing there waiting for a bus that may or may not show up.

CombatCritic Gives Malta Public Transport 1 Bomb Out Of 10 ... BOOAH! ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over 1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Letter Of Complaint To Malta Public Transport

Key Words: Malta Public Transport, Malta, public, transport, transportation, schedule, disruption, bus, busses, Yelp, YouTube, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Wall of Shame

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR = "F***ed Up Beyond All Repair"

"CombatCritic", "TravelValue" and "BOOAH" Are Protected Under U.S. Copyright Laws And Are Exclusive Property Of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC and CombatCritic

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Camas, WA: Non-Discretionary "5% Surcharge For Non-Tipped Employees" Is An Outrage!

Feast At 316
316 Dallas Street
Camas, WA 98607
Phone number (360) 210-7498
Website: camasfeast316.com
Prices: $$$$

I do not usually write reviews of places I have not frequented, but I feel compelled on this occasion to do so due to this statement printed on their menus (posted online):

"Please note that a 5% surcharge is being added to each check to ensure equal pay for non-tipped employees."

I will not be eating at Feast At 316 anytime soon because of this absurd policy. I have actually heard decent things about the food, but when you have to pay $25 for "Meatloaf" ala carte (no soup/salad) PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 5% FOR NON-TIPPED EMPLOYEES (in addition to 20% expected by the servers), you have lost my interest and custom.

Get a clue and pay your employees a fair wage as I am sure there is plenty of "fat" in the price of your $25 meatloaf, a $42.50 shot 12 year old whiskey, and other not-cheap dishes/drinks to pay your employees commensurate with their duties. Another possibility, having worked in the restaurant industry for many years, non-tipped employees could always be taken care of by servers out of their own tips. After all, with 20%+ "expected" these days for even the most mediocre service, servers are the ones who benefit from kitchen, bus and host/hostess staff's professional and efficient duty performance. Let them pay the 5% if you are too cheap to pay your employees properly. Employee pay is considered overhead and your responsibility, not the responsibility of your customers.

CombatCritic Gives Feast At 316 1 Bomb Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over 1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Feast At 316 on Yelp

Title: Camas, WA: Non-Discretionary "5% Surcharge For Non-Tipped Employees" Is An Outrage!

Key Words: Feast At 316, feast, at, 316, restaurant, menu, Camas, surcharge, non-tipped, Vancouver, WA, Portland, Yelp, YouTube, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Wall of Shame

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR = "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

"CombatCritic", "TravelValue" and "BOOAH" Are Protected Under U.S. Copyright Laws And Are Exclusive Property Of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC and CombatCritic