Maybe I’m still ticked off about my recent bad customer service experience, but I thought I’d link to this review of the restaurant Bar Louie, near the Shoppes at Grand Prairie.
There are two lessons restaurant bosses need to take from this:
- Never provide bad service to a blogger.
- ANYONE who walks through your door could be a blogger.
Maybe the rise of the citizen journalist will make it unfeasible to be a jerk to customers.
My new manifesto: I will not do business with businesses that treat me like dirt, and I will expose them in public. Likewise, I will not do business with businesses that treat others in the same way.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
Or, the person you diss could be married to a blogger, who knows another blogger, who reports to a lot of bloggers…
For what it’s worth, my wife and I went to Bar Louie about three months ago and had a VERY similar experience. You could really tell they just didn’t give a crap.
Yeah me too. They got rid of Famous Dave’s for this crap hole.
I had a “semi-good” experience at Louie,but nothing that will make me go back (and we went in at off peak times).
Do remember, Billy, though that everyone has bad days. While I think your experience with Road Ranger is enough to stay away (they’re not the only cheap gas in the area) be careful judging everyone by one visit and always make sure the management gets a chance to rectify a mistake.
We (my mother, my daughter, my grandbaby and myself) were at the “Shoppes” today to shop at Bergner’s. We did not stay around those parts to eat. Instead, we went to Ruby Tuesdays, where a few others decided to dine. No crowds, but a decent lunch hour crowd, considering it was Labor Day. Our food was good, the service was exceptional, and I would have preferred to shop at the Bergner’s at Sheridan Village than the Shoppes, but my mom lives closer to the Shoppes. Anyway, fools are what I call those who eat anywhere near the Shoppes. I have never had good service at any of those places. People need to come back closer to Peoria to shop and eat.
I can’t wait to go here. I need to add another restaurant to my $HIT LIST over at my website, upon which there is a new post!
All hail Bloggers, whoever they might be for today.
I would suggest that letting them make good should be a first step. If it is a chain and the local management won’t listen, then write or email the corporate headquarters. Chances are you will get response from that.
Also, I suggest that good experiences and exceptional service be noted when appropriate.
Still, after thinking about it, why would someone haul children into a bar for a lunch? There is a nice sandwich shop right around the corner and Bar Louie isn’t known for it’s children’s menu.
If they’ve got a children’s menu, then there is no issue with it.
Unless it’s a brothel. Then there’s all sorts of problems with that. Don’t even wanna start.
In fact, it doesn’t even sound funny anymore, but it did in my head.
It’s a restaurant with a bar. Most restaurants have bars in them.
OK PA-P, so are you suggesting that families who want to dine out with their children should pretty much stick with Chuck-ee Cheese? No thanks! Or perhaps we should just leave the kids outside and throw food out to them. Give me a break!
No I never suggested such a thing. Take the kids to Chili’s or Carlos O’Kelleys or Cheddars or whatever. But, what I meant to imply and I’ll make it clear so you don’t mis-understand me, Bar Louie’s is a bar with food and is set up for the younger crowd, not so much families. It is located in that anal retentive GP Mall. With all that is around that place, TGI Fridays, Longhorn Steakhouse, Steak N Shake, Old Chicago, I would think that if I was hauling kids, Bar Louie’s would have been last on the list. That is all I am saying. Nothing more nothing less…. Is that clear enough Ms Vespa?
BTW, give me a break! I never suggested throwing any food out to any kids and what’s wrong with Chuck E Cheese??? I never took my young kids to a bar/restaurant. I got a baby sitter. There is nothing like fine dining, a $32 steak and a screaming 3 yr old 2 tables away.
Thank you for taking your valuable time to prepare a list of places acceptable to you that I can bring my children too. And to think that all this time I thought it should be our decision! Silly me!
Chili’s, Carlos O’Kelley’s, and Cheddar’s all have bars too.
@diane: Didn’t you know that when you have children, no matter how well-behaved, their cooties will leap across the restaurant and land on all those poor, put-upon adults dining alone and just looking for some quiet time? (/sarcasm)
Personally, when I’m looking for quiet time, I dine in. I don’t go scowl at parents in public places for having the temerity to be parents. (Perpetuating the human race! How horrid!) Public places are noisy, and it’s usually the drunken adult males, not the shrieking toddlers, who are contributing the majority of the noise level.
Hey Eyebrows,
I resemble that remark! Just kidding – my drunken days are behind me!
But as a parent, I also loathe kids that don’t know how to behave in restaurants but always remember that it’s not their fault but their parents for not teaching them (or not enforcing) appropriate behavior. Kids get a lot of leeway from me from being forced to conform in places that aren’t necessarily kid friendly.
Parents should assess their children’s tolerance level. If they can’t sit still then they should be at Chuck E Cheese (where you can get a pitcher of beer placed right next to little Billies birthday cake.)
As the original offending comment was directed at me, or more specifically my wife, I will say that our children are very well behaved and I don’t find it inappropriate to treat them to a nice meal for a special occasion. When they were younger, we would take them with us to Chili’s Bar & Grill once in a while. They also love Mexican. Maybe it’s all those Tecate wall decorations that we brainwashed them with.
Now that they’re older and have proven that they can behave appropriately, they can go to nicer places. I think my wife’s only regret was not taking them to Johnnie’s instead.
How on earth do you teach children how to behave properly when eating out in a restaurant than to take them to a restaurant? My parents took all 3 of us kids to restaurants, be they bar food style, family style, or ‘fancy’. We behaved or dad would have had our asses! We traveled twice a year for vacations and went to many ‘fancy’ restaurants and my parents were always commended on our behavior. I took my daughter to eat wherever we wanted and will do the same with the grandbaby. Who cares who the establishment is catering to, for bloody sake! Last I knew they ALL cater to green!
Our kids are usually pretty well behaved, but anyone can have a bad day. Like today, after I picked them up from school we went to Krogers. They tore through that place like they had just been let out of an insane asylum. I have never had so many dirty looks in my life. Every time I turned the corner I was worried I was going to run in to Emtronics. !!!
Diane: “Every time I turned the corner I was worried I was going to run in to Emtronics. !!!”
Join the club.
Billy, I am amazed you can turn a corner.
Hey, take your kids anywhere you want. I am just saying I have been in nice restrauants and have to deal with routy kids. If yours aren’t so be it. Bar Louie wouldn’t be my choice for kids and lunch is all.
Taking your children to Carlos O. Kelly’s should be automatic grounds for a review by DCFS
Hey I had small kids but we rarely went to a find dining place with them. We got a sitter which was rare. I never menat to offend PI or anyone but I have been to Bar Louie’s and it didn’t seem very kid friendly to me. But then I don’t shop all to often at the Grand Praire Mall either. Too anal rententive. Billy, don’t worry about running into me while out dining, I don’t go to places with drive thru windows and I don’t go to Krogers. All I was trying to do was offer a different side as there is so many choice for folks with kids to eat at out there by the GP that IMO are better than Bar Louie’s. As for Ms Vespa, I don’t know what hair went up where but it’s ok, I don’t mind using my valuable time.
Emtronics sez: “Billy, don’t worry about running into me while out dining, I don’t go to places with drive thru windows…”
I sez: LMAO
BTW, Diane – Bacholorette #1 (as I am referring to my recently turned 12 year old daughter) must’ve had a lobotomy sometime between July 4 and the start of school. Then my wife tells a neighbor (and mother of a classmate) this and she remarks that her mild-mannered and polite son has also has taken complete leave of the civilized world.
We did end up with a reasonably well behaved brood at Bernardi’s this past weekend, but we rarely go to anyplace fancier than Steak & Shake at this point.
PAP – no offense taken just having some fun. This is not a serious subject. CANCER is a serious subject! And what about my hair? I didn’t follow that…
I have have stopped being amazed at how innocent little posts like this one can get people riled up. 26 comments, many of them snarky comments back and forth and I still can’t figure out who is mad at who.
Oh well …
My bad…your hair is lovely
yours too, kiss kiss.
peace fellow bloggers! Mad only makes me hungry and Lords knows I need to stay away from food.
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