TGI Fridays — Restaurant in Pasay

Date of Visit: 20191202; Dinner; 3 pax; walk-in

Dishes Ordered:

=Fridays Trio (truffle potato crisps, fried mozzarella, buffalo bites, marina sauce, blue cheese dressing). Very nice combination as each one has its unique flavors that surprisingly complemented each other. Given the surprisingly large size of the serving, this could be a meal for a person

=Caesar Salad (romaine, Caesar dressing, Parmesan cheese, croutons). The combination of the Caesar dressing & parmesan cheese was deliciously done

=Chipotle Chicken (marinated Chipotle boneless quarter chicken, penne, pico de gallo & warm Chipotle cheese sauce). The chicken was cooked perfectly, the meat was soft & juicy; the cheese added a nice flavor

=6 Spice Chicken (country-style boneless quarter chicken, spices, gravy, garlic rice, peanut soy peas, fried egg). The chicken meat has enough flavor even without adding gravy

=Hangover Burger (beef patty, fried egg, caramelized onions, mayonnaise, American cheese, bacon, brioche bun, crispy seasoned fries). Due to dietary restrictions, we had the bacon removed; but even without the bacon, the burger was still sumptuous & didn't taste incomplete

=Mango Mad/Mud Pie (Mango Graham ice cream, topped with ripe Mango, caramel fudge & cashew nuts). This is now our favorite dessert at TGIF. The sweetness of the caramel was balanced by the tinge of sourness of the real mango cubes

Service =Being a slow evening, when we arrived there were no host outside to welcome us; as we walked in, the managers/supervisors were having a meeting. However, as soon as they saw us, a manager/supervisor (in gray shirt) stood up to welcome us & a staff led us to our table =The servers were courteous & friendly; they were patient too as we were enumerating our orders with special requests =Our orders arrived within reasonable time one after the other =A manager/supervisor (in white shirt) came back to inform us that our BFF Card was expired, but as soon as he said it, he realized that the date on the card indicates when we got the card not the expiration date

Ambience =Being TGIF, the music is a bit loud for our taste; but, we come to TGIF primarily because of the delicious dishes & generous servings =It's good they have an isolated area for smokers; we were not able to smell any cigarette smoke in the dining area

Wish List =As with other restaurants, we wish that they indicate on the menu the kind of meat used for each dish (e.g., turkey or pork bacon; beef or pork meat). This is helpful for those with dietary restrictions

Pricing =Pricing is a bit on the higher-end; however, the delicious dishes & the large servings...

It was after the game in the arena that we went here, not only to energize ourselves from getting tired cheering for our school, but also to celebrate one of my friends birthday. This was actually the second restaurant that we considered, but since the first one did not offer a birthday greeting service and an additional complimentary dessert unlike how this restaurant told us to offer, we opted to go here. But nothing of that birthday greeting happened, only the free dessert was given in which we are at least grateful for our friend. Then this came after a larger group eating beside us, which we assumed one of them had birthday as well, fortunately got the birthday greeting service we would have been happy to receive. But we let it pass, good thing we’re not desperate.

It was just disappointing how long we also waited for our foods to be served, with our meals only availed at promo, while some who we observed to be ordering as much foods– had their meals served shorter than our supposed waiting timeframe. One of us also would’ve wanted to order grilled pork loin, but we are told it’s unavailable, which surprisingly other customers had it on their plate when we were exiting, lol. Other thing is that we had to follow up less than five times for our change from the bill because we were once again taking some time to wait, and what we got from the last follow-up was nothing of the change we expected but getting asked how much money we paid? The staff apologized for the inconvenience and we understood. Good thing we took a picture on the receipt because we might have gotten so long to wait once more.

Overall unfair service? Maybe.

I hope this gets improved because it was frustrating, especially when it was the first time some of us experienced eating in this restaurant, and unfortunate for my one friend who happened to be eating with us on his birthday, and yet this left already this kind of impression on...

Unfortunately, the experience did not meet the standards we expected, and I feel it is important to share the following concerns:

Delayed Service: We waited for at least 40 minutes for our food, and our appetizers were not served within this timeframe. After following up with the staff, our orders were finally served after an additional 20 minutes or so. This delay was disappointing, as it significantly impacted the overall dining experience.

Unequal Service: During the time we were waiting, we observed that the customers seated at the tables next to us, both of whom were larger parties, were served their food promptly. As a party of two, we felt neglected as our orders were delayed while others were attended to ahead of us.

Lack of Attention: Despite waiting for a prolonged period, not a single staff member checked in on us or offered any assistance. Our table was left empty for 40 minutes without any acknowledgment. It was particularly disheartening that, while the staff accommodated the requests of the families seated near our table, we did not receive any similar attention.

No Compensation: We understand that complimentary gestures like desserts are not mandatory, but they are often extended in situations like ours where guests have had an undesirable experience. Unfortunately, no such gesture was made to make up for the long wait and poor service.

Impact on Our Special Occasion: We were celebrating a special occasion, and this poor service significantly impacted the plans we had for the evening. The delayed food and lack of care from the staff left us frustrated, which ultimately ruined what should have been a memorable...