Rips Country Inn — Restaurant in Bowie

Hi Rips Team

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to point out an experience our family had this evening during our visit to Rips at 6:30pm on New Years Eve.

Firstly, I would like to express my commitment to supporting local businesses and investing in our community. As a Woodmore resident, it is important for me to keep my spending within the Bowie area.

However, I must admit that I was rather taken back by the response we received when we inquired about Woodford Reserve. The interaction left me feeling somewhat off-put and disappointed. Instead of addressing our query with a sense of genuine customer service, it seemed as though we were viewed as an inconvenience.

I understand that the employee may have been preoccupied with assisting another customer at that time, and I appreciate the fact that you sought someone else to help us. However, the manner in which the situation was handled lacked the personal touch and professionalism that I have come to expect from businesses within our community.

A simple and cordial explanation such as, "I apologize for the inconvenience; I am currently helping another customer. My colleague, John, will be more than happy to assist you," would have made a significant difference in how we perceived the situation. Customer service is crucial in ensuring positive experiences, and a small gesture like this can go a long way in building customer satisfaction and loyalty.

I believe in the power of exceptional experiences, which is why I strive to provide my own clients with consistently amazing interactions. I firmly believe that every customer should be treated with respect, regardless of the circumstances. By fostering an environment of excellent customer service, you can create a positive and lasting impression for each person that walks through the doors of your establishment.

I sincerely hope that this feedback is taken constructively, with the intention of further enhancing the level of service provided by your team. Should you require any assistance or clarification on this matter, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am more than willing to provide additional feedback.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I look forward to having a better experiences in the future with your...

The experience did not start well when I entered the establishment and asked to be seated for lunch. I was escorted by a gentleman to a tiny, two-seater literally next to the kitchen door. This is always the worst seat in any restaurant house, and an expression of meanness when there is plenty of additional seating choices (there were). The young lady that came to take my order was very pleasant and friendly. I asked her what was the special, and she described it as "an Oyster po' boy with Chipotle mayo in a brioche bun". I ordered the sandwich, and asked her for the sauce on the side since I didn't know how hot it would be. The sandwich arrived, and the Chipotle mayo was slathered inside the bun, which by no means was brioche, but more like a kayser roll. I asked her if they could re-do the sandwich, and I got a new one. I got a new sandwich with a side of the mayo, which turned out to be homemade and quite delicious. The oysters were fresh and tender. The bun... Still a regular bun (the embarrased served muttered something like that the brioche rolls had not made it that day, or something like that). During my second bite of the sandwich I discovered a dime-size piece of oyster shell inside one of the oysters. The piece of shell was large enough to have caused a broken tooth or a cut inside anyone's mouth. I brought this to the young lady's attention, and she apologized profusely, informing me that she would let the manager (same guy who sat me) and the chef know. Never heard a peep from these gentlemen. I got my dessert, which was an individual warm pecan pie with vainilla ice cream that was delicious, and asked for the check. It has been my experience in the past that any restaurant would have offered to take the sandwich off the bill, or comp the dessert, or some such compensation for my negative experience. My bill was exactly what I had consumed; no apologies, no effort to make things right. But the meanness was there right from the beginning, so I was not surprised. This restaurant gets 1 * because the food was passable, but nothing else. See attached...

The restaurant is very old and dated. The decor would be cute if modernized and clean. It everything like eating in a old stable minus the hay. The lamps hadn't been clean and the cushions were gross. When you first walk in, it smells like toilet cleaner. The person at the front didn't acknowledge us, but eventually someone else came up and sat us. Our server was incredibly nice. She is the only reason service gets so many stars. Otherwise the rest of the staff we saw were unhelpful or just didn't seem to want to be there. I ordered a "passion bites". It tasted like orange juice that had gone bad. The server was sweet and took it back. She said the passion fruit makes it bitter, but I've had passionfruit cocktails plenty and while it's not usually sweet, it doesn't taste like rotten fruit. My spouse got the chili as a starter and I got the cream crab soup. The chili was fine, basic chili. The crab soup was okay and had plenty of crab, and while I usually find a little bit of shell in crab soups, this one had a significant amount, but still the soup was fine. Our main courses were steak au poivre and steak fries. The Au Poivre came with a side salad, which was fine until I got to the rotten lettuce. The steak for both meals was completely inedible. It was over cooked and undercooked at the same time. It tasted like it had been cooked days ago, and then thrown back on the grill. The gravy on the au poivre was not full of flavor but definitely had an old greasy taste. The baked potato looked so old and the cheese and bacon were definitely questionable. It was definitely not the first time this old baked potato was baked. I took one bite and instantly regretted it. The fries were definitely old or cooked in old grease and quite possibly both. We highly do not recommend eating here. Though I will say the server was very...