IHOP — Restaurant in Dartmouth

After eating at hundreds, if not thousands of restaurants across the globe with our now five-year-old son I was shocked when walking into this IHOP and told after waiting an extensive amount of time for an available table that they would not allow us to use a booster seat on a chair. They said we’d have to wait for a booth. I actually find it very dangerous to use booster seats in a booth because it’s never a flat surface, the seat tends to wobble and the potential of your kid slipping off and whacking themselves in the edge of the table while they land underneath the table just seems too high. And in some cases, you can’t shift the table closer, so it also makes it almost impossible for some kids to eat because they’re too far away from the food.

I’m understanding enough to know that every place is different. But when two young ladies are standing at the front of a restaurant telling me in a snotty obnoxious way that they won’t allow something without getting the manager is clearly a power play. I wasn't being irrational, but my son is a smaller 5-year-old, not a baby. I simply wanted to see if a reasonable manager would hear this out since we had already waited a LONG time and waiting more would have been upsetting to our son and our 94 year old great-aunt...we decided to take the table and I figured I could find something on my car that he could sit on instead of waiting any longer

Before we were even sitting, I see the girls pointing at us talking to another woman which I can only assume is the manager. I approached and tried to explain the situation and she was actually quite nice. She pleaded her case, and I pleaded mine. In the end, she agreed to let us use the booster seat with the understanding that she has voiced her objection due to what she feels as a safety concern.

On the way out, I tried to thank the young ladies upfront, I empathized and told them that I knew this was not their rule and they were just doing their jobs (even thought I was not happy with their attitude).... one of them looks me straight in the eye and says “yeah ok, Bye” In the most condescending rude fashion, I had ever heard. Really wish the manager was there for that one.

Sadly, all of this overshadowed the fact that our waitress was so amazing during service, she was attentive and very pleasant the entire time. Sadly, no one thought to get her name.

A note to the manager, you’re considered a family restaurant if you don’t like the fact that your booster seats don’t have straps and that’s your reasoning for not allowing any child in a chair then maybe do some investing in seats that have straps. Not allowing any seating of children in any of your chair is absurd. Your whole reasoning was that kids tend to lean over to pick things up and could fall off… I know plenty of adults that can...

I was at this branch in North Dartmouth as a party of three. We signed in our name and waited in the lobby. After sitting there waiting for a table, another party of three came in and before they could sit, an employee, Sheila (who I found out was the manager), immediately set them up for a table. When we saw this and addressed it to her, she began to make an excuse that she thought we were waiting for the bathroom. (Three people waiting for a bathroom?). She then drifted into her name similarity to one of my friend as she led us to a prepared table. (Mind you, no one left recently so where did this empty table come from?)

After assessing the situation, I chose to leave in order that no subsequent failures cause me to lose my temper. My friends who had bad experiences before went to speak with who we found out to be the manager and in front of two of her employees, the story now changed to the fact that she was in the back and thought we were waiting for takeout (Thought it was the bathroom?). I explained to her that the point of the list was so that anyone who comes to the front will have it as reference as to who's next. She said she didn't look at the list and went back to her assumptions. (If you didn't look at the list, how did you know the similarity between your name and my friend's?) She kept making excuses and I got frustrated and left.

This is a disgusting representation of IHOP's franchise. Not only did she fail to treat us right, but she never took ownership of the mistake and move on from there. Had that been done, I would've been okay. I would NEVER recommend anyone to go...

I ordered a BIG STEAK OMELETTE with (NO tomatoes or green peppers) and a Colorado omelette with no green peppers an order I’ve gotten many times and unfortunately I didn’t get exactly what I asked for. I received the big steak omelette BUT it had tomatoes and green pepper which I specifically asked to be excluded since my wife doesn’t like Either so she spent her entire time picking threw it taking them out while she Ate.. as far as the Colorado omelette I have no idea if they made it right because I didn’t receive it for whatever reason they gave me what I’m assuming was a spinach and mushroom omelette. I’m guessing they probably mixed my order with someone else’s. That’s a big difference and the complete opposite of a Colorado omelette so needless to say it wasn’t a very happy eating experience for my wife and I. Driving 15 min there and back to pick up food that is wrong isn’t right especially when I needed to go to work so it’s no like I can just drive back and waste another 45 min between driving and waiting to rectify the issue. I suggest everyone open and check your food there before you leave since apparently they won’t do it themselves to verify food accuracy...