Jason's Deli — Restaurant in Evansville

My wife and I have eaten here on average once a week for about a year. Too many details to put it all here on so I will be contacting Corporate. First off, the good: The Evansville, Indiana location on Green River Road usually has decent food and service. Maybe Therese, the employee that wishes everyone a perfunctory “have a blessed day“ was having a different kind of a day today.

I always order the salad bar and my wife gets a different meal. And can say that 100% of the time, the staff, (usually it’s Therese -if I read her name tag correctly- doing the food running when we are there at lunch) forgets to bring a fork out to the table when she delivers the food for my wife, which requires a fork to eat.

Same was true today. So we politely asked her for a fork for my wife’s food. She came back with a plastic fork. Was this to diss us since she -once again- failed to do her job?

They do have metal forks which, when we dine in, we, as most people, prefer metal over plastic. I went back up to where the metal eating utensils are and grabbed a metal fork and as I was turning to go back to my seat, she gave me a look like, “ What the heck are you doing? I just brought you a fork!“ Unsaid, but the look said it all. I felt the need to explain so I said, “I was hoping for a metal fork.“

Should have been the end of the story, but as I get about 10 feet away near the salad bar, walking back to my seat, she yells out, “Well, you don’t have to be rude!“

At that moment, everyone at the salad bar turned and looked at me, wondering what kind of a creep I was to be rude to an employee. I was not at all rude. I did not raise my voice. I did not use any bad language. I simply stated that I was hoping for a metal fork. Calling me out in front of other patrons and employees for being rude when SHE was the one that was rude is unsettling and inappropriate. I hope she has a better day tomorrow because many customers would have yelled back something unkind. I did not.

I did go back and offer clarification as to why my wife - literally for more than ten times in a row of not being provided a fork with her food- needed a fork. My point this time was I just preferred a metal one. She again repeated loudly, “you don’t have to be rude! I’ve been here 11 years and I’ve never been talked to like that.“

I reminded her of what I had said to her and in no way was I rude. It was exactly: “I was hoping for a metal fork.“ In no way did I say it loudly or with coarse language. Yet this was her take, and she was letting everyone in earshot know how she felt.

At this point, I could see that there is no reasoning with this employee who should have been named Karen rather than Therese. So I went back to my seat. However, I found it difficult to eat my meal and left more than half of it there due to being upset that she wrongly called me out as being rude when she, in fact was the one who was rude.

I went back up for one more refill of my drink, and I overheard her at the area where the trays are dispensed talking to another employee saying, “he’s right over there” as she looked my way.

I had previously had a very pleasant interchange with this other employee she was talking to, I didn't get his name, but to identify him, he’s hairless and African-American and middle aged. He's very pleasant and I told him so on two different occasions. Now she was evidently trash talking me to him, which is another thing I do not appreciate nor do I think is professional.

My view is if she’s having something other than a “blessed day“ then stay at home or keep your mouth shut. Don’t trash talk the customers for absolutely nothing. I could have called her out that she never did her job right. When you run food out that requires a fork, bring a fork. It’s not difficult.

I think Jason’s Deli owes me a meal and an apology. Maybe Therese will go back to having a blessed day. One would...

When I moved to Evansville at the end of 2022 a friend took me to Jason’s Deli and I was really impressed with the food, specifically the salad bar. There were several different options to go along with the two different kinds of lettuce and fresh spinach. The kids loved it because they could get an ice cream cone after they ate.

Besides the salad bar having lots of great options everything seemed very fresh. Jason’s Deli became our go to place when we wanted to go out to eat. I also really liked their club you could join to get rewards and it seemed like every month they had some reward for you, a free fountain drink or cookie or something else and after earning 250 points get $10 off your order. After several months of going there regularly we noticed a decline in the quality and freshness of the salad bar. Wilted brown lettuce, kind of questionable broccoli or tomatoes, etc. So we didn’t go as often as before but would still visit, out of habit or hope it had improved, maybe a little of both. The kids still liked the kids meals and free ice cream. We went tonight and while the salad bar seemed pretty fresh and no real complaints about the food the experience I had pretty much made me not ever want to return.

First after ordering and getting our plates (8:32 according to my receipt), I couldn’t get any salad for at least five minutes. The lady had the salad bar completely broke down and all of the food was removed. She was replenishing and I understood and appreciated it. She eventually topped off everything and I was able to make my plate. My wife and I had ordered the salad bar which is all you can eat. It is our habit to each have two plates of salad. Hungry, I tore through my first plate fairly quickly and as I was nearly finished and ready to go and get a new plate for my second trip I noticed the lady who was tending to the salad bar taking up all the utensils I assumed she was taking them to the dishwasher and bring out new clean ones. I was wrong, which I realized when I got up to get another plate because she was covering everything with a metal lid. I was really confused because it wasn’t even 9:00 which I now know was the closing time.

I should backtrack here a bit and mention the entire time we were eating it was far from a nice atmosphere as it was constant loud noises of them closing down parts of the food line or a girl holding two large bins under both ice dispensers on the soft drink machine and it made an awful racket.

So I showed the woman the time in my phone and it wasn’t even 9:00 but that didn’t seem to phase her at all. I then walked up to the manager who actually took our order and told her I think it is really poor customer service that she would not mention that they would be closing the salad bar soon when we ordered or that anyone bothered to tell us, hey we are closing the salad bar soon if you want to make another trip. When I complained to her she just looked dumbfounded and said, oh is she closing that. That was it. No attempt to remedy the situation I let her know I worked in restaurants before in my life and this would have been unacceptable in any place I had ever worked before. She said nothing nor did anything. Not even an apology. I’m really surprised they didn’t take a broom and sweep us out of the store before my wife could finish her...

Let me start off by saying i eat at jasons often. We ordered online salad bar, for me, which you pick your items from list, sandwich, soup and drink for husband. We paid extra for hummus and chips and the salad order had hummus and pickles and potato salad on side. I went to get the sweet tea and they forgot to put sugar in it. When i told the guy he said" yes i drank some earlier, it's not sweet ". I explained that is what i wanted and he said ok, went to the back and i never seen him again. We get back to far north side and the salad is missing several items that where checked and FULL of radishes and pickles!! Now, NO RADISHES where entered for salad. They're was no hummus, paid for one or the one for the salad. No chips we paid for. I never call restaurants but this time I did. I was hungry, upset and spent 40$. The manager of course did the I'm sorry thing, offered to refund and told me the boy who made it was new. I mention maybe a manager should review the order and she laughed and said yes ma'am that's what we will do, check every order. WOW ...yes before you screw up someone's 40$ dinner. I got the refund, no dinner and disrespect from a manager. Never again Jason's. As a business owner and founder of a local non profit I will be...