Cantina Laredo — Restaurant in Grapevine

On 6-7-25 I arrived at DFW for my connector flight and had over a 2 hour layover...Got close to my next Terminal and Gate and decided to grab a bite to eat and a drink and chose Cantina Laredo (Terminal B Gate 29) because of the t.v.s. on and seemed like a good place to stop and hang out...I was pretty much immediately seated and soon after was served by a seemingly nice waitress (Note: Caleb B was not my original server)...I ordered a drink from the bar and subsequently ordered some food (Chips and Dip)...Well this is where my experience went South at this place...The service began to slow down and it took what seems a very long time to at least get a drink...when I finally got my drink the glass was full of Ice and hardly any drink.. out comes the food a little later on...which was ok and had great taste.. so while the waitress was finally there I went ahead and ordered another drink...this time with Lite Ice...This drink finally arrived in the same tall glass as before and it was much better with more drink and less ice...Much Better!!!... Well eventually since I had been hanging a while watching a ball game I eventually ordered my 3rd drink...Lite Ice again...when this drink arrived the bartender sent it in a very small glass...When I inquired with the waitress about the size of the glass..she responded...you ordered lite ice and this is what size glass you get.. I simply stated my last drink came in the large glass as did my first and it was perfect with Lite Ice as well and she said she would take it back...when she did I was watching the bartender who appeared to get frustrated and took the small glass back and poor it in a taller glass...from there I observed said bartender add some flavoring and seltzer water to fill the glass up and then sent it back.. of course when I got the drink back in the taller glass it was extremely obvious this bartender could care less about the customer and half assed his job like doing the right thing was gonna get him fired.. To the bartender...people watch when your doing your job and a lot of people know when you cheat and scam the customer...to the management...I did not cause a scene like some would do.. I merely kept my receipt and do what I do best and write my experiences where it matters and where the public can see what goes on...I'm just a regular guy with a regular opinion.. I just hope that things get observed for what they are worth for others out there...I'm not mad...Just disappointed and could have had better service instead of what I watched with...

Subject: Urgent Complaint Regarding Severe Allergic Reaction and Unprofessional Conduct

Dear [Restaurant Manager/Owner],

I am writing to express my deep concern and dissatisfaction with the service I received at Cantina Laredo, DFW, on 10.7.2024 around 4:40 PM. During my visit, I ordered beef tacos, and while the server, who is pregnant, provided excellent service, what followed was an alarming and unacceptable experience.

The manager brought out my food, but upon taking a bite of the tacos, I immediately realized there was shrimp inside—a direct violation of my order. I have a severe allergy to shrimp, and this oversight triggered an immediate allergic reaction. I rushed to the restroom, became physically ill, and had to urgently take Benadryl to mitigate the reaction. Had I not acted quickly, this could have resulted in far more serious, possibly life-threatening, consequences.

Upon returning to settle my bill and collect my belongings, I was approached by two young hosts, both fair-skinned with curly hair, who made an incredibly unprofessional and insensitive comment. One of them said, "Why do I have to clean your throw-up like I’m your mom?" This was not only inappropriate but dismissive of the gravity of the situation. When I explained that the shrimp in my meal had caused the allergic reaction, their lack of empathy and the flippant manner in which the situation was handled was beyond disappointing—it was outright disrespectful.

I am deeply upset by how this matter was treated as a joke, especially given the seriousness of food allergies, which can result in severe, if not fatal, consequences. The negligence in preparing my meal, combined with the unprofessional and discourteous behavior from your staff, casts a highly unfavorable light on your establishment.

I urge you to address this matter immediately, both in terms of food safety and staff training, to prevent such dangerous and unprofessional behavior from occurring in the future. As a patron, I expect far better standards from an establishment like yours.

I look forward to hearing how you intend to rectify this...

Server never came back to check on us after we received our food. We were a family of six, 2 adults and 4 young children. We had been traveling all day. The kids and my husband ran out of drinks and were thirsty and he just never came back. We were tired and ready to go and I had to get up to ask the host where to pay. 10 minutes later, the server comes back and asks if we are ready for the bill. We said yes and asked for a box. The server said ok as he already had his back turned and was walking away. We had already had a long, hard day and had to wait an additional 10-15 minutes again for him to return with the bill and had to ask for a box again as he picked up my son's half eaten food and was walking away with it. My husband and I have worked in the restaurant industry and customer service industry for a combined almost 50 years. I personally was very successful in the service industry and ran some very successful restaurants. This particular guy gave us horrible service for no reason or explanation. If he would have come back and apologized, we would have understood. We know things happen. I guess he thought he wouldn't get much of a tip since we had 4 young children with us. I have never left a place without tipping but I did tonight. Just so this server knows, our $67 bill would have typically gotten you a $20 tip from us but the fact that you gave us such terrible service and then made a point to make a big circle around the tip percentages left you with nothing. Do not judge people sir, take great care of everyone or get out of...