TGI Fridays

I was a server/bartender/ manager for more than 10 years. We came in 30 minutes before close, and I can honestly say that I can't think of many things that would have made our experience worse.

The host handed us menus and pointed toward the bar. Every table was dirty and there was a massive stack of dirty plates on the bar. The floor was really sticky. We sat at a table and the server came over after about 8 minutes. She never introduced herself and we had to ask her to wipe down the obviously dirty table.

She told us that there was 30 minutes left and we needed to get our order in quickly... okay, I was slightly bothered, but no big deal, as we already knew what we wanted.

We ordered an alcoholic beverage, and when she delivered my wife's (in a tall glass), she didn't bring a straw. She also didn't come back, so I went to the bar. The bartender didn't even acknowledge me, so I just walked around to the server station and grabbed a straw myself. The server happened to be walking nearby and never addressed it. She then came back and asked if we wanted our food to go... we hadn't even had a sip of our drinks.

I would never, under any circumstances, EVER suggest a guest take their food to go. When we said no, she clarified that she wasn't rushing us. Smooth.

It took over 25 minutes for a sandwich and a salad, and I was already aghast at the service and feeling unwelcome, so we asked for boxes to eat in the room. While waiting for boxes, they started turning off lights. Then, the male bartender with the very quaffed eyebrows (who I believe referred to himself as the bar manager) was talking loudly to the cocktail servers about whether they thought they made money that night. With guests in the bar still... This is probably the tackiest thing I have ever seen in a restaurant. He rounded it off with a couple f bombs, which I don't really care about, but it just made it clear that they didn't care that guests were still there.

We got the boxes and I already had my card out. I glanced at the ticket, and it said 51. I dropped my card on it and she ran it, but then came back and said that she gave me the wrong ticket and that mine was 55. Ok, mistakes happen, but talk to me BEFORE you run the card?

She then offered us to go cups for our alcoholic beverages, I suppose to get us out of there more quickly. I don't know the laws in Ohio, but in Tennessee, that's highly illegal.

My wife and I have never felt like cattle so acutely as today. This whole place is a mess with no professionalism and it is frankly a smear on the TGIF brand. The server is an aberration to service professionals who care about their job.

The guest side of me didn't want to leave a tip, but professional courtesy wouldn't allow me to do that, so I left 9% and left as quickly as possible. I usually leave 20-30%.

Overall, avoid this place at any and all costs. If TGIF corporate is looking at reviews, please take a long, hard look at this place. It is truly terrible.