IHOP — Restaurant in Springfield

I don't normally write bad reviews- and normally visiting here had been wonderful- in the past. The last few visits they have seemed to have gotten worse since probably around December of last year. Ex. missing silverware, items ordered wrong, orders taking forever despite only a few customers being present and even rude waitresses that give you an eye roll when you want water. My most recent experience not only lead me to pick up the receipt and do their survey but also write a review online for fair warning to all parents.

I came in with my 1 1/2 year old that was very hungry- it wasn't that busy I was 1 of two people in that section when I came in. Upon entering the waitress seemed frazzled though I wasn't quite sure why asking if I wanted a highchair or booster seat. I said either is fine, she prefers booster if they had it. She saw us to a booth right next to the loud kitchen where we could hear them arguing over tickets in the back. Upon sitting- no highchair or booster seat so she was in my lap in a booth. Menu's where set down- no child menu. My child is thankfully just happy to be somewhere new and is bouncing up and down opening the menu with me. Our waitress comes to the table asking what we want immediately- while I'm still trying to find a kids menu. She flips to the page and then offers to bring us a paper one- for my convenience to look at so it's easier. With a wiggly one and a half year old in my lap yes it is much more convenient. But it would have been more so with a chair or booster- which i couldn't ask for because she put down the menu and turned her heel to get us water and milk- and yes i saw the eye roll when i asked for water. I hadn't even looked at the menu yet so I didn't have a clue what I wanted to drink. We figure out what to order- and after 3 people sat later she comes back we give our order and i ask for a seat for little one- it never comes. I wait about twenty minutes and not checked on trying to entertain my hungry child trying to climb on the table bang with silverware and pretty much anything else a child that age would do to entertain herself. I pick her up to go grab a highchair by the door- the waitress that seated us yells that I can't take those and to go sit back down our waitress will deliver it. I'm very taken a back by this but do as asked. Fast forward another forty minutes. 2 people seated after us have their food- one man received the wrong items and it needs fixed. At this point I'm mad and ready to walk out leaving money for only my child's milk. My child is hungry, and cranky and it's been an hour. The food finally comes out- but not mine just my daughters. The waitress informs me my order got put in wrong but it will be out in a moment- I'm just glad my kid got her food. The nuggets are hard as a rock so she won't eat them but she digs into the corn and the applesauce i open- clearly a mess as the waitress comes by dropping off my food and walks off. No extra napkins no seeing how we're doing, no refills and STILL no seat for my kid- I shake it off because they seem busy, and while messy and corn/applesauce mixture is falling on my leg as my child eats I dig into my sandwich (silently thanking I didn't get the chicken fried steak instead) and share a few fries with my kid since she's not eating her nuggets. I eat a few fries- and they are COLD as cold can be. Nice hot sandwich with a side of fries that sat out- I take them off my child's plate immediately. I let the waitress know because it's a major food hazard since it's a starch (I work in kitchens)- but we're pretty much done so I don't want a refired side of fries. She tries to fix it despite me saying I didn't want any- with piping hot fresh from the fryer fries she puts in a box to go which of course causes a meltdown from my child who wants to eat the fries that will burn her mouth- now no longer a food hazard but a safety hazard. I left an undeserved tip and the fries behind. I certainly don't plan on returning anytime soon, I just wanted to cry by the...

Hostess/Waitress was very sweet and accomadating but obviously being overworked with trying to keep up with the amount of customers that needed to be served and working by herself. Before we even ordered she was gracefully taking care of problems from other orders that whoever was cooking kept forgetting things and I overheard kept misplacing order tickets which caused mishaps but she always kept a smile on her face and apologized more than she should have. Some customers were not as understanding as others (probably have never worked in the food industry). When my kid and I finally decided what to order our food arrived quickly but not without mistakes. The mistake with my order was fixed promptly but my sandwich was definitely overcooked (the turkey was tough and difficult to chew) and the bread while crispy on the outside just was full of grease. It was just before closing as they were closing early, likely due to staffing shortage, and I didn't want to make what obviously was a difficult day for them last any longer, so I asked for some to go containers, thanked our hostess and went on our way. My 2 stars definitely has no reflection on the hostess/Waitress as she was a delight and an instant problem solver. It more so has to do with IHOP management/owners putting their employees in high stress situations like this that set them up for failure instead of success. I hope they work hard on a solution soon that doesn't leave their employees drowning night after night. I give our hostess/Waitress 5 🌟, the cook 3.5 🌟 but stick to my 2 star review directed at the management/owners.. do better for...

Marlie, our waitress, was ok until we asked why we were charged for the two children’s meals. Half an hour before our arrival I called to inquire about their times for when kids eat free. We were told by Riley on the phone it was 10-4 everyday kids eat free. Having eaten at many IHOP’s in other locations we thought this was odd but figured she just told us so it must be correct. When explaining this to the waitress she became very hostile, said they would not honor the discount and left to the back. She came back with another lady who said they would not honor the discount. I politely asked to speak to the manager and she said she was out. She would not tell me when she would be in to work or her name. She then told me nobody had called that morning, much less asked for the times for when kids eat free. At this point, accusing me of lying, it became more about the principle than the actually discount. Marlie then snatched up the receipt I had signed even though I had not finished completing it with the tip and total. I went to the entrance of the back to inquire about my check, since it was snatched away incomplete. When we left the restaurant Marlie and the other waitresses were complaining about the little tip I left. I have never been treated so disrespectfully as an honest paying customer simply asking a question. All of this was done in front of my 2 young children while my husband was in the bathroom. Another customer said she would leave a review about the poor behavior on part of the staff. The miserable team who works here simply...