It pays to complain...

A couple of days ago, my 2 year old son and I ate lunch at Applebees. I ordered a new item on the menu - Cheddar Jack Mac & Cheese with Chicken. When I took the first bite I was instantly less than thrilled. It was spicy. No where in the description did it state that it was spicy. I don't like spicy food. It usually upsets my stomach. I ate what I could of it and paid the bill and we were on our way. I didn't complain at the restaurant because I figured that it wasn't their fault. They were just following the recipe. Corporate were the ones that printed the misleading description in the menu. When I got home I went to www.applebees.com and took a second look at the menu to make sure that I didn't overlook something in the description that would imply that the dish would be spicy. I didn't. In fact, here is the description copied and pasted directly from the website:

Cheddar-Jack Mac & Cheese with Chicken

Slices of seasoned, grilled chicken breast served over tender penne pasta mixed with a creamy cheese sauce. Topped with a buttery crumb topping.

I emailed Applebees through their website and the general manager of the Applebees that I had eaten at called me yesterday. He was very apologetic and agreed that the description is misleading. He mentioned that they mix pico de gallo into the cheese sauce. He asked if I had spoken to a manager while I was at the restaurant. I told him that I hadn't because I didn't feel like it was their fault. He told me to always ask to speak to a manager if I was less than satisfied and they would make it right on the spot. He is sending me a $10 gift card in the mail to make up for my disappointing lunch! (My lunch was only $6.99 - the total bill was $14.30 before tip so this almost pays for the whole bill!)

The moral of the story is... if you are unhappy, let someone know. A lot of times you will be compensated!

Note: this doesn't always work. I emailed Starbucks to let them know of my disappointment that they had discontinued their decaf Frappaccinos and all I got was a short apology confirming that they had, in fact, discontinued them. Oh well, it doesn't hurt to try!