Up until recently, I hadn’t eaten at Dairy Queen in years. Two days ago, I stopped at the Nederland location and had one of the best fast food experiences I’ve had in my entire life. The burger was fresh, the fries were piping hot, and everything was exactly how it should be.
Because of that experience, I decided to stop by the Bridge City location for lunch the very next day.
That turned out to be a mistake.
In 37 years of being alive, I have never once returned fast food to a restaurant because it wasn’t good enough. Not one single time. Yesterday was the first.
I ordered a double cheeseburger meal. When I sat down to eat, the fries were old, hard, and clearly had been sitting for a while. Annoying, but it’s fast food. Things happen.
Then I opened the burger.
The patties looked exactly like the fries tasted: old. Anyone who eats burgers regularly knows the difference between a fresh burger and one that’s been sitting under a heat lamp. The appearance alone was enough to tell something wasn’t right.
So I drove back.
The real problem wasn’t mostly the food. The real problem was the manager.
The moment I walked in and explained the issue, I was immediately met with a defensive attitude. When I mentioned the fries, she seemed understanding. The second I brought up the burger, her entire demeanor changed. I was EXTREMELY respectful. Being a disabled veteran, everything I do or say is of the utmost respect.
“There is no way that’s not fresh. I watched him make it.”
That was her response.
Not, “Let me take a look.”
Not, “I’m sorry you’re unhappy.”
Not, “Let’s see what’s going on.”
Just instant defensiveness.
I even told her she was welcome to open the burger and inspect it herself. She didn’t. Instead, she crumpled the bag up with an attitude, walked to the back, and had the cook remake the meal.
After waiting about 15 minutes, I got my replacement food.
Guess what?
The fries still weren’t fresh.
The burger wrapper was covered in grease.
And the overall quality was barely any different than the first time.
At that point, I wasn’t even upset about the food anymore. I was upset that I had spent nearly $20 on a meal, driven back to the restaurant, waited another 15 minutes for a remake, and still left disappointed.
What’s frustrating is that I know how good Dairy Queen can be because I had just experienced it at the Nederland location the day before. The difference between these two stores is night and day.
Bridge City management should take a serious look at how customer complaints are handled. If a customer who has never returned food in nearly four decades feels compelled to bring a meal back, maybe the first response shouldn’t be to argue with them.
Fresh food can fix a bad meal.
A bad attitude from management is much harder to fix.
If I decide to eat Dairy Queen again, I’ll gladly drive to Nederland. This location reminded me exactly why I stopped coming years ago.