Hall Of Shame

I am quick to give a thumbs up or a shout out to restaurants that we have really enjoyed. But what about the flip side? Restaurants that either don't know what the health codes are or who just don't live up to expectations in one way or another. This might be a new book, like with my "That's Just Wrong"! This idea came to me after what happened to us on Wednesday.

In Lorain on 20th and Broadway is a restaurant called The Roman Room. This restaurant has been opened and closed at least three times since we've lived here; mostly closed. It's been an Italian restaurant, a steak restaurant and back to an Italian restaurant. We have eaten there under previous management but my thoughts have been that the food was ok, but the service was horrendous. It closed the last time probably for a few years. Just recently we have seen signs that they are back open.

On Wednesday, I drove by and saw people in there for lunch. Wednesday evening, we were meeting up with our friends Larry and Linda to go for dinner. The plan was to try out the new Roman Room; under new management.

We arrived at 5:45 pm, what I would consider prime dinner time. The signs in the window now say closed! What the hell? I can't imagine that they will only be open for lunch, but why else would it be closed at 5:45 pm? The four of us are trying to decide on a plan B as to where to go for dinner. While we're deciding, another car pulls up, sees us outside and asks if the restaurant is open. We tell them it appears that it's closed and this new car wasn't too happy about it either.

While we're going back and forth, I decide to call the phone number on the window to see if the place is perhaps closed for good of maybe closed on Wednesdays. I am expecting an answering machine of some sorts to pick up and was quite surprised when a human being answered! This conversation was kinda classic!

Him: Hello, Roman Room.
Me: Uh, what are your hours?
Him: We open at 11:00 am and we are open until between 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm, depending on business.
Me: (looking at watch to confirm yes, it's only 5:45 pm!) Well, when do you open?
Him: (sarcastically) I SAID at 11:00 am!
Me: Does that mean you're NOT open on Wednesdays??
Him: (figuring that's me outside his door) Um, it was kinda slow today, so we closed early.
Me: Good luck running a business that way!

C'mon now! You're starting a restaurant, and CLOSE it before six in the evening? What the hell!

After standing outside in the rain for awhile, we had finally formed a new plan on where to go for dinner. Back in our vehicles, Larry pulls away from the curb and as we are ready to pull out behind him, the chef comes out of the door, trying to wave me into the restaurant. Hello? I don't think so. I laughed and waved good bye to him. Think about it, only the chef is left. All of the ovens or grills or whatever would be turned off by now. With no one there, I figured I'd have to double as patron and sous chef, Linda would take our orders, Ron would tend bar and Larry would be on washing dishes! Yeah, I don't think so.

I take things to heart. Piss me off once, and it's unlikely I want to go back. I can't imagine wanting to go back to The Roman Room for dinner again.

Here are other entries into my Hall of Shame, in no particular order.

Cracker Barrel - on Detroit Road and Abbe Road in Sheffield. Ron and I were moving into this house on Thanksgiving weekend. Here it was, Thanksgiving day, we're in jeans and sweatshirts, working on packing up the rest of the apartment as well as cleaning it. We're hungry and tired, and all pots, pans, plates, silverware etc are all packed up. We need to go out so we chose Cracker Barrel which was right by the apartment.

Our waiter Mike, (I still remember his name!) actually said to us during dinner "I don't know why you people come out to eat on Thanksgiving day. You should be home with your family". Not normally one to be at a loss for words, I was this day. I do remember saying something about not everyone HAVING family around and perhaps working with the public should not be his first choice for a career. I should have called the manager instead of sitting there crying but i didn't. Yeah, not a place I have any desire to go back to anytime soon.

50's Diner - Ok, this place is no longer in business (go figure!) but it was on Detroit Road right at the exit from I-90 next to Quaker Steak and Lube.

We stopped in late one night just for a little treat. We sat at the counter and after watching our waiter use his dirty fingers to get the ice cream out of the scoop and into our bowls we lost our appetites. Even if it was still open, not a place I would chose to go.

Denny's - The Denny's over on Route 611 in Lorain - Ron and I were sitting at a table right next to the counter. From where I was sitting, I could see along the length of the employee side of the counter. Again, me and counters don't get along! I watched two waitresses drop a bunch of napkins onto the dirty filthy floor behind the counter. They sat there for a few minutes then the two came back, picked them up and straightened them out. They were put back under the counter to be used on the tables. That one I did have to tell the waitress that the next time she dropped napkins on the floor they should be thrown OUT and not used by her customers. Yeah, I'm done there.

Rino's - An Italian restaurant on Oberlin Avenue in Lorain. Ron and I would go there and the biggest complaint we had was about their sodas. No matter when we'd order soda, they were always as flat as can be. Something wrong with their tap system was my opinion. But, we'd order anything but soda and all was fine. Until we went in to pick up a to go order.

The servers were responsible for making up the salads. A cooler was in the front and I was unlucky enough to stand there and watch one server make a salad with her bare hands. I don't want her nasty dirty hands all over my food, especially just after she's done handling money. Eww! They did have a nice plastic glove in the bin for them to use to make the salads. However, she'd grab the glove, put it on one hand but still use both hands to make the salad. When she was done, she took her dirty hand, grabbed the glove off of her other hand by the fingers and then threw the glove in the bin with the lettuce. Yeah, she was unclear on the concept of clean hands. We have not gone back there since.

Hanko's - North Ridge Road in Elyria. We used to go to Hanko's when we first moved into the house. The food was good, with a lot of down home Slovak flair. While the food was good again the service was horrible. We stopped going. Recently, we decided we should try this place again as it's close by and the food was good. About a month ago the three of us went for dinner.

All was well until the dishwasher came out with a tray of clean plastic drinking glasses. While putting the tray on the shelf, a glass fell off and onto the floor. He picked up the glass from the floor and put it with the clean glasses on the shelf. Me and my big mouth yells "are you really going to use that glass??" He looks back at me and says "why not? It's clean."

I know how clean my floor is and I won't use something I've dropped on the floor without rewashing it. If this was his idea of clean, I was afraid to imagine just how "clean" anything there was! Yeah, Hanko's is now off my list, this time for good!

So, there you go, my Hall of Shame. I am naming names here people! Shame on all of them. Watch out! Bad service and health code violations will be posted here!