Recently, I had a dirty restaurant bad experience when I took a quick trip to one of the local greasy spoons, to catch a bite to eat with a friend.
When I walked in, the owner glanced at me and said “PATRIOT USA, ha ha”.. I believe more in acceptance than anything he found funny. I’m often wearing Patriot uniform shirts when I’m not in a suit. I’m proud of our company and prefer to represent our brand as much as possible.
I excused myself to the bathroom to wash my hands. My first thought as I entered was yuck. This restaurant needs “PATRIOT USA”. The bathroom was filthy. I promptly washed my hands, and when I attempted to dry, noted there was no feed knob for the paper towels. I did my best to open the door touching as little as possible and dried my hands on my pants on my way to the table.
I am in the cleaning industry so I’m highly sensitive to visible uncleanliness (especially with such close client relationships with restaurants). I’m also a product of the Navy and being around the world I’ve eaten in some unsavory places as you can imagine.
I chose to turn the other cheek and have lunch.
What a huge mistake.
I was so sick. I lost 6 pounds in one night
I’m a strong individual of reasonable health. Someone who had compromised immunity such as a child or the elderly might not have survived what I’ve just been through.
It’s irresponsible to service food in unsanitary conditions. I certainly won’t be eating at this restaurant again and I’ll recommend to all I know to avoid it.
I’m going to officially call out this restaurant on social media (not here). This isn’t about marketing Patriot, it’s about what’s right. I hope they feel the financial pinch of less business as a result and wise up.
Help your customers avoid a dirty restaurant bad experience and a potential social media backlash. Make cleanliness a priority.