Last night, Hungry Bear (my guy) and I went to Burger King, eagerly anticipating some free ice cream. We had no idea that it would turn into our worst experience ever at Burger King.
We arrived around 9:40 PM, and things actually started off well. The coupon went through just fine and we were served our cones immediately. We also ordered some other nibbles to enjoy (fries, nuggets, and a burger).
Even though we were the only people in line, we waited…and waited…and waited some more, for our food. I was able to eat 3/4 of my cone while we stood in line, seemingly without reason.
Finally, we were served. I brought the food over to a table as Hungry Bear dashed out to the car, having forgotten his phone. He was gone less than 2 minutes before I heard a knock on the window. A teenage Burger King employee had locked him out!
When I explained the situation, she not only refused to let him back in, but also told me to leave, claiming the dining room had closed at 10:00PM. When I pointed out that there were other tables occupied, she still refused in an exceptionally rude fashion.
By that point, we were absolutely shocked by such poor treatment. We left as asked and when I got inside my car, I called the store and asked for the manager. I relayed our horrible experience to her. Just as we had known, she agreed if you’re in the dining room before closing, they will allow you to finish your meal, and she offered to let us back in.
By now, our food was not only cold, but it had been poorly packaged and the burger was squashed. We didn’t want to eat at all—let alone inside Burger King. When I relayed this to the manager, asking for a solution, she told me to call the store manager in the morning, claiming there was nothing she could do.
That was completely unacceptable to us, just like the horrible service and the inedible food. I politely asked for, and was offered, a refund—a whopping $3.80. When Hungry Bear went to retrieve it, there were still people eating inside at 10:20PM, and the teenager who locked him out told him everything she had done was “company policy,” which directly conflicted with her own manager’s statement.
This is not how Burger King should run a business. They can’t selectively enforce policies and lock certain people out, while others are allowed to remain. (Isn’t that called discrimination?) They can’t ask people to wait 10 minutes for fast food when no one else is in line. They can’t serve food that’s not up to standard—taste or health codes. This is not letting me as a customer “have it my way.”
Needless to say, we will not be returning to Burger King for a looooooooooooong time!
Have you ever had a bad experience at Burger King? Please comment!