What's the worst experience you've had while in a restaurant?

Here are some examples of particularly bad restaurant experiences shared by various individuals:

Hostile Service and Broken Dishes

In one account, a family visited a small, posh café for lunch and encountered an extremely tense and hostile atmosphere. Upon entering, the loud conversation among the staff abruptly stopped, and the staff stared angrily at the customers. When the food was served, a plate broke as the server set it down, and she simply walked away without addressing the issue. The family ate in awkward silence and left as quickly as possible due to the bizarre and unwelcoming behavior of the staff1.

Missing Orders and Poor Management

Another diner had a disastrous experience at a pizza and pasta restaurant they had frequented many times before. Despite ordering the usual pasta and garlic sticks, the second order never arrived, even after 40 minutes and multiple inquiries to the waitress and manager. The manager seemed indifferent and did not check on the order, and the waitress eventually reappeared after a long absence to offer the food to-go, which was unacceptable since the diner wanted to eat at the restaurant. The owner was out of town, and no satisfactory explanation or apology was provided by the management2.

Rude Waiters and Contaminated Food

A diner at Chili's reported a very disappointing experience where the waiters were rude, there was a gob of hair in their food, and something was floating in their ice water. This combination of poor service and contaminated food made for a highly unpleasant dining experience4.

Public Staff Conflict

During a holiday, a diner witnessed a massive fight among the staff at a restaurant, with some staff members storming off and others in tears. The incident, which was in a language the diner did not understand, added to the confusion and discomfort of the meal1.

These examples highlight various ways in which a restaurant experience can go terribly wrong, ranging from hostile service and broken dishes to missing orders, poor management, rude waiters, and public conflicts among staff.