I’m not usually one to complain about customer service. I’ve worked with the general public in retail positions since I was 15 and I understand people have bad days and its not the easiest thing in the world to deal with the general idiocracy that is the majority of the population these days. When I visit an establishment such as a restaurant, or a retail store, 90% of the time I can forgive mistakes and slip ups just because I’ve been in that position and I understand that not everyone is perfect. I’m definitely not perfect and I’ve made mistakes on the job. I’ve had bad days and my service has definitely suffered from it.
What I can’t take are establishments that consistently serve the public horribly and make customers expect terrible customer service from people like me who generally give a shit on a day to day basis. I’m not sure what it is but I’ve always cared about how people view me and how I am serving them. No matter the level of lunacy that people serve to me, I always try to serve them with as much respect and level headedness as possible. I’m not sure if that’s in my character or if it’s just common sense that is lost on certain people, but it seems that at certain places this concept is completely lost.
I would like to introduce you to the Taco Bell located on State St. in Ann Arbor, MI. This Taco Bell location is currently offering some of the worst customer service in the history of customer service. I may only be passionate enough to write about this because I’ve been drinking heavily and they just failed me for the 3948739473947th time, but goddamnit I’m angry and it’s time to bust some heads Epic Portions style.
There have been many occasions that this Taco Bell has embarrassed the fast food industry. You may be thinking about what a ridiculous statement that is, but seriously. This place is like the class where they send kids who can’t quite cut it in the slow class. It’s the trailer behind the school where they keep the kids who aren’t allowed to participate in standardized testing in fear that their scores alone may lead to the complete cuting of state funding for the entire school. Their interview process must involve a game of Pictionary followed by a game of rock paper scissors, with the loser gaining full time employment and full health benefits.
If you have 30-40 minutes to kill, pull right in and place an order. Guarantee you’ll be waiting for 50. If you’re sick of waiting, too bad. There are curbs on either side of you. You’re not going anywhere. Just in case that wait didn’t infuriate you enough, your order will be wrong and you’ll have to pull back around and wait again. It would be convenient to simply enter the dining room, but it’s currently being renovated. Time to either eat that fiesta salsa you didn’t want slathered all over your Grilled Stufft Burrito or scrape off the tomatoes and deal with that disgusting tomato residue. But wait, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. I have personally been witness to this Taco Bell being out of tortillas, beef, chicken, rice and beans. Keep in mind that all of these ingredients have been absent on separate occasions. What are you supposed to order at Taco Bell when they are out of hard and soft tortillas? Pintos and Cheese? That’s an appetizer.
I often wonder who serves as manager of this Taco Bell and why he hasn’t had crosses burning in his front lawn. I say this not because I’m a card carrying member of the KKK(i’m not), but because he deserves to have something burning on his front lawn and that was the most dramatic thing I could think of. Who hires these people? Who orders the supplies? It’s not just me who has dreamt up a hatred for this specific location, it’s general knowledge that this is the worst Taco Bell on the planet. It’s almost comedic how bad it is.
I welcome the residents of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti to share your State St. Taco Bell stories as comments to this post. I have heard many, and I welcome a complete bitch session about the customer service that makes this place the Holocaust of fast food establishments.
Article by John Moors
I was blessed with a remarkable metabolism that has allowed me to overcome obesity and eat everything in sight.
John has written 416 other articles.
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
I too have been to this location and let me tell you this is by far not the worst Taco Bell around let alone in Michigan. Have you tried the one on Cherry Hill/Merriman? Those of you who have know what I am talking about.
Let’s be serious here for a minute though guys. It’s a Fast Food Restaurant. Cheap food, cheap help, pump out that food! It’s the nature of what the business is. I myself actually just put in a complaint to another Taco Bell location. It happens.
I have been on the opposite side of this issue. I worked for the company as a manager for two years. I’ve seen everything and experienced some interesting things. There is nothing worse though than having to tell people you are out of beef/beans/chicken/etc. Especially the late night crowd. It happens though.
I get that this particular Taco Bell has given you quite a few issues but why do you continue to go to it then? You being in this area of expertise should know that if you don’t like what’s going on, don’t shop/eat there. There’s at least four other TB’s in the area along with other amazing Mexican restaurants(I know you know of them).
I just wanted to let you know that they just got a new store manager in there recently. I’ve known him for over 5 years and he’s a really good guy and runs a good store. For you to say that you hope Burning Crosses end up on his front yard is appalling. I found it offensive that you would speak so poorly about these people. I doubt that everyone that works at this place belongs in the “special kids room”. I imagine there are quite a few intelligent people working there who need to make a living. Not everyone is privileged enough to eat for a living. If you are true professional I would be a bit more careful about what you write. You are a “food critic”; not a shock jock.
Also, don’t write while you are drunk. Heck, don’t DRIVE AT ALL while drunk.
Now THAT is a rant, sir! I’ve never understood how cities allow drive throughs to get away with not having ANY curb cuts! What if a fire broke out in the taco bell or if someone’s car broke down? Reminds me of the time that I went to Friendly’s (New England equivalent of Denny’s and Dairy Queen mixed together) and they were out of vanilla ice cream. Everything they make has vanilla ice cream in it. Every. Single. Thing.
@Thad: Who said anything about drinking and driving? He said he was drinking WHILE writing! Drinking and writing is a treasured american past time! And also – we don’t eat for a living. This is a hobby. Finally, public complaints are sort of a part of a customer’s reaction to bad service. I’m sure John will reconsider his next trip to this place. But it’s nice when a place is completely mismanaged to vent that frustration. This is the type of thing that prevents Post-Office style ‘complaints’ (shotgun in hand) to the TB ‘leadership’ inside.
Oh no trust me I understand the need to vent. All I’m saying though is that if it continues to happen for the billionth time why not just stop going there? Or maybe say something to the manager? Without the shotgun of course.
I too have made my fair share of complaints but we have to remember that in this situation these people working there probably don’t work there by choice but of necessity. For him to call them names and ask for a burning cross on the managers front lawn is a bit more then a public complaint.
We brought this though to the attention of a close friend. She works at another TB and hopefully this will get brought up at the manager meeting and have some things change.
I totally understand that this is more of a hobby than a living but come on. At least be professional about it. If I wanted ranting I would of just stayed on Facebook. I would like honest, clearly thought out reviews of eating establishments. Whether or not they are fast food.
Well… the website is called “Epic Portions – Adventures in Food.”
The first statement on the “About” page says, “Epic Portions was created for the simple reason that we both love food and we feel that our opinions on the subject are just as valid as anyone elses with a public forum to express them.”
Those two indicators reveal to me that this is a light-hearted, sometimes sarcastic, predominately opinionated website. I suppose that I wouldn’t come here expecting straight reviews. I’m not sure that mud-slinging should be condoned, but I think that comment about burning crosses was quite obviously sarcastic, and I found the absurdity of it amusing.
And finally, it’s about time we get a good Taco Bell rant. They are easily bottom place in major fast food service. It doesn’t seem to matter where you are, you can always count on there being a crappy Taco Bell lurking around the corner.
@Thad: You have to have a meeting to bring this to the attention of the managers? So when someone waits in line for 50 minutes, the managers don’t know? Taco Bell and other fast food restaurants have some of the most sophisticated drive through service of any business, anywhere. They’ve spent millions of dollars on discrete event simulation modeling of customers waiting in line for a few burritos. Fast food lines are, literally, bar none, THE most efficient lines in the world. And you’re telling me that the people sitting in any given taco bell have no way of knowing when there is a line of 400 people sitting there in a virtual car jail? That’s….just…ridiculous. Especially when there isn’t any inside service . What exactly is the manager doing during this period? Do they look outside? Do they listen to the 400 complaints from all of the people who’re screaming at them after sitting in their cars? P.S. Any reference to a burning cross on this website is more of a joke than John suddenly claiming to become a vegan. On Atkins. Please tell me you didn’t take that literally. For the love of God…
I’ve developed an effective way to deal with these kinds of establishments: after being screwed over a few times, I just pretend they don’t exist anymore. Seriously, I can’t think of a single individual business that sells anything I can’t get elsewhere or do without.
I have to agree, Sarah. After a certain number of bad customer service experiences, they are dead to me. In John’s defense, this particular Taco Bell is the closest to where he works, which is probably why he keeps going there. I kept going to the same godawful Burger King on Ford Road simply because it was close to my work. Funny how that happens…
I also work near this Taco Hell. I’ve always said it is the worst Taco Bell I’ve ever been in. It’s consistently slow to the point of being ridiculous. I’ve seen people inside get so disgusted they just walk out without their food or a refund because they’ve gone past the end of their lunch time waiting for their order. I’ve entered complaints at the website on the back of the receipts a number of times, though those probably just go in a bit bucket somewhere.
I’ve also seen them run out of things a Taco Bell should not run out of (chicken, tortillas, cups, lids, sauce, etc). Unbelievable. How any fast food restaurant can run out of any of these items AT LUNCHTIME is beyond me. It’s not like it’s a one-time occurrence, either.
They appear to be renovating the seating area, but that’s not where the problem lies. It’s the ungodly slow service that needs to be addressed. The new front looks like turd polishing to me (you can polish a turd all you want, but in the end, you still have a turd).
It’s pretty rare I’ll attempt to get anything at this place any more.
Can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with this TB–though I don’t really go at prime time. From the fast food managers I’ve met (who are good guys), they’d rather hear this kind of complaint sooner than later. Realistically a lot of time they can’t do too much to fix things–they’re dealing with constrictions given by the franchise owner. If you really feel so strongly, tell it to corporate, since they’re the ones who can put a smackdown on franchisees that don’t live up to expectations.
I think I should mention that this Taco Bell sits directly in the heart of Ann Arbor. Whether I am driving home from the bar, coming or going from my girlfriend’s house or work, this is the most convenient Taco Bell. It also sits right off of 94, which I take pretty much everywhere. Normally I would not return to an establishment this awful, but sometimes you don’t have a choice.
@Thad: I absolutely agree with you. Why would you keep going back to a place that keeps disappointing you so much that you would threaten to burn a cross on their yard? John, i’m sorry, I think you have some dependancy and anger issues you need to work on. This is Taco Bell for heavensake!! Pack a sandwich next time you go out drinking or find a late night 7-11, White Castle, Hardee’s/Carls Jr. Etc.
Just stumbled upon this particular article! A summer or two ago, a friend and I needed something to drink desperately after a concert one night (I know, we could have gone to the Meijer). Pulling into this nearly empty Taco Bell at what was probably 1 A.M., we both waited roughly 20 minutes for a Diet Pepsi and whatever the slushie thing was that they were offering (the mango strawberry?). We were the only ones there.
Whaaaaaaaaat!!?!
I just wanna say 1 thing…I’m from louisiana & yes we r known 2 eat odd yet delicious shit, crawfish 4 example liVe n freakin mud and eat dead fish heAds,but hey a little tony chacheres seasoning fixes anything—except taco bell!! So taco bell my ? 2 you is what n the flyin fuk has caused ur strong aversion to cheese??!! Dammit u suck!! I always order hard tacos & PAY for extra cheese….every taco bell I’ve ever been to must have a strict policy of 3 strands of cheese mayb 4 if they r n a hurry & fuk up! 1 tablespoon meat, 1 pound lettuce &3 strands of cheese, if ur a cheese lover I suggest u tell taco bell 2 fuk themselves & make ur own tacos…or u can follow n the footsteps of a coonass cajun like me…drive back thru drive thru, wait another 30 min 2 make it 2 the window, smile politely at the idiot n the window & heave-ho the whole dam taco right n their stingy face, u must pitch it unwrapped though so they have time 2 repent while they clean the shit up…caution: do not return 2 there ever again tho, u may end up eating chihuahua meat if they recognize u as the taco thrower! F u taco bell u suk imitation wetbak Dick! Aaahahahaha!now excuse me whil I eat my homemade chEEEEsy tacos…bithces!!
@amyjones
holy crap you successfully just slaughtered the english language, your award is in the mail.
Ummm, I’d just like to take this moment to point out the fact that even good taco bell sucks. Even Arby’s is better.