Magic goes to Taco Bueno

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...and leaves hungry! That's what happened yesterday.

Around 6pm I felt hunger and decided to go eat lunch. Within driving distance of my work there is Cici's Pizza and Taco Bueno (as well as other eateries that I do not know, and so don't patronize). Since I had pizza the day before, I decided for Taco Bueno. I got there and said the following at the register:
"I would like, for here, chicken combo platter with 2 following substitutions:
1. Crispy taco instead of the soft taco.
2. No guacamole and no beans, but extra queso on the side instead of them".
(In another Taco Bueno it was enough to say "the usual, please", and I would get exactly the above. Unfortunately they closed that place some time ago, and so far I was unable to teach the current place what "the usual" means.)
In addition I had a coupon that promised a free chicken taquito and a dip with the purchase of any platter or combo meal. I handed it and asked for what was on the face of that coupon.

The guy needed some time to enter the substitutions, but I was used to that, and patiently repeated my order twice when he asked. I also patiently explained that substitution #2 did not mean that I ordered anything in addition to the combo platter, and because of that charging me additional $0.89 for #2 was incorrect. Then the guy started entering the taquito into the register. This all took about 10 minutes, and the long line formed behind me. I guess that it wouldn't be surprising that I got somewhat annoyed and irritated. Finally the guy was done and pronounced the price that included both #2 and the taquito. At that point I said "Never mind, can I have my coupon back?". I got the coupon, apologized to people in the line, left the place and went to Cici's Pizza.

This was actually not the first time such a thing happened. At yet another Taco Bueno I once spent 20 minutes in a line, and then 10 more trying to explain my order (identical to the above, but without the coupon). I then had to leave, because I wasn't even able to explain to the guy that I wanted one meal, not 3 of them, regardless of what that meal would be (literally after 10 minutes of explaining!).

OK, I just had to vent! I don't cook and always eat out, but I guess that maybe I should stick to all-you-can-eat buffets where I just put food on the plate myself. I like the Taco Bueno "usual", but I guess I'll do better keeping away from that particular place. Sigh...

I have had this type of experiance.

Y

oh, i sympathise, magic. i always worry i might be an intellectual snob, but when dealing with people like your taco man... well, sometimes i think it's justified.

your order change wasn't rocket science, for heaven's sake!

I'm going to take a slightly different tack.

Magic, it sounds like a frustrating situation all the way around!

It sounds like the cashier was poorly trained and/or poorly placed in the job. Its the manager's job to see that customers are being served. The manager should have been there and jumped into it helping the cashier get your order correct. He's lost a good customer, you Magic, because of this.

BeeBee

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Last edited by Ante on 09 Nov 2005, 8:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sometimes, you just have to be specific. Magic, do you not like flavor in your tacos?

The guy must have been confused because what he wanted to do was please you. In other words, there was potential for a misunderstanding, a big one I might add, and seriously, I know you didn't try to make it happen, it was the server's fault.

I wish you could have had a better experience, and I'm sorry to hear about it.

Thanks for replies! I never expected I'd get so many for such a post.

I don't like crowds, and if possible I go eat at strange hours. There was no line when I got to Taco Bueno yesterday, so I felt it was OK to go with a "complicated" order. The problem was not the lack of time, but rather miscommunication and inatentiveness of the cashier (after all he did charge me for the taquito, while holding a coupon in his hand). Eating every day in traditional restaurants would unfortunately be too expensive, and would take too long.

Anyway, I often arrive at the eateries only to quickly retreat, especially if by mistake I go eat during lunch time. I would rather not eat anything than to endure the crowd and noise, or sit at a table that is not my favorite.

Regarding tacos, the issue is not their flavor, but the fact that I like the crispy texture more, and so prefer the crispy taco to the soft one.

I live alone. My girlfriend is an excellent cook, but she lives in another city and I see her only on weekends. (Another problem is that she cooks too little, not being used to the fact that with me she needs to cook 5 times as much as for herself alone. )

How long has it been since you've written this?

I don't exactly understand your question.

You said the line at the restaurant was not busy yesterday, Magic. Do you mean the day before today, or was this some time before this past week?

Yes, I've meant yesterday in a literal sense, i.e. September 1, 2005. Why do you ask?

Oh, I should have realized it was a fairly recent post. I wasn't looking at the date. Please forgive me.

Ah, your questions put my imagination into an overdrive, and I imagined that maybe you were in that Taco Bueno yesterday, and recognized the scene, and then you wanted to make sure that I'm talking about the same thing! Of course, it is quite far from Seattle...

Taco Bueno must be a British chain.

I am not sure who owns them now, but the first Taco Bueno was open in Abilene, Texas (according to their website). The one I was referring to was also located in Texas.

I remember way back when you mentioned to me that you are not originally from the U.S.. Have you emigrated. If so, where have you emigrated from?