Friday, October 5, 2012

Waitress Asleep at the Switch at the Tap House in Las Vegas

The Tap House is an Italian-oriented restaurant and bar - it dates back to '64, and comes with a few video games at the bar, some roll-your-own natural tobacco feature (the relevance of which escapes me) and a frequently-used meeting room in the back.  Not the best food in the world (or even the best Italian in town), but it's pretty good for the price, and it's convenient. The Tap House is located on West Charleston, between Jones and Decatur.  It also advertises itself as the "Home of the Cleveland Browns" in Las Vegas, and as a native of Cleveland, that's a good thing.

Today I stopped by for lunch, and decided on a special, the French Dip, which came with a choice of sides.  I asked if they put anything sweet in the potato salad, explaining briefly that I'm diabetic.  The waitress answered, "we don't make it here."  Then she added, "it's mustard-based potato salad."  Since that usually means it's not sweet, I ordered it.

When it came, I took one bite and it was sweeter than Frosted Flakes, so I didn't eat anymore.  I expected, when the waitress came back, that she'd:
  1. Remember that I asked about the sugar content of the potato salad
  2. Recall that I was diabetic
  3. Notice I hadn't eaten more than one bite; and,
  4. Offered me something else
I was reading and barely notices when she zoomed in, bussed the table and left the check.

I had a choice - I could complain, or I could just let it slide.  I made the wrong choice, let it slide.  Then I discovered, on the way home, that I was both still hungry and frustrated.  Wound up going back out for a reliable burger-and-fries, but it wasn't the same.

So, two pieces of advice.  First, if you don't like sweets, avoid the potato salad at the Tap House.

And second, apparently, if you want good service at the Tap House, be prepared to stand your ground and ask for it.

One more thing - their customer-comment form online at their website is as annoying as a Nevada Energy's computer-controlled phone-tree system.  Not good.