Red Robin-Sat. 8:30-West Covina

We sat in what I have come to understand as the #1 server's section (I can only know this because I was a server in the past.) You would expect the best, most timely service, etc in this section, but we were once again disappointed by Red Robin.
The food is always good, but the organization of the server is poor. It takes far too long for him to greet us/get drinks/take order, and while we are waiting, we notice him get sat with a new table, there's another table waiting to close out, he drops a burger as he is passing food to his table...it just turns into a mess. We start to actually feel bad for the server as he stumbles around and tries to make up for mistakes that are piling up.

I have come to the conclusion that the reason the servers here struggle so much is because they have little help. I notice they take turns greeting and seating guests, which should be the job of a host. If they get behind with their drinks, or an incorrect order, they have little to no help to get them caught up. Perhaps they were short staffed, but at 8:30 on a saturday night, most restaurants should be prepared for a busy night...

Applebees-Wednesday 11pm-West Covina

Date: 12-10-2008 We were so hungry this night! Anything sounded workable as we sped home from work to get some food in our bellies.
We decided on Applebees again, close to home and decent price. Plus, I wanted to sink into a comfy bench.
It was much quieter than the last time we came, but once seated, we weren't greeted(for drinks) until well after we had decided on everything we wanted to eat (and I was pretty indecisive).
Then, my favorite host, Cristina came to the rescue; she took our order for our server who clearly had her hands full.
She read back our order to us as well, which never happens.

Luckily, the food came out in time, and although our server was present during our meal, she disappeared again at the end when it was time for our check.

By that time, all we could think about was a nice, warm bed.
Cristina opened the door for us as we walked out and I wish I had given her a few bucks tip.

T Phillips-Sunday Night-La Verne-9pm

My only criteria for the night (besides good food) was a beer and good location (somewhere with good "sightseeing" in walking distance).

T Phillips in La Verne is on the campus where I went to college (University of La Verne), it has beers from all over the world, and there are peanut shells all over the floor.
I've always experienced a tasty meal here, and tonight was no exception, presentation and timeliness was also great.
And despite the fact that this restaurant is generally "seat yourself", our waitress was pleasant and stayed relatively close by.
The entrees are a little bit on the pricey side, but worth it if you have the cash, and you are given many choices to replace your fries (I got a bowl of fruit!).
Mikey enjoys the extra large mug that the beverages come in, no need for a refill!
Only thing that I was kinda disappointed about was the dessert choices, I could've tried the chocolate cake, peach cobbler, or cheesecake but all I really wanted was an ice cream fudge sundae.

AppleBees-West Covina-Sat. nite- 10:30pm

Last night, while Defreitas and I had our first dinner together since Thanksgiving break, I FINALLY decided to start this blog after months of "we shoulds". It was a busy friday night, we waited between 10 and 15 minutes for our table, but were pleasantly surprised with our friendly service. First, we feared getting a tiny one-per-bench booth or table with chairs on such a busy night...But we were taken to a full booth where we could sit side-by-side in comfort.

Our waitress, to our contentment, was a very nice, pleasant individual who was attentive to our needs.
She even suggested a special going on that fit our needs and saved us some money.
Our food, drinks, appetizer, and margaritas came out in time, and in order, with room to enjoy and space for her to check in occasionally if it came out right. She even got Mikey his diet refill before he had time to notice he might need one.
I also liked how she asked me if I wanted a refill because I hate it when I get one automatically and then I don't touch it -such a waste.
Here's Mikey's burger...click on the photo for more pics.

Our server Ebony took a bit of time to doodle on our receipt. She went home with 9 bucks in her pocket.