The food at IHOP is good, as always. That’s never been my complaint. But tonight was such a disappointment, and I think you need to understand why.
For weeks, I’ve been looking at the beautiful Strawberry Stuffed French Toast prominently advertised on the front of the DoorDash app. Those gorgeous fresh strawberries covered in strawberry glaze, the powdered sugar, and that fluffy stuffed French toast looked absolutely delicious. Every time I opened the app, there it was, tempting me.
Tonight, I finally decided to treat myself.
And I actually felt a little guilty doing it; things have been financially difficult, and spending nearly $50 to have breakfast delivered isn’t something I take lightly. I went back and forth over what to order, trying to keep the expense reasonable while getting enough food for another meal tomorrow.
I didn’t want to spend that kind of money on one item, especially after adding the service fees and driver’s tip, so I ordered additional breakfast items to make the delivery worthwhile.
But the entire reason I placed this order was that strawberry stuffed French toast. Everything else was secondary.
I had been looking forward to it for weeks.
Imagine my disappointment when I opened the container and found one little piece of stuffed French toast.
NO FRESH STRAWBERRIES. NO STRAWBERRY GLAZE. NOT EVEN A DUSTING OF POWDERED SUGAR!
Nothing! Just the stuffed French toast with its filling.
I had already been disappointed to discover that the BreakFEAST included only one piece instead of the two I thought I was getting. But I could have accepted that if I’d at least received the dish I’d been looking forward to.
And the packaging was ridiculous.
That one little piece of French toast was sitting all by itself in an enormous takeout container, with plenty of room to slide around during delivery. Why put something that small in such a large container? Had the strawberries and glaze actually been included, they probably would have ended up all over the place!
The rest of the breakfast wasn’t packaged much better. Everything had shifted together, with the breakfast meats practically buried in the hash browns and the other food pushed together. I realize that things move during delivery, but that’s exactly why appropriate packaging matters.
Interestingly, there was certainly no shortage of ketchup! You managed to send an enormous amount of ketchup but couldn’t remember the strawberries, glaze, or even the powdered sugar that actually belonged on the French toast.
And here’s the really frustrating part: THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IHOP HAS FAILED TO INCLUDE THE FRUIT WITH MY ORDER!
The last time this happened, I called the restaurant and was told, “Oh, that’s because you ordered takeout. You don’t get the fruit with takeout.”
Excuse me?
First of all, if that’s actually your policy, why are you advertising dishes covered in fruit on a DELIVERY APP?
Secondly, where was the powdered sugar? Is that excluded from takeout orders, too?
I didn’t believe that explanation then, and I don’t believe it now. It sounded like an excuse for an incorrectly prepared order.
And when I complained, I received only a partial credit, approximately half the cost of the affected dish.
That’s another problem with the way restaurants and delivery services handle complaints.
They seem to think that giving customers a credit for a missing item somehow makes everything right.
But it doesn’t!
What if that missing item was the entire reason the customer placed the order?
What if they added other food simply to justify the expense of delivery, just as I did tonight?
Now you’re giving me a credit for the one thing I really wanted, but I STILL DON’T HAVE IT!
If I want to reorder it, I may have to purchase additional food to meet the DashPass minimum, pay another service fee, and tip another driver.
And of course I’m going to tip the driver. It’s not the driver’s fault the restaurant didn’t prepare my order correctly.
But why should I have to pay all those expenses AGAIN just to receive what I originally ordered?
A partial credit doesn’t make the customer whole when getting the correct item requires another delivery and additional expenses.
Tonight, I spent $47.69 treating myself to something I’d been wanting for weeks.
I actually had to talk myself into spending that money because I have so many other financial responsibilities right now. But I finally decided that once in a while, I should be able to enjoy a little treat without feeling guilty about it.
Instead, I spent the evening disappointed, trying to contact the restaurant, and attempting to get someone to address the problem.
I called twice. The first time, the telephone just rang and rang. The second time, I pressed zero, received a recording about technical difficulties, and was disconnected.
So now, instead of enjoying the special meal I’d been anticipating, I’m spending my time trying to get someone to take responsibility for an incomplete order.
I wasn’t looking for a refund. I wasn’t looking for a credit. I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO MY STRAWBERRY STUFFED FRENCH TOAST!
That’s what makes this so disappointing.
Your food is good. I’ve always enjoyed it. But when you advertise something so prominently, especially something that looks as appealing as this dish, customers should receive what they’re being shown.
I understand that takeout food won’t always look exactly like the photograph. But there’s a world of difference between imperfect presentation and leaving off the very ingredients that make the dish what it is.
And when something goes wrong, customers shouldn’t have to fight for compensation or pay additional delivery expenses to get what they originally ordered.
Sometimes people order something special because they just want one little thing to enjoy. Tonight, that was all I wanted.
I wish you’d understood that before sending out my order without the strawberries.
Extremely disappointed.
