One thing is for sure, I'll not return to this business. Tonight we went out to eat. I asked everyone, what would you like to have tonight, where would you like to go. With what seems like a hundred choices it was clear, China Buffet.
One of the key reasons we enjoy going there is the variety of different food for our Grandson. We sat down, ordered our drinks and went up to get our food.
For the first time since we've been going there, each time I took a bite of the different things on the plate, it tasted like everything was boiled in water, mixed with veggies and that was it. Even the general chicken had no real taste or bite to if, (so to speak).
Being immediately disappointed I asked how every one else's meal was. My Grandson was chewing hard on a piece of fried chicken and he immediately said, it's really hard. He went, (by himself) to the chef there and asked him to make bbq ribs. Honest to God, he was cutting the meat with no bones in it for a good two minutes and I asked if I could help him and he said he'd get it. He took one bite and refused to eat any more of it. My Wife spices things up so much, it simply tasted the same.
I got up and went over to the manager and expressed my disappointment. I told her everything was very bland and that we come there fairly often and it just wasn't good. She said she'd check into it. She picked up my full plate and took it away.
The next thing I knew the waitress came over to our table and dropped off the check. Mind you, we had only been there 5 or 10 minutes, I thought that was strange. Nevertheless, I figured they'd compensate me for at least my meal, since I hadn't eaten anything with the exception of biting each sample of what I put on the plate.
I opened the check and the bill was for 100% of what we would normally get charged. My Wife knew what was next, so she was smart to get up and leave. I went over to the manager to pay our bill and I said, so your going to charge me full price, knowing we didn't eat and or enjoy what we had? She said, I don't know how much you ate. I said, ask the waitress, she took my full plate away and we've only been here 10 minutes. She handed me the phone in which the general manager started telling me she had been there at lunch time and the food was fine.
I said, Mam, my name is Joe Albero and I own Salisbury News. I said, look, if I have to pay full price for this meal, let me assure you, I'm publishing this experience on Salisbury News. I call the owner and complain. I said, I AM THE OWNER! She immediate said, if you say anything, we sue you. I started laughing my a$$ off and asked if she'd like the name of my lawyer.
I paid full price and walked out. We have had bad experiences before with the Owner of this business a few years ago. Not in food but with a Post I put up as a survey question asking what was a proper tip in an all you can eat restaurant. Because MOST people said 10%, the owner of this business and the one across the street started going off on me.
Nevertheless, we had a bad experience. It happens. However, when business owners and or managers treat you like a thief, they've lost my business and YOU should know about it. When the general manager of a business threatens to sue you for voicing your opinion, well, I say, bring it on!
Now, YOU can do whatever you like but I will not set foot in that restaurant ever again.
56 comments:
Joe
Thanks for the heads up, based on your experience I will not go there again.
The bad food is one issue but the actions and attitude of the owner are enough to keep me away.
never did like the place. it was bland and never impressed me.
We go to Hunan Palace beside the bowling alley. One the food is always good and it is locally owned and can always talk with the owner.
What did you expect? A buffet? Eastern shore? Chinese? lol! There is no chinese food on the eastern shore. The closest is chinatown in Philadelphia or NY. I thought you were smarter than the average bear booboo!
Never been there.... and now, never will. My experience is that the AYCE joints are slop. I care about what I eat and how the food is prepared. Hence, there are very few restaurants that I patronize.
Craig Theobald
Ironshire
We haven't been there in a long time. We usually get food from Taste of China right there in Delmar. They are the one on the same side as Food Lion. We have never gotten anything bad from them and they are probably my favorite. The one near Ollies has to be the worst one and I haven't been there in probably 5 years.
Sounds an awful lot like our experience at the "Salisbury Georgia House" that I wrote you about....maybe poor service and attitudes are contagious.
I had the chung choy burger covered with mandarin orange sauce several times. They're excellent. I intend to eat there again. Maybe your meal was just a fluke? Have you ever tried that, covered with mandarin oranges? It's a winer. Give them another try Joe, they're just poor immigrants trying to make a living.
I am glad you posted this, I have not been there in a couple of years and was thinking about going there for lunch this week, but now I will take my money to Hu Nan!
OMG! Same here. Had a terrible meal there last week
Last time I was there it was disgusting .....and I ended up getting sick that night!
Buffets always seem unsanitary to me,,,,Like eating at a trough!!!!
the food at chinatown buffet has never disappointed me
I like the much smaller Number One Chinese Buffet across from Walgreen's (in the small shopping strip anchored by Shelia's Party Goods. Especially good is its coconut chicken.
Never had bad food at the Georgia House...or bad service...give em another chance...the food and service has always been awesome
Went to MoJo's today. Fabulous and fun...a little slow in the kitchen, but when all was done, worth the wait. The salads and the cheesesteak were wonderful as well as the wait staff. They also have some of my favorites on tap.
Thanks for the heads up Joe, will not be going there any more. I can deal with crappy food, but I dont patron places with crappy owners/managers. They treated you like crap, now they will loose plenty of business. Who won this battle?
You write bad things about my restaurant , I hate you long time
Try speaking to the staff they bus in each day. Who no doubt all live in one apartment somewhere in Delaware. If you know anything about these places you would not support them. My call would be to I.C.E. Most if not all of the people working there other than the management are basically indentured slaves. It takes ten years to pay off the debt to the Asian Mob that brought them here. Pay close attention you do not see engagement rings on the young females working. The men rarely have wedding rings. It is not allowed. They work for peanuts. These people have families back in Asia so they know not to talk. It is one of the hardest crimes to track. Joe you like to dig. Do a little digging you will be sick at what is going on in that type of establishment. I quit eating there when a Federal Agent told me about this. The information was not about the one in Salisbury. I just took what I was told and started observing when inside. It did not take long to notice the different cultures employed. All brought here for the same purpose under the same lie. The problem is the community is so tight lipped it is hard to investigate. The owners drive up in a Mercedez SUV. The workers drive up in one van ??
They usually hire a young American female to work the front. They do not stay long.
The American Goverment does not have the time or resources these days to work this angle of human trafficing.
We go in and gorge ourselves never paying attention to the surroundings. I guess I am the only one who finds it strange that it is a buffet and all the staff is of Asian desent. How on earth can this be cost effective. Hence hiring people from the region would exspose to much about the inner workings.
Something smells a little feline to me.
Joe you are right to stay out of there for many reasons.
love georgia house. never had a bad experience...try again. if you have a bad experience; be sure to tell the manager. they will make it right.
Number One Chinese is the best buffet and cheapest around..everything is fresh and hot. Lunch price runs until 4pm I believe and it is like $5.99. The owners are really nice and hard workers. He owns the Pocomoke one also. If you eat there you would never want Chinatown again. We have had numerous bad experiences there also. They are much too expensive, food is nasty a lot of times and they also hover you and will take your plates and food when you are up..thus leaving you with no plates or utensils. The watch you like hounds to get you out the door. We even heard the cook once chased his girlfriend out the back door with a clever. We also like Hunan. Imperial Gallery, and the one in front of Food Lion in Fruitland.
The one and only time we went to Georgia House in Salisbury we had an awful nasty experience. Lets just say they must have nasty cooks because what they did was very unsanitary and we will never go back there. I must add that the Georgia House restaurants in Delaware are wonderful.
When a new restaurant opens they should have their menu available online. There are a few places in Salisbury we have not been because of this. We want to know what they offer and at what price it's offered before we waste our time going there to find out they don't have anything we like.
its funny you post this today because my dad just told me 2 days ago that their prices had gone up and that there were signs in front of some of the food on the buffet that said if you selected it during lunch, you'd be charged more. wtf is that about?
my husband loves china buffet. me? not so much.
someone above posted about Hunan Palace near the bowling alley. we enjoy that place. just went there the other night. we used to go there all the time but when Lucky Star opened (just south of Hunan, in the Food Lion shopping center) we started going there more.
BOOOOOOOO on china buffet for your experience...
I love the food at this place , must have been an unusual experience.
We stopped going there years ago. Never any variety on the buffet tables, but the cook to order stuff was good. You are right, bland,bland,bland.
yes, the small one just as posted above, number one china, next to sheila's is much better. small place. cheaper cost. small portions cooked, so they are "more fresh". their pepper chicken RULES.
Joe good post . I think maybe they bought the place in easton too,but i dont know for sure. i had same experience there. I tell all my friends that if you get bad srevice somewhere the best thing to do is never spend another dime there.
My step father from Michigan has to go there every time he visits. A couple months ago he was here and we went. Never again. Food was awful and prices too high. Want good chinese? New place in Princess Anne across from DSS. Good prices and the food is to die for.
Cats, rats, roadkill, General Tso's Kitten - what did you expect? It's the time of year & the time of day - No shore traffic - food was fine @ lunch - you got the leftovers- sitting in in the steamer trays since noon. Tip; check the sting beans- if they're shriveled ... I never eat anything I can't identify! If you want Asian food try Tia & defiantly Japanese ...
As far as the employe status - So what's new? This has been going on for YEARS- I personally have been aware of it for over 40 years. Moreover- in some areas one person owns multiple establishments- usually a woman - Emperoris Sue Le - the Chinese Tong is alive & well!
The other option is "The Golden Corral" if your BP is OK - plenty of salt there!
Georgia House is now Legacy. We wont be back. Took family from out of town and service was a mess, apps came out with salad and dinner at the same time. manager didnt do anything about it. We tried again and it was the same thing with the apps and salads coming out with dinner. Told the manager and he said "well your meal came out fast though, right?" um yeah fast, like it was already cooked and sitting on a steam table. i like my meals served in courses not in a pile all at once so we havent and wont go back. i guess the manager and staff have never eaten in a restaurant before, hence not knowing how to serve the meal.
Ate at the sub station the other day use to be heroes had the best cheesesteak I have ever had.
my kids call it the Chinese Barffet
haven't been there in years. waiters hovered, weren't very friendly, so stopped spending my $$$ there.
General Tso's kitten....
I hate you long time.....
both made me laugh out loud!
Joe, I agree that place sucks. But you can only blame yourself. Why would you possibly go there? EVER. It is a Chinatown Buffer. That is like going to an abortion clinic and then being mad that you lost your baby! You get what you pay for and if what you pay for is 2 hour old food chilling under lamps then you can't do a whole lot of complaining. It is what it is.
WENT THERE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, IT SUCKED BIG TIME. THEY ALSO CHARGED $2.50 PER SODA, SO FOR FOUR PEOPLE I PAID $10.00 ABOVE THE FOOD BILL-RIDICULOUS!!!! I HOPE THEY CLOSE DOWN.
Whether you are salisbury news or not no-one should ever be treated like you were treated. I'm sorry for you and your family. My family and I have only been there 3 times in 5 years and I never did care for it. This just gives me another reason to say no when the hubby or kids want to go. Thanks Joe
I've had that experience there. They are very rude when you complain. I haven't returned. Now I go to Lucky Star in Fruitland. Jason is friendly and he listens and seems to care what his clients say about the food.
I took my sister out for her birthday at the Georgia House in Milford I believe it was, that's where she said she wanted to go and I'd heard a lot of good things about them.
The food wasn't bad, it just didn't live up to the expectations that I expected from all the talk.
The place was clean, the service was great, but the food wasn't as good as I would expect from all the talk they were another Ruth Cris steakhouse.
My crabcakes tasted fine, however I wouldn't call what they used and advertised on the menu as "Lump" crabmeat but more like a straight pick without clawmeat.
More like a good/average experience really. Sometimes when places expand to new locations it only brings more problems with it.
I went there once and a cockroach was wrapped up in with the napkin with the eating utensils. stuck his head out ad was wiggling his antennas. ugggg was nasty.
Anyone dumb enough to eat at
a)a Chinese buffet
b)that shares their sign with a beauty supply store
c)any business on the north side
... deserves it.
I agree 11:05, we definetely need more people on the unemployment line
I agree 9:14 but Joe had eat there frequently with no problem so certainly he expected none this time
7:41 Joe thats good news - it is just two doors down from my place
11:14 don't you ever, ever, ever threaten Joe Albero again like that. He will bring a law suit against you so quick
You are correct 11:22 and I have found those fingernail and toenail places to be like that too.
ok 9:35, 10:23, 11:38, 8:22 and 1:05 we are discussing China Buffet (aka Chinatown Buffet)so lets stop with the discussion of Georgia House
1:35 eueeeeeeeeeeeee
I was told the Chinatown Buffet and Tokyo Steakhouse us under the same ownership. Last time Iwas in China Buffet the all the food I tried was cold and it was a turn off. Its over priced for what you get.
Joe, My wife and I do not go there anymore either. But the one thing I didnt like was your statement.
"""I said, Mam, my name is Joe Albero and I own Salisbury News. I said, look, if I have to pay full price for this meal, let me assure you, I'm publishing this experience on Salisbury News."""
You tried to push your name around to get your way. You could of just moved on, published it anyway. Then the people would of found out later who you are, and realized that they might of made a mistake.
You tries to make yourself better than them, and you didnt.
2:07
If they can't take a few little tips to make things better than they shouldn't be in business.
A simple suggestion may just help them take what they have up another notch and a higher level of standards. That's what you want with mulitple restaurants, what you get in one should be as good in all of their locations.
And you probably wonder why so many franchise restaurants open? That's because their corporate standards in food taste, presentation and cleanliness demand satisfaction or management is tossed like a salad! Not the front line employees.
I never suggested it needed to be shut down, only that I had expected better. Butt wipe.
anonymous 3:43, I beg to differ with you.
I gave them that one extra chance to make it right. Think about it.
Their knowing who I was should have told them it was not right. Their management tactics deserved to get exposed. In the end, (think again) I paid the bill IN FULL. They were in the wrong, period.
3:43 here
Joe I was refering to commenter 2:07 about the Georgia House. I know I'm off the original topic.
Whoever 2:07 was suggested that they close their doors creating more unemployment because of my 1:05 original comment and that wasn't my intent at all.
Constructive criticism is not a bad thing. Why do you think a lot of places offer cards asking "How was your meal?"
that place is repulsive
forget the food
they seat all the people that don't fit in the booths right in the aisles
you have to see their big sweat panted behinds hanging over and their cracks showing
then they hold up the chow line picking and snorting at the food like hogs at a trough piling their plates up with food and scratching theirselves and touching the serving utensils
yuck its like wal-mart had a cafeteria
Chinatown Buffet and Tokyo Steakhouse used to share the same owners.
When I worked at TS, we would have new workers trucked in all the time. They would come from the truck that delivers fish for sushi.
These people never spoke much English. Were never married. Worked their butts off and were treated like dogs. Things just didn't add up.
We were supposed to get discounts at ChinaTown buffet. I took a date there once (her request), and noticed a trick going on. My bill given to me was HIGHER than what it should have been, because they inflated prices to manufacture a discount. Once again, things don't add up.
Then, one paycheck, I realized how I was being shorted an hourly salary. We had to sign into a notebook, and I found one of the managers re-writing everybody's times. People were being clocked in later and clocked out earlier. The old pages were then thrown out, so the "official record" is the fake books. This is why my server paychecks were always $0, and I ended up owing more taxes than expected.
I also frequently saw poor sanitation practices. A single bowl being used to measure all ingredients at TS (seafood, raw meat, chicken, veggies) was frequent. Boxes of food sitting directly on the walkin floor. Once, a guy was mopping the kitchen while a box of frozen shrimp was sitting there. He had to mop because the ice had melted.
As things became more apparent, I found myself another job. I'm sure that there other things going on, but that's just what I saw.
Our "Salisbury Georgia House" Thanksgiving dinner experience came complete with watching the hostess dip her hand into the turkey and gravy tray and eat it in front of a packed dining room. I did call the manager, and while he was nice--he offered nothing in the way of corrective behavior. That was fine with me however...I surely didn't plan on returning.
Joe! You'll like this one! About four years ago when I used to work for a Salisbury Heating & Air Co...they called us due to the lack of hot water. I told them the service call will be $...and they agreed. When our techs arrived they found the water heater to be bad and in need of replacement. This was a huge water heater that we would have had to order..taking about 2-3 days to arrive. We told them that on site and they refused to pay the company because they still didn't have any hot water. We just couldn't get them to understand people don't stock these size water heaters on the shelves of Lowes. The techs returned to tell us that the restaurant hadn't had hot water for three months and that there were raw whole chickens sitting out on a rack in the kitchen...not a walk in freezer and that it was very dirty in the kitchen area. The company..as far as I know never got paid.
I will never eat there again. Joe, based on your good advice. You know the same outfit owns Tokyo Steakhouse, right? Based on your comments, I will never eat there again either. Thanks for keeping us informed!
I won't eat there and haven't in some time.
my old standby..Imperial Gallery has had its last chance with me as of tonight. By the looks of only two other booths occupied..sales and service are dwindling. Twice I have gotten over spiced meals when asked both times for no spices(heat wise). It could not be eaten by me or my daughter. No reduction..nothing..just I am sorry. We just can't eat fire. Full price for what we didn't order and told the waitress this. Same waitress from the same ordeal before. Taking are business elsewhere. One good waitress in there..Fran, but haven't seen her in a long time.
Tom McGuire, shut your big mouth, go back to school and learn how to spell and stay the hell off this Blog.
I think this post is absolutely crazy. You said yourself that you go there quite often. And one bad experience && you bash the place? Come on man, GROW UP.
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