I looove steak. If I had to choose just one favorite food (not cuisine!) in the whole entire world, it has got to be steak. So when I saw a Groupon deal for Outback Steakhouse, I didn’t hesitate clicking on “Buy now!”. I guess I should’ve asked for second opinion because as soon as I told my boyfriend, he told me that it was no surprise they’re in Groupon as they haven’t been doing as well as before because their standard dropped. What he said didn’t affect my excitement me because hey, I love steak and I’ve just scored a really good deal.
Fast forward to actually being in the restaurant…
Our visit was a nightmare! The Groupon came with soup, steak and a drink. They took our order when we arrived (drink preference, steak doneness, additional orders), but they ended up serving the table behind us our soup and drinks first. At this point, Mr F&B extraordinaire was already a bit grumpy since they were literally just reading the menus and haven’t even ordered whereas we’ve been there longer and still haven’t been served. I was trying to calm him down when they served us the steak and I just lost it. Where else do you get served your main course before the drinks, appetiser, and utensils?! At this point, I was already guilty of being HANGRY (hungry + angry). They calmed us down by taking back the steak and serving our soup and drink (yay, finally!) plus they tossed in the signature loaf of bread for free. I was already in a better mood when they served our steak and cheese fries. I don’t mind a bit of blood on my steak but I went through my meal wondering to myself if the beef was cooked or not. The cook on my steak was uneven but being a carnivore (and unafraid of salmonella), I was able to go through my piece. The same couldn’t be said with Mr F&B. Midway through his steak, a fairly huge portion was uncooked – raw not rare. They offered to replace his steak but he refused so they gave us dessert instead and their word that he’d have one steak on the house should he come back just so that they can redeem themselves. We haven’t taken them up on that challenge yet.
However, even with that less than wonderful experience, I have to give credit where it is due. The Assistant Manager of their Millenia Walk outlet, Vidhya Kaliyamoorthi, was nothing short of helpful and gracious. She was the ray of light that evening.
So guys, aside from reading the fine print on your online deals, do some research too! Check out reviews and feedback so you’re sure that you’re getting your money’s worth. Let’s face it, not all dark cloud restaurants have silver linings like Vidhya.
xx