A Fuddruckers Experience

So... I'm going to tell you what happened to me about three weeks ago. I had thought about writing about my experience right after it happened, but then I got busy and forgot about it. Later, when I remembered to write, I decided I didn't want to give Fuddruckers any publicity - even though it would have been bad publicity. At that time, I was just disappointed in them, a bit disgruntled and didn't want anything to do with them. Since then, the problem has been solved so I am feeling better about the company.

Before I go on, let me tell you what happened. I decided to join a friend for dinner at Fuddruckers on Highway 6 in the Copperfield area. I brought my daughter along with me, and she decided to bring a book. I thought nothing of it. I think I actually encouraged her to bring a book - knowing that my friend and I would be chatting and that she might be bored. Plus, it doesn't hurt to read a new book. So, we ordered our food and had a pleasant meal. We chatted for about an hour and 1/2, maybe two hours, before deciding to leave. We stepped out into the parking lot and before we even reached halfway across the lot (which was about 30 seconds to a minute), I realized that my daughter had forgotten her book. I sent my daughter back inside as I waited outside near the doors. She spent a while inside and I became worried. She came outside and said she couldn't find her book. My daughter tends to be a lazy searcher. More than 50% of the time, she doesn't find what she's looking for and it's usually in plain sight. I went inside with my daughter to help her look for the book. After searching for what seemed to be a long minute or two, I became really confused. How could a book disappear!? I looked under the table, on the side of the booth and even in between the two booth seats that were pushed up against each other. Nothing.

Disappointed and puzzled, I went back outside with my daughter. I told my friend I couldn't find the book and he decided to go in and look for himself. After waiting for a while (outside in the cold with no jacket), I decided to go inside and see what he was up to. The book was nowhere to be found. My friend decided that maybe the staff had picked it up. I thought to myself, "a staff picked up the book in less than 30 seconds after we left? Strange."


So... we all go back inside once again. I asked the cashier if anyone turned in a book. She said no, sorry - and left it at that. I requested that she check with the busboy. She asked the busboy if he picked up a book... he gave us a nod and went into the back to retrieve it. After we waited for at least 2 or 3 minutes, the cashier went into the back to see what was keeping the busboy busy. She stayed back here perhaps 5 minutes. When the cashier went into the back to check on the busboy, I immediately knew that the book was thrown into the trash. I waited patiently and finally, the cashier came out with the book. She gave me the book and said, "the book is a little dirty, sorry."


A little bit peeved, I asked her, "did he throw it in the trash?" It was obvious that the cashier was a bit embarrassed and admitted that yes, the busboy threw the book into the trash. The book was wet and smeared with food. I was disgusted. I asked for a gift certificate to be reimbursed for the cost of the book. She said "we don't do that, sorry." I asked for the manager and waited another few minutes for the manager to come up to the front.


I told the manager what happened and emphasized that we had been outside for 30 SECONDS (I had told her one minute - as to not to seem like I was exaggerating) before realizing that we left the book inside. I expressed my disappointment and disapproval at how they handled my daughter's book. The manager's attitude was nothing more than a disapproving look and a simple comment, "sorry, but it's not our problem you left the book here." Of course, I became irritated and angry. Yes, I realize it was my daughter's fault for leaving the book and my fault for not making sure she took the book with her in the first place - but did they really have to immediately throw the book into the trash along with leftover food and drinks? I argued with her for a while; all I got in return was a bad attitude and a look that said it all: "go away, you're annoying me."


I gave up, threw the book at her (more like tossed) and said something along the lines of "pathetic" and walked out the door without looking back. When I got home, I made a beeline to my computer, turned it on and pulled up Fuddrucker's website. I couldn't find a corporate email but I found a comments page. I left a comment, marked it as a complaint, typed out a detailed message and sent it on its way. The very next day, I received an email from a female representative apologizing for the incident, thanking me for the comment - good or bad - and that my message would be forwarded to the appropriate people on the management team at the Highway 6 Fuddruckers.


I thought - so far, so good. I received an immediate response and have been forwarded to people that would probably ultimately decide what to do about the situation. A week went by, then two weeks. I had forgotten to send a follow-up email because I had not heard back from anybody else at this point. My friend kept reminding me, so I finally sent an email back to the corporate representative and told her I had not heard from anybody yet.


The very next day, I remember receiving missed phone calls on my VP. Since it was from Sorenson, I ignored it. I continued to receive at least two missed phone calls each day. The way that Sorenson works is that if a hearing person calls you and you miss the call - you see Sorenson's name as the person who called you, not the hearing person's name. When I tried to call back, I reached the Sorenson Relay number and it asked me what number I wanted to call. With no number, I had no idea who was calling me.


Finally, a few days ago, I received a sign-mail from Sorenson. Whoever had been trying to reach me finally decided to leave a message. It was from Fuddruckers. When checking my e-mail for the sign-mail message, I noticed an email from Fuddruckers as well. It was from a male corporate representative that works in the Houston area. He mentioned that he had been trying to call me for a while and wants to sincerely apologize for the incident.


The management team and employees had been counseled on proper procedure and how to handle customers. He decided to give me a $20 Fuddrucker gift card to reimburse me for my trouble and for the cost of my daughter's book. I emailed him back, thanked him for his response, his action and for the $20 gift card. In his email, he mentioned that he hoped I would give the Highway 6 location another try, but that my card would be valid at any location. I made sure to point out that I'm still somewhat disappointed in the employees at the Highway 6 Fuddruckers and will be taking my business at another location for a while.


I realize that people may leave their things by accident when they go out. What can the employees do but to hold on to it for days, weeks, or months? After a length of time, it would probably make sense to mark it as trash and just throw it away - after all, if the owner hasn't come back for it in weeks, he/she probably would never come back. However, my situation was different. I came back LESS THAN ONE MINUTE after stepping out of the restaurant. I never even LEFT the parking lot. If I had forgotten my cell phone instead, would they have thrown it out? Somehow, I very highly doubt that. It shouldn't matter what the item was or what it's value is - ALL items should be treated with equal respect!

So - that's my experience with Fuddruckers over the past couple weeks. I still love the food and still like the chain restaurant - I just don't like the Highway 6 location.... for now.