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John Horton
Horton's Steak and Seafood Restaurant
Hometown IA

Dear Mr. Horton

Up until recently we have enjoyed coming to Horton's over the years for the food and the
service. Unfortunately, after our visit this past Friday, this view has changed for us.

This past Friday our immediate family brought other family members to the restaurant who was
visiting from another state. Instead of the usual delightful service and fare we encountered
problems almost at every turn.

The issue started when our reservation for eight was pushed back because of overfilled capacity
and we were forced to wait for more than 30 minutes. We were finally given a round table which
was crowded for a group of eight.

This table was near the middle of the dining area and was surrounded by other large groups
who were quite noisy. Not only were we unable to hear each other, but the waitress had to ask
each of us to repeat ourselves because she was unable to hear us. The next problem occurred
when half of the order was mixed up and had to be returned. Steak temperatures were wrong,
and the vegetables were cold.

As an overall rating, our experience at your establishment was not near what we had come to
expect from Horton's. Hopefully you will be able to return to your previous level of excellence.

Sincerely
Harvey Harman
V

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V

Dear Sir:

On July 28, 1999, I was staying at a nearby Holiday Inn and decided to treat myself to
a good dinner at your restaurant.

My visit did not turn out well. I arrived at 5:00pm to beat the rush. I was greeted at the
front door and led to the dining room, where we passed several tables set for two, to
the front window area where I was seated at a large table set for four.

The greeter handed me two single sheet menus. One was apparently the early bird
specials and the other a wine list. He then left.

While I sat reading over the dinner selections, I overheard people at a table behind me
discussing what they were ordering. Many of the items did not appear on my menu. I
can only assume they had the regular dinner menu. The waiter was busy clearing other
tables and taking dessert orders while I waited to place mine. He then moved to a
table of eight behind me and began taking their orders. Many hadn¶t decided yet and
the process was dragging on and on.

Since I had already been sitting there about 15 minutes without so much as a glass of
water, I left. There were only three other tables occupied in addition to the party of
eight, so the restaurant was not busy.

Perhaps your staff needs some training in dealing with solo diners. Placing me at a
table set for four right in the window was poor. I do not wish to be on exhibition. A
smaller table would have been ideal. The greeter left in such a hurry, I had no time to
request a move. Also, whatever happened to the drink order? If I had something to
drink, the wait wouldn¶t have seemed so long.

In all cases, when dining alone, I over-tip the server since the cost of the meal is less
than two or more dinners to show my appreciation for the service. In this case, it
appeared the server just didn¶t have time for a single diner.
Ñelieve me, on several occasions I have had a server stop to take my order before a
large party, explaining how it will reduce my wait. I hope this information will be
useful in future treatment of solo diners.

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