How my weekend was ruined: Going to Chili's

WARNING: PG version - Not only will this be long and whiny, but the humorous/inappropriate photos have also been omitted.

Despite returning today from the most amazing day and night I've spent in India, that good feeling was quickly destroyed by one horrible, horrible decision: going to Chili's for lunch.

Before you jump to conclusions: I realize I'm in Bangalore, not the U.S. When I go to an American restaurant in another country, I drop my standards. I don't expect more service than what any local restaurant would provide, and I anticipate being disappointed by local variations of dishes. Although I love the food, I haven't exactly known Chili's for its service in the U.S. either. However, this trip to Chili's fell so far below expectations that it has left me more frustrated than I've felt in a long time.

Upon entering the restaurant, I almost felt like I was back in the U.S. The same chili-shaped handles rest on the door, and the same type of memorabilia populate the interior. After being seated and placing orders, the frustration began. I was accompanied by two co-workers, Steve and Kyle, who lay witness to the day's events.

The meal began with a veggie queso dip with chips. To refrain from using profanity, I can only describe the queso dip as, bad. But that's okay - I ordered an appetizer and a meal with the expectation that between the two, I would have enough edible food to get full. So, I began munching on the chips.

After about thirty minutes, Steve's meal arrived. Since many meals are eaten family-style, dishes are often cascaded in, rather than flooding the table all at once. With this in mind, Steve began eating, expecting our meals to follow shortly.

Twenty-five minutes pass. Steve has been done eating, and Kyle now receives his meal - total of fifty-five minute wait. Unfortunately, his change of side orders wasn't recorded. Kyle began eating as they prepared the proper side. After twenty more minutes, he has finished his meal, and his new side order arrives. Kyle eats his proper side dish, Steve awaits the end of the meal, and I continue to gnaw on tortilla chips.

Despite the tendency to cascade dishes, at this point I'm beginning to question the certainty that my meal is actually going to arrive. Then, I watch the waiter serve dishes to a family of five that entered the restaurant much later than us. With this confirmation, I call the waiter over and ask him if my meal is ready. If it's not, just simply cancel the order and bring us the check with Steve and Kyle's items. If you're skeptical, this was not an issue of language barriers. The waiter spoke English well, clearly understood we were concerned about our wasted time, and then went off to check the kitchen.

After ten minutes, watching him debate with his co-workers, he returns and tells me that my dish is ready, and it will be brought out in one minute. Little did I know that he was lying right to my face. Twenty minutes pass. I ordered a simple pasta dish, so they're obviously making it from scratch. We're in the process of adding up the cost of everything else we've had, so that we can just drop some cash and leave, when my meal finally arrives - total of an hour and forty-five minutes.

At this point, I don't even want it. We complain about the waste of time when he asks us to stay. In the end, we compromise that they'll offer the meal at a reduced price for wasting our time. So, I eat the angriest meal I've ever had, and they bring the bill. They applied a 145 rupees discount from the total of 1664.65 rupees. To give perspective - the only things I could order off the Chili's menu for 145 rupees were beverages - some diet Pepsi, if I wanted to splurge.

They even decided to keep the 157 rupees "service charge" on the meal. In the end, we paid what we felt the meal was worth and left as dissatisfied customers.

As frustrating as the experience was, something deeper about the situation continues to bother me. Whether you're studying abroad, working abroad, or just traveling, you are constantly acting an ambassador for your home country. McDonald's took the opportunity to become more than a last resort like in American culture. Sadly, Chili's went the other way and proudly flaunts American memorabilia throughout its interior.