Danielle sent a message to Julia Stewart Chairman and CEO, DineEquity, Inc. that said:
To Whom it May Concern:
Today was by far the worst experience I've ever had at IHOP. I visited IHOP #526 in Cockeysville, MD and only went with the intention to use a birthday coupon issued to my oldest child for a Rooty Jr. meal. Overall the space was extremely tight, the service unwelcoming and food subpar.
My biggest complaint though was about the cashier and manager who were extremely rude to my family. At checkout I handed Yuli, the cashier, the email I received for a free Rooty Jr. She noted that my email was for the Towson location. I told her that I showed the entire email (a paper copy) to our waitress. The waitress fully reviewed it, and although I tried to order a Rooty Jr, she insisted that the coupon was for the larger full sized meal. So I ordered as instructed and assumed the coupon would take care of the full amount since she personally reviewed the email before filling my order. I even double checked, asked again, showing the waitress my email to be sure she was correct before I ordered. Yuli, the cashier, looked visibly perturbed, then called the waitress over and scolded her in front of me. Then she made a nasty look at me and started talking to the manager in another language with a scowl, looking in my direction. She quickly punched in some numbers on the machine and ran up my total which was still too high. She said that she could only take off the value of the Rooty Jr, though I was told to order a higher valued dish. I thought the whole situation was absurd since I wouldn't have even ordered the dish if it weren't for the birthday special. She argued loudly and refused to back down. The manager even yelled as well. I told them I thought it was unfair and that the whole incident was not my fault. The waitress should have brought the location to my attention and they should've provided a full discount for the meal she wrongfully told me to order. And it was most disconcerting that management was so blatantly disrespectful and rude towards me. My children had to watch this whole incident unfold.
As I said before, I only came for the birthday special and actually ordered additional food. We could've easily gone to a McDonalds or Panera Bread and gotten better quality food with better service. I hope you will address this concern with the cashier, waitress and manager there. I can certainly provide a copy of my receipts if necessary. And, hope you will also consider a full refund for my meal given the poor service I received today.
A direct response would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Danielle
