Latoya Herron
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Disappointing Birthday Dinner at Christian’s
My husband and I visited Christian’s to celebrate my birthday today, and unfortunately, the experience was far from what I had hoped for. My husband made a reservation for 6:30 PM, but when we arrived, we were told our table wasn’t ready because people were still sitting. The hostess asked if we were okay waiting at the bar, and since we had driven 35 minutes to the restaurant, we decided to wait. After ordering drinks, we were finally seated about 20–25 minutes later.
You would think that after waiting, a waiter or waitress would check on us or at least offer bread. Nope! We sat there for another 20 minutes before I had to ask if someone could take our order. Finally, a server came over, shared the specials, and asked if we wanted an appetizer. We ordered the shrimp in mango sauce and were told the bread was being "freshly baked."
During this time, another couple arrived—who I assume were regulars. Their orders were taken immediately, and they received a fresh basket of bread. Meanwhile, we were still waiting for both bread and our appetizer. About 30 minutes later, our appetizer arrived: three shrimp for the two of us to share. By this point, the couple next to us had already received their soup and had their full order taken.
I reminded the waitress that we still hadn’t received any bread, and her response was the same: "Yes, we are baking fresh bread for you." After waiting another 45 minutes—and watching the couple who arrived after us be served ahead of us—we finally got our food. The portions were shockingly small for the price, and at that point, my appetite was gone. We asked for the check and a to-go plate for my one lamb chop, which took another 20 minutes to arrive.
Our total was $156, and we left $180 with a tip, not because the service was great, but because our waitress was at least nice, and I didn’t want to feed into the stereotype that African Americans don’t tip. However, there were no sincere apologies for the excessive delays, no complimentary drink or dessert for my birthday, and no acknowledgment of the terrible service.
My husband left the restaurant upset and still hungry. On the way home, we had to stop at McDonald’s—something that should never happen after spending nearly $200 at a fine dining restaurant. This experience completely ruined my birthday. Definitely would not recommend.