Red Roof Out

Sometimes we end up staying in hotels we are not very familiar with, especially because we travel with our dog, and this limits our options.

We recently stayed in a Red Roof Inn, and found ourselves perplexed by their fee structure.  They are an expensive hotel for us, a step in cost above the La Quintas we frequent.  But, we were left with few options in the Albany area, so we went in knowing we'd be paying a bit more.

Maybe we expected to get a bit more too.


We were disappointed.  In addition to giving us a room that was poorly cleaned, when we left they tacked on a charge for having a safe in our room, even though we never used the safe.  It's little hthings like this which push us over.  We don't mind paying more for quality.  We mind paying more for less.


If we land in the Albany area again, we'll seek different accommodations. 

Pah-Pow!

Mr. Steinhafel-

I have been following the story of Target's contributions to the Minnesota Governor's Race.  I read your message at Pressroom.target.com.

Your company's decision to contribute to MN Forward is disappointing, to say the least.  I find it hard to believe that you cannot see the duplicity of claiming to support the gay community, or women's rights, and then making a contribution supporting political candidates that are endorsed by MN Forward.  It is shocking to us, who have long noted Target's social conscience.  It is not just your employees that are saddened to hear this news.  I cannot in good conscience continue to shop at your store until you reverse this decision.  I urge you to call MN Forward and ask for your money back.  There are many ways Target can use its corporate muscle to help create jobs and improve the business environment without getting involved in these social issues.  

You need to rethink, not just contributions in the future, but this one as well.

As soon as I see the announcement that you have withdrawn the contribution, I will head out to one of the three Target stores located within a few miles of my home.

Swim with the Fishes

We had quite an experience at the Rainforest Cafe recently.  We'd gone down to Chicago and stopped in Schaumburg to go IKEA, and went to Rainforest Cafe for lunch.  Jack and Avery were very impressed with all the live fish circulating in huge tanks all around us.  Though the mechanical gorilla was a bit terrifying for our youngest.

It is quite a process to get a table at this place, but we were seated without too long delay, and checked out the menu.  Veggie burgers are $12?!?!  And they don't even include fires.  All kids menu items are also a la carte.  Well, okay.  It's not like we come here all the time, we're all tired.  We adults order our veggie burgers, and they arrive within the twenty minutes that our server had said was the likely wait time.  But the twelve dollar burgers are cold and mushy, like baby food.  After a bite or two, in a rare move for us, we decide that it is inedible.  

We flag down the server to tell her this, and she apologizes, and brings out the manager.

The manager hears our complaint and says: "Well, those are handmade here, so that's how they come out."

What!?!?!

The Manager's explanation is that since they are hand-made, they taste terrible?!?  And are therefore cold???  Aren't handmade foods supposed to taste BETTER than factory made?  We were amazed that the manager made NO ATTEMPT to say the veggie burger shouldn't normally taste like that, no attempt to suggest that if it were redone, it would come out better.  He took the price of the burgers off our bill, but gave us ZERO reason to think that if we came back to the Rainforest Cafe, we would have a better experience.

It is shocking that this passes for customer service at this chain.

The kids enjoyed their meals of spaghetti with sauce and chicken fingers with fries.  But it is not an inexpensive meal.