My wife and I found ourselves at Dallas-Fort Worth airport (DFW) during one of our recent trips. We were hungry and I love barbecue, so we stopped at a little place called Dickey's Barbecue Pit. I later learned that this is a chain, but the following letter describes my experiences at the location in DFW.


Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
DFW Airport Terminal 2E-4E
Dallas, TX 75261
ATTN: Restaurant Manager

Dear Sir or Madam:

On May 13, my wife and I were traveling through the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport and were hungry for lunch. I have always been fond of barbecue, so when I noticed your location, this sounded appealing. We ordered 2 sliced beef sandwiches, 2 side orders, and 2 bottles of water. I would like to share with you our experience.

Upon arriving to your location in the food court, there were about 4-5 people in front of us in line. We patiently waited our turn. The worker behind the counter, who later identified herself as [Name removed for epinions], was barking orders to the customers. She asked for each order and then yelled, “Something else?!?” repeatedly until they finished ordering. This was not an exhibition of what I would consider good customer service. However, we were hungry so we stayed in line.

While waiting in line and witnessing this behavior, the diminutive [Name removed for epinions] had to reach for more Styrofoam plates. These were kept on the top shelf. She used the knife that she was using to cut the roast beef in order to reach the plates. She stretched with the knife to knock the plates down. They fell onto the counter where the beef was being cut, over the top of the meat, and many landed on the floor. She continued to wait on customers with her stern diction, while occasionally reaching down to the floor to move the plates that she spilled. She also continued to use the same knife to cut the meat. She never once stopped to wash her hands or the knife, even though she had been bending over to move the plates on the floor. As a physician, and as a paying customer, I was appalled by this lack of proper hygiene in a food service establishment.

Fortunately, I never saw her pick the plates up off the floor. I have a concern that they may have been placed into use for future customers. I hope I am wrong in this assumption. Either way, she was obviously not practicing good hygienic measures, and I was hesitant to eat my average tasting sandwich. I ate my sandwich and did not get sick. For this I am thankful.

I write this to inform you of this situation and notify you that if my colleagues, friends, or family members find themselves in the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport anytime soon, I will make certain to recommend that they eat elsewhere. I know that I will be happy to investigate other dining options the next time I am at DFW. I won’t be returning to any of your establishments.

Sincerely,


Scott Colson, M.D.

cc:
Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.
[National Customer Service address]

As you can see, I was disgusted by the lack of hygiene exhibited by this employee. I sent the above letter, but it was returned to sender, "Need Box Number." The copy I sent to the national Customer Service address was not returned, and I can only hope that they address this problem. Unfortunately, I never heard from them.

If you are in DFW, please eat elsewhere. There are many choices. Hopefully the employees at some of the other restaurants take public health more seriously.

On another trip, we had fried rice at a Chinese restaurant in the food court. I'm sorry I don't remember the name, but it was really good and I would recommend it. Also, there is a Chili's and Friday's at DFW (in addition to many McDonalds locations). I think there are other good choices. (I personally would skip McDonalds, but that's another epinion....)



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