Rogers, over and out

I have been culling my list of dining options at QSRs. Kenny Rogers is the latest one to go after a family lunch in the Subang Parade outlet. I don’t know what the management strategy is, but I think if you are a Quick Service Restaurant, you should be concentrating on providing quick service.

That means if you hire simple minded staff who can only process a little information at one time, that thought process should be firmly focused on service.

As it was, there is some inane procedure that when a guest arrives, a person at the counter hollers out the number of pax and which table they are at, to which all crew in earshot are to holler back a big ol’ country welcome. Unfortunately they have a whole bunch of non-multi taskers, so when they holler welcome, they stop working. You can’t catch the eye of a single one to refill your bottomless drink (or is that another ploy to keep people from not drinking their fill?), give you some serviettes or even your check.

While I was there, there were two incidences of “Three persons, table two!”, “Welcome!” Crash! One glass overbalanced and shattered on the floor. “Four people, table seven!”, “Welcome..eh! Oy! Jaga, jaga!” Tray sliding off the table in a moment of misconcentration.

The corn and carrots weren't drained properly.

If the food was good – Burger King’s Whoppers steel me to accept slow service in a fast food outlet – I might be able to close an eye. But the food is getting increasingly bad. I know their macaroni and cheese comes out of a packet, but this time it tasted as if it was cooked IN the packet – plastic sludge that Jamie Oliver would rant over.

Chicks rule. Just not at Kenny Rogers.

Nasi minyak, anyone?

Their rice now tastes more like nasi minyak than buttered rice (not that rice features in any American fast food joint I know). I take most affront in their chicken. We’re allowed to choose our choice of chicken – original, barbecued or pepper. I did not expect that the flavour would come in a bowl of barbecue sauce! Sure, it was decent barbecue sauce, but that’s a SAUCE, not a flavour of chicken! While still flavourful and tender, I’m afraid a decent roast is not a reason to stay loyal to a restaurant. Especially not when one’s one husband makes roast chicken the whole neighborhood loves!