Texas rude restaurants?

September 7, 2007 5:28 PM

Are there any "rude restaurants" (i.e. intentionally rude waitstaff) in Texas? I could have sworn there was such a place in Dallas in the late 1990s but I can't find any trace of iot. If you've been to one, how was it? What other forms of "dinner theater" exist?
posted by rolypolyman to Food & Drink (19 answers total)

I think Dick's Last Resort in downtown Dallas (West End) is like that.
posted by erikgrande at 5:35 PM on September 7, 2007

... I went to Dick's once and was miserable, but I think the "rude restaurant" bit just isn't for me. As for alternate "dinner theater", there's Pocket Sandwich Theatre at 75 and Mockingbird. I've never been there. And, of course, there's Medieval Times on 35, "The show that has become a legend!"
posted by erikgrande at 5:41 PM on September 7, 2007

In the early 1990s there used to be a place like that in Austin, on the Drag (Guadalupe), between St. Austin Catholic Church and the intersection with MLK (on the same side as St. Austin). I forget what it was called. Now, I think the space is used by a bubble tea place.

They used to have a loudspeaker outside, which the counter staff would use to heckle pedestrians walking by the restaurant.
posted by jayder at 5:46 PM on September 7, 2007

erikgrande has it.

we ate at dick's last year when we were in dallas to watch a stars game. the waitstaff are intentionally rude/brash to the customers.

however, having said that, when my salad was not to my liking (it was waaay too salty - like the salt shaker top had come off and drenched my salad), they apologized replaced it without giving me any hassle, and removed it from our bill.
posted by netsirk at 6:02 PM on September 7, 2007

I went to Dick's once as well and hated it. I don't know about any other dinner theater places in Texas, but Chicago has Ed Debevic's, where the waitstaff is "rude," but the experience is actually kind of fun.
posted by snafu at 6:03 PM on September 7, 2007

Ed Debevic's is great.
posted by IndigoRain at 6:11 PM on September 7, 2007

I think I'd only enjoy that shit if my waiter was Don Rickles himself.
posted by erikgrande at 6:34 PM on September 7, 2007

As a side question.. this sounds great.. so I'm wondering, are there places like this in California (LA and SF specifically)?
posted by wackybrit at 7:07 PM on September 7, 2007

Wackybrit - Dick's Last Resort is a chain. They have a location in San Diego, but I don't know if there are any in LA or SF. There's also one in Vegas - not in CA but a popular weekend getaway from both LA and SF. :-)
posted by bedhead at 7:17 PM on September 7, 2007

If it's not Dick's, the Dallas place you might be thinking of is Goff's Hamburgers. The former owner (Harvey) was legendary for his mean treatment of customers. He also put a statue of Lenin outside the restaurant, bearing a plaque that said "We Won".
posted by lhall at 8:49 PM on September 7, 2007

Correction: it said "America Won".
posted by lhall at 9:24 PM on September 7, 2007

I've never been there but friends have told me Bone Daddy's staff treats you rudely. Just be warned, I've also been told the wait staff is dressed very provocatively.
posted by rmtravis at 10:35 PM on September 7, 2007

Heh, Goffs. He likes to threaten children with a baseball bat and gets very ornery if you don't know what you want right away.
posted by RustyBrooks at 12:24 AM on September 8, 2007

I immediately thought of a few giggly parties form my youth held at The Magic Time Machine. I don't think all waitstaff was rude, though, it just depended on which character you got for a waiter.
posted by romakimmy at 2:28 AM on September 8, 2007

Jayder, I was thinking of that place, too. Served burgers and the like. Towards the end they owner's heart just wasn't in it, he wasn't half as rude as when I first started crossing the street to avoid his comments in the late 80's.
posted by pomegranate at 4:41 AM on September 8, 2007

lhall -

I'm afraid Goff's has moved over by SMU and ditched the Lenin statue. Hopefully the attitude remains.
posted by erikgrande at 7:39 AM on September 8, 2007

he wasn't half as rude as when I first started crossing the street to avoid his comments in the late 80's.

That's so funny! I used to cross the street to avoid his comments, too!
posted by jayder at 8:27 AM on September 8, 2007

Elbow Room in Vancouver's gay ghetto is like this...
http://www.theelbowroomcafe.com/zgrid/themes/12/intro/flash.jsp

check out the 'please wait to be put in your place' sign...
posted by ninefour at 7:59 AM on September 9, 2007

oops, just released this was Texas specific! more coffee needed...
posted by ninefour at 8:02 AM on September 9, 2007