CAROLINA QUALITY FLOORING AND CABINETS

1. School Zone speeder alert: Around 3:00 pm on 9/18 I slowed to 25 MPH for the flashing school zone signals at JM Robinson Middle School on Ballantyne Commons Parkway. A white SUV with Carolina Quality Flooring and Cabinet decals weaved in and out of traffic at a very high rate of speed. I called them at 704 821-4444 to report the driver. A few minutes later I got a call from Chris Campbell at 7...04 776-5053 who cussed me out in very vulgar language for turning him in. I called back to the business to report that their driver cussed me out and they put him on the phone and he swore and was vulgar again. The school was notified of the event and the police resource officer will be on the lookout for the speeder. The business again is Carolina Quality Flooring and Cabinet at 3358 Smith Farm Road Matthew ,NC 28124. If you have time call them and let them know you don't appreciate them putting our youth at risk, CC: Chief Rob Hunter Matthews Police Department

Vine Amererican Kitchen Invents a New Customer Surcharge

I visited Vine American Kitchen recently and was surprised about a new substitution surcharge that the management has invented.  I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and saw all kinds of ways restaurants invented ways to screw the tourists but a substitution surcharge is a new one one me.

I ordered a burger and it was accompanied by a choice of fries, sweet potatoes fries or slaw.  I saw another side, a cheese pasta that was the same $4 price as was the fries, sweet potato fries and slaw.  I asked the waiter if I could substitute a side of equal value.  He said sure but it would be an extra $2.  I reminded him that the side I wanted to substitute was the same price and asked him to check with the manager.  He came back and said managers policy was that $2 surcharge applied to all substitutions.

Ways to get around unfriendly and ridiculous customer surcharges:

• Our Le Tap water instead of bottled water
• Order a cheaper wine
• Order less wine
• And my favorite - avoid restaurants that have ridiculous customer surcharges

CC:

Helen Schwab

Jenny Brantley

Tricia Childress

Zagats

Trip Advisor

Open Table

Yelp

Vinnie's Sardine Grill and Raw Bar commits menu fraud again

By now I think you all know that Vinnie's has been caught with their pants down by a local TV station not once but twice. Now a Charlotte Observer article reveals they are still guilty of substituting inferior product for advertised premium menu items.

The Guy Harvey lab tested samples of their Famous Grouper sandwich and found it didn't contain Grouper. They have since had to change their motto " Home of the Grouper Sandwich"

You think that they would have learned their lesson the first time but the TV investigative reporter came back the next year and found they were still substituting other cheaper fish but marketing and charging Grouper prices.

They lied not once or twice but now a third lie is uncovered. Jen Aronoff of the Charlotte Observer in a 5/13/2010 front page article titled "Oil spill leaving mark on menus" interviewed Vinnie's area supervisor David Broach and he admitted that Vinnie's substitutes small gulf shrimp for Calabash shrimp on their menu.

I don't know about the rest of you but when a menu advertises an item as Grouper or Calabash shrimp and charge premium prices I expect to get what I paid for.

I'm boycotting Vinnie's in favor of Captain D's. I guess when I pay $2.99 at D's instead of $12.99 at Vinnie's I won't feel as bad.

Dan Morgan's Cheese Mo'z Worst Calzone ever!!!

The other day I stopped at Dan Morgan's Sweet T Diner. Food was OK but service was very slow so I decided to give it a second chance. When I got there all that was left was a sign saying they were out of business. I decided since I was already there I'd try Dan Morgan's other place in the same shopping center Cheese Mo'z Pizza.

I walked in and was greeted by a guy who said he used to be the manager of Sweet T till he decided to move over and become the manager at Cheese Mo'z. Although it was 1 in the afternoon there were no customers except for a couple of girls drinking beer at the bar.

I took a table and decided to order a Spinach and Sausage Calzone. I watched the manager and cook preparing it and putting it into the wood fire open oven. When it was brought to the table the manager said " Sorry it's so burnt. It was too close to the fire, If you'd like me to make another one or want something else that will be fine." It just wasn't over done it was charred.

Several minutes later even the cook came over and asked if it was too done.

I didn't want to raise a fuss so I decided to try it. Big disappointment! Inside was not fresh but frozen limp spinach. The tomato sauce on the side was thin, runny and tasteless -- no seasonings or flavor at all. With all the great produce vendors in town there should be no excuse for sub-standard produce. The outside wasn't just over done it was turned to ashes.

My prediction: Dan Morgan is about to close the second failure he has had in the restaurant business. What is it about sports stars that think all there is to the restaurant business is to put your name above the door and one of your old jerseys in a picture frame on the wall and you will be an instant success??

All I can say is this: If you want to run a good restaurant and you are the manager why would you ever serve a plate that you know is burnt to a customer. Take some pride in your product or find another job.

In an area with Wolfman, Anzi's, Tony's and Athens pizza there is no excuse for patronizing this place.

I always give a restaurant a second chance but this place was so bad that no second chance is warranted.

Pass on Dan Morgan's and try one of the other places mentioned above.

Athens Pizza -- Best Pizza EVER!!!!

I'm a sucker for bargains so I found a 2 of 1 coupon in a dining coupon book sold by someone soccer team and decided to try it out. What a great surprise! From the first bite I was in love with this place.

Creative loafing rates Fuel best but compared to Athen's Fuel is catsup on cardboard. Athens makes their own crust and bakes it perfectly. Very reasonably prices and prepared exactly the way you want it.

Don't expect anything fancy. It's a nice little mom & pop place tucked in an office park off Monore road in Stallings. It might be out of the way but I've made 3 trips there this month and found every visit better than the last.

Enjoy the website then enjoy the pizza -- www.athenspizza.us


Athens Pizza
2920A Old Monore Road
Stallings
704 821-6350

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