paula dean exploits senior citizens
my 83 year old mom and her friend travelled on amtrak to savannah and all they talked about was wanting to eat at paula dean's restaurant. (even though i told them that paula got a thumbs down from some of you folks on SE).... well, after getting to paula dean's early in the morning to get signed up for a reservation - they finally got in for lunch. a slop-style buffet, cold food - substandard quality, servers that clearly hated their jobs.
a huge disappointment for mom & her friend. like finding out there is no santa claus.
what annoys me is that paula uses her position on the food network to promote her restaurant.... shame, shame on paula and the food network. i can't help but wonder if paula's food was ever good -- or did she just get lazy? maybe she needs to be "bailed out", too.
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18 Comments:
Seems to me like this is not exploitation of senior citizens, it's exploitation of customers. So often when chefs are busy doing tv shows and book tours, the kitchens go to pot.
lemons at 11:52PM on 10/07/08
http://www.mrswilkes.com/
This was the better choice been around much much longer.
We actually stood outside The Lady and Sons (2004) and I did not like anything I saw. So we went to Mrs Wilkes and the food was very good.
JerzeeTomato at 12:18AM on 10/08/08
Maybe the stuff she cooks on TV doesn't taste good in real life. I have long suspected this to be true about a number of Food TV entertainers. The old adage applies, "I'm not a good cook, but I play one on TV".
LearP at 2:55AM on 10/08/08
I agree with Jerzee Tomato, Mrs. Wilkes boarding house, the food is really good. It reminded me of eating at my Grandmother's house. It's family dining too, so everyone passes food around the table. Paula Deen's restaurant it's now a tourist attraction like Disneyworld, and like most tourist attractions the food is cheaply done and overpriced. Don't get me wrong, I like Paula Deen, I love her cookbooks and have gotten many compliments on meals I have used her recipes for, but the restaurant has lost it's touch.
twcaac at 8:36AM on 10/08/08
Frankly, most TVFN personalities use the station to promote their own interests be they a restaurant, product, book or project. I'm sorry your mom and her friend felt so rooked!
If I were them, I'd go to various boards like Chowhound, etc. and let people know of their experience. Lady and Sons is Zagat rated. That would be a great platform to share the experience.
therealchiffonade at 9:09AM on 10/08/08
this is sad to hear. i lived in savannah for a while in the late 90s, back before she had her TV show, and used to go for the lunch buffet quite a bit. the food was good back then. it's sad to hear that it's gone downhill.
french tart at 10:57AM on 10/08/08
I'm with lemons - that's not exploitation of senior citizens, just exploitation of a fad.
marzipanda at 10:57AM on 10/08/08
I really have a problem with this title too, as I don't see how this is an exploitation of anyone. I don't appreciate it when people use age as a reason for being treated better than anyone else, with respect sure, but better, no.
I am 30 and progressively ill so there's no way I could take an Amtrak and stand in line to eat at a restaurant. If I have a bad meal that I had looked forward to, I don't say the restaurant exploits young, sick people, I just don't return and share my thoughts with others.
Perhaps your mom should've realized that Paula Deen and many other food network chefs have a right to make money and advertise their product and it's an individual choice that you should purchase their goods and give them more money or not get wrapped up in propaganda.
bobcatsteph3 at 12:05PM on 10/08/08
When The Lady and Sons first moved to their present location, we were visiting Savannah and walked through to take a look at the "buffet". Bleh! Like Jerzee, we beat feet to Mrs. Wilkes. We had a delightful meal.
There is no exploitation going on. People CHOOSE to visit her joint (can't in good conscience call it a restaurant) because she is on television. When we travel I check in with the good folks on SE and Chowhound to get recs for restos, not the TV.
izatryt at 6:14PM on 10/08/08
Agree with above comments. No exploitation but just unfortunate choice of restaurant.
lesleyprince at 6:55PM on 10/08/08
I guess I didn't focus so much on the "exploitation" angle - just the "crappy experience" angle.
therealchiffonade at 7:58PM on 10/08/08
i stand by my use of the word "exploitation" -- it was used as a kind of tongue-in-cheek statement, but none the less - it is my personal feeling that paula and perhaps other tv personalities do use their position to cash in on the people who still believe in the possibility that people are who they say they are and do what they're supposed to be doing. .... just look around to what is happening at the moment with the financial crisis, et al.... it's unfortunate, but we are being "exploited" on many levels. if you choose not to feel that .... good for you.
so feel free to insert the word "customer" ....no offense to anyone out there. my peeve is with paula not with anyone else be they young, old, or whatever..... thanks! : ^)
pooch at 10:33AM on 10/09/08
What exactly did they expect? Alinea? The French Laundry? It's Paula Deen - "slop-style" would be one of the first things that comes to mind. I agree that it's general customer exploitation rather than specifically senior citizens.
worldcupfever at 10:48AM on 10/09/08
@worldcupfever: what they expected was a decent home-cooked southern style mea which is what the place represents itself as. nothing fancy at all. just trying to make a point about "misrepresentation" here.
pooch at 11:06AM on 10/09/08
I understand what you're saying. I have family down south, so whenever my parents take my grandparents down that way, they're always looking for that sort of place (good home-style stuff) and it seems like they just get disappointed time and again. The sad part is that there's probably some undiscovered gem just down the road from the name places that people stop at with the world's best peach pie.
worldcupfever at 11:19AM on 10/09/08
exactly, sad but true. anyway, a lesson in all that glitters is not gold.
pooch at 11:41AM on 10/09/08
I think some of the famous chefs do have strict restaurant codes and manage to keep good control on their restaurants with good managers. I have only been to one famous restaurant and that was a Wolfgang in Las Vegas. The food was fabulous and the waiters were the best. Great pride on good service was important. I can't imagine Gordon Ramsey's restaurants not being f------ perfect,can you!!! Too bad about Paula's!!
cocoloco at 12:29PM on 10/09/08
Your mother's experience is not an isolated or targeted incident. We ate there several years ago, the barfet was mediocre at best, greasy, and just not worth the money. Or the wait. This was even before she had gotten on the Food Network.
beth1 at 10:44PM on 10/13/08