A tale of discrimination and disgust

We in the Kingdom of Chaos love our eating out.  Mind you, I try to be frugal about it.. Or at least as frugal as one can be while eating out with 8 people.  We tend to use coupons, join all the eClubs, share meals and go on days when kids eat free (my favorites!).  When I say eating out, I don't mean the Golden Arches (gag) or other fast food.. I like my sit down type restaurants. 

One of our frequent stops (once a month or so) used to be Smokey Bones (also known as the Spicy bean place by Spoiled Princess, which has always confused me as their beans are very sweet not spicy at all.. but whatever). I'm sure you noticed I said used to be..  Now I know you shouldn't judge a place on one single incident but every once in a while someone pisses you off just enough that you say "Screw it. I'm done." This is what happened to us when we last attempted to go for dinner.

Let's go back a moment -

Daddy Chaos went in to put our names down while I wrangled the kids and captured thrown shoes to re-shoe them and threaten them that we were going out to eat dammit and they'd better behave theirselves got the kids out of the van. I admit, it takes a minute or five to get all the kids out of the car fully dressed and lined up to walk inside.  So as we finally approached the door, Daddy Chaos was on his way out and said we were leaving.  Ugh, pack the kids back up again. 

Apparently this is how it went inside:

DaddyChaos:  How long is the wait?

YoungSnottyServer:  35 mins.. I need your name & # in the party.

DC:  Chaos and 8 - 2 adults , 6kids.

YSS:   EIGHT?  *insert eyeroll*  Can you split up?

DC: No, we can't break up. We have only 2 adults and 6 kids.. Normally when we are in they just put two tables together or give us a table & booth right next to each other.

YSS: *eyes now rolling constantly* Ohh, well the wait for 8 is 2hrs 35mins

 Somehow I don't feel I'm completely carrying across the attitude and pure disrespect.. The way she insinuated that 6kids was ridiculous and we shouldn't think of going there.  Daddy Chaos was fuming, heck I was pretty ticked just hearing it from him. How dare she!  There is no way you can ever convince me that it would take an entire 2hours longer to seat us than anyone else.. Sure I can see an extra little bit but TWO HOURS?   Oh please.. 

I have contacted them about this situation and will update you if I get a response.. While I know nothing will really happen and I'll most likely get an automated response, it just irritated me & I'm in the mood to witch about it.  Please note that I do love their food and normally have a good experience but this one in particular disgusted me enough to turn me off completely.   Go , eat and be merry but not if you have a large family.

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Who says you can't throw food?

 

I have been hearing about this place for a while. Lamberts Cafe- Home of the Throwed Rolls.  We've been thru the area a time or two in our travels (when we were 'young' we lived in Utah & thought it was a nice weekend to drive home to Indiana & back again.. we were crazy, what can I say) but never at an appropriate eating time.  This past week, we made the trip to Texas to finalize on the 6yr old's adoption. It just so happened, that we hit Sikeston, MO right at lunch time and we stopped at Lamberts.  Finally!

One of the first things most of us learn (and teach our kids) is that we don't play with our food. Apparently the people at Lamberts have figured a way around that old rule because throwing rolls makes everything more fun. Everything about Lamberts is an experience.  

From the adorable horse & covered wagon ride outside the front door that The Toddler absolutely LOVED :

 

To the Giant footprints leading the way thru the restaurant- which of course all the kids, big *ahem* and little,  had fun putting their feet in to measure up:

To the Humongous drinks that come out standard.  Now you all know how much Momma Chaos loves her drinks (fountain pop, people.. fountain pop).  Let me tell you that even I didn't ask for a refill and was only able to finish it by standing at our table and quickly slurping as Daddy Chaos tried to leave.. Geez, you'd think some people didn't know me after 15yrs of marriage.. You just don't leave Dr Pepper (or Mr Pibb in this case) sitting.  Regardless, a pop this large is like a gauntlet thrown down.  You have to try to finish it in one sitting. 

 

The food was spectacular and so much of it.. If I have to complain (and we all know I have to at some point), my only complaint is their rule of no sharing plates.  I do not think a single one of us, big or small, finished our plates.  Naturally it doesn't help that they walk around with all the freebies.  They call them "pass arounds" and the servers walk around carrying pots bigger than their heads full of goodies.. From   fried okra (Daddy Chaos loved, kids tried but couldn't find a taste for it) to the best fried potatoes (sorry Mom) to what my Momma calls Mactomaters (macaroni and tomatoes) to  black eyed peas and sorghum and honey. Quite frankly there were enough pass arounds to not even need the food to being with..  But then..

Then we get to what they're really famous for.   The rolls. Huge rolls. Hot rolls.  Utterly delicious rolls. All made better with the added fun of having them pitched at you from across the room.  The entire atmosphere was fun and friendly.  Rolls were flying then you'd hear an entire table burst out laughing because someone at their table had *missed*.  The roll thrower would have this look of disbelief on his face.  She DROPPED the roll?  *snort* and another was thrown.  Even the 4yr old got in on the action. While our roll thrower happened to come quite close, he could have handed one to the 4yr old but instead instructed him on how to hold his hands to better catch it & lightly tossed it to him.  The boy was THRILLED.  I'm sure that roll was 100x better to him!  

After witnessing the whole 'roll throwing' experience, it made me wonder.. Who ever thought, hey let's start throwing rolls?   Naturally (being me) I did some research.. You aren't surprised are you?  This is what I learned directly from Lamberts website :

The first roll was thrown in 1976 by Norman Lambert. At the original location, he would walk around and hand out the rolls.. One day it was really busy when Norman couldn't get through the crowd....one of the customers yelled to him " Throw the D*** thing!". And with that The ONLY HOME OF THROWED ROLLS was born.



So next time you're in the area.. You have to stop by and try it out for yourself.  Come back and let me know how you liked it.. Yum. 

This post was 100% my opinion.  It was not sponsored or compensated in any way.

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