This particular summer morning seemed to be no different than any other we had experienced on past vacations. We awoke to the beautiful rays of the sun shining in our faces, birds happily chirping outside, as little kids laughed and giggled in the motel swimming pool below, while our young children jumped out of bed like little monkey’s on a mission excited to see what this day held for them. After everyone had showered and dressed it was just a matter of waiting on my lovely wife more affectionately known as mommy to ensure that the diaper bag was fully stocked, so that we could head to breakfast. When traveling as a family we normally dine at Bob Evans or Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Once everyone was in the van and buckled, my wife searched the GPS and recommended that we go to Bob Evans.

As we pulled in to Bob Evan’s, we noticed there were very few cars in the parking lot, which hopefully meant a short wait. As the greeter seated us, she displayed little to no hospitality as she dryly said, “a waitress will be with you shortly”. While my wife and children went to wash their hands, I stayed behind so I could order our drinks. Surprisingly, my family returned before anyone could take our order, so I decided I would go wash my hands. Oddly enough while going to the restroom, I spotted several employees that appeared as if they were staring at my wife and children.

Upon returning, my wife informed me that our order had still not been taken. Glancing at my watch I decided to wait a little longer, so I would not be exaggerating in the event I decided to speak to a manager in regards to the service we were receiving. After patiently waiting 25 minutes I notified a nearby employee to inform him of our situation. Shortly thereafter a waitress finally arrived at our table to serve us our water and to take our order. Handing each one of us our drinks, I stared in disbelief at the waitress’ fingers that was in our water. Needles to say, none of us drank our water.

Once more we found ourselves waiting, only this time it was for our meal to arrive. Sitting in my chair I could not help but notice other patrons who had arrived considerably later than us already enjoying their meals. My wife and I quietly questioned as to whether this treatment we seemed to be receiving was intentional due to her being Asian or could it possibly be that it was just a result of poor management? As I gazed around, I observed the same waitress that seated us earlier seating another family with a smile and friendly greeting that was unlike the one we had received, while serving them their water the proper way. I refused to hesitate any longer, our wait had been long enough, and the treatment we had received up to this point was subpar.

Disappointed with the service we had received, I walked to the front counter, and politely asked, “May I speak with the manager please?” Then a lady surfaced from the group with a smart aleck