T/A in Jessup, MD ... what we have here, is failure to communicate ...

This occured yesterday ...

Sunday, November 7, 2010 18:00 Hours

I stood at the door of the Country Pride restuarant probably about seven to ten minutes. Waitresses, the male cashier and two male kitchen helpers came and went ... some right past me and looked at me without inquiring what I needed or wanted.

Finally, a waitress had the light bulb come on in her head and came up to me.

"What do you want" ? ...

"Well, to be seated ... there is no sign here directing me what to do. Should I wait for help from the staff --- you don't have a sign up on a stand that says ...

'please wait to be seated' which means stand by for a wait person or should I just grab a table --- 'please seat yourself'.

She rolled her eyes.

So, I took a table to the left of the door about three tables from the waitress stand in the rear, near the kitchen. When I got a waitress she looked Asian but spoke with a Russian accent. I asked another waitress later about that and said it was a guess of mine that she's from one of the "Stan" countries (former Soviet Union) and currently independent ... Uzbekistan, Tajikistan or Kazakhstan. My hunch was right.

Well, she can't understand the 'King's English' too well and I got very, very frustrated with her in taking my order.
I would have walked out if I was not THAT hungry and the only other option was Subway on the other side of the free parking lot near the fuel island. She seems to have a cultural disconnect (s) somewhere. Can't understand how she got through the screening process for employment with TA if she has problems with English and understanding American culture. A driver came up to her and pointed to the third special of that day which included a 'loaded baked potato'.

He asked her how could there be a drunken potato? She did not get it and then the context of the joke had to be explained to her by an American waitress who I think knows Russian as a "at home" language.

I ordered the third of three specials for that day, the double eight ounce steaks. When I came time for dessert, I asked about the dessert special and it's any dessert for $1.99. That's a deal with me! I was given a dessert menu. However, I saw a sundae but not a banana split. The dessert menu does not have a banana split shown in the picture. Not my waitress but another one said said they can make one for me since they have the bananas. That was very nice of her.

They brought out a banana split so big I thought I would have to use mountain climbing gear to ascend to the top to eat it. It was very good and I am grateful they made me one that big. Thanks to that particular waitress (the American one who probably knows how to speak Russian from hearing it at home).

They don't offer vegetables except for stir fried ones that will end up on your entree plate. Your vegetables basically come from the salad / soup bar. Which is okay but some offerings I steered away from. If you just examined this particular T/A's salad / soup bar, it's not the best but it's not the worst. However, I did not see any cottage cheese but they have fried Chinese noodles and fried onion ring bits to serve as toppings which I thought was great. Overall, I still liked the former Flying J soup and salad bars the best. I am glad that drivers can get vegetables in some way, shape or form out on the road to provide better overall health.

Another slip up they had were the signs on the steam table facing you as you came in the door talking about the all you can eat steak buffet. Great ! I thought but then a waitress told me that they only offer it on weekdays.

Oh, okay BUT then SAY that on the signs offering that particular buffet and some other offering of buffets. Make sure you make it clear to the customers that the buffet (s) is NOT offered on Saturday and Sunday.

With a twenty percent tip, my bill came to just under twenty five dollars. I am thinking that I could have gotten about the same quality of food and service at a CHEAPER PRICE by going to the Golden Corral Restuarant at the Arundel Mills Mall, Hanover, Maryland; about five miles away. Trucks do park near the mall on the gravel area (on the outer ring road) between the Arundel Mills Mall and the Wal Mart and the Costco which are next door neighbors.

Wal Mart
7081 Arundel Mills Circle
Hanover, Maryland 21076

Costco
7077 Arundel Mills Circle
Hanover, Maryland 21076


or behind the Vitamin Shoppe building off the road going to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. From the back of the Vitamin Shoppe, you can see on the same side of the road, the Wal Mart and the Costco.


the Vitamin Shoppe
7069 Arundel Mills Boulevard
Hanover, Maryland 21076


the final destination would be ...

Golden Corral Restuarant
7047 Arundel Mills Circle
Hanover, MD 21076



The Howard County Police had one squad car in the T/A's "free parking lot"; the one west of the main building in the same area as the weight scales. He was patrolling and when I drove past was checking on something or someone in the car's dashboard laptop computer.