| rev:text
| - I have to preface this review with two factors. One, I moved here from South Florida, where the best burgers in town came from your average diners. They were the last bastion of American food in South Florida, so they served up REAL American food. If you wanted a real burger, you went to a diner. After returning to Pittsburgh, I found that every diner here has turned to serving up those frozen gray hockey puck patties and passing them off as burgers.
Second, (until the recent explosion of good burger joints in da burgh), I actually HAD been a fan of Tessaro's, until their hostess/manager flat out offended the hell out of me and my party of three. The result is that I have never, and WILL never return to Tessaro's.
My best friend is a 62 y/o blind woman that I met doing theater in the 90's in Pittsburgh. She lives with her 91 year old mother, and her father (the driver) passed away several years ago. I don't drive, and rely on the bus system that Steve Bland is intentionally systematically destroying, so any outing that we make must be carefully planned.
She and I had met once at Tessaro's. It was her first time being there. She took the Access van for the disabled, and I met her there after work via bus. I walked in, she was seated, having a drink, waiting for me to join her. No problem. We had a great meal, with an awesome burger. I can't say enough...they really do have mouthwatering burgers.
Months later, we decided to go again, and the plan was pretty much the same. She took the Access van to the restaurant, and I was going to meet her by bus, and this time a new friend was going to join us, coming by bus from Oakland, and new to Pittsburgh.
My best friend called me at 4:30 (we were supposed to meet at 5) and said that her van had come early, and that she was already at the restaurant. I told her I would get there as soon as I could. I left work a few minutes before 5 pm, and arrived at the restaurant 5:15. They were busy, but I was surprised to find my friend still standing in the doorway. The blind woman had been standing there for 45 minutes.
I made my presence known, and the hostess/manager acknowledged, asked about our other friend. I explained that he was ten minutes away and coming by bus, new to the city, but WAS on his way. She walked away from us. We stood in the doorway fro another twenty minutes.
Finally, the manager came back, and I caught her attention, and motioned my head toward my blind friend, and asked if we really had to keep waiting? She'd been standing there in the doorway for over an hour.
The next statement sealed the deal on us never returning to Tessaro's. The manager slapped her hands on her hips, and started barking:
"LOOK! We don't have many rules around here! In fact, we only have ONE, that you don't get seated until your whole party is here!"
And THIS is what really sealed it:
The woman thrust her thumb in my BLIND friend's direction, who had only been to Tessaro's ONCE before in her life, with me, and said:
"And SHE oughta KNOW that!"
She oughta know that? Exactly HOW should she 'know that'? The only other time she'd been there, she arrived before me, was seated, waited, and I joined her.
Additionally, the 'rule' was posted...on a piece of 8 1/2 by 11 copy paper, taped to the wall at the end of the counter, behind several rows of water pitchers. I couldn't see the 'rule'...a blind woman certainly wasn't going to 'see' it!
Finally, after another ten minutes standing there, the manager 'allowed' us to take a table and wait for our friend, who came five minutes later. We ate our meal, paid our bill, and we left.
And we will NOT return.
You can treat me badly, and if there's something I really love about your business, I might come back. But do NOT badmouth a blind woman, or anyone else for that matter, who is disabled, and in need of a slight amount of extra consideration.
Tessaro's, you might make good burgers, and you'll continue making a fortune off them. And I'm sure you really don't give a crap about how your manager treated this lady. But we will NOT drop one dime more in your restaurant. We'll take our business to Burgatory.
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