Normally I don't waste time giving a bad review of a restaurant. I just don't spend my money there anymore.
But this needs to be said.
This is the first time I truly felt like the staff was demon possessed and didn't like their jobs. It was the first time I actually suspected they might have tampered with my food.
It's a chain restaurant and I expect a certain processed food quality to it all. But when I see that half the restaurant is dirty, AFTER I had to wait 10 minutes before being seated...
When the manager gets a phone call and comes to answer it while folks are waiting in the lobby, but no one is bussing tables...then goes back to the floor like they see no one in the lobby...
When you are served your coffee, then immediately after your pour your cup all the wait staff finds a reason to go past your table and ask "are you ok?" You start to suspect someone did something to your coffee and they are looking for a laugh when you drink it.
When you don't drink it and instead leave it and go with the rest of your meal which tastes terrible like someone spiked the pancake batter with unmentionables and they take forever to bring your check as if they're waiting on the show... there's a problem.
I already had a great experience at an IHOP in Ballantyne after church. That place was great any clean and tasty and the staff was on point and very friendly.
But THIS location, looked like the projects and trailer trash all came together to make a terrible dining experience. It smelled terrible like when you have a cockroach infestation...you know that musty oily smell that only a cockroach would love - apparently they're used to it...and one of the servers apparently put blue cheese dressing in the ranch bottle, another order wasn't cooked completely (chicken apparently) and the manager looked like she didn't have it together. Maybe bothered by here boyfriend who called her at work.
There are other IHOPs. If you aren't stuck at a nearby hotel with no car rented, or got no access to Uber, be warned this is still not a convenient place. Deal with no pancakes then.
Otherwise, drive another 5 minutes away to the one on Tryon street or something. You'll feel skeezed after this place.
I still feel dirty 2 hrs later.
Thanks for reading.