Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Potato Ole Fiasco

Place: Tasty Tacos
Lunch: Steak flour taco (extra meat), cheese enchilada, refried beans, Pepsi

Normally, my Tuesday lunch would be at Taco John's, where "Taco Tuesday" means cheap(ish) tacos. But Taco John's ticked me off on Sunday, so I'm avoiding them for awhile.

I go in for dinner and order my usual "four hard shells and a Potato Ole's Bravo". Mediocre Counter Girl gets confused. Random Employee shows her what to input. And the kitchen makes me a Taco Bravo instead.

I see this and ask "Why is he making a Taco Bravo?" Random Employee gets confused. I explain I wanted a Potato Ole's Bravo. He doesn't seem to know what that is. Then a manager jumps in and, after debate and discussion, they re-ring my order and charge me more money. LOTS more money. Then the manager explains that they no longer have the Potato Ole's Bravo, but they do have the new "small Super Potato Ole's". Like magic, the counter staff has forgotten Potato Ole's Bravo ever existed, even though it was on the menu for what...five, ten years?

Ask aloud with me..."What's a Super Potato Ole's?"

The manager explains that it's the same thing, but with shredded cheese and guacamole added.

"I absolutely do NOT want to see guacamole on it," I declare in a very annoyed tone.

Upon seeing the finished product and reviewing the menu, I discover it is indeed the same product in exactly the same portion size with three changes....They added shredded cheese, guacamole, and nearly a dollar to the price. $2.99 vs $2.19. Couple this with their skyrocketing taco prices, and the writing's on the wall.

Anyway, Tasty Tacos is SO much better. The flour taco is basically in the form of what you know as a Chalupa...but Tasty Tacos has been making them for 46 years.

So last week I placed three different orders with two different companies that shipped three different ways. You know my luck with shipping this year, right? Surprise surprise...All three showed up in my PO box today. I didn't expect any of it until the end of the week at least.

Only ten days of August left. Here's hoping cooler temperatures come with September. And Steak n Shake caramel apple milkshakes. They can't be too far away either...