If you come to Oklahoma you simply must go to one of our hundreds if not thousands of stores named Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores. They are literally everywhere. By EVERYWHERE I mean you can't hardly pass into or out of a town in our state without seeing one or two of these stores. They may have technically started in Kansas, but we claim them. They moved here for production, and have been here since the 1960's I believe. It's an amazing place full of goodness, love, kind people, and the ever-so-real feeling that the Braum's family is there inside each store! It really feels like a family-friendly place. (Which is why I won't let this experience ruin me.)
Today, as the title of the blog implies, I had a really bad experience at Braum's and I don't mind blogging about it. I went online to leave a review on Yelp! as well. I don't like that many reviews given on the site are negative, so I do try to remember to give good reviews from time to time, but it's just that when you do have a horrible experience, the first thing you want to do is alert the manager, tell the public, and do whatever you can do to rectify the issue. You can't, if you're a good Oklahoman, stand by and watch a great institution like Braum's get away with what happened to me and others in this particular store. If the corporate office needs to do a deep dive into this one, so be it. It was HORRIFIC! No one should have to endure what we went through.
It may sound or seem like I'm just being a "Karen" but when it comes to Oklahoma tourism, Braum's is simply a huge part of that scene. We talk about the constant courtesy of the stores, and we talk about the consistency of each store. We talk about the great product of the stores. So, when I walked into my local Braum's today at 62nd and North May Ave, in Oklahoma City, I experienced what I experienced. I need to let you know, I need to let the manager know (and I did) and I need to let the corporate office know because we don't need this type of event happening to outsiders who will then go off and bad-mouth Braum's to the point of losing future business. These people need to be sat down and talked to!
First world issue? Yes, it is. I'm absolutely sure that the 3rd world countries have never had to deal with the improper customer service and disgusting filth (Yes, they have) that I witnessed. The difference is, that the 3rd world countries are in fact 3rd world countries, and they don't have properly running plumbing. They aren't expected to have clean floors, clean counters, clean tables, and restaurants that don't smell as if open waste is on the menu! I couldn't quite put my finger on it, I knew I smelt something, but then it was gone as soon as I thought I smelt it. I ordered my sundae, paid for it and I went to the grocery side of the store to buy a few things.
After picking bagels, whipping cream in a can, and one tub of (half a gallon) sugar-free ice cream, I waited at the till to be checked out. No one came to check me out. I waved at the manager behind the ice cream counter and made a sort of universal gesture to ask if anyone could come to check us out. By this time there was a line behind me. They've always had someone at that end of the store, but not tonight. No big deal right? A man came over from the other side of the store where he had been mopping the floor. He was Middle Eastern, he was quiet, and he wasn't smiling. Everyone smiles at Braum's! It's an incredibly happy place! He saw my shirt which had a Jesus slogan, and he cursed me in Arabic. He either cursed me or he cursed Christ, I'm not sure, but he was openly rude, and I made eye contact with him and let him know I didn't appreciate it. He said something under his breath, and the woman behind me said something like, "OK dude, that's enough!"
Who hired this man? He was NOT friendly at all. No, the clerk simply rang me up, put my food in the bag, and started to walk away, leaving several other people in line before huffing about it, and staying to check them out. WOW! If you hate yourself that much fella, just quit and don't make it so hard on the rest of the world! I just shook my head thinking I've never had rude service like this at Braum's. I went to the ice cream counter to pick up my daughter's sundae that I had ordered and paid for when I first came in. Not only was it not ready, it had never been called back to even be made!
I asked the manager again because all of the workers were busy on other orders for the drive-through or the ice cream area if my order was completed. He told me it had not been called back. He asked if it was the single turtle sundae, I said yes, and he began to make it. That's when I caught another whiff of the horrific nasty smell that I thought I had smelt before. One of the associates had opened the back area door and a rush of filthy air that could only be described as human waste came into the lobby! Several people were immediately notified by their noses! The manager quickly shut the door - - too late. Can you imagine? I didn't have to ask him anything, his face was a tell-tale sign. Another customer did, however, ask, and she was told it was being taken care of. Really? I didn't see any plumbers in the restaurant! Shouldn't they SHUT THE PLACE DOWN?
I left, shaking my head, but just as I did I caught the face of the Arabic man again. He made a gesture toward me. I decided to pray for him rather than report it to his boss. First, he needs Jesus! Secondly, I didn't want to stay in the nasty filthy restaurant any longer than I had to. When I got to the car my daughter, who had been waiting and watching asked me what was going on. When I told her she said she had smelt that same odor a time or two from when she was in the drive-through. Wow. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but I won't be quiet about this one. Nope. Not only was the floor nasty, but the counters also were nasty, the tables were nasty, and if they were wiping that down with contaminated water the Health Department needs to know about it. The public needs to know about it.
I left a poor review obviously, and I'll follow up with the corporate office tomorrow. In over 50+ years that I've eaten at Braum's Ice Cream, I can say I have only had a handful of poor experiences. That's saying a lot really. They are usually very consistent, very precise, and very friendly. The portions are good, and all of the food is fresh. This is the ONLY time I've ever smelt that smell so strongly. I think now that my daughter mentioned it, I may have once smelt it when in the drive-through, but I must have written it off as old milk on the ground or something. Not this time. It was an undeniably human waste stench, and it was obvious.
C'mon Braum's. You can't let this be a mark on your nearly perfect reputation. Let's fix this.
Photo Credit: Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores
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