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{WARNING: Profanity} DO NOT Eat at Boner’s BBQ: Atlanta, GA

Posted by on Jan 10, 2012 in Atlanta, Featured, Venting Upsets | 18 comments

{WARNING: Profanity} DO NOT Eat at Boner’s BBQ: Atlanta, GA

Last night, a fellow Atlanta blogger ran across a photo that had been posted to the Facebook page of a local BBQ joint called Boner’s BBQ. When I clicked over, I found the most unconscionable post I could imagine on a business platform. Apparently, a lady named Stephanie ate at the establishment, wasn’t pleased with the meal, and posted this very thorough review on Yelp.com in which she gave them 2 out of 5 stars for the service:

The food was tepid. The flavors odd to bland and the atmosphere a bit lackluster. The fact that they were playing talk radio when we came in and the fact that the decor is second hand picnic-y could be excused if the food was really good. The short: It wasn’t.

The long:
Deep Fried Collard Greens: Good flavor, but because they weren’t cut into small enough pieces parts of them were greasy and limp.

Mac and Cheese: Pasta shells sprinkled with a shredded cheese mix and served in a paper container. It is pasta and there was cheese but without a really good cheese sauce to stick to the pasta, it’s really not mac and cheese. It was ok.

Brunswick stew: This one is a bit odd as the flavors were pretty good. The tiny pieces of potato were odd, but tolerable. It was really meaty and eventually, once I got over my expectations of brunswick stew, I really enjoyed this one.

Baked Beans: If you are just expecting beans in liquid, great this one’s for you. The flavor is excellent and if the beans had hit the table piping hot I would have really enjoyed them. But they aren’t baked beans. Baked beans are a way to show off a really delicious barbecue sauce and usually feature a bit of sweetness to balance out the salty spiciness of bbq pork and chicken. These had none of that. They were a mixture of pinto and black beans cooked to perfect texture but in a thin savory liquid. Add a bit of one of the barbecue sauces on the table and it will improve the flavor tremendously.

BBQ Chicken: Four slices of dry chicken that must have been either reheated or sliced off a good bit of time before we got there. The spices were really good and I expect smoked chicken to have a bit of dryness but this was a bit much.

Pulled Pork: Moist and pulled apart fairly easily but the smoke layer on the meat was pretty thin and the meat tended to be bland everywhere except on the edges. Add some Purple Haze and Hotlanta sauce to it and it’ll go down pretty well.

The Potato “studs”: Fried until a bit black on the outside.

The Peach Cobbler: Again, not really what I expected. It has a crumble top not a pastry one, so this dish is probably more accurately a Peach Crumble. The biggest issue is the peaches were under ripe and therefore had a horrible bitter/sour flavor to them. The sauce was bland. The only thing with any real flavor to this dish was the crumble topping. I was really disappointed by this as Peach Cobbler is one of my favorites. I could have made a better peach cobbler than this with frozen peaches.

All in all the food has some interesting flavors and some of those things work or at least would if the food was hot and there was a bit more due diligence going on. But I am offended that the side of the building says “Put a little south in your mouth” as what I had was anything but southern style BBQ.

In retaliation for the negative review, the restaurant’s staff and owner teamed up to slander and embarrass the customer by finding a photo of her online and posting the following photo and caption to their Facebook page (which has since been deleted, but I captured the entire conversation prior to its removal – below you will find excerpts of it):

Note: The timestamps as you follow the comment section are “off” a bit as you near the end as they were shot at different times so there is a bit of discrepancy; however, they are pasted in order.

I was shocked to witness such a gross display of pettiness from a business owner whose success depends on customer satisfaction. As a business owner, when I receive negative feedback, I do what I can to rectify the situation. If there isn’t anything I can do to accomplish that, I simply learn from constructive criticism and move forward in an effort to improve my performance in the future. I can’t believe anyone in their right mind would consider something like this to be a good idea.

The first few comments were from individuals who apparently know him, chiming in with their own colorful attacks on this customer. Then, the backlash began as people with a certain level of decency weighed in on the situation… and the staff decided the best way to respond would be to also tell them to go f*** themselves, which the owner vehemently condoned:

After a few more people reprimanded their poor behavior, Boner’s BBQ still didn’t quite get it and their stance was simply that it didn’t bother them because they can’t please everybody:

Another visitor pointed out that perhaps there were only that many that would risk being publicly ridiculed and bullied on the company’s Facebook page and notified them that word had spread outside his own forum:

At this point, I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer and decided to chime in with my own two cents regarding their despicable business practices and lack of professionalism:

Boner’s BBQ ended up with over 120 comments on the photo before removing it after news stations had been notified, bloggers had shared the incident through networks much larger than the establishment’s, and for a short time posting was disabled due to several people taking the conversation into wall posts since the photo was no longer there for discussion. This is one such wall post I was able to screenshot before it, too, was deleted:

Myself and several other bloggers began sharing the story with news outlets and throughout our personal networks. As a result, hundreds of people caught news of the horrible way Boner’s BBQ responded to a relatively neutral review via Facebook and Twitter and eventually they issued this lame apology on both social media platforms last night, but then proceeded to comment on the status equating his actions with the woman he verbally attacked and bullied online! *Newsflash* There IS an excuse for not tipping… being dissatisfied with the service you receive. The ONLY thing there was no excuse for was bashing a customer online for being honest about her dining experience.

I wasn’t surprised to see that this morning, the ordeal was featured on Reddit (where Stephanie S herself responded with some additional insight, including the fact that she actually had left a tip), Business Insider, Access Altanta, Huffington Post, and even made its way onto Scott Stratten’s radar as a feature on UnMarketing.com. I wasn’t impressed with the weak apology they posted. They had WAY more to say when lashing out at this woman on a public website with nearly 2,000 members than they did when they were forced to retract it, so I responded with:

A little over two hours later, this popped up on their Facebook page:

I’m glad that the restaurant finally ended it this way, but seriously — would it have been so hard for them to have responded this way to begin with if they were that offended by the review or felt that her experience wasn’t a reflection of their typical service or food quality? After all of this, who in the world would eat anything in that place? I certainly wouldn’t trust them to feed me — especially since the only reason they saw anything wrong with their actions was because it got national attention!

My biggest qualm is that without all of us sharing, commenting, and making sure this got enough attention to force an apology, there wouldn’t have been one. They were very comfortable with the way they responded until they realized it could potentially be financially damaging. This is a normal response for them. Social media doesn’t make people do things they wouldn’t otherwise do. It simply provides them with an audience to witness train wrecks like this — and people with differing views that are able to let them know how inappropriate this type of behavior is.

I’m all for venting — y’all know that! I would have had no problem with them complaining in general about bad tippers, or even featuring the review on their page and giving their own account of what happened. They crossed the line by calling this woman a b****, telling commenters (also women) to go f*** themselves, and posting this lady’s photo then making references to her appearance and allowing other commenters to refer to her weight. Unacceptable.

UPDATE TO ADD CBS ATLANTA’S NEWS REPORT:

UPDATE TO ADD WSBTV.com’S NEWS REPORT:

UPDATE TO ADD FOX ATLANTA’S NEWS REPORT:

What do you think?

Does this apology do it for you? Would YOU ever dine at Boner’s BBQ?

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I’m 29… {Happy Birthday to Me}

Posted by on Jan 3, 2012 in Featured, Holidays/Birthdays | 1 comment

I’m 29… {Happy Birthday to Me}

 

I woke up yesterday to another second day of the year… for many, it’s just that. Another day. The day after the new year begins. For me, it is the anniversary of the day I took my first breath… yesterday marked 29 years from that moment. I woke up to a birthday card on my face followed by peanut butter pancakes (my favorite) in bed :)

My AvaBaby and ZoeBug couldn’t get enough of wrapping and bringing me gifts :) They re-gifted everything they could get their hands on and didn’t stop until they ran through all the leftover wrapping paper from Christmas LOL! It was the sweetest, most precious thing in my whole world to hear my three-and-a-half year old telling me repeatedly, “Happy Birthday, mama!”

I got some wonderful gifts… my own wallet, a night light, a dry erase marker, cell phone charger, some memory flashcards, two coloring pages that were beautifully done, a Barbie hair brush, a back massager, holiday pencils and stickers, a plastic bike helmet shield, a “knocker-ball” ponytail holder, a T-Mobile thermos filled with water, and a hand made birthday card.

Barry wanted to take me out to eat for my birthday while my mom kept the kids but I persuaded him to take all of us to CiCi’s instead… mainly so I could whip them all in air hockey — which I did :) We came home and watched two movies together and spent time wrapped up together and I sat there thinking the same thing I told him thirteen years ago: We fit together like a puzzle. I had a great day with my family — my husband, my mom, and our preciously thoughtful babies who made my birthday special just by being near me.

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2012: Resolutions For the New Year

Posted by on Jan 1, 2012 in Featured, Goals/Plans, Ramblings | 1 comment

2012: Resolutions For the New Year

Resolutions are nothing unless they are remembered, implemented, and focused on throughout the year, which is where I typically fail — it’s not a lack of intention, but rather a lack of follow-through. This year, I am going to come up with a system of holding MYSELF accountable. I’m not yet sure what that will entail, but I’ll be sure to come up with something within the next couple of days whether it be reminders from my calendar, a buddy system, or post it notes on my bathroom mirror. I’m one of those people who gets high off of checking a box off of a list, so I may use my ToDoist app/extension to keep me on track.

Change is good, especially when those changes support redirecting your attention to the things you view in life as being most important. Waiting for an entire year to pass before you make needed changes is pretty stupid, but it is what it is and another year has passed by so I may as well start fresh for 2012.

  1. I will be more active at the kids’ schools. It has always been my goal to be very involved, but the more I take on, the less I live up to that and this year that has got to change. I am resolving to make myself more available even if it is simply to visit one of their classrooms every week on a rotating basis.
  2. I will not bite off more than I can chew. Period.
  3. I will not continue to put off medical treatment for Fibromyalgia. I am going to call the specialist my doctor referred me to on Tuesday and make an appointment — hopefully for a day before Barry goes back offshore. If they prescribe medication, I will at least try it.
  4. I will do something for myself every day.
  5. I will do something for someone else every day.
  6. I will think before I speak, think before I act, and consider very carefully what I say, “Yes,” to, especially with regards to business proposals.
  7. I will regularly and continuously evaluate where I am and make adjustments accordingly. Every aspect of my life needs to be in balance, which requires that I be constantly aware of the status of each area my focus is attached to.

It has taken me a few days to really consider what is most important and what I found myself doing wrong last year… well, not necessarily wrong, but what I either did or did not do which resulted in me becoming hindered or overwhelmed. My overall goal is to use these resolutions to balance my time more efficiently and focus on what is most important in my life.

I could type out a list of resolutions about going after my dreams, taking chances, seizing opportunities, but I believe that if I am successful in all the things I listed above, I will be more apt to let the chips fall where they may… and trust God to orchestrate events that guide me into His divine purpose for me this year.

What I have already done to prepare for implementing these changes:

  1. I emailed the kids’ teachers requesting days/times that are best for visiting their classrooms. I plan to alternate between visiting the classroom and having lunch with each of the kids at school.
  2. I took nearly two weeks off work to regroup, rest, and get myself organized. I restructured my business pricing schedule and am being more considerate of my own time and my own worth when preparing clients’ project proposals.
  3. I called to make an appointment with the specialist I’ve been putting off since my primary physician referred me. Unfortunately, my doctor was out of the office and I can’t find the referral paper she gave me so I will have to actually MAKE the appointment after I get in touch with her to get the name of the specialist.
  4. I’ve been watching one movie every evening with my husband for the last week or so– something I don’t normally do because for some reason I make myself feel guilty that I’m not working on something productive.
  5. I’ve been more aware of what’s going on with other people so that I am able to make more of an effort to show a genuine interest in the lives of others rather than simply engaging in idle, meaningless chat.
  6. I’ve been careful about what inquiries I’ve pounced on and am not overbooking my work schedule to work in new or existing clients’ projects.
  7. I am getting more sleep, extending myself less, and am consciously maintaining my focus and priority order.

What are you doing to support self-improvement this year?

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Year End Review: 2011 Recap

Posted by on Dec 31, 2011 in Featured, Ramblings | 5 comments

Year End Review: 2011 Recap

This year has been fantastic and filled with so many changes… here’s a list of posts from each month that will get you up to date if you missed anything :)

January

February

March was full of vlogs – happy viewing :)

April

May

June

  • I had a fabulous time flying back and forth to New York twice to participate in the Today’s Voice competition! (This link brings up all the posts regarding that experience, not just one article…)
  • Zoe got a knot that made her look like Avatar.
  • We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and I started trying to find myself…

July

August

September

October

November

December

I look forward to a blessed and prosperous 2012.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. If you have a year-end article or blog post you’d like to share, enter it in the linky widget below!

2011 Finale!
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Merry Christmas :) 2011 Has Been GREAT!

Posted by on Dec 30, 2011 in Featured, Holidays/Birthdays | 3 comments

Merry Christmas :) 2011 Has Been GREAT!

I’ve seen mixed feelings regarding 2011 as I peruse Facebook and check up on my friends and their final thoughts for this year. As for my own family, 2011 has been one of the best years we’ve seen and I honestly have NO complaints. We started the year out in Mississippi living in our hometown but were hopeful that by the end of the year, we would not still be there. For various reasons, it’s just not the place we were supposed to settle.

In July, we literally woke up one day and decided to move. Where? We kicked around a couple of ideas and chose Atlanta. I have a ton of friends in the area and I asked a married couple that I’ve known for several years to check out a property we ran across online. When they gave me the thumbs up, we started the paperwork and six days later, we were packed up staring at a fully loaded U-Haul and heading toward Georgia. Yeah, when we’re ready, we’re ready lol

So here we are and everyone is HAPPY. Not one of our children hate their schools. This is the first time they’ve had no complaints about anything and I can’t say how much of a blessing that is. We have a comfortable home, our bills are paid, and for once we’re stable in every aspect of the word. God has been better to us than words could express after so many years of uncertainty and fervent prayer. He’s taken us from worry to security and it’s an indescribable feeling.

Anyway, I’ll be updating tomorrow with my official “year end” article so without further ado, here is a video slideshow of our Christmas… gifts, family time, communion, prayer, and Scripture. We couldn’t ask for a better finale to a better year.

I pray that all your days are blessed!!

Looking forward to a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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How Do YOU Keep Christ in Christmas?

Posted by on Dec 26, 2011 in Featured, Holidays/Birthdays, Spiritual | 5 comments

How Do YOU Keep Christ in Christmas?

These days, it can seem to be nearly impossible to stay focused on why we celebrate Christmas… between Santa Claus, family traditions (cooking, visiting, traveling, etc.), and gifting, the holiday has become chaotic and highly commercialized. We’ve never done the Santa thing with our children, mainly because my mother never did it with my sister and I. Our belief is that because it is a religious holiday, it replaces faith with magic and fantasy (or at least delivers them all to the same keel) and I don’t want my children to find out Santa is fake and then question whether or not one day they’ll find out the same about God. It’s easier and feels more fair and less disappointing to simply be truthful with them from the beginning — we’re the same way about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy… they’ve always known that Barry and I are behind all the fun and festivities :)

We’ve never done Christmas lists either until this year. I’m very serious about appreciation, graciousness, and respect. It has always been my feeling that no one should ask for particulars when someone is giving them a gift. You take what you’re given and you like it, use it, appreciate it, and recognize the thought that went into it regardless of whether it’s exactly what you wanted or not. This year, I decided to go against our family’s norm and allow them to create lists for suggestion purposes. I told them not to expect anything but that I would take their requests into consideration and use them as a guide to reveal what types of things they like — you know, for inspiration :) Do you know what I learned? The kids have no idea what they really want – they get more excited and are more pleased when we get what we know they’ll like. The things I bought from their lists ended up not being what they expected. Imagine that… As a matter of fact, we felt so bad for Avalyn that we ended up going today to get her a gift to ease the disappointment she felt about the poor list choices she made LOL

One thing that has been on my mind over the last couple of days is the fact that Jesus Himself only received three gifts on the day of his birth — Frankincense, gold, and Myrrh. Why is it that we work so diligently to provide our children with more gifts to celebrate Jesus’ birthday than He Himself received? One thing that will change in the future is that each of our children will receive exactly three gifts per year on Christmas Eve… one highly meaningful gift, one practical gift, and one gift that they either choose or that we choose for them from a solid understanding of their preferences. Being wasteful, greedy, and financially irresponsible are against everything the Bible teaches us about ideal life practices.

To answer the question I beg in the title, we kept Christ in Christmas this year by not having a celebration of gifts ON Christmas. On Christmas Eve, about midday, we each opened one gift that we purchased for the entire family which ended up being a Wii, a board game, three Wii remotes, and two Wii games — all of which will help us to consistently spend more fun time together. At the same time, we allowed each of the kids to open one gift that was labeled for them personally. Since Christmas Eve happened to be on Family Night (Saturday), we played games instead of having our usual Family Movie Night and when we were done, the kids opened the rest of their gifts around 9:30pm. We let them play for an hour or so before we put them to bed. We all slept in on Christmas morning and rather than waking up and everything being focused on presents, we focused on CHRIST.

The kids played with their new things, of course, but we told Jesus, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” and while I cooked Christmas dinner, I prepared for a new tradition — spending an hour reading about the events leading up to Jesus’ birth as well as Jesus’ birth and what ensued thereafter. Each year, we will cover something different about the life of Christ, spending an hour or so getting to know him better on that day and discussing how his life — and his death, then resurrection — impacts us daily.

Not only did we do this, but afterward we read Scripture passages about the Lord’s last meal and we had communion and prayer as a family according to the Scriptures. I made it fun for them by using Welch’s Sparkling Red Grape juice as the drink we consumed to represent the blood of Christ and cutting Christmas shapes out of the bread we used to represent His body. It is very important that our children grow up knowing why we celebrate Christmas — not just because it’s the day we acknowledge Jesus’ birth, but because it’s the day we reevaluate who we are, how we invite Jesus into our lives every day, and what we need to do in order to better align ourselves with His example in the coming year.

 

What changes do you believe your family needs to make in the future in order to more effectively keep Christ in Christmas despite how commercial it has become? What traditions do you already have or are you currently developing to support the true celebration of the birth of our King — the Savior, Jesus Christ?

Do you have an article on this topic?

I would love to read your publication! Just add your link to the comment form below!

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Happy 9th Birthday, Talia!

Posted by on Dec 21, 2011 in 3- Talia Jonet', Featured, Holidays/Birthdays | 1 comment

Happy 9th Birthday, Talia!

This weekend, we had Talia’s birthday celebration — however, she actually turned 9 years old a few minutes ago — at 1:23am. We don’t do “parties” — we simply do family celebrations, so it was nothing major but here are the pics from it:

And she got the number one gift she BEGGED for on her Christmas list:

A Fur-Real Friend!

It’s SO hard to believe that next year she will join the older two in creating the situation where I will have MORE children in double digit years than children in single digit ones. My middle child — my fellow little strong-willed, hard-headed, stubborn personal clone — is now halfway to 18.

I’m so proud of her and SO in love with the young lady she has become. She can be totally obnoxious and because we’re so alike, we tend to butt heads quite often but of course that is bound to happen with at least one of the kids, right? (Should I change that to hopefully only ONE of the kids?? haha)

Happy Birthday, baby. I LOVE YOU!!!

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