Letter to Pinky's-South Tampa

Dear Pinky's


I have never felt more unwelcome to an eatery in all of my life. Today was my husband's birthday (the day after-see hangover) and I thought it would be a perfect day to eat at the great Pinky's for their popular and "Oh so fabulous" breakfast. We were welcome in the parking lot by a customer going the wrong way, stuck on Bay to Bay Blvd unable to enter the parking lot, we began the traffic line, the young lady in the car began to wave her hands and argue at us, screaming from her just-got-washed preppy shiney black sedan. Due to prior drunkeness we found this comical and just watcher her hit reverse and forward until she made a 9 point turn in the parking lot and parked. We circled around Andretti* and parked across the street. We had no clue about the Pinky rules, we wrote our name on the pad and paper, table for 4 (2 couples), stood behind a group, another table for 4, that included the irrate driver. *Possibly a regular* After standing for 5 minutes, we decided to wait outside. We watched over 20 people get seated before us. Not one time did the girl seating people come to offer us coffee, or to explain that you grab a cup and help yourself. She did come outside to ask us if we wanted to sit in the blistering Florida heat. we declined and waited for a table. After 45 minutes of waiting, I walked inside, into the middle of a room filled with chatter, rather pleasant if you belong there. Not one waitress looked to assist me, nor did they offer any type of service or apology. After an agonizing 50 mintues of no table or coffee, a table for 2 opens and has 3 seats. The waitress comes up to me to ask if my party, 2 couples (4 grown adults) would like to squeeze in? A small round table, you know the type if you have been there, about 2 feet wide all around, full circle, I looked up at her and began to wonder, completely confused but giving her the benefit of the doubt (everyone there probably ate crisps of air and veggie broth in order to maintain boyish figures, they dont need space, or plates, or spoons for that matter, and for the love of god, dont sit them outside, they may burst or melt, depending on the work done) "I have been waiting for an hour!" (Maybe ten minutes less, who has a watch?) Really did the little fairy girl, after so much time I have now dubbed the name Lily Tree, not see that there was no physical way we could do that. Her response and the reason I write this letter "I am only trying to seat you." Yes she did offer to sit us outside, and there was now one table getting ready to pay, she said "Either you wait or not." I smiled, she left. No apology, no explination, basically, you wait, or as I saw it "Leave, you dont belong here." What else could I think of, why should my party not be allowed or able to sit or eat inside. Please tell me she isnt a Plant Alumni, not because she looks like she came out of the woods but because any feeble minded person could piece together that 2 couples sitting seperately outside, could sit seperately inside just as easily. 50 minutes earlier when she began seating all the other 2 top tables, she should have offered us the option first, at least then we dont bitch about waiting an hour to sit together, I see my son and his girlfriend everyday, they could sit on the other side of the room, 4 feet away, not a catastrophic disaster. Really Lily Tree, couldnt you just ask "Would you mind sitting next to each other instead?" I would have preferred that to waiting an hour. There is a list of things wrong with the service, the fact that for an hour we were completely unwelcome and ignored spruced up the birthday weekend, after an hour of waiting we walked out, nothing would save this dining experience, Andretti who almost ran us over, was in front of us, ate, and left as we sat outside, me melting in my Covergirl foundation and Target sweats, the waitress would not even make contact but made friends with every other flower child that walked in and out, amazingly some with no undergarments, and gravity seemed to not affect their body parts. Wow, breakfast there must be out of this fucking world, but I will never know, nor will I ever step foot into their establishment again. (tirade of DOAB vs Pinky's to be cont'd...)