Laura and I have only had a couple of occasions where we got what we ordered without issue. In fact, I don't think our desserts have ever been wrong and their milkshakes are pretty good. They get hot chocolate right. We have been to this restaurant at least 10-12 times in the past year. This may not seem like alot, but I'd say we've gone about once a month, which is more than we've been to any other Collingswood restaurant. The only place we've probably eaten at more regularly is King of Pizza and Saladworks. The best part about the Pop Shop, though, is that my meat eating friends and family can find what they like, and the wife and I don't have to settle for side salads and cheese based appetizers. God -- I sound like such an asshole at this point. Oh well.

Here is a list of examples that I'm trying to recall off the top of my head:

Laura's first visit was during opening week, but considering it is indicative of some of the same issues we've had, I'll include it: they waited an hour to get their food, which was breakfast stuff. drinks were ordered but never brought. The food was also not prepared well. Again, first week, so this isn't a big deal. except that they have only improved the amount of time it takes to serve people.

As for my personal experiences:
-Forgotten French fry order. -- i ended up cancelling it because the waitress took so long to do her 'check-up' visit that i was half done with my meal. and who wants a fresh basket of fries when you've eaten half your grilled cheese already?
-Forgotten drink. -- how this happens when drinks are usually the first thing they do is beyond me.
-French Fries were raw. -- You all know that this place makes dark fries. they're never burned, but they never look like the yellow-fries of McDonald's and Wendy's. So, how do the chef and the waitress create and serve uncooked fries?
-Took Laura's order for a strawberry milkshake and then took 15 minutes to make it. because, even though she was standing right by the counter, they managed to forget she was there.
-my sister ordered shoestring potatoes and she got potato wedges. -- These two things do not look alike. They are simply made from the same material. This would be like getting tomato sauce when you order a bowl of tomato soup. or some such nonsense.
-last week laura had to send back her grilled cheese because it had not been grilled. the cheese was still solid, the bread was as pale as a goth boy on halloween. I mean, seriously -- the preparation instructions ARE THE FUCKING TITLE! Who is cooking back there, a team of thumbless chimps with learning disabilities?

Tonight, however, was the trifecta. plus 1! Now, it's Monday night, and there are only about 2 tables with people, but apparently not one of the 5 employees (including the manager and the hostess) saw the need to clean off any of the tables. The booth next to ours didn't get bussed or cleaned for ten minutes. We were seated at a booth that had a few puddles of syrup on it. Apprently the hostess was tricked because there was already new silverware on the table! See, so it was supposed to be clean. I guess. Did you ever stick your hand in syrup when you weren't expecting it -- I don't mean that you're eating waffles and you get syrup on you. I mean, like, you do something natural like open your menu and rest your hands on the table and feel syrup. So, i wash my hands, but to no avail because there's syrup on my menu, too. I'd sigh at this point if i wasn't so disgusted.

the not-so-funny thing is that I actually waved over the hostess and asked her if the table could be cleaned or if we could move. She quickly grabbed Windex and a rag -- and then says "I looked at it when I was seating you and thought I saw something..." What the fuck does that MEAN? did she hope we'd miss it? "They'll never notice the pool of syrup, the fools!" I guess it was some kind of apology/ass-covering. But really "I thought i saw something?" She might be the worst hostess ever. And that's not a job that really requires much (when compared to the other jobs at a restaurant or a glass sorting factory. "Green glass goes there; clear glass, over there. I sort glass. That's my job. It was hard. but now, I know it by heart!")

Then i get my orange juice. in a glass that had more crust stuck on the inside than I prefer in my juice. I prefer none, if you're wondering. Then I take out my fork out and the prongs of my fork are sticky. Did a fucking bottle of syrup explode in this place? Maybe some kid fucking ate too much and burst into a million fat pieces. fucking fat kids in this country.

So, Laura and I order our simple meals (we both got omelets) and keep our fingers crossed. When the food comes out it looks great, though Laura's toast is a bit pale (they can't seem to toast shit in this place. I wonder if they're holding the bread over a fucking match to save money).

So, let me rephrase: everything looked good. And then I see the fucking bacon in my omelet that I had specifically asked to be left out. And the waitress wrote it down! I saw her scribble. Maybe she scribbled "asshole wants no bacon" but she wrote something. The waitstaff manages to take instructions, and they're always really nice about fixing mistakes, but the kitchen people seem to screw things up every time. And then the waitstaff manages to miss the fact that things are missing or un-cooked or dirty. Okay -- noticing bacon in an omelet is not something I would expect from a waitress, even though she only had 1 other table at this point. But seriously, how did our waitress last week bring us out a fucking grilled cheese that wasn't even lightly tanned? wouldn't you stop to think -- huh, grilled cheese should be grilled. It's pretty fucking logical.

So, yeah, mock me for expecting too much. But we've given this place so many chances that it's finally time to say goodbye to the Pop Shop. I imagine the fact that children make up 80% of their clientèle explains why the place is still in business. I've never seen a kid send back anything. Fat pieces of shit.