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Wendy's - Gallup, New Mexico                                                             

We don't mean to pile on a place that already has more than enough problems but, Come On! The family stopped at the Wendy's in Gallup, New Mexico for a quick bite to break up a long drive and let us tell you that will be the last time. We aren't all that fond of fast food anyway but Wendy's at least offers a baked potato or salad to those who don't want a burger and the fries are generally pretty good. Anyway, we don't want to spend too much time on this, so here's what went down.

• It took thirty minutes to order and receive our food because, as the cashier explained, one of the employees in the back "wasn't cooking things right."
• When the food did come, the hamburgers were raw and the fries burned.
• There was no ketchup "anywhere in the restaurant including on the hamburgers" according to the same beleaguered cashier. (This particular Wendy's is directly adjacent to several large food marts offering gallons of ketchup for sale.)
• A drunk accosted our son in the restroom. grabbing out at him suddenly from a stall and asking him where he was going and if he had any money. The man's pants were around his ankles and a pool of vomit puddled at his feet.
• Meanwhile, a wandering band of three highly inebriated individuals stumbled up to us in the parking lot and while one begged for a ride "to California," another tried to get into the back seat of our car but was fortuitously rebuffed by the large black dog sleeping there. The third member of the party sat leaning against our vehicle urinating in her pants. It was eleven a.m. on a Tuesday.

Like we said, we realize that Gallup and the mostly indigenous folks who bide their time there have more than their share of challenges and providing quality fast food and friendly efficient service to jackasses like us who are just passing through their windswept berg on their way from one playground to another should not necessarily be high on their list of social concerns. However, this experience was comically bad enough that we felt we had to make note of it. What was meant to be a five minute restroom break and pick-up of some grub turned into a 45 minute ordeal that mildly traumatized our kids and didn't even end up providing us with any comestible sustenance. Certainly no major harm done but if you're traveling that way, you might want to pack a couple PB and J's for the ride.