IHOP follow up

I had a bad experience at the Fort Stockton, TX IHOP this summer and wrote a letter about it to the main office...

well, the next day (9/5/2008), I received the following email reply:

Dear Ms. B:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us concerning your experience at the IHOP in Fort Stockton. While it is always disappointing to learn that we have not lived up to our guest's expectations, it is invaluable to receive feedback so that we are able to continually improve our level of guest satisfaction.

We are sorry to learn of the service level and food quality you encountered at this franchised location. However, please be assured that the matter will be shared with the proper individuals to address your concerns.

I have forwarded your concerns to IHOP's Franchise Business Consultant for the Southwest region. They will contact the franchise owner regarding your recent dining experience in this restaurant. We are confident that the franchise owner or his representative will contact you shortly to better understand your concerns. It is our hope that you will once again allow us to earn your trust.

Thank you for keeping us informed.

Sincerely,

Teara P.
Guest Services Representative
IHOP Restaurant Support Center


Now, more than a month later--nothing.
I'm thinking that the problem may lie WITH the franchise owner, not just his employees..
I just don't think that I would let my investment be so trashed. Then again, this restaurant is visited by a majority (I'm betting 90%) transient population so they could actually start over the NEXT day with a whole new clientele like nothing ever happened.
I'm sure this also makes it hard to find other employees also. Literally the only businesses in this town are hotels and restaurants.
IHOP is the only place that is open 24hrs.
Ft Stockton is in the middle of a vast expanse of nothing in west Texas. We actually had to visit a few hotels before we found a place that had a room even. There are a lot of travellers and one employee of a hotel told us that the oil companies rent out blocks of rooms for their workers for weeks at a time.

I guess I'll wait and see what happens...