You gotta love Carrabba's Italian Grill! We recently relocated from California to Florida. We visited many nice cities along our travels. As long as we dined in restaurants over many years, we never experienced an incident such as what will be described in real facts below. The original Carrabba's Italian Restaurant located on 3115 Kirby Drive cost us $10,000 in a car theft incident.
We left San Antonio a week ago. Downtown San Antonio is nice place to visit. The Riverwalk features exclusive restaurants, shops and hotels. After staying in the Victorian Menger Hotel near the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio, we continued on our travels to Central Florida.
We planned to stay in New Orleans, La. Along the way, we decided to use our Carrabba's gift card. Houston was about a few hundred miles away from San Antonio. For some strange reason, we stayed on course to eat at this overpriced, inconsiderate Italian restaurant in Houston, Texas.
The traffic begin to crowd the I-10 freeway near Katy, Texas. We got stuck in traffic for an hour. However, I decided to use GPS to guide us off the packed freeway and to the original Carrabba's Italian Grill in an exclusive area in Houston, Texas. We finally arrived at the Carrabba's Italian Grill at around 3:45 pm. We were definitely hungry and Carrabba's seemed to be a safe choice then.
All our personal belongings were in the trunk, with some of our more expensive items stored in sealed bags tucked in the backseat - mostly hidden out of plain view. The Acura Integra back windows are tinted. We left nothing out in the open. The front driver and passenger seats were clear of any items. The driver and passengers windows are also tinted.
The regular parking area that most restaurants use for parking was instead converted into a valet parking. Carrabba's constructed a parking structure for customers who elected to not use their valet parking service. We assumed the restaurant was closed because there were only a few cars around.
However, several cars were parked inside the parking structure, about 20 feet away from the restaurant and in plain view. We didn't open the trunk to attract attention to our personal belongings.
We walked to the Carrabba's Italian Grill entrance. The host greeted us. We requested a table for two. She sat us and indicated the server would visit soon. We viewed the high priced menu, almost leaving the restaurant in the process. Nothing is that affordable in this restaurant. It is definitely no Olive Garden.
Again, we decided to not leave. We almost left while in the parking structure. We ordered a pasta and chicken special and spaghetti with sausage. The server dropped off bread with oil and rosemary and parsley.
Moments later, the food arrived. We ate Carrabba's sub-par food. We wanted to use our $50 gift card to save money. We already spent a lot on our cross-country travel. We ordered tiramisu to boost the check up so that I could use my credit card to add a tip. The check reached $45.99. The server decided to only use the gift card to cover the bill. We usually tip good. I knew $4.01 is far too little. The gift card does not include an option to leave a tip.
Most servers know that you want to tip them. The reason we included the credit card is to give him a tip. We anticipated to use partial gift card and credit card. He returned to say that we had enough on the gift card, so we didn't have to use our credit card. At that moment in time, I planned to leave the restaurant to visit the car. I wanted to drive across the street to buy something to get cash.
But again, we stayed in the restaurant. We ordered one hot tea to pay with the credit card. We told the server we wanted to leave him a tip. He told us that he appreciated our generosity. After the hot tea bill arrived, I placed the credit card inside the guest book. The server disappeared for awhile with the check.
He finally arrived with the guest book. I gave the server a good tip and signed the check. By this time, we didn't enjoy our food and the dessert was terrible. We tried to be as appreciative as possible since many people don't have the luxury to eat.
We dined inside Carrabba's approximately 45-50 minutes. While inside the Italian restaurant, thieves broke out our driver side window and robbed us for all our belongings in the backseat. As we previously mentioned, we safeguarded everything the best we could without drawing any attention to our vehicle.
We approached the vehicle, noticing the driver side window broken out. The window seemed to be curled up like plastic wrap. A police officer who worked for the restaurant was already there. He begin to confuse me with another person who lived in Houston. He kept saying are you this person who lives in Houston? He said why does the license plates bring up this Houston address? I was getting the criminal treatment.
I responded to this police officer that I had no clue what he is talking about. We were in shock because everything in the car except for the trunk was gone. We lost everything! This police officer continued to harass me about being someone else. I had to show my driver license. He requested me to open the door to show him my registration and insurance. However, the lowlife thieves already took those documents.
The police officer told us that we did everything right. He mentioned that it is possible that some network of thieves caught onto their security downtime - the restaurant claim they don't have security active between 2-5pm. They have security in the morning hours when the restaurant is closed, but not during the hours between 2-5pm while customers dine inside the restaurant. The restaurant is thus less than 90% secured.
The police officer realized we were in shock and pissed off at the same time. This window was broken in their parking lot in daylight hours and while they were on their long break. To make matters worse, the police officer told us Carrabba's Italian Grill is located an exclusive area in Houston. We saw these rich homes down the street, the kind of homes that you would see in Beverly Hill, Ca.
The police officer shared that two state=of-the-art surveillance cameras were pointing at the car. However, the restaurant still haven't viewed the film footage yet. It has been over a week after this first-time first theft incident occurred in their new parking structure.
The police officer shared that this original Carrabba's spends thousands of dollars per week on security. What good does security do for this restaurant when they don't have any officer posted between 2-5pm? It is possible criminals are a step ahead of the security? Can they just break a window out without one person hearing it? In this case, the criminals are smarter than Carrabba's worthless security.
We trusted the original Carrabba's restaurant. We got robbed for $10,000 worth of personal belongings. We were outside travelers who visited Houston, Texas, a terrible city we will never visit again. The car theft occurred in daylight hours. The Carrabba's Italian Grill at 3115 Kirby Street in Houston, Texas showed no compassion beyond the manager having the busboy vacuum the glass, offering us drinks and replenishing our Carrabba's gift card. That is the only star we give this Italian restaurant.
We lost pretty much everything we owned. Apple laptop, sensitive information, purchases, digital cameras, Passport, Sony DVD Cam, Barnes & Noble Nook, gold jewelry, clothes, leather jacket, and about 4-5 pages of other personal possessions were stolen in broad daylight.
Beware of the original Carrabba's Italian Grill on 3115 Kirby Drive in Houston, Texas. The rich surrounding is deceiving to customers. One customer drove pass us while we made the police report. He asked whether we we had a break-in. We confirmed we had a break-in and lost everything. He immediately drove off.
I called the general manager the next day. He apologized for the incident, noting that nothing ever had happened in the past. It was the first time ever with this new structure. He tried to diffuse the situation with sharing that his employee lost their gym bag in another parking structure. What comparison does a gym bag have to $10,000 worth of personal belongings and sensitive information and documents?
Once I mentioned I wanted to submit an itemized list. he said that people all across America get robbed on every street corner. It is obvious this general manager has no clue of the severity of the theft. He also shared the security downtime as well. We were placed into the U.S. crime rate category rather than treated as Carrabba's guests.
Beware of this Italian restaurant. Don't let security, surveillance cameras, and the nice area fool you. If you dine as this restaurant, be alert of your surroundings. Pay close attention of any suspicious activity. Avoid confronting any criminals stealing items inside cars. Ask yourself - is it really worth the risk to lose everything to eat mediocre Italian food? Do you want your window broken out? Want to pay $240 out of your hard earned money to fix the window?
Carrabba's Italian Grill could care less about your possessions. They will distance themselves from having to pay for any damages or possessions. The Director of Operations noted the restaurant displayed a sign up that you park at your own risk. If we viewed this sign, we would have definitely left the right way. We can't visit again to take any pictures since the thieves took our two digital Canon Elph cameras. We can't use a video camera, also another stolen item in the robbery.
Carrabba's insurance company Town and Country is even more unsympathetic toward the incident. The Rebecca lady said the restaurant is not obligated to provide security. She says it is not a service customers are entitled. She claims the restaurant offers the security service at their own discretion. She never allowed me to file a claim. It's nice to know that she considers the Carrabba's robbery incident a U.S. crime rate statistic. It is probably a good idea to avoid using Town and Country insurance due to their narrow thinking.
You'd think this lady would show more compassion. However, she gave me an attitude the entire time. Did she have to drive 1250 miles with no window while getting wet during the downpour and being unable to park to sleep? No! Did she drive through a cold fog? No! This woman has no clue of the incident and the loss. She tried to compare this theft to someone hitting her car in a garage and leaving. The difference is that we experienced a theft on their property. It is the first-time this incident had occurred there. Shouldn't Carrabba's and Town and Country want to show more compassion and respect? I guess not.
Our window got broken out in broad daylight while the state-of-the-art surveillance recorded the car theft. Security hired on for some unknown reason enjoyed their daily 3-hour break between 2-5pm. Our driver side window got broken out between 3:45-4:45pm. Customers walked in an out of the restaurant during the time we dined. We got robbed for everything we owned. It was nice of the robbers to leave one jacket.
This Rebecca lady at Town and Country insurance representative has no clue. The general manager at the Carrabba's Italian Grill has no clue. The Director of Operations has no clue. The police office assigned to take the report greeted me in an unfair manner while we tried to understand what had occurred. The initial shock of the theft hadn't sunken in yet.
As a writer, I lost everything I ever written. Screenplays, stories, presentations, college work, articles, and a ton of other writing samples are now gone. The thieves took my quote book with 3,500 original quotes. The black book is titled "Quotes to Live By." Nonetheless, the thieves left behind my Success magazine. It is obvious they are not looking to follow the ethical career plan. These lowlife thieves are looking to score quick cash.
Carrabba's Italian Grill located on 3115 Kirby Drive is the restaurant where we endured a loss at above $10,000. Nobody who is part of the restaurant chain cares about the loss. It has been a week since the theft, and their corporation and management never followed-up to ask if we arrived home, considering that this is the first-time incident of this magnitude occurred at their parking structure.
I guess the restaurant is trying to profit off of their traditional parking area. What most restaurants use as their customer parking is now converted into valet parking at the original Carrabba's Italian Grill in Houston, Texas. We tried to save money with using our Carrabba's gift card. We were travelers from California passing through to have a quick lunch.
We lost pretty everything we owned at Carrabba's. Their so-called top security team are not hired on between 2-5pm, a time that the police office who worked there and one who took the police report admitted. The general manager also repeated 3-hour lapse again the next day. The Director of Operation apologized and said they are cooperating with a Houston police department that took three days to create the case number.
Nobody in Houston cares. One police offer claims a 5-year old could break into a car. Can a 5-year old carry a 50 pound luggage bag? I doubt it. There is always an excuse in Houston. It does not matter if we are discussing sports and or criminal activity. Houston is a wasteland. Don't risk your safety stopping in this city.
We heard nothing about the video tape that shows the thieves robbing us blind. Wouldn't you want to view a video tape of an incident to prevent a future event? What if we had walked on the scene to find these robbers stealing everything? My first instinct would be to prevent them from robbing us. However, these criminals would not think twice to use weapons and or to harm us.
Carrabba's Italian Grill and their corporate office are trying to sweep this robbery under the rug. They show no compassion for an incident that they had part in to increase the risk. Whereas we are not obligated to have security, customers are tricked into believing their security service will make them safe. If we can get robbed in daylight hours as travelers passing through, customers must be alert to minimize theft, assault, and other serious encounters. They must use pre-caution to keep safe, especially during the security downtime.
If the risk to get robbed, assaulted and possibly get hurt do you think it is worth the risk to eat mediocre Italian food? We think not. Because of our destined stop at the original Carrabba's Italian Grill located at 3115 Kirby Drive in an exclusive area in Houston, Texas, we lost everything we own. When we planned to start fresh, we didn't ask to get robbed. We traveled to many cities across America, but deciding to visit Houston, Texas for less than 1 hour cost us big.
I never thought much of Houston, Texas. I avoided the city when passing through in 2005. We should've avoided a city with people who could care less about your safety. Why put your family at risk to visit Houston. You can see tall skyscrapers in Dallas and San Antonio. To visit Houston is putting your family at risk of getting robbed. This Carrabba's Italian Grill proved that you can get robbed in broad daylight. It only takes 10 minutes to lose everything.
Carrabba's Italian Grill and their Town and Country insurance company are oblivious to the theft that occurred at their restaurant on April 16, 2-12 at 3:45-4:45pm. This Italian restaurant and their insurance company Town and Country are unsympathetic toward a first-time theft on this property in this so-called safe parking structure. There you have it, we got robbed in daylight hours at the original Carrabba's Italian Grill.
Never let your guard down for one second. Good looks are obviously deceiving in an exclusive area. If you feel unsafe, you are better off visiting Olive Garden to eat better Italian food. You won't even get a salad at Carrabba's Italian Grill without paying a fortune. $140 bottles of wine are not worth the cost when you can get robbed.
Remember, the Carrabba's Italian Grill on 3115 Kirby Drive in Houston, Texas does not have security on between 2-5pm. The restaurant have no compassion for a loss, especially when no prior robbery had occurred there in the past. They will not call you back to check to see if you made it home safe, considering you had to drive 1250 miles in strong rain and in fog with no driver side window. It's all good to Carrabba's because their main goal is to profit off of their customers.
We are educated. We both earned AA's, BA's and MPAs. Between the two of us, we possess seven college degrees. I am a prolific writer. Now, I have no way of buying another laptop computer, a nice Apple I received as a college graduation present is gone. We got robbed at the original Carrabba's. It stinks. The theft there seems too random.
What a nice visit to Houston, Texas. The first time we enter Houston, Texas, we get robbed at the original Carrabba's Italian Grill. We are made to believe that everyone gets robbed on every street corner across America. Carrabba's and their insurance company consider us a U.S. crime rate statistic.
The truth is that we traveled everywhere in California and never got robbed once. We drove and parked in the worst parts of Los Angeles, and not once did we get robbed. It is too random to visit Houston for the first time and to eat at the original Carrabba's Italian Grill the first time and get robbed for the first time during the exact time there is no security and this theft is the first time with this new parking structure.
We hope you use precaution because it is no worth your risk to eat mediocre Italian food. Carrabba's Italian Grill, as a cohesive unit, will choose to ignore your loss to avoid paying out money. How can a restaurant build a relationship with customers with this poor, unprofessional behavior? I know how to serve customers. I worked at many restaurants as a server while in college. I never once heard of any customers getting robbed and losing valuables.
Maybe the California license plates attracted attention. Who knows the real truth? Carrabba's doesn't want to share the video of the robbers breaking out our window and stealing our personal belongings during our relocation from California to Florida. In our opinion, avoid Houston, Texas altogether. It is an unfriendly place to visit.
Dine at Carrabba's Italian Grill at your own risk. The bad Italian food is not worth losing your personal possessions and having to pay $240 to repair a broken window while the Carrabba's security are enjoying their break and or the restaurant is trying to save money with ignoring your loss.
We tried to save money with using the Carrabba's gift card. As a result, we lost pretty much everything we own. We were treated like a American statistic rather than actual customers. Dine at Carrabba's Italian Grill at your own risk. The Houston police department claim that car theft has gone down while car break-ins have gone up. If anything happens to you at Carrabba's Italian grill, the restaurant will most likely tell you it happens all across America so deal with it.
Just in case you decide to go to the original Carrabba's Italian Grill, here is a map; dine at your own risk and remember there is no security between 2-5pm daily and know that our car window got bashed-in to lose $10,000+ in personal belongings while relocating to get jobs with our college degrees and we had to pay $240 to repair window and nobody from the restaurant contacted us to see if we made it home safely.
