Below average service at Not Your Average Joe's

I went with friends last night to the Firehouse to see a play, "Funny Money," directed by Newburyport's own Peter Honegger (and wife Lois, Mayor Moak's executive secretary).

I'm not much into theatrical productions, but it was quite good.

The point is, I had not eaten before I went, so I nipped into Not Your Average Joe's afterwards to order up a burger to go. There had been much talk of burgers earlier in the day, at my mother's house.

I walked in and moved to the station labeled "Joe's To Go." A waitwoman sidled up and I said I wanted to get a burger to go. She said she didn't do "to go" orders, but thought this other woman, who was putting bottles of liquor onto shelves behind the bar, did. She called to the woman, who responded (without stopping putting the bottles on the shelves or turning around) that she was, indeed the appropriate person.

So I wandered over to the bar, where she continued to stock the shelves and ignore me until she was done.

Bad; very bad. And the burger was only 'so-so' to boot!

Anyway, in about an hour I'm off to the River Merrimack Bar & Grill, where they're holding a grand opening. I'm going as a guest of the Port Planet. So I'll be reporting back!