Friday, April 27, 2007

Au Bon Pain, 19th & M, Washington, DC

Oh man, does it pain me to write this one. I really love Au Bon Pain especially now that they have such a wonderful variety of soups. The one I reviewed is across the street from my hair salon, and I often run in there after an appointment to grab some soup before I head home. I have never entered the restroom facilities and now that I have, my afternoon soup runs (at least to this location) may be a thing of the past. I don't know where to begin, because honestly there was not one redeeming quality. OK maybe one; there weren't any living organisms visible to the naked eye. EVERYTHING was dirty!! The walls were dirty and appeared to never have had a wipe down, the caulk around the commode was dirty as was the commode itself. Additionally, the tank cover was missing pieces. The floor was wet and there was paper strewn about the room. There was unidentifiable black gunk on the walls by the auto paper towel dispenser. They almost got a point for having the automated towel dispenser, but it was NOT working! The blue soap dispenser was dripping and would not dispense additional soap. The lighting was very dim, which is probably a good thing because additional light would only show more grime . The trashcan by the door was also dirty and needs to be replaced. It did appear someone tried to wipe down the mirror, but I'm certain they used a filthy rag to do it. This was a huge disappointment and I expected much better from one of favorite places. Get it together people!!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Lavatory Lady, you are the best!!! I totally believe in the philosophy of paying close attention to details in any establishment. Ah Bon Pain, you could learn a thing or two from the Lavatory Queen!!!!!

coloncleanse07 said...

I visited the Au Bon Pain on 8th ave in Manhattan earlier this year . I would rate it as average in terms of bathroom cleanliness . I was a little hungover and decided that the tarragon chicken would help soothe me . I devoured my meal with an orangina and hit the lavatory . I did'nt anticipate doing so but I ended up having really bad diareaha . After I finished I washed my hands and exited . No sooner had I left and a guy entered . Whoowee I feel for him . That bathroom was a friggin haz mat zone ........

mmafan said...

I'll just say this..If the bathroom of a restaurant is filthy, I will NOT eat there. Thanks for your blog.