This is a First!

After sitting in this chair responding to customers complaints and compliments for four and a half decades, I thought I had seen it all. I was wrong. Read on.

8/5/13

Dear Amish Acres Restaurant,

My husband and I attended your Amish Acres Festival yesterday.  I was so disappointed after driving for 2 ½ hours to find that the cost of the Thresher Dinner is 19.95!!  

Come on now.. seriously… who can eat $19.95 worth of fried chicken/taters / etc??        

I realize that the price of food keeps going up .. but that price is ridiculous.  Gas prices are outrageous enough, then to find out the food prices are extreme also......what a disappointment. 

We drove from Indy and the family style fried chicken restaurants around here charge only 16.95 to 18.95 for the same kind of meal.  I realize this is only a few bucks.. but it is enough to make me not buy your over-priced meal.  Why charge a person so much for something they cannot even consume?

Why not lower your price a little to make this an affordable meal???   I don’t pay that much for a steak dinner at an exclusive restaurant.   We did not eat at your restaurant-- but most assuredly would have had the price been more reasonable and more affordable for the average family.

8/6/13

Dear Confused

My goodness! In all my forty five years owning Amish Acres I have never had anyone scream at me before about the price of our Threshers Dinner without having eaten it or know what is included in the price or not have the price right: It is $18.95.

9 to 5, What a Way to Make a Living

We received a number of complaints about the uncomfortable story of 1980's chauvinism of Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical. It was ironic the show was running during the sex scandal involving San Diego Mayor Bob Filner who was voted out of office by a 7-0 vote by the City Council for alleged inappropriate behavior around at least 17 women. So Dolly's observations in the 1980's still hold true some 30 years later. If the role of certain live theatre shows is not to face injustice and make its audiences uncomfortable, then we're not doing our job.

It, therefore, was refreshing to receive this letter from a patron which made our entire cast feel that their hard work was not in vain.

August 30, 2013
Please forward this e-mail to the Cast/Amber Burgess/etc.

This was, in a way, a trip back to the past for many of us who lived through those years. I never was in an office quite like this one, however I knew this sort of thing went on daily for many in the work-a-day world. I cringed at it back then as I did when you presented the show. It is good to "go back" and be reminded of how stupid people were/are.You did a very good job presenting this musical.

Timothy Leonard is so expressive when the "camera" is not on him. His face really tells a story as he goes to and fro. The choreography is so fun in this production, especially the use of hands to present a visual effect.

The Round Barn productions have almost always have casts who are very expressive when they are not the focal point. (perhaps that is a special class?) Oh, and thanks Amber for taking time to talk with us Wednesday Night after the show. I know it is time to thank the cast, but we have been looking for a chance to say Hi now that you are back in Nappanee.

Thanks for the picture we can put in our album of Round Barn favorites. We now simply have to sign up for next year! This will be year 8 or 9 for us (after 60 you tend to forget things).

As Mr. Grace always says (Are You Being Served) "You've All Done

Very Well"!....response: "Thank You Mr. Grace"!

See you in 4 1/2 weeks.

Mike and Kathy