We weren't necessarily saying that going straight to email the manager was a 'wrong' thing to do, it just seemed like an overstep if you didn't really attempt to get it corrected at the time.
The problem with that is you never know who you're going to talk to. A part time shift manager probably would comp your meal, and never breath a word of the complaint to the GM. And anything I would have said about the "atmosphere" would most likely have been taken as the ranting of a bitter Cyclone fan. In an e-mail, I can temper myself, sound a little more professional, and make sure I'm communicating with someone who actually has the power to change things.