Are you serious??? looks around room
Really - is he SERIOUS??
THATS you’re number ONE pet peeve?? Wow. Either you’ve been doing this too long, or not quite long enough. Bottom line - if I gotta go, YOU have to wait. I’m hardly risking a bladder infection so as to not aggravate YOU.
I’ll ask for my refill when I’m READY for it - not when it’s convenient for YOU to go get it.
I’m sorry - isn’t it part of your job, yanno, being in the SERVICE industry and all to HELP me make my selection? I’d hate to see what happens if someone asks for a recommendation. Geeze. :rolleyes:
I waited tables for a VERY long time (10+ years to be exact). Paid my way through school as a matter of fact. So I DO understand the aggravation that comes with the job. And there’s bigger ones than someone going to pee or not ordering their refill in a timely manner. If those are the things that bother you so much NOW, you may want to pick a new line of work. Just sayin’.
I had a waitress just a few days ago excuse herself before interrupting a conversation I was having with my preschooler. Alex complimented her for having good manners.
Usually when I am dropping off a check, people like to look it over and see what the total is, if they were charged correctly, etc. If you don’t want to do that and don’t want me to drop it off and pick up your credit card later, just have your credit card out when I bring the check and I will take it from you. Honestly, I’m sorry, but I have 16 tables to wait and I don’t have time for you to stare at the check while you’re going for your wallet, especially if you are going to start counting out cash. I promise I will zip back by in less than 2 minutes. If you absolutely cannot wait that long, I will wait. All you have to do is say, “Let me give you my card right now.”
My only complaint, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been mentioned by other waiters. Maybe it is because I work at a bar and not a fine dining establishment, but it seems I always get people who are too shy or else maybe they’re trying to be polite and so they quietly speak their order. “I’m a bloomin burger n’ fries?” “You want a bacon burger with french fries?” “Mushroom burger.” “A mushroom swiss burger with fries?” “No fries.” “Sorry, no fries, are chips okay then?” Nods.
People, there are 50 other people in the restaurant talking, not to mention the Blazer game that is cranked up on the TV so that it can be heard over the radio that is playing. I can’t hear you! Especially when you are at the other end of the table. And I don’t want to hunch down and get in your face so that you can whisper in my ear. I have a thing about personal space, plus, I most likely have pickle breath because I am constantly munching the dill spears while I am at work. Just yell it out at me, I would appreciate it.
This really is silly. Unless you are a kindergarten teach or a flight attendant then you don’t get to tell people when to use the bathroom. These are paying customers, and bathroom access is one of the things that they are paying for – if they wanted an uncomfortable experience they would go to the drive-thru and eat in the car. Do you really think someone should hold it in to make your job easier? Why not point them to the kitchen and tell them to get their own food, then your job would be easy as pie.
I am currently (and have been for some time) a server. One of the reasons you might get the “quick dropping off of the check” is because I think most servers feel it is rude to just stand there once the check is presented to wait for payment. HOWEVER, if I see someone going for their wallet once I put the check on the table, I assume they want to pay and get out and I will stay put. I usually say something like, “I’ll take care of that right away for you.” If I drop the check and the patrons just glance at it, my response is, “Here is your check. I’ll take care of that when you want. Don’t feel rushed, please take your time.”
This was going to be my contribution, too. I need a couple more minutes to decide sometimes, not an extra half hour.
You know what else gets you a reduced tip? Disappearing for half an hour while we’re waiting on you for something, and either I see you in the back yukking it up with co-workers, or you come back stinking of smoke. I don’t know how they work breaks in restaurants, but I’m pretty sure that customers waiting a long time for their server isn’t how it’s supposed to work.
I always wait until I’ve placed my dinner order before heading to the loo. What are we, all toddlers that we can’t wait five minutes to pee? Maybe you all need an abdominal ultrasound so you can get some perspective on REEEEEEEEALLY needing to pee.
All that said, we always notice how much better service is in US American restaurants than in Calgary ones. We expect lousy service here; it’s the norm. We just tip less, depending on how bad it was.
This doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it really upsets me. In a non-smoking restaurant, you think we won’t be able to smell the stench on your hair and clothes when you come in after a smoke break? Arrange a longer break so you have a chance to air out–and get someone else to cover your tables.
I worked as a line cook for three years, and I don’t ever recall even feeling the urge to spit in a customer’s food. Even in a place with an open kitchen, the cooks don’t match up the food they’re cooking with any given human being: it’s just fulfilling a ticket.
Worst case scenario, really, is if you send something back that’s too exacting, particularly on a busy night, you’re going to get the precise opposite. Not rare enough? Cows hurt worse than your steak will have gotten better. Not spicy enough? Your replacement food -will- burn at both ends.
Well why should I wait five minutes to use the bathroom if I have to go now? The bathroom is there for customers to use. If I am sitting in my seat and I have to go then I will not enjoy that five minutes of conversation with my friends. And the reason I am at a restaurant in the first place is so that I will enjoy my time there. And yes, I’m sure that my pain and suffering is minor in the grand scheme of things, but I would propose that the suffering caused by my server having to make one extra trip to my table is even more insignificant.
You’re not the only one that mentioned this, but the most convenient quote. I definitely agree with Featherlou. Have you not heard of using the bathroom before asking for a table? I generally ask what the wait is before I reserve a table; if it’s no wait, I use the bathroom if needed. If there’s a long wait, I’ll reserve a table and use the bathroom right away. If I don’t think I’m going to make it back by the time drink orders are in, I’ll request that my dining partner(s) order me a water. (I’m glad you do the same when you have to use the restroom.)
This is a reasonably big minus for me if I’m drinking a water and a flavored drink. I generally only want one glass of tea/lemonade/punch and giving me refills without asking is not what I’m expecting except for when it’s just water. I normally put my hand over it if I see someone with a carafe of [not water] coming my way, as I usually restrict myself to one flavored drink per meal.
Bouv, I realize that food service is a very difficult job and I admire you for having the stamina and the skill for getting through it. That said, while I will ordinarily try not to be a difficult customer, when it comes right down to it, I just can’t be bothered to ensure that your suggestions are complied with. If I’m eating by myself, that’s one thing. But if I’m with a group of people, each of whom has his or her own way of doing things, I’m not going to accept the burden of having to make sure that everyone does everything exactly as outlined in the OP.
Eating out is recreation. It’s unrealistic to expect people who are customers to be supremely efficient in the way they behave when they get to a restaurant. You know what, sometimes people really have to pee, and they’re going to go, and I’m not going to stop them. People are going to gossip and blather when they sit down and be disorganized, and very often someone’s going to say “let’s just start ordering; I’ll figure out what I want.”
It’s a social situation – people are not in the mindset to be diligent about reading the menu thoroughly and figuring out that, yes, I have to choose two sides, etc., before the waiter gets here.
I sympathize, I really do. But, while a handful of people my be diligent in following these guidelines, face it, it’s a social situation involving groups of people. This kind of efficient behavior is just not going to happen. I know it makes a difficult job more difficult, but it’s not going to change.
