No and how about you blondie? Do you have something to add? Or is this just another one of your moralizing posts?
I added that your post was pointless. I realize this is probably nothing new for you, but I thought I’d point it out anyway.
Life can be fair for certain issues if you make it fair. It’s not being selfish to want things to be fair, it’s called be willing to wait your turn, but when it is your turn, don’t disrespect the person’s turn it is.
Why do you appreciate someone guessing what you want? I am just curious as to why you want your server to GUESS what you want instead of YOU telling her or him what YOU want? Do you think servers have ESP or something?
If that were so true, WHY have we MANY of times tipped 25%-30%, if I was that unpleased? WHY would I go out to eat if I am never pleased? You can please me if you do things the FAIR way, try your best, and if you do mess up, be nice about it by apologizing as well as fix it as quickly as you can by being a CARING server instead of an uncaring one.
ohh…to the quick 
But my post wasn’t pointless, perhaps in your opinion, if it was indeed pointless then no one would have responded and it would have dropped down the page. So why would you feel the ‘need’ to point that out to me?
Look Springs is being unfair to **Glory **and is totally whining here. You maybe don’t agree. So what. You don’t like my posts, not something I will lose a lot of sleep over and I doubt you will lose any over mine. Do a search–I rarely post, usually about subjects I happen to know quite a bit about to be honest. Springs just rubbed the wrong way tonight. I have no wish to argue with you, but if you want to, hell I am game My beef isn’t with you though.
Because it isn’t that big of deal in the overall scheme of things. Truly–so they gave the mother the milk first. Did you really enjoy your meal less? Honestly? You don’t think perhaps the childs need might perhaps come before yours–especially when we are talking seconds at most? Honestly?
You know what that comment needed? A few more smilies.
I pointed it out because your white knight defense of Glory’s honor resulted in you acting like a 3 year old mocking child. Reread what you wrote and determine if you’d want anyone like that to defend you? I commented because I was almost positive I was about to see some rubber and glue nah-nah-nah next.
I have no interest in searching your posts. I’ve seen enough here.
But sometimes things happen. I would agree if they kept you waiting forever while they took care of some large party, etc. Where it truly did have an impact on your dining experience. A few seconds? Come on–truly that is not a big deal. If someone filled my drink up and I wanted something different–I would say, ‘can I have coke instead please?’ and 99.99999% of the time I am quite confidant that it wouldn’t be a big deal. So they made a mistake, in the big scheme of things it is a pretty small mistake wouldn’t you say? I mean is it really worth messing with their rent money over?
There you go
thanks for your comments. I will take them under advisement and sleep on them tonight 
ohhh another one for you!
Maybe this thread should be moved to the pit?
Or possibly the SDMB Pettiness Hall of Fame?
Nah–I will be nice. I am just curious though since you do this for a living. Given the whole evening you work, when someone comes in you have to know almost immediately if they are going to consume a lot of your time don’t you? And given that most of your tables will be happy with good service, don’t you have to make some judgements as to which tables to pay the most attention to? Not sure what type of restaurant you work in, but tips make a huge part of your take home pay doesn’t it? My wife and I are good tippers and you would have to do something truly whacko to lose a tip from us. My experience is that I rarely (I can count on one hand) get bad service. But I have friends who complain about the same restaurant and how bad the service is, etc. But those friends are also super critical about everything and I can’t help but feel they give off the ‘no tip’ vibe and thus get ignored. Is that true?
I’m not a waiter now, that was years ago.
But like some of us have said, servers aren’t telepathic. Things like “my drink is supposed to be topped-off continually, that’s how it’s done,” or “I’d like to finish my drink before you interrupt my conversation,” are things you can’t tell, even after you’ve talked to them a bit. Now if a mom comes in pushing a baby carriage towing three small children behind, it doesn’t take a scientist to know that table is going to be time consuming. And very, very messy.
You can tell from people’s demeanor whether they’re going to be pleasant or not, but you can’t tell whether they’re going to be high-maintenance. A cold, not very pleasant older couple who have been dining out for decades may know exactly what they want during the entire meal, order it all at once, and be out of the restaurant in no time. I wouldn’t ignore a table like that. If anything, I’d work harder to get everything quickly, since they probably don’t like sitting around long anyway.
OTOH, the nicest, friendliest young couple could end up being totally picky and needy and indecisive and time-consuming. In a very nice way, but still twice the work & time of the other tables.
I don’t think I’ve ever deliberately avoided a table. If I don’t like them, I’ll try harder to get them out faster.
Your friends who are super picky probably aren’t being ignored, they probably have unrealistic expectations about how long things take. Then again, if we’re taking about just the one restaurant and all the servers know all about them - all bets are off. There could be a fight going on in the kitchen over who’s has to take them. If they’re regulars and everyone knows they never tip and they’re PIA’s, yeah I could see some reluctant service. That’s not a “no tip” vibe, that’s common knowledge there.
Thanks for your comments Levdrakon. I just thought there might be some indicators that this table was not going to tip well. In my industry I know within two minutes of talking to my client if they are worth me even taking them on as a client. Some clients are best given to your competition!
I recall when my daughter was young we would take her into a restaurant and I swear I could hear the whole staff sigh! But by the end of the evening they were all joking with her and us, and all in all it was a great time. My daughter learned how to behave in a restaurant, and I always left an extra large tip because she still made a mess (hey she was three or four). But she does great at restaurants now at age 13, speaks clearly to the waiter (instead of to me!) and orders what she wants and says thank you, etc.
As for my friends, I think it is because they are truly high maintenance. It isn’t repeat performance issues going on. They truly are just picky and I think you hit it on the head about having unrealistic expectations.
I agree with you that I don’t expect wait staff to be telepathic, but I never got the vibe from many people that was an expectation. I guess I come from the viewpoint that dining out isn’t a flawless experience. There are lots of variables and lots of things can and will go wrong. Just part of the process. I would only impact the tip if the waitstaff actually truly made the dining experience unpleasant and stressful. But filling up my water or bringing me a fresh soda? Seems like such a little thing to get wound up about. It has been my experience that most wait staff work their butts off and so I cut them a lot of slack–it seems like a difficult way to make a living and the system in place in the US makes them dependent on that tip. So I am not going to mess with someone’s rent money unless they truly do impact in a meaningful way my dining experience. And with that I bid this thread good night.
(bolding mine)
Listen, Miss Bodoni, I happen to like Red Lobster and think it is a quality restaurant. So there.
I also think Springs1 needs a timeout. Waitressing ain’t easy.
I don’t think that any chain restaurant can really be high quality. Now, it can be very good, but not the best. Going to an independent isn’t a guarantee of high quality, either, but I happen to like independents because I WON’T get the corporate atmosphere. If I’m on the road, then I’ll likely go to a chain, because it’s a known quantity. I know that I’ll have a decent eating experience. It won’t be great, but it probably won’t be a disaster, either. If I’m in my home town, then I like to either go to an independent that I know, or try a new independent.
I happen to like several small restaurants around my home, but they aren’t really quality dining. They’re just everyday restaurants, suitable for enjoying a mundane meal, but they use paper napkins, of course there’s no napkin rings, and there’s no mouthwas in the ladies’ rooms. There might very well be mouthwash available in the gents’ rooms, but I wouldn’t know.
I consider a quality restaurant to be something like The Covey. The servers there are knowledgable, and will ask the chef if there’s any question about their ingredients. I am particularly fond of the lamb chops, as Outback always overseasons their lamb, and it’s difficult to find lamb as an entree anywhere else. The fillet and ribeye are very good, too. Bring a friend if you want to try the chocolate mousse, it’s extraordinarily rich. It’s a very relaxing atmosphere (unless there’s a game on, in which case I eat in the dining room rather than the pub) and the service is outstanding. The servers do their best to read my mind, and I appreciate it. They don’t have napkin rings or mouthwash, but they have just about everything else.
Oh, and it’s either Ms or Mrs…I’ve been married for over 30 years, so I am not a Miss.
[snipped a bit]
My post was written with a nudge and a wink, but I have never, as Og is my witness, ever been to a restaurant with mouthwash in the bathroom. This truly astounds me. Is it a communal bottle? Are there little plastic samples? Is it safe to gargle in a restaurant bathroom? Bizzare.
Oh, and I’ve been married for 24 years and I love being called Miss.
People like Springs1 make me shudder to recall my waitressing days.
I bartend now, which means I have the authority to refuse service; if her posting style is anything like her real life personality, I’m afraid that I’d have to politely ask her to leave.
There’s a large dispenser with a tap/spigot on it. There’s also a supply of disposable paper cups, and I do believe that most people will throw the cup away rather than put it back in the stack. I’ve only encountered one restaurant (Bonnell’s, http://bonnellstexas.com/ ) that has this, but I’ve been to dentists that have a similar arrangement. It’s like this, only larger. And I must say, the ladies’ rooms in both Bonnell’s and in The Covey have always been immaculate and sweet smelling.
I usually don’t gargle, but I do take advantage of the mouthwash and do a pretty good swish. Maybe I’m fooling myself, but I think it does improve my breath and helps remove any debris.
So Miss, how you doin’?
Somebody had to say it