I love writing a personal message on the “merchant” slip! Usually it is “Thanks for the GREAT service _______!”
And I add a smiley face.
I usually tip about 35% of the tab.
It results in my server remembering what my favorite beer is, and plus, I get a big smile when he/she sees me the next time, and that just makes my day.
Q
I think that word doesn’t mean what you think it means.
fre⋅quent
–verb (used with object)
4. to visit often; go often to; be often in: to frequent the art galleries.
In other words, you can visit a place once or even occasionally without “frequenting it”.
Note: I just checked in on this train wreck to see why it was still going. I have no idea what the heck this whole tangent is about. And, for the record, I find that a lot of restaurants now make it policy to charge a ludicrous amount of money for soda/cola/pop and then give you a lot of free refills whether you want them or not. I often have to stop them from giving me more. Whether or not I frequent the place.
I can’t find it right now, but the wonderful world that is springs1 contains a response to one of her many admirers that states that she had a horrible experience at some non-chili’s restaurant that she never went to… ???
She then details the experience.
If being offered free refills of a beverage you ordered is a problem that actually causes you concern, then it is easy enough to fix. Let them fill up your drink and then don’t drink any more!
Voila!
I doubt they are going to take the time to bring you an auto refill unless they are A:not busy, and so inconveniencing no one, or B:have noticed you have been without a beverage for a bit, and they cannot catch your eye, and haven’t had the time to stop by your table, and don’t expect to be able to come by and then return with another drink.
I have to say that even with all of the supporting evidence supplied (Thanks, BEG and Springs1), it is really difficult for me to leave this t- ‘interesting person’ alone.
that said, I don’t think she is a mythological creature related to a goblin, i really think this is her… Follow some of those links.
What I find most amusing is that she must actually be either really talented as a typist, or she has a HELL of a lot of free time. While I know we don’t appreciate all the formatting, just look at the volume of words and think about all the extraneous keying that all the caps and asterisks require= and all are totally unnecessary…
That is indeed dedication.
Love you, springie! Can I get a donut and a hot chocolate?
:o
Oh, here…
She made the newsblog, and with pictures, even.
She seems to be a one-trick pony. Too bad. The trouble with having only one trick is that once your audience tires of it, you have to gather your props and move on.
See ya, Springs1. You know what they say about swinging doors and all that.
Oh, and Hakuna Matata, you’re singing my song. Thanks for your PM. 
This thread just weirds me out. Are all of your lives that small that these little rules you make up in your head (and expect waiters to understand intuitively) that important to you?
And if refills are that much of a consternation, stop going to crappy chain restaurants and go to a real, adult restaurant…no free refills equal less painful stuff for you to think about.
Restaurants are supposed to be relaxing, you don’t have to cook, you don’t have to clean up and hopefully, you have an interesting and fun evening with your partners or friends. Why treat the experience as if you’re engaged in World War III?
I’ve been to super cheap hole in the walls and I’ve been to very expensive restaurants and all sorts of restaurants in between and I can’t remember the last time (if ever) I felt I had bad service.
But then I think life’s short to care how my water glass was refilled.
OK, Springs1, I too am amused by this thread.
You believe service should be done one way. The entirety of the posters in this thread believe it should (or can) be done another way. Clearly you’re not swayed by the fact that you’re the ONLY person in this thread who holds your viewpoint. Fair enough. Let me try a different tact.
Is there anyone you know of who agrees with you? Is there any person, any authority, any blog not written by you that you can cite to show an agreement with your viewpoint? I’m doubting this to be the case because you’d probably have at least referred to it in your dozens of posts here. But I eagerly await being proven wrong.
That is NOT ME! You believe everything on the internet, don’t you?
I PROMISE YOU with every fiber of my being, that is NOT ME!
Levdracon said this, pg 5, post #250:
“What you’ve just described is basically mind reading. I like one glass of water and/or one cup of coffee and that is all I want. I don’t like top-offs & unlimited refills. I want the one drink I ordered and I want to able to finish it, as is.”
This person agrees with me. I bet you ignored that, didn’t you?
It doesn’t matter WHO agrees with me, it matters what the FACTS ARE that servers aren’t supposed to order for their customers without permission to do so. That’s a FACT, NOT an opinion. It’s a FACT when you order a soft drink or tea or water, that you can change the drink if you want to and that the server may waste valuable time getting an unwanted item if they don’t find out first if it’s wanted.
The menu is there for CUSTOMERS, which is FACT, NOT an OPINION. It is NOT there for the wait staff to make decisions from it for their customers unless specifically told to do so by the customers.
It’s a FACT that you’re fully off your gourd.
I think you’re talking about me, but I think you’re taking what I said out of context, or you missed my point. The point was, the service is different, in different restaurants. Just because a particular restaurant has different service policies than I prefer is no reason to start docking the tip. I know damn well if a server comes by every five minutes and tops off my water it’s because his boss told him to. If I don’t want water I’ll say “no thank you.” I sure as hell am not going declare the service BAD because they don’t do it like I think they should.
Another issue is take-home containers. I read one woman here say she docked the tip because the server brought empty containers for her to fill herself. I was appalled because I really do not like it when the server snatches my dinner and someone back in the kitchen decides what I wanted off my plate. Give me the containers and let me do it, thanks.
Well, every restaurant is different, and my way isn’t THE way.
There is no golden tablet with the laws of correct serving etched into it. The way YOU like things is not “the way it’s done.”
The thing is, I can go to Chili’s one day, get refills without being asked, while another day, not get that. Do you see that it’s not the restaurant’s policy, it’s the SERVER? We frequent Chili’s quite often, so there are rare times where we get servers that do that. We do SOMETIMES get servers that give refills without asking or being asked at Chili’s. So quit blaming it on the “RESTAURANT” and blame it on the “SERVER” that is at fault. It’s obviously not a rule that HAS to be followed or they get fired, because I wouldn’t see these people for YEARS work there, now would I, nor would I rarely get refills without being asked or asking?
I AGREE 100% with you on this issue. I feel that the servers should give you an option rather than just give you boxes, that way, the customer can say yes or no to the question.
I feel the customers can be proactive in that situation by asking their server “Can you please box this up for me, I’d really appreciate it?” If they really want that to happen, WHY HOPE, when you can ASK for it to happen? Don’t expect a server to read your mind is what I say to those customers that act like they should get this or that in their service.
It’s the way for us at many chains MANY times. Only sometimes do servers get refills without us ordering them or us asking.
I don’t declare bad service just because they do that. I just take off points off the tip, maybe a percentage or so, depending on how many times they were inconsiderate like that.
Btw, sorry I misspelled your name. I was looking at it, then went to post spelling it out, not thinking about there was a “k”, not a “c”, sorry.
Moving rant from IMHO to The BBQ Pit.
Okay, I get it now. It’s a collossal whoosh.
Good one!
I beleive you. But you have to admit, it’s a not too horrible parody of your style, right?
OTOH, I think they crossed a line by pretendig to be you. That’s simply wrong.
So you don’t declare it bad service, you just reduce the tip because the server was unable to read your mind and know what you want.
And do you seriously figure your tip to precise percentage points? I have this image of you sitting at your table after you get your check, using a calculator to determine exactly what 13% of the bill is, then counting out that exact amount to the penny.
Why don’t you just stay at the mental institution and eat there?
NO, I reduce the tip, because they didn’t give me a “CHANCE” to place my own order or if they asked me, that I was able to tell them what I wanted.
THEY DECIDED TO TRY TO READ MY MIND BY NOT LETTING ME ORDER FOR MYSELF OR ASKING ME! Do you understand that it’s THEM TRYING TO READ MINDS, NOT ME? I am innocently sitting there waiting to place my order, which then comes the server with a refill I NEVER ONCE SAID I WANTED.
I don’t expect them to read my mind. I expect my server to do like MANY OTHER servers do and are SUPPOSED TO DO, which is letting ME ORDER FOR MYSELF as it’s SUPPOSED TO BE. That’s why they have a pad and paper. That’s why they ask YOU what YOU want and why YOU get a MENU. It’s supposed to be all the CUSTOMER’S DECISIONS as to what food or drinks end up on the customer’s table. Even if it’s something required, the server can still ASK BEFORE taking it off the tray.
For your information, I ROUND, whether it would be down or up to the nearest quarter or dollar. I don’t leave pennies in the tip. Especially, because since we just about never pay with cash, WHY? If I think the tip should be 14% on a $40 check, that’s $5.60, which I would just leave $5.50. I think it’s stupid to leave the exact amount, just because it makes you appear cheap. Don’t you think $5.50 LOOKS BETTER than $5.60? Once, with some friends of mine, we went out to just get some appetizers and drinks. They are cheap skates, leaving which the tip was $2.88 exactly 15%, which I would have just left $3 if I would have wanted to leave 15%. 12 cents just doesn’t seem to make sense to tip like that to worry about the pennies like that in my opinion. Those cents are what the server brings home, which I feel if you as a customer don’t like pennies, WHY tip like that? I think it’s inconsiderate to tip like that unless you have horrible service, then some people leave a penny, which if I have horrible service, I leave nothing.
You are just mad, because I PROVED I am 100% CORRECT that we get a MENU for a REASON and that reason is NOT so the wait staff can have an opinion about what the customer wants or doesn’t want. You know I am RIGHT. WHY NOT ADMIT THAT?
Oh lord. I just saw this thread. That is some good crazy right there. I hope to god that Springs1 and kanicbird disagree about something and hash it out in a thread some day, would keep me entertained for weeks.