With regard to “doggie bags,” there’s one scene in an episode of Hart to Hart from 1980 (May 13) called “Death Set” in which Max is calling ahead for confirmation of his reservation for a table at what appears to be some Italian place (I think the name was La Scala or words to that effect). After he does, Freeway (the dog) barks at him sort of questioningly, and Max says “Relax: don’t I always bring you the people bag?” (The scene starts around the 26:25 mark on the DVD [Season 1, Disc 6, ep. 23; it’s 23 because the pilot is listed as being the first episode]).
If you don’t have the DVD, you can see the scene here:
What place is that? I was in a place like that in Jersey. I found it pretty off-putting and was pretty amazed the tip jars seemed very full with bills. I didn’t put anything in the jars. If I have to muscle my way to the front to get my food, then bus my own table, then that extra money should go to me. You tip for the service of having the food brought to you and you’re free to leave once you’ve eaten.
I may be wrong, but I gather (based on reading years worth of her posts) that Nava thinks that what she doesn’t know about both Spanish and American culture isn’t worth knowing…
Ugh! I can’t stand Cheesecake Factory. I eat there once a year (because my friend likes to be taken there for her birthday). When it’s too cold to wait outside, the waiting area is packed and uncomfortable because it gets hot and there’s no place to sit.
Like someone else said, the food descriptions always sound better than the actual food.
Another place at the bottom of my list is Olive Garden. They always seem to tell you that the wait is forty minutes or so. When we elect to wait in the overcrowded bar, it takes forever to even get up to the bar to order a drink. Then buzzzzz! The buzzer goes off. We all look at each other and say, “didn’t they say forty minutes?” To which someone else say, “yeah. It’s only been twenty minutes.” I think they do this on purpose, just like the Cheesecake Factory makes you wait 60 minutes for a table.
Actually a lot of those overhyped chain places are. Out here, the two local Outbacks are very good, but other places they are 'meh". Red Lobster has those great cheese biscuits, and I do like all you can eat breaded shrimp, but also “meh”. Chili’s* can *be tasty but damn that place is a nutritional nitemare, one appetiser has enough calories for a entire meal. And so forth.
I love Outback. There’s one right across the street from me, so I go there pretty often. I also go to other Outback restaurants, but I haven’t had a mediocre meal there yet.
We have a Chili’s near by, but we also have Jose Tejas nearby too. I usually choose Jose Tejas, because I like their food a little better than Chili’s, but if there was no JT’s, I probably would frequent Chili’s more often.
Fridays, Houlihan’s and Red Lobster are good too. I’m not too thrilled with Bonefish Grill. The portions were tiny. I only ate there once.
Wait, are you implying that Olive Garden is overhyped? While it’s not to my tastes, I have nothing against Olive Garden, but its reputation, in my experience, is that it’s the Taco Bell/Domino’s/McDonald’s of sit-down restaurants. I’ve never heard anyone rave about Olive Garden.
I’ve brought this up at this late date because I spoke today to someone I know who is an area manager for a restaurant chain. She told me she never heard of a restaurant withholding any part of the change for payment for a meal, and suggested that whoever said that made the policy up and is in business for himself/herself.
Because we’re trying to have a society here, and there are rules and codes and social censure is a great way of maintaining decorum. I don’t want to live in a world where I have to look at some young punk in a fedora while I’m enjoying my meal, any more than I want to see people going out in public in pajamas (women), wearing bluetooth earpieces when they’re not actively talking on the phone (men), and all of the other egregious, ugly, shrill, awful violations that constantly occur. Plus it gives me a moment to be a gentleman while simultaneously being a dick/concern trolling to a guy that looks like he needs a punch in the nose for good measure anyway.
You have as much right to tell me to remove my hat as I do to tell you to remove your shirt. None. It’s part of my clothing. I do not have to remove my clothing in public if I don’t want to.
If a restaurant manager tried to do so, I would leave the restaurant and not return. Unless it’s some high falutin’ type of place where they require ties and jackets or whatnot, it would just be bizarre (and I wouldn’t go to that type of place normally, anyway).
You keep ending these posts with the sunglassed “cool” smiley face. If you really do go around attempting to impose your own personal outdated social “rules” on adult strangers in public places, “cool” is not the word I’d use for you. You’re not being a “gentleman” either.
Well, that may not be his goal, but I assure you he considered that you might do that before he asked you. I myself often eat in more or less casual restaurants at the golf course, fast food or restaurants adjacent to the ball park with my hat on, but that does not make it any less rude.
Rude isn’t the right word…wearing a hat at the table is quite bad manners, though. But not nearly as bad manners as to tell another customer to take their hat off is.
Actually, to remove your hat at the table is a long standing standard of polite behaviour. While I wouldn’t mention it to another unknown adult, I would complain to my wife about the pratt that had no manners.
I also feel the same way about kids playing with digital toys while the rest of the family is eating, and using culterly in the wrong hands. So call me an uptight moron if you like.
At the Yummy Bites restaurant on E. Clayton Street in Athens, GA I was told that the contents of the tip jar go to the owner at the end of the night.
This was not a night when the owner was working solo… or even in the building.
I normally assume that the tips go to… you know, the people working.
Now I ask at any place before I put money in the tip jar.
Unless for some bizarre reason you feel compelled to express to other normal people that you are A GIANT IDIOT.
It’s just the rules of the hat. Don’t get upset, just take hats off inside. Unless you’re a king or a chef you better give me a fucking good reason to wear headgear inside apart from ‘I think it looks good and I think I’m better than everyone else’.
