As a mother of four, I am well-accustomed to screaming my order into the clown’s mouth then having my food thrown out a window in the general direction of my driver’s side window. The contrasts between ordering popcorn and a slushy at Target’s snack counter and a formal dining situation are not lost on me but I’m no snob. While I “eat for a living,” I also live to eat.
In these times of counter service and steak joints with peanut shells on the floor, I have started to wonder – just what IS excellent service? Can the principles and standards of the fine dining atmosphere be carried over into more casual situations and applied to enhance the experience of diners? Are waitpersons even taught these skills anymore? What are they and why did they ever exist at all? Does truly fine service enhance the dining experience in direct proportion to the energy expended to give it? Is it even worth trying?
Please understand that I am not suggesting that underpaid, overworked wait staff at the Waffle House should be using silver coffee services. But, I do wonder if providing a fresh fork before pie would be more conducive to happy customers, rather than saying, “You best hold onto that fork, honey. You’re gonna need it!”
Even if you’re just fine with licking the Jack Daniels sauce off of your spoon before diving into some sort of Chocolate Lava concoction at Chili’s, what about beverage service? Whether you drink a beer out of crystal or a plastic go cup, is it any less flat if the server pours it straight in instead of tilting the glass?
Some questions are even stickier than that. When serving beverages, classic table service dictates that beverages be served first to the women in the party, then clockwise around the table. Is this sexist or is this part of the no-man’s-land (pun intended) embodied by holding a door open for an able bodied woman? Should women and children still be the first in the lifeboats? Personally, I don’t really think that impacts diner enjoyment. Typically, diners would not even notice.
Servers at every restaurant should know which diner ordered which food. I understand that this is a matter of memory and experience, but the “auction” method is ridiculous. I can’t believe that my server cares about me or the food if the way it is served is by yelling, “So, who got the fish?” while people are deep in conversation. Write it down if you don’t remember. Good service is about being helpful when needed and unobtrusive when you’re not.
I’m also not fond of being asked to fish my wet straw out of my drink before it is taken away to be refilled. I don’t know how much plastic we’ll save by cutting back on straw consumption, but I would greatly prefer to have a fresh straw rather than being told “please take your straw,” as if I have committed an oversight, before refilling. If they truly don’t want to give out another straw, then refill with a pitcher rather than using the fountain. Problem solved.
One of my first memories of eating in a restaurant was at the Silver Cup in Cumberland, Maryland with an ancient great-aunt. I distinctly remember being roughly eye-level with the table as the server expertly flicked a small silver crumb roller over the tablecloth. It was elegant and at the time seemed very, very necessary. Would it be out of line for table service restaurants to simply wipe the table between courses? I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen a crumb roller in about two decades.
Back then, it was a point of pride to have “servants” – while today, calling Merry Maids is seen as a lazy person’s luxury. We have become uncomfortable with the concept of allowing someone to “serve” us. While this attitude is democratic and decent, we must remember that while we should be humane to servers, their job is to serve us. Many chains have gone far to “personalize” service by having servers greet customers by introducing themselves and encouraging “flair” as a means of personal self-expression.
If you take a look at La Bernardin’s list of 129 “sins” of service, you’ll see that this four-star restaurant headed by the famous Eric Ripert is guiding wait staff to be polite and most importantly, not to do anything which would interrupt the enjoyment of food. They are instructed to greet guests with a smile and eye contact. This means that they shouldn’t be “invisible slaves” but rather a friendly yet professional partner in the experience.
From there, Ripert guides servers away from numerous “sins” which would interrupt the smooth flow of service. Sounds like clattering dishes and being chatty, smells like perfume or smoke and visually unappealing mistakes such as dirty tablecloths can ruin a dinner. Some mistakes involve being sanitary. No one can properly sanitize a broken or cracked dish or plate. They should be thrown away.
These rules shouldn’t only be about outstanding fine dining – these are rules which would benefit any restaurant’s business. Contrary to how it may seem if you work in a restaurant, most people will not complain about service – they just won’t come back. If I feel as if the server is “doing me a favor” rather than being paid to serve me, I will NOT be back – I don’t care if it’s at McDonald’s or The Wine Cellar.
Some rules seem arbitrary – such as serving from the right and clearing from the left. Why do that? I would guess it is because the majority of people are right-handed. I would imagine that wait staff can avoid awkwardness if the diner happens to reach again for something on the plate as they try to take it away. Personally, I would be happy if the plate went away at all. These days, it seems that long after I pay my check, my plates are left on the table. Take it from wherever you’d like – just take it!
I greatly prefer to be asked if the bill will be separate rather than trying to divide up a check, with all the requisite social faux pas and math involved. Separate checks are a hassle for servers, but if it is only two or three people, it is a nice touch to at least ask. The whole idea behind eating out is the experience of enjoying food while paying someone else to do the work. If I have to do long division without the help of a calculator, it kills the experience for me. I majored in English, you do the math.
Furthermore, I DETEST being asked if I need change. A server should ALWAYS bring change unless otherwise instructed. Tips are up to the diner, not up to the arbitrary amount left over from a bill. Also, unless a restaurant is dealing with a group of six or more, tips are not mandated. Some of the “finer” establishments (one in particular that I have reviewed) do this during prix fixe events. Auto-tipping implies that people dining during a prix fixe event do not have the social skills to tip properly. When I see an automatic tip amount, a part of me screams, “DON’T JUDGE ME!” In most cases, I would have tipped more than the 18% added, but I didn’t – just out of spite.
After the meal is over, I find it extremely enjoyable to have leftovers taken away, packed in the kitchen and then brought back to the table but I don’t especially mind them being packaged at the table. I DO mind having a flopped open Styrofoam box that is three sizes too large being thrown at me to box up leftovers myself.
Of course, all of this is predicated on the idea that the diner is also accommodating. A reservation is an appointment. Just like any other appointment, you should show up on time and dressed appropriately. If you’re going to be more than 10 minutes late, call to let the restaurant know. “Stiffing” a waitperson is never acceptable. Nor is the absolutely disgusting “penny commentary” on service. (Leaving a penny for a tip.) If you have such a deep seated beef with wait staff, you should have asked to see the manager. Many restaurants split tips with other front-of-house staff and support staff. “Stiffing” is more of a commentary on your behavior than your server’s.
On a personal note, if a server is ridiculously rude to me, I try to ask myself if this seems like the server is having a bad service or if this server is a jerk at heart. If it’s just a bad day, then I probably wouldn’t say anything and tip 15% (the absolute minimum in my opinion). If it seems that the server has a personality problem then I would discreetly mention it to my hostess or a manager if it was extremely serious. There have been times when a server seemed to be overly flustered or angry that a kind word went a long way toward a much more pleasant experience.
We are lucky to live in times that provide almost every level of restaurant experience. Various cuisines and standards of service are available at price points to match any budget. However, in tough times, restaurants will need to balance being cost-effective with providing customers with service which makes eating out worth the expense. In most cases, proper training of servers will pay huge dividends to the customer, server and restaurant.
…And don’t forget to tip your server!
If you enjoyed this article, please visit my foodie site at http://www.eatjax.com/ - where every day is Foodie Tuesday!
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Ryan Soberg
Colony of Losers
astrid.in.lala.land
franishnonspeaker
Linnnn
vanessa seijo
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Comments
And, crumb rollers do indeed still exist.
Kathy - Waffle House service is spotty here. We have several locations n Jacksonville and most are spectacular and others are the worst. It just depends on which one you go to. Being asked to "hold onto your fork" is absolutely common at many restaurants, though. Waffle House just happened to be the place that last did that to me.
My verdict on service relies totally on whether or not the roller skates have pom-poms. I am pro pom-pom. That is not an attempt to oppress those who are anit-pom-pom. Just a matter of opinion.
Off with their heads!
In the best restaurants, this is mostly invisible, plates coming and going, forks coming and going, napkins reconfiguring. But even in a place like Chick-fil-A, they can provide clean surroundings and gracious help who say, "My pleasure to serve you."
I base the take-out situation entirely on the category of restaurant. If I'm in a nice restaurant, I don't want the container brought to me, although I've had friends who refuse to let their food go back into the kitchen. Elsewhere, I'm happy to package it myself. I probably divide that line at the Applebee's/TGIF level.
M
How are you doing? Hope you are alright.
Last week, I bought Many items.
it is very cheap and I get it in 5 days. The quality is very good.
The site also sell Sneakers, handbag, purse, jeans, sunglass, hat and so on.
I never forget to share good things with friends.
So,if you are interested in it, you can have a look.
I think you will get some surprise.
This is their : www.newgoing.com
You also make a great point: great restaurant service = great service = a return to a level of civility which isn't old-fashioned, just courteous.
or,
any eaters such as Nikkii Stern, who dresses in lime green... is seen reading her own new book in a Waffle House in Hancock, Maryland ?
Call people like bbd?
bbd eats chicken feed?
He remains no chubby.
Some of eat too much.
We get husky after 40.
We lazy as a red mule.
We lay in buttercups.
People chew the cud.
I read it a Nora cookbook, Nora is wonderful. Nora is from Dupont Circle, in DC. EP need to eat @ Nors's? Michele Obama and Eric Holder eat at Nora's.
Pure Hillbilly eaters may love to order Feed and receive great service from the next Western Maryland town. Rural Hancock is famous for the bike paths, mashed potatoes, home cooking, and canoe rides along the C & O Canal. You who order Blueberry Waffles in Cumberland, Md., can ask the team of editors to chip in to pick up the Feed Tab.
The Handcock, Md., eatery is excellent. Diners look out toward the Potomac River.
It's named:`
Park and Dine
Locals Nickname`
Puke and Whine
`
People can go in hair-curlers, pajamas, golf pants, three-piece bathing suits, and once I saw a after Sunday School crowd eating at the `
Awe Ya Eat Table Feast.
A farmer wore a T-shirt that has a cute image of a moo cow with cuts of beef /\|blocked in grids.
The butchers T-shirt said:`
Let's Praise the Good Lard.
This must be read. Jane Black.
Jane Black is a WA/PO eater.
Life is not fair. Eat drink a lot.
Be merry. Tomorrow eat again.
That got me almost healing.
I was sacking lips and sniffing.
Bacon fat has a heaven scents.
Tips have been forfeited by servers who bring me the bill half-way through my meal without checking to see if I want dessert, a liquer or coffee. I will tell YOU when I'm finished with my meal. If you're going off shift, work it out with the next waiter to make sure you get your tip. Closing out my bill and annoying me while I'm in the middle of my meal isn't the way to secure it. I can guarantee it.
I think about quality of service a LOT becasue we dine out frequently and my profession is quality management. The bottom line is that quality service is a function of training and of management expectations. The casual vs fine dining experience should not matter in the question of service quality. There are differences of course, but those come from the degree of formalness of the service, food quality, table quality, etc. But there is no reason a customer should not be delighted with the service at either level.
Managers should set the expectations, train the servers to them (including personality), and then enforce them. And diners should complain when the service it truly bad, or, as I have been known to do, reduce my tip and note on the receipt that the low tip is a reflection of bad service.
And I could go on ... and on... You hit one of my nerves with this topic Jodi :-)
Please also remember that your servers have more than one table and may well also be doing prep work in the kitchen, bussing tables, or loading dishwashers. The restaurant business has an extremely high turnover rate, and it's not at all unusual for someone to just plain not show up.
It is also not the server's fault if we are 86'ed on some item, do not carry your favorite brand of vodka, if your steak is not done to your specifications, or if your drink is shaken instead of stirred. As long as the order went into the computer properly, that is the fault of the bartender and cook. Regardless, we will try to make it work for you.
On the boxing of leftovers--depending on where you are, taking them to the kitchen and boxing them could be a health code violation. Don't ask me why.
On removing plates from the table--you're not supposed to put dirty plates on the same tray as clean ones. Sometimes, I have the time to bus a table myself; sometimes, I wonder where the hell our no-good busboy is because I have four other tables that HAVEN'T paid yet and I can't be late with their food.
BTW, I will be happy to get you another fork.
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!
What an insightful post, well-researched and well-presented. As one who has had an opportunity to dine out, I too appreciate good service. What I appreciate most of all is good manners, something tomreedtoon apparently lacks. If only he at least had the ability to be righteous in his indignation, but even that seems to have deserted him.
Well, I suppose you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
I see you've received something called an "Editor's Pick". I assume that's a badge of honor of sorts, so I'll simply add "Well Done!".
Which, coincidentally, is how I like my steak.
-
Brillat Savarin wrote:`
Beast feed:`
Man eats:`
One with intellect knows how to eat.
In neighborhood Hancock, Maryland:`
Chew with mouth open, pass flatulent turbulence, put chocolate fudge sauce on sweet Yams, throw dirty knives at the outdoor geese, spit, revolt, toss chicken wing feed bones on the floor, nap between fourth servings under the Gluttony Feed Table, and devour all in sight with belches of `Gusto!
Eaters swap apple pie recipes.
Smoke a corncob homegrown.
Act raucous. Embarrass cooks.
Drink 6- `Mountain Dews. burp.
Burp 7- Ups, and conspicuously.
O, I hope I am not using your EP.
I love cooks and know some chefs.
Yea, folk train in kitchen culinary.
I tell DC chefs how to boil water.
They stop at the vegetable Feed.
They stuff pockets with the Kale.
Then they buy breakfast radishes.
Jodi Kasten need traveling tasters?
I hope this is not foodie nauseating.
A rare find you are. Like a great steak (last time I had steak and eggs at Waffle House it was a bit chewy. Maybe I should try a different place?).
Nikki - I miss being here. This is just a mirror of something I published on my own site, but I thought it might be a nice conversation to have here. Thanks for your comment.
Surly - That hasn't happened to me recently, but I know what you're saying about being rushed through premature tab ejaculation. Ugh. Hopefully, the new "foodieness" is going to change a lot of those bad scheduling habits.
Kelly - I really do think it's about training. Most of these things aren't about spending more on a cost-per-diner basis. Things like the straw actually save labor because they don't have to come back to the table if they refill with a pitcher. Kindness goes a long way on both ends.
Gabby - At my house, we just turn the hose on you between courses.
Linnnn - YEAH, baby!
Michael - You ain't just whistlin' "Dixie," pal.
tom - We could all take a lesson in graciousness and reading comprehension from you.
Leeandra - I do mention in the piece that 6+ diners is an exception. The incident I was talking about was prix fixe menus having the auto-tipping when the regular menu does not. That's just icky. As for the rest of it, it all goes back to proper management. Whether it's McDonalds or Chez Panisse, it's not unreasonable for customers to expect to get what they order. But, servers shouldn't have to bear the brunt of bad planning.
When someone pays to eat at any restaurant, the cold hard fact is that they don't know or care who did or didn't come into work that day. They are paying to be served. But, by the same token, customers should hold up their end of the bargain by being decent and understanding. It's a two way street.
Stellaaa - WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!
trig - Hoist the black flag! Damn the torpedoes!
Sam - Go out to eat with me a few times, I'll break you of char-broiled steak leather. Always glad to have a new face here! Ignore the EPs, they only make people hate you. Thanks for visiting!
Art - (TWICE? I should be so lucky!) My mom's folks are from Fort Ashby and Ridgeley, WV. We DINE in Cumberland (and do everything else because there is nothing in those two little towns). I'll be up there for Memorial Day. I'd be happy to take recommendations!
trig - I have no idea about all that stuff. I'm fresh out of give-a-shit. I'm just doin' my thing. I'm glad you like this, though. And... anywhere but IHOP. I'm angry with them.
Linda - YOU GOT TO MEET ERIC RIPERT????
::slowly breathing into a small paper bag!::
Tasting menus and swapping food is no longer considered tacky in most establishments. Personally, I don't care if they turn the hoses on me, if I'm at Le Bernardin, I'm going to try everything that gets within arm's reach. I'd probably lick the wallpaper to see if it tasted like snozzberries.
Raving Bits - I tip embarrassingly largely. Because of what I do, I usually know the situations of my servers, even if they have never seen me before. The restaurant world is small. Even in a city as large as Jacksonville (1 million in the metro area) everyone knows who is pregnant, who just got dumped and who is losing their house. The life of a server is not an easy one. The idea that I might brighten someone's day with an extra buck or two is seductive.
Afraid to ask, but why is it dangerous to ask for take-home?
I would add that in the case of Ms. Boleyn such snark may not have endeared her to the world.
There is no other industry that I can think of where it is considered right and proper to assist directly in paying employees. Since gratuity is in fact an extra in compensate for gratitude. Still I know that the system is that we do this. Okay fine, I will but no one can add that to my bill without my permission. If it is added automatically then it is a surcharge not a tip. Servers deal with more abuse than I can. If I were to add on thing to the encyclopedia of server etiquette, it would be do not ask me if I need anything while my mouth is full. It happens too frequently for coincidence.
"Good service is about being helpful when needed and unobtrusive when you’re not." Sadly, this seems to be fading away, and I really wish it wouldn't. My most pleasurable restaurant experiences have all been at places that observed this practice. I remember eating once (just the once as it was sooooo expensive) in a restaurant where a friend worked. We wanted to see her in action as she was that rare creature, the professional waiter. She made an excellent living working in high-end restaurants in NYC. Through out our entire meal, the wait staff stood against the walls of the restaurant, discreetly observing their tables. It seemed as if they could read our minds. The moment your wine glass needed refilling, they were suddenly at your side, bottle in hand. Crumbs were discreetly swept off the table with the crumb brush. Dishes were removed at exactly the right moment.
I guarantee that even the lowliest restaurant could increase their popularity tenfold by following your advice.
(Bob gets the cookie, by the way. The Latin is "Grumble all you like, this is how it's going to be." Anne Boleyn had it put on her banners after her coronation. That didn't work out so well.)
Also I love when the chef/owner finds time to wander the tables at some stage, even if briefly. I love wine by the glass, and especially grateful to the waiter who can guide me to the most appropriate choice.
Best of all, the waves and smiles from the kitchen when we say goodnight, and thank you, that was wonderful.
I am here to serve your food. I am not here to be the babysitter for your children. I am not here to take your sexual harrassment. I do not control every single aspect of the restaurant. I will do my best to make sure you have a pleasant dining experience, but I cannot work miracles. Filet steaks take time to cook. Oysters take time to fry. Take a look around--if your server is not always at your table but is constantly in motion getting people food, water, clearing tables...he or she is not a bad server, just overloaded. Please do not take your frustrations about the management of the restaurant out on the server. They are making the best they can of a bad situation.
And please, Europeans--tips are NOT included most of the time on restaurant bills here, and in many places, servers can legally be paid about $2.50 an hour. Tipping isn't just niceness--it's how we earn our living. Without tips, we cannot eat. You have tourist guidebooks. Please read through the front section of these where they explain this American custom.
Imagine the hard work of being a server without the tips. No wonder that here it's a job often taken up by immigrants.
Kim - I've been very lucky to become friends with a few chefs here and it always happened because of situations like that. I do love seeing the faces behind the food.
coogan - (Good to see ya!) I agree that the "professional server" has gone the way of the butler. They exist, but you usually pay a premium to find one. Chain restaurants, no matter how good, depersonalize in one very vital way - the person serving your food does not know the person who created the dish. There's no fixing or replacing that and it is the death of passion, in my book. I have found decent chain franchises in my town (J. Alexander and Five Guys come to mind) but, the personal passion that comes from the person who created the dish handing the food to the person that gives it to you just can't be replaced.
Leeandra - Patience and education on the part of patrons can go a long way to understanding what you're saying. This particular article is assuming that all parties involved are not cretins. (Which is usually the case.) Unfortunately, the loudest and rudest are the most visible in society. It should go without saying that sexual harassment isn't included in the menu price.
Whatever hits the higher end of the restaurant industry may have taken in the past few years, it is one of the only segments of the economy that is healthy. Especially mid-range non-chain restaurants with good service are doing huge business. If a server is chronically overworked and a shop is chronically understaffed, it's because they are doing more business than they can handle, which brings us back to planning. Managers and owners *must* make the connection between proper staffing and economic gain. If they don't, they won't have a problem with understaffing for long.
Owl - It really is an art and it's not about how much you spend, it's about the commitment to the food between chef, owner, diner and server. That can work at a hot dog stand as well as the finest restaurant.
newsie - I think everyone has their little peeves. I didn't address bob's particular peeve because this is really about what restaurants can do to help their servers translate what works from finer dining experiences into mid and low range restaurant experiences without costing extra labor dollars.
Dear Reader - That's the second time Britain has been mentioned, so I'll go there. When I was in London and Glastonbury, I had several great experiences. I didn't see most of the expected sneering and snooting and I wasn't ignored. Of course, we also introduced ourselves as Canadians. (kidding) There was a "non-touristy" feel to Glastonbury that made me happy. In London, everyone is assumed to be from somewhere else, but the folks in Glastonbury treated us as locals and that didn't change after we opened our mouths and the southern drawl came out. I think a lot of that has to do with them dealing commonly with the young people that come in for the music festival rather than "plain" tourists. I loved Britain all the way around, but then again, I'm probably biased.
Travis - Ha! Yeah, I had that happen not too long ago. I do love the "we're in this together" feeling I get from some servers, but that is taking it a tad too far.
These things mess up the food orders and I don't see my boyfriend until 4am.
Hey, Mr. Waiter, I didn't come here to spend the evening with YOU!
I'll accept pretty much any level of service in aid of good food. Really good food. If a restaurant has good food and by good I mean GOOD - as good as I can make at home or better. If they do, then they can serve it up any way that's easiest, cheapest for them, so they can stay in business and keep serving that good food. I like cafeterias. I like big noisy places. I also like homey, messy places, places where the forks don't match the knives. Or even the other forks. For me eating out is always about the food. Because when I'm willing to give up my money, I want something that suspends time for a second...something I put in my mouth and go "aahhhhhhhhhh". I'm willing to put up with just about anything for that. ;)
Cap'n - Glad to see you back! Can you picture me saying that? HA!
Foolish Monkey - I agree that the food is the point. You'd probably be in heaven at Walls' BBQ, one of my favorite places on earth. That place's photo is next to "hole in the wall" in the dictionary, but it beyond divine.
The point of doing this article is to ask what can enhance the experience without taxing the bottom line or servers' time. Holding my straw in the air while a server runs back and forth to the fountain seems to make less sense than the owner thinking ahead and providing them with pitchers. (For one example.)
So, I totally agree... it's all about the food. (And DO check out Walls if you're ever in Savannah, GA.
Eve - I know that just about every restaurant that takes reservations overbooks. The reality is that sometimes folks just don't show up. However, if a place is at the point where people are chronically waiting more than 5-10 minutes past their rez time, it's a problem. That's the type of stuff than needs to get tweaked.
For me what determines this is the wait staff come to the table regularly to refill your glass. There's no remove the straw...they'll bring a fresh glass or cup.
I think the best service is one that asks me relatively regularly: "is everything okay?" "can I get you anything else?". but what makes them above the frey (besides the ice cream and their egg salad) is the wait staff automatically issue separate checks. How I wish in all those years of big dinners with co workers and friends, where we take over a table for twelve to twenty people, divvying up a check can be REALLY difficult. So an automatic seperate check is very very nice.
1. Waiters/waitresses that appear 30 seconds after the server has given everyone their meals, then asking the obviously rhetorical question (in a fly-by), "everything good?" Its impossible to know until you've actually had a chance to take a bite, so they obviously aren't interested in an honest answer!
2. I'm a light eater, so I absolutely hate it when a waiter/waitress makes a big deal about the quantity of food left on my plate. I would have said something if I didn't like it, so don't grill me about it. Besides, I probably could have done a "better job" if you had served a normal portion size instead of jumbo-sizing everything.
On the straw/fork thing--I always take the drink with the straw, throw the old straw away, and get a new one. Same with forks between courses. If the waiters have been instructed not to replace forks and straws and instead make customers hold them, this is a bad, bad management decision. Forks and straws are cheap and replacing them does not slow down the process. In fact, it speeds it up, because drippy straws and messy forks laid on tabletops make clean-up between tables go slower.
Also, they ALWAYS want to take my plate away when I'm still eating, fork in mid-air. At that point, I just growl at them.
There's a line from Educating Rita where Michael Caine says something like, to get thrown out of this school you'd have to bugger the Bursar. Jodi, I don't know why when I saw that EP this came to my mind. Ha!!!
My first several jobs were in restaurants and that has had a lifetime effect on me. I really wish everyone would work in a restaurant in their youth because everyone eats in them and you learn a lot that will stand you in good stead, such as what's your server's fault and what is the fault of the kitchen or manager. I'm always surprised by how many people who eat in restaurants all the time can't tell the difference, and so blame and punish their server for a badly managed (e.g. understaffed) restaurant or poorly cooked food. And as someone said above (I think Leeandra), servers take far more crap than customers do. But of course, they are there...to serve. We are the ones paying. So that's how it is.
And my experience also makes me that much more irked when people violate basic rules of good service, many of which you named above. Sometimes it's subtle but annoying. Case in point was just this week when I was taken out for breakfast by a friend to a casual but good place here that is very popular. The server forgot to bring my beverage and when I finally was able to grab and remind him after I was already halfway through my meal, he apologized but then also said, "That was my fault." Huh? As if there was some question that it was mine?? I find those kinds of little clueless comments to customers are surprisingly common.
The flipside is a restaurant we go to that's an old-fashioned seafood place with lifetime waiters -- all of them are in their 60's or older but they rush around like they're 30 and give great service. They are true pros, and they remind me of the waiters I encountered as a kid when my parents took us to nice meals. Other than in some very high end places (that I can't afford to eat in!) I don't think their younger counterparts measure up.
here
For example, wine parings -- good. I don't want to pretend I know anything about wine. Further, I really don't want to know about wine.
I don't mind going over the ingredients, but only to a point. Like the saying, "I just want to know the time, I don't want to learn how to make a watch." I just wanna eat.
Part of my appreciation for good service was having done time as a busboy at an upscale Italian restaurant when I was in college. You know how you can sometimes be surprised when you discover your limitations? That was me. Demoted back to pot scrubber within a week.
That sums it up for me. I've never seen a crumb roller and care little about niceties of protocol, but it's easy to distinguish good service from bad, just as superior food speaks for itself regardless of what type of restaurant I'm at.
Living in/near college towns my peeves are flighty little slips of waitresses who can be seen gathered at the bar service station talking about finals. You are at work! That's why I'm finding better service at certain chains, surprisingly.
As a veteran of food service, I wish that they would consult with, say, Leeandra Nolting when they design the POS (point of sales) computer systems, which can be mind-boggling non-intuitive for a server. Believe me, these are not designed by anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant.
Beer - modification - brings up a list of beers - modification - size - modification -microbrews - modification. It's worse than Microsoft, I tell ya! Imagine that when it comes to anything that is not exactly as the menu reads. Like mashed potatoes instead of frenchfries. And then you have the line of coworkers behind you waiting to put in their orders...
I am reliving some nightmares....
Some, but not all, fine dining estabishments do have profesesional servers and most of them are capable of rmembering orders. Everyone makes mistakes, it's not a big deal, but it's the unprofessionalism of some servers that is a turn off.
Overall, I'm fine with this post. But, I waited tales for years, and let me explain things from my side. You think that separate checks is no big deal. The first thing that separate checks has always told me is that the people who are dining together are so afraid that they may overpay by 50 cents that they need their own check to make sure they only pay for what's theirs. For me, dining is a social occasion. At the end of the meal, the check gets passed around the table, people throw in what they owe, plus money for tax and tip. I tipped a dollar more than someone else? Big deal. But for the waiter, who is waiting on you and five other tables, going back to the waiter's station and adding up three or more separate checks instead of attending to other customers is ultimately going to result in bad service for someone else. I can't refill someone else's coffee, take an order, explain a dinner special, clear a plate, get a fresh drink, change the silverware, sweep the crumbs from the table (all of which I used to do) if I'm back in the waiters' station trying to make sure that you and your friend don't wind up shorting each other by 23 cents.
Your other suggestions are great. But nothing says "I don't trust my friends" more than "separate checks please."
Just thought I'd offer an opinion from the side of the table who worked tables for over 20 years.
P.S. If you need a separate check for a business receipt, I'm happy to fill out a receipt for you.
Thanks for commenting everyone.
FLW - I don't think that separate checks aren't a big deal, I just said I preferred it. I'm just plain bad at math and it's awkward, especially if you're dining with someone you don't know well. I certainly would never think less of a server for not offering, but it's a preference, especially since my meals are part of my business expenses for tax purposes.
For me, that's about communication. If a server asks at the beginning of the meal, especially in a restaurant which uses a computerized system, it's not nearly as time-consuming for the server to write the bill that way to begin with than to go back and do it when a customer insists on it. Which, by the way, I never do. If I'm eating with someone else and I'm not offered a separate bill, I just don't use it in my taxes. There are people like that out there - who would rather keep quiet and lose money than bother someone else. I may be a wuss, but at least I'm not hurting anyone. By the same token, the next time I'm going out with someone for business reasons, I may choose a restaurant where I know that awkwardness won't happen. Just my two cents.
If you've been around for awhile and you've gathered up a comment or two, when you load the "manage comments" screen it takes a LONG time to load and sometimes it crashes. I'm having a hard time killing the comments by the spammers. Please just ignore them because I'd rather spend the evening sitting on my butt on the couch with The Man than deleting those comments.
Thanks everyone!
As a diner, I try to kep a professional distance, but I also understand the physical and mental rigors of the job. If done right, it is simply hard work. I try to never tip below 20%.
Calling ahead to make the reservation...not get the time you want...
Getting dressed up a little bit......flip flops and cut offs to capris and sandals...maybe?
Anything more than that means the place and food are really over priced.
Talking your husband, significant other or a friend to go with you.
Get into traffic, fill the tank first if needed, remember to feed the dog, cats and other pets and leave on the porch light so we don't have to feel our way around in the dark upon returning home.
Find a babysitter if there are small ones to consider and then shop first for the kids and the sitter, so call sitter first to see what she/he wants to eat...usually involves pizza, so need to write check for amount of pizza and cash for tip...
Barely make it out the door, shouting back instructions for bed time routine for the kiddies, who are now plotting to stay up later and trick the babysitter into thinking it's ok to make popcorn, eat sugar pops for dinner, rinsed down with chocolate milk and no need for brushing teeth till morning.
All this and before you even get to the restaurant!
Upon entering and approaching the scantily clad hostess at the front podium, you give her your name and reservation, to which she says, with over glossed lips...
"I'm so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. So and so...I don't see your name here."
Definitely no date night sex tonight!
The best I saw of the latter was in and old-style steakhouse in Buenos Aires. There were around 15 of us. Everyone ordered steak but in a variety of sizes, cuts and doneness. Plus some side dishes. The waiter took no notes and brought exactly everything to everyone without a single error. Amazing.
Waiting tables seems to me to be one of the most thankless jobs there is. Dealing with indecisive people who have a habit of saying things like, "this isn't what I expected," trying to keep an eye out for that precise moment when 30 different customers take the last sip of their beverage, cleaning up patrons' half-chewed food - I couldn't do it. Which is why when I do go to a Waffle House or any other place where I leave a tip under $3.00, I don't expect expert service with charming banter on the side. To earn $3.00, they pretty much only have to give me warm food without hairs floating noticeably on top, and give me another Sprite if I flag them down. I'll save my stringent server requirements for those people earning the big money.
Just one gal's opinion.
It can be, on the right night, a dream job. Everything flows, the kitchen listens to you and gives you what you've asked for, no grumpy customers or flip-floppers, and everyone can leave happy.
On the wrong night: I've seen wait staff reduced to tears by customers.
Notepads: Should be used. In some eateries, if there's a "mis-order", then the waiter/waitress has to *pay* for it, out of their own pocket. It works much better if the order is written down at point of asking, so if/when the customer orders steak and then says they didn't, there's written proof.
Abusing wait staff: Grabbing a waitress? Get a hooker, cos we're not it. Or, if you're a waitress, squeal loudly. The maitre'd or the wife will notice, and take action *flaps wings*. If you shout at, or belittle your waiter or waitress, then I pity you. Consider this, as well: if you behaved like that in any other setting, you'd be asked to leave, or the police would be called. We're not slaves, and you ain't Nero.
Wait staff have a responsibility to make your dining experience as pleasant as possible, and the ones who know and enjoy the job, will do exactly that... but they're not miracle workers, nor are they personally responsible for every particle in the place, nor other customers behaviour. They're not responsible for your bad day at work, either.
One final thing: If you see a member of staff heading into a back room with a plate... it's their dinner. Leave 'em alone. Please.
(The fork and straw thing absolutely amazes me, personally. What next? "Keep your starter plate, you'll need it for your main course" ?
Urgh. Clean, clean, clean.)
I certainly wouldn't tip a server who was rude to me.
In general, the restaurant industry would be better served by paying wait staff decent salaries, managing their performance and getting rid of tips.
I'd far rather the server told me to hold on to my fork than if they took it away and failed to give me a new one, which happens to me a lot.
Another industry which relies on tipping is the strip tease club. As a matter of fact, none of the dancers are paid, but actually pay a house fee to dance, plus tip-outs to the bartender and doorman. I believe there is a similar pay-to-play scheme for shoeshine stands and other concessionaires in airports, and for independent beauticians who pay a rent for a chair in a beauty salon.
Please, click "submit comment" once. It takes a long time to delete repeat comments. Thanks for yours, though.
I was really nervous on my first day. And rather disgruntled. Maybe it was the fact that the manager didn't have an available uniform for me and asked the cook who was ending shift to take it off and give it to me to wear. At the time I was so shocked it didn't even cross my mind to tell him to go to, well...
Probably the worst employment experience I ever had.
"I'm always surprised by how many people who eat in restaurants all the time can't tell the difference, and so blame and punish their server for a badly managed (e.g. understaffed) restaurant or poorly cooked food."
Poorly cooked food can SOMETIMES be your SERVER'S FAULT.
1. They can put in the order wrong.
2. They can bring it out obviously wrong such as bacon that isn't covered up by anything that was ordered extra crispy, which doesn't appear crispy. You can tell just by LOOKING at bacon if to serve it or not as long as it's not covered up completely by anything. Fries that a customer says no seasoning, then comes out with seasoning(such as red or black pepper) from your server. Now if another server brings your food out and the order was put in correctly, no it's not your server's fault, it's the other server that brought it wrong, but it's still part of the service, so the tip should be lowered. It's not the customer's issue or problem that tips aren't distributed FAIRLY by TIPS instead of sales for the other co-workers(food runners). If it's like most restaurants where they have other servers running each other's food, then that server that brings the food out wrong doesn't even get penalized, which that's unfair, but it's NOT the CUSTOMER'S DOING, that's the OWNER'S/CORPORATE'S doing.
Even if the restaurant is understaffed, your server can still be blamed RIGHTFUL so for not giving the proper service. As a customer, it doesn't matter if the staff is understaffed if YOU are SUFFERING waiting 15 minutes for a refill or your check. You have to think if that were YOU, would you want to pay someone to give you almost non-existant service? It's only fair you don't get a good tip if you can't do the proper job for the PROPER TIP.
If the restaurant is badly managed, does that mean they have to be a bad server? Of course not, they can be more CARING and NOT as LAZY as the management. A LOT of things the server can control and in most cases, most bad situations that happen ARE the server's fault. I am not saying all, but MOST are in the server's control in general that they could have prevented that mistake from getting to you.
"Servers at every restaurant should know which diner ordered which food. I understand that this is a matter of memory and experience, but the “auction” method is ridiculous. I can’t believe that my server cares about me or the food if the way it is served is by yelling, “So, who got the fish?” while people are deep in conversation. Write it down if you don’t remember. Good service is about being helpful when needed and unobtrusive when you’re not."
It's not just about writing it down. Auctioning happens anyways. It's all about LAZINESS!! They don't want to take out their pad of paper again to see WHO had what. They are TOO LAZY to draw a really fast diagram.
Example:
Against the wall:
xxxxx
xxxxx
1. coke 2. dp 3 rbeer 4. teaw/lem
Etc. You get my drift I am pretty sure. WHY can't server's DO THIS? There shouldn't be auctioning if YOU took the order. "Who had the coke?" "Who had the iced tea with lemon?" It's UNPROFESSIONAL, UNCARING, AND VERY LAZY to interrupt a party when you already took the order when you COULD have made sure WHO had what. Now if someone moves from a spot, the only thing you can rely on is your memory unless you put down something that can make you remember, otherwise, most likely people won't switch places once they order their drinks.
So I 100% AGREE with you I am SICK of hearing stupid, lazy servers do this all the time. If they would CARE, they'd get a better tip. Once you take the order, unless they are out of something or can't make the item, there's NO excuse to when you come back or to come back to ask who had what if YOU took the order. You took the order, that should be IT for repeating orders. I don't mind repeating my order while I am giving it, but when it is ready or when my server has left, it's annoying to interrupt me to repeat what I already said. A lot of times, it's because they didn't even TRY to remember it by WRITING IT DOWN!!
"After the meal is over, I find it extremely enjoyable to have leftovers taken away, packed in the kitchen and then brought back to the table but I don’t especially mind them being packaged at the table. I DO mind having a flopped open Styrofoam box that is three sizes too large being thrown at me to box up leftovers myself."
I think the server should OFFER to box leftovers and that it should NEVER be an ASSUMED thing. Some people prefer to box their own leftovers due to germs(server touches money, dirty dishes, etc.) and can not put all the sauce or food that is on the plate that YOU want. I have it happen before where my bbq sauce on my ribs was shorted at Outback, because the server didn't box it as "I" would have getting ALL my sauce off my plate.
My point is, not everyone wants their leftovers boxed up by their server. Personally, I would rather do it myself due to germs and that I know what I am putting in the box. It's nice, I don't mind them doing it, but it's not necessary like you feel it is in my opinion.
The server should be asking, not assuming to just box it up by saying "I will box that up for you" or just take it, when they should be asking "Would you like me to box that up for you?" THAT is what should happen, because NOT EVERYONE WANTS THEIR FOOD BOXED UP BY THEIR SERVER!!
To each their own, though.
“Stiffing” a waitperson is never acceptable."
It sure is!!
If you would pay someone to do these things, that's ashame on YOU for PROMOTING bad service to possibly YOU again and OTHER PEOPLE.
My husband and I had a waitress at Chili’s. She wrote down my order, but SHE(NOBODY ELSE) brought out my food with the most OBVIOUS things WRONG. I ordered “Grilled Baby Back Ribs with honey bbq sauce on them with substituting the bowl of cinnamon apples that the ribs came with it for extra fries, 2 sides of honey bbq sauce, 1 side of ranch, and 1 side of mayo. She comes out with the BIG BOWL of cinnamon apples on the plate with only my side of ranch as well as NO extra fries and has the audacity to ask me when she brought out our food “So what did you order” when she WROTE IT DOWN. That was just showing how VERY LAZY she was NOT to REREAD the order. Aren't we PAYING the server to *REREAD THE ORDER AS THEY WROTE IT DOWN TO GET IT AS OBVIOUSLY CORRECT AS FAR AS WHAT IS IN THEIR CONTROL TO NOTICE?*** She probably STUPIDLY threw the paper away. The manager told me she put in the order correctly. WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO TO PUT IN THE ORDER CORRECTLY IF THE FOOD IS WRONG? The ticket being correct doesn't matter if my food is OBVIOUSLY wrong, I STILL have my food wrong. It's like whose fault is it for making my food wrong is NOT the issue; it's that the food is WRONG that's the issue. Bringing it to me like that makes the server look like a complete IDIOT when that BIG BOWL of cinnamon apples was on the plate since she took my order. If another server takes my food to me, that's an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT situation, but when it's the SAME SERVER that takes the order there should be some *EFFORT* to make sure my food is taken to the customer correctly as far as OBVIOUS mistakes go. It's like NO EFFORT on her part to make sure I had EXACTLY what I ordered. It makes me mad that they can’t REREAD the order BEFORE they take it to me. At about 15 minutes(9:18pm.)waiting for my margarita she asks if I had been brought it, which I told her no, but I couldn't help myself, I told her about all my complaints, because I was really getting SICK of her horrible service without ANY APOLOGIES. I had to ask for utensils TWICE. I told her about that I had to ask for utensils twice and she replied "That's the hostess's job" right to my face. I ended up reporting her to corporate and she got fired. Yes, we STIFFED the waitress, DESERVABLY SO. She could have gone to check on my margarita after the 10 minute mark(9:12p.m.), NOT almost 15 minutes which is what she did. My husband and I were WELL finished our meals even with the mistakes she made by the time my margarita arrived. I NEVER got ONE apology from her, NOT ONE. I had reported this situation to the manager due to the fact that I had waited for a half an hour for. Turns out they were out of shakers that the Presidente' margarita came in, so there was a mix up. The bartender made my margarita in the wrong glass. The bartender never told the server about the situation nor did she find out about it within a reasonable amount of time, therefore, I ended up getting my margarita from the manager after waiting literally a half an hour for it(9:02p.m.-9:35p.m.) way after me and my husband were done eating. Someone else apparently ended up getting the margarita that was mine. The waitress NEVER ONCE apologized for all those mistakes. That was one of the RUDEST waitresses I've EVER encountered. If she would have said she was sorry at least once even, I probably wouldn't have been so pissed off. Some servers are really UNCARING and MEAN.
This story is one of the few times when I lost my cool. I don't normally do that, but she made me so mad with her lack of apologies, lack of admitting fault, lack of effort, and lack of caring. The not apologizing honestly is what made me lose it.
Cooks as well as expos make mistakes and the server is supposed to KNOW WHAT they are (((BRINGING)) to the customer that it is correct as far as what they can see without touching someone’s food. If I order a burger and you bring me a steak, the excuse would be “The cook cooked it wrong”, well WHY (((BRING)))) it to me WRONG? My point is, it frustrates me to see a server brings out the wrong food when THEY took the order if it's in plain sight that it's wrong that they don't have to TOUCH someone's food to see the mistake. WHY write it down just so you can put it into the computer? There are *2*, count them, *TWO* steps to the process unless a food runner/other server is involved. The cook or expo may forget something or not cook the correct food, but the server took the order, so they should not BRING something that is incorrect that they can actually **SEE**, that is. The big bowl of cinnamon apples, she could SEE OBVIOUSLY as well as my missing condiments. I sat WAITING to eat my food, because I like to eat my fries with my ribs like MOST people do when they eat a hamburger, NOT to eat the fries by themselves and I also like to eat my ribs with MUCH MORE bbq sauce than the tiny bit that put on the ribs. I also eat my fries with ranch and mayo as well, so bringing it out wrong did me NO GOOD, because I sat WAITING to eat my food with it in front of me. It FRUSTRATES me that servers DON’T *TRY* to get the orders correct. While the hostess's job is to get the utensils, if they are forgotten, it becomes the server's job, because you cannot make the customers get their own utensils, although at times I have gotten up to get our own just because it was easier. We are paying NOT to have to get up to get things though honestly, even if that part was another person's job. The server can ask the hostess to bring some to the customers if they are that admit about it, which to me if you are at the hostess's stand, WHY not just grab some?
Can't you see that the waitress acted so UNCARING? WHY should ANYONE CARE about HER MONEY if SHE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HER CUSTOMER'S DINING EXPERIENCES? To not even apologize is inexcusable!! To have brought out such obvious mistakes shows her laziness and that she is very uncaring about other people. To not have checked up on my margarita at the 10 minute mark is showing she didn't care. Waiting aprox. 16 minutes to ask if I had received the margarita is RIDICULOUS of any server to do that. While the bartender was at fault for not telling the waitress about the lack of shakers that they had clean, the WAITRESS COULD have CHECKED up on the drink WAYYYY BEFORE that time. When you said "People are doing their jobs", well in some cases the servers AREN'T doing their jobs, nor are they being NICE and POLITE to their customers.
I bet you would have still tipped anyways, because you think we THEM mentality, am I right? As if I would feel sorry for someone that didn't TRY ONCE to get ANYTHING RIGHT and wasn't a NICE human being.
Next story:
I also had a waitress overcharge me and my husband by pressing a wrong button. My husband and I both had entrees, which I added a salad to my entree according to the entree I ordered from the menu, my husband didn't. The salad was $1.99 if you add it to an entree and it was $3.50 without an entree. The waitress charged me $3.50. This restaurant was not a chain, it was a local small restaurant, which only had literally 1 party of 2 besides my husband and I as well as one person at the bar, that's it. Now I go up to her to ask her why the salad was $3.50 NICELY, NOT MEAN and she goes "It's whatever is in the computer." I was FLOORED at her UNCARING attitude about as if HER MONEY ONLY MATTERS OR SOMETHING. I ended up having to show her where it had it on the menu(pathetic) since this was my FIRST AND ONLY TIME THERE, BUT I KNEW THE PRICES BETTER THAN SHE DID, WHICH IS TRULY SAD, IT REALLY IS. The fact is, the computer price DOESN'T MATTER, because if the menu states a certain price, well that's the price the server has to charge me, NOT what price is in the computer even if this would have been a wrong price on the menu issue. I HATE, DESPISE, that attitude that the computer only matters as if the ADVERTISED PRICE ON THE MENU DOESN'T MATTER. When customers order things off of a menu, they go by the price that is listed, NOT by a COMPUTER SYSTEM as she would when SHE is a customer Anyway, she had ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO VERIFY THAT CHECK, BUT DECIDED TO BE LAZY. She didn't even ask for them to comp something which I feel she should have since it was HER mistake, not a even a wrong price in the computer, but it was COMPLETELY HER mistake for pressing the wrong button. My finalized check was "add house salad to entree" instead of just "house salad" as the first check had. Only thing she said was as she was handing me the corrected check "Sorry about the mistake." No "So sorry" as I feel she SHOULD have. This was over a dollar mistake, actually $1.51 to be exact, plus extra taxes and extra tip that the higher check amount would have made her tip. Sorry, but I stiffed her because she HANDLED it as if she couldn't POSSIBLY be at fault when I went up to her. Telling me "It's whatever is in the computer" is EXTREMELY RUDE and it's also putting the blame on a computer, which even if the price was wrong such as (let's say the menu states $4.99 and the computer charges $4.49), it would still be on *HER* to notice that, NOT for the customer to have to notice it since the customer is TIPPING, but it wasn't, it was HER that PRESSED the HOUSE SALAD as without an entree. I DON'T CARE what's in the computer; it's what's on the MENU that the customer sees, so that is what counts, NOT what's in the computer. See, if that would have been ME as the server in that situation, I would have automatically looked in the menu to INVESTIGATE the situation instead of blaming a computer to see if I could have possibly made a mistake. I would have also apologized RIGHT AWAY by saying I was “so sorry “ as well as asked the manager to comp the salad for the longer wait. I couldn't fathom saying "It's whatever is in the computer" to someone, because people are SMARTER than computers. We can catch errors better than a computer. Think about spell check. If I write "Their" and "There", the computer will not catch which "There" or "Their" I meant. We as human beings have the POWER to make sure the computer has the correct price by double checking the check. I feel her *attitude* about the situation is what made me not tip. If she would have been NICER about it, then I DEFINATELY would have tipped her at least 10%. Sorry, but we actually go out to eat every weekend just about, which we have been overcharged over 25 times LITERALLY since 2001 so I am really TIRED of showing the server PROOF that they overcharged me when honestly *THAT SERVER* COULD HAVE made sure they were charging me correctly. They make MORE money if the bill is higher too which is a higher overcharge than the exact amount. Like the $1.51 was like having approx. $1.75 taken from us due to not just taxes that are more but also percentage of tip more. I am just TRULY TIRED of DOUBLE CHECKING SERVERS for what *THEY* are supposed to be doing, NOT THE CUSTOMER! What really got her no tip was NOT the MISTAKE, it was her , ATTITUDE by her BLAMING the computer as if the computer was holier than thou as if that was the correct price when SHE actually messed up, NOT that the price was wrong, that SHE did it even more so all on her own than a wrong price would have been. She acted as if she couldn't POSSIBLY be WRONG by telling me it's whatever is in the computer. THAT IS SOOO MEAN. The computer price really doesn't matter, because I am ONLY responsible for the price listed on the MENU, NOT the computer price since I NEVER ORDERED FROM THE COMPUTER! It was just her attitude about it as if she was too LAZY to even try to find out by asking her manager and making me show her on the menu, which is where customers ORDER FROM, NOT A COMPUTER SCREEN. Instead, I had to show her on the menu where it had that the side salads were $1.99 with an entree as if I worked there or something. Trying to prove a menu situation whether it would be price or food related to a server should NEVER, EVER happen, because that server WORKS THERE, I DON'T and it was our very first time there. I don't expect her to memorize the prices, but a server should have knowledge that a lot of restaurants have a special price when you order an entree to look for that when charging someone to know which BUTTON to press. The main reason that we stiffed her was that she acted like she didn't even want to investigate what I was asking, which was why the salad was $3.50. She wants a tip, but doesn't care about her CUSTOMER'S MONEY, that DESERVES NO TIP!
Do you think when I asked her "Why is the side salad $3.50" that it was nice of her to say "It's whatever is in the computer" to me? If I would have been her, I would have NEVER said that and would have looked at the menu to see WHY. I would have never blamed a machine, EVER!! I would have IMMEDIATELY apologized when I would have seen I was wrong instead of saying NOTHING as she said to me. Once I proved her wrong by showing her nicely where the menu had it stated that there was a special price if you order an entree, she just left to get a manager, NOTHING was said. HOW MEAN, you know? I just proved you wrong and you don't want to admit it right away? What's up with that? That's just wrong. She only said she was sorry at the end for her tip, because if she meant it, she would have done it IMMEDIATELY after I showed her physical proof and not had said "It's whatever is in the computer" to my face. I understand she apologized, but too little, too late, because her ATTITUDE showed she didn't mean it. Blaming a computer for HER pressing the wrong button(which that's what it was), INFURIATES ME!! Especially considering customers don’t order from computers, therefore, the computer price means NOTHING. If the price would have been wrong in the computer, a nice, non-lazy, and caring server would have taken the effort to compare the menu to our check. Then, would have gotten their manager to fix the situation so we wouldn't have been overcharged, but that wasn't what happened. SHE PRESSED THE WRONG BUTTON! You would think someone would be nice after showing her proof of what the menu stated by apologizing RIGHT AFTER(not just later), but NO, a lot of servers out there only care about themselves, NOT as if that was their money.
I bet you would have still tipped, because you think we OWE ALL servers no matter what they do or how they treat us, am I right?
Sorry, but my husband and I have stiffed some servers over the years. Those that were DESERVED IT!! You shouldn't get paid if you are mean, rude, lazy, and do a lousy job. EARN YOUR TIP!!
There are plenty more situations I can tell if interested.