Bad Resturant Service (A Rant)

[Coyote_Bandit]

This bothered me last night so much that I continued to think about it today. Wanted to share and get it off my chest.

Friend called as she was leaving work to ask if I wanted to meet her for dinner at a new Mexican resturant near her office. Neither of us had been there. I agreed provided she allowed me to pick up the tab seeing as how she is good to look after my house and critters when I find it necessary to travel.

We met at the resturant and were immediately seated. As expected, the resturant was a typical sit down resturant with a small bar - as opposed to some variety of fast food establishment. There was ample parking, plenty of other vacant tables and no one else waiting to be seated. From our table we could view the parking lot and the entry where folks might wait for seating. We were given a menu and placed our drink (non-alcoholic) orders. Drinks were served along with chips and salsa. We placed our order which was served in short order. Waiter was friendly and efficient up until this point.

About five minutes after our meal was served the waiter began to visit our table with great frequency - as if trying to rush us. It was still hours before closing, there were still other tables available and no one else waiting to be seated.

The waiter would be speaking to us while approaching our table. We could not hear what was said to us as he walked past the table in back of us. I found the conduct rude and disruptive. The best waitstaff approach the table and provide an opportunity for their customers to acknowledge their presence and pause their conversation before intruding. Not this fucker.

At one point I had a forkful of food and the fucker started to take the food that remained in order to box it for carryout. I've never before had somebody try to take my food while I was still fucking eating it.

Not once did the waiter offer to refill our drinks.

Since I didn't trust this bozo I opted to pay the tab with cash. Not surprisingly the fucker asked whether I wanted my change - change that would have provided him a very generous and completely unwarranted 50% gratuity. Of course, I wanted my change. Suddenly we were ignored. Took nearly 15 minutes to get that change.

The time that elapsed from when we walked in the door until we left was less than 45 minutes. When we left there was still ample available parking, no one waiting to be seated and several empty tables. It was at least 10 minutes after we arrived beforee our meal was served and then there was that 15 minute wait for change. My meal of vegetarian fajitas was gobbled down in 20 minutes or less.

Although I did not enjoy my meal I did leave a tip - standard gratuity and no more. I would not have done that but for the fact that I knew my friend would have done so. Her office is nearby and she may find it necessary to return. I won't. I find myself hoping this fucker has a lot more empty tables. He gives hardworking attentive waitstaff a bum rap.

End of rant.

[flvegan]

1. But were the fajitas good?

Mmmm...fajitas.

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. Yes - but

no better than what I can prepare at home.....

And the rice was a bit crunchy.

[TK421]

8. The rice was crunchy? I would have said something

and something similar happened to me years ago when I took my Dad out for his birthday...we got the same rush treatment when there were plenty of tables available. :shrug:

[Coyote_Bandit]

11. Doesn't make sense does it?

Almost as if the waiter was completely ignorant of many of the pleasures of dining out....

The rice was only a bit crunchy. Just a bit dry. It was fine when mixed with the fajita veggies and with some salsa. That was adequate to rehydrate it.

[justabob]

2. I hate bad service

I am very sorry to hear of your misfortune. I can say one thing though. It is really hard to not hover over tables when it is dead - the constant checking. I have caught myself doing it just looking for something to keep busy. But if the guy didn't even bother to refill the drinks, idleness wasn't his issue.


ps and my star just expired in the last few minutes.... grrr

[Coyote_Bandit]

6. It was steady

Not dead.

I appreciate good service in all its forms and will tip generously for exceptional service. I once gave the dog groomer (that I only see quarterly) a 100% tip because she was pleasant and did an adequate job. Although she made no mention of it there was ample evidence that she had an exceptionally difficult day. Still she was pleasant, did a more than adequate job and offered no excuses when she easily could have done so. While I rarely do it, I have no problem leaving no tip (or a 2 cent tip) for exceptionally poor service.


Sorry about your star. Mine is getting ready to die sometime soon. Not sure what I'm going to do about that. Not only am I jobless I've also gone back to school. DU is deserving of my pitiful little contribution but I'm more than a little lacking in funds these days.....

[justabob]

15. yeah, I can barely go out anymore because of service

Besides the fact that I am completely broke, I cannot stand bad service. I have been in the business too long. I understand when they are in the weeds, and busy or dealing with a bad party or whatever...but lately, service has gotten worse and worse. Where I work there are about 4-5 of us out of 18 that I would call good waiters. It is very frustrating.

the star.... yeah sadly, du will have to wait. I do hate the ads and not being able to use certain functions. x(

[Coyote_Bandit]

22. I have some elderly family members

that owned and operated a small eating establishment for many years in their younger days. They are appalled at what often passes as service these days. Long ago they instilled in me a respect and appreciation for good service. IMHO the most important element in good service is attitude. I'll overlook the most inept service if it is apparent that the waiter/waitress is really trying to serve me and insure that I have a pleasant dining experience.

[gmoney]

4. "There was ample parking, plenty of other vacant tables and no one else waiting to be seated. "

That might have been your first clue that the restaurant has issues. :)

Some waiters mistake pestering for being attentive. But playing the game with your change and the no-refills thing does suck. I'd have mentioned it to the manager.

Went to a family-owned Mexican restaurant a couple months ago, active but not overly busy, and we were seated promptly, brought chips and soft drinks and salsa, but for some reason it took FOREVER for two simple entrees to be brought to the table. I think we went through 3 baskets of chips and salsa and refills, so probably at least 45 minutes for the food to actually arrive. When it did, it was overcooked and completely unappetizing, and poorly presented, although I usually don't worry about presentation if the food is good. So, we ate our food, got our check, and took it to the front to pay. I was ready to gripe and complain about the long wait, but when I get to the register, the cashier is one of the kids, maybe 12 or 13 years old. He looked at me and said "How was everything?" So, rather than lay into him, I soft pedaled it to "well, it took a while to get our entrees and they were a little overcooked." I didn't want to complain any more to him, or ask to speak to his father or whoever, so just chalked it up to experience. But that's a dirty trick... putting a sweet kid in charge of asking how everything was...

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. I think what hacked me off the most

was when the guy tried to box the food for carry out while I was still eating it. What was he thinking?


To be fair this is a new resturant that has been open les than a month and is located near some ongoing major road construction. The fact that they had steady traffic was surprising. If other customers are receiving the same kind of service as I did then they will not make it.

[driver8]

28. Damn -- that is unbelievable!

You would think that, the way things are these days, people would go "the extra mile" to make sure that their customers are taken care of.

This guy acted like you owed him something.

I wouldn't go back -- ever.

We have a local Italian place that is right down the street from our house. The food is good, but the service sucks. They have this one waitress who knows everyone and likes to stop to chat. If you are not a friend of hers, you will wait forever to get service from her. We stopped going there because of her. The funny thing is, she thinks that she is the greatest waitress in the world!

[Coyote_Bandit]

31. I won't go back

The person I was dining with likely will. It is very close to her workplace and dining options in the area are limited.

[Kali]

5. if it was a new place maybe he needs a little training/polishing

I probably would have just told him what was wrong/what I needed for him to do...???

[Coyote_Bandit]

9. We did ask

for additional salsa when we ran out and no more was offered. And for drink refills. And I forbade him from boxing the food I was still eating. We also pointed out our difficulty hearing him.

[Mutley]

10. It was probably time for him to go home.

Not that that is an excuse for his service, but just saying.

Everyone has bad days. Maybe his boss had just yelled at him, or his girlfriend just broke up with him, or possibly even worse. Again, none of this is an excuse for bad service, but servers and everyone in the service industry are human, too.

[Coyote_Bandit]

12. Maybe so - I don't know

I do know that I would have been willing to consider returning to that resturant had the service been average.

I also know that in the past I have tipped generously when service personel have been pleasant in difficult situations.

[Mutley]

16. I try to look at it like this

Imagine that the love of your life just left you. All you want to do is lie in bed and cry, but you can't afford to take the day off. So, in you go. As a server, your wages depend on your attitude, so you have to spend your entire shift smiling and laughing and pretending everything is just peachy, even though you are torn to shreds on the inside. By the end of the day, you are completely exhausted physically and emotionally, and all you care about is getting home to that bed.

The point is, we don't know what is going on in the lives of the people who are serving us. Personally, unless someone is being truly abhorrent, I try to be easy on them.

[Coyote_Bandit]

19. Ummmm......

I think a waiter trying to carry off and box up my food while I am obviously still eating it is pretty abhorrent behavior. Everything else I complained about has happened to me before. Not that. Can't say that I personally know anyone else that has happened to either.

While personal circumstances may explain poor service and poor work performance they do not excuse it. The waiter did a poor job. That ultimately carries some consequences.

[Mutley]

20. Ummmm......

I'm pretty sure I said that in my first post to you. Maybe I should double check, though. ;)

I was just trying to put some perspective on the situation. You're right. He should not have tried to take your food while you were still eating. I just get weary of people who get bent out of shape because they received service that wasn't absolutely flawless at all times.

edit: Oo! I said it twice! Go me.

[Coyote_Bandit]

21. Sooooooo.......

We're agreed that I got bad service.

If I go in to see my dentist for a root canal I expect him to perform his service at an acceptable professional level - even if he is emotionally distraught over his romantic life. Knowing about it doesn't excuse any dental malpractice he might inflict. It might suggest that he should refuse to treat me.

If the waiter could not or would not perform his duties in an acceptable manner then maybe he should have gone home.

[Mutley]

23. Welllllll.............

I'm pretty sure there's a slight difference between a dentist who puts a hole in the side of your face because he is distracted and a server whose service wasn't up to par.

Obviously, this trauma has effected you quite deeply, and that terrible server doesn't deserve a moment's compassion. I truly hope you are never in the position of having to having to keep the rest of your life afloat while trying to deal with something difficult, and all with a smile that never wavers.

Do have a better evening. :hi:

[Coyote_Bandit]

24. A waiter that doesn't notice the broken glass

that accidentally fell on my plate from somebody else's accident in the kitchen is potentially as dangerous as a preoccupied dentist. Same could be said of the waiter who spits in my food. Or ignores the fact that vermin or chemicals were known to have contaminated my food.

I believe it is possible to be compassionate without excusing the consequences of a job poorly done. Saying "it's ok" to the sap that served me does not benefit him. If he continues to perform like that he will lose his job or his employer will be out of business. Then he will be heartbroken and unemployed. Better to encourage him to set and work toward personal and professional goals that look to the future and help him build the life he wants. Compassion is something that wants to relieve suffering not merely empathize with it. Context is an explanation and nothing more.

Not trying to be difficult. Just sharing the observations from my window.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

13. Whatever you do, don't go for Chinese food in San Francisco's Chinatown

We were taking our time, enjoying our meal, in the home stretch (but not finished) when an elderly woman came to the table, yelled "YOU FINISHED! GO NOW," gathered up our plates, took the tablecloth, took what was left from our pot of tea and poured it on the table, and wiped it off with the tablecloth.

I did not check the Michelin guide to see how many stars this place got.

:spray:

:rofl:

[Coyote_Bandit]

14. OK OK you're right

I at least had the opportunity to stop the guy that was trying to cart the food I was still eating away....

Think either of these places are deserving of even a piece of a star?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

17. I think the Chinese place could actually market "Mean Grandma"...

..."come for the food, stay for Mean Grandma." They could put a caricature of her on the take-out boxes..."Home of Mean Grandma."

Because she was mean. Little, but MEAN. This was a couple of decades ago...I'm thinkin' Mean Grandma is probably being mean in Heaven or, you know...that OTHER place mean people go to.

Unfortunately, most "five star" rating systems won't let you go below one star.

:rofl:

[pinniped]

25. The old Chinese lady on Clement Street (SF) will mop over your foot around closing time.

..

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. That's why I never tip - until waitstaff start watchdogging each other around the country,

none of 'em get a tip.

[Maine-ah]

26. I've been working in the restaurant industry for 15 years now.

his behavior was definitely in the wrong. The advice I always give to people, is to speak up. If you don't either say something to the server or to the management about your experience, they'll never get the problem fixed. Whether it's an issue with your meal, or an issue with your server. I'm a manager at a restaurant, and the thing I hear the most when an issue comes up is "I hate to complain, but...." I always let my customers know, that I don't consider it "complaining" and that if they didn't tell me about their experience, I wouldn't be able to fix it. I want repeat business, it's how we survive. I will bend over backwards to make sure you have a good experience.

[LynneSin]

27. I would call the manager and register your complaint

that's just annoying as all hell.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

29. Nice summation

I recommend you delete the F-bombs and give it to the manager. Servers asking if I want the change back is the same thing as asking "Can I have my tip now?" RUDE!

[Taitertots]

30. OMG Why did you tip him?

I'm going to assume that after such an experience you have no intention of going back.

The Tipocracy is so entrenched that people feel obliged to tip even for bad service.