My rant of the week. Restaurant service.

[Oneslowz28]

I went to a local restaurant tonight that is a fairly nice place. Its above the level of the usual chain places like outback, applebees, TGI fridays etc but a little below the formal places. This place is fairly new and I have been wanting to eat there for a while now. So I called up the g/f and left to pick her up.

We get there and are seated by the hostess who also takes our drinks order. So we both order sweet tea. (place does not yet have a liquor license) We go over the menu and decide on what we want to eat. We both close out menus and lay them down in front of us which is usually the sign that someone is ready to order. 15 minutes later (been there 30 min by now) out waitress comes to take our order. She takes out order and we ask about our drinks. Another 10 min go bye before we get them. Our food arrives about 10 min after the drinks. It was brought out by the chef because he could not find our server and he didn't want the food to get cold. Our drinks are empty by now.

Our server finally comes back to fill our drinks and leaves the pitcher on the table telling us "this way I don't have to come back as often" and walks off. We only see her 1 more time in the next 30 min and that is to bring us our check. I put my card in the thing and she take it to pay the bill. When she comes back she stands around to wait on the check thing. I write $0.00 in the tip spot and she has the nerve to open it up and look at it. Not only that but she ask if we made a mistake. I tell her no I made no mistake. The service we got did not deserve a tip. Then she went off on a little speech about how she makes minimum wage and we should be happy that she was there to serve us. Then says she deserves at least a 20% tip for her time. I stopped her there and the g/f and I left. I asked to speak to the manager on the way out but he was not there. I did get his number though.

[slaveofconvention]

I've been to the states half a dozen times now and the whole "You HAVE to tip" thing still bugs me a little. I've never had really bad service - I guess that's down to the fact that the serving staff really can't live off of the basic wage so tips are so important.

I did have one experience with a NYC cabbie though... I'd gone for a walk with my GPS to make sure I didn't get lost and decided it was time to head back to the hotel in Queens - I'd walked far enough (lazy ya know) and hailed a cab. I switched the GPS over to "by car" instead of "on foot" and it came up on the screen as about 4 miles. The driver managed to make it nearly 7 because of the route he took and when I got out and paid the meter to the cent, he gave me a load of abuse for not tipping him. He shut up pretty quickly when I showed him the GPS and said "Your tip is in the meter - want to give me your medallion number?" - he left in a cloud of tire smoke lol

[Airbozo]

You did the right thing...

When you talk with the manager, mention her tirade about "expecting a tip" and inform him she got the tip she deserved.

I normally consider myself a big tipper at a restaurant, because I have been there. If I get crappy service I also leave no tip and talk with the manager as to why.

[nevermind1534]

I hate when a 18% tip is included, with no option to change it. When that is the case, you can't leave the server without a tip if service is terrible.

[Oneslowz28]

I am the same as you bozo. I even go as far as to speak with the manager and let them know the server did a wonderful job if the service is great.

[msmrx57]

I am the same as you bozo. I even go as far as to speak with the manager and let them know the server did a wonderful job if the service is great.

As I used to be a short order cook in a diner I know how hard [U]good[U] servers work so I always try to tip accordingly. We also tend to go back to places with good wait staff and make sure that theyt know why we come back. Been luck so far and haven't had an experience as bad as yours, but have had a few. Once the hostess had to come and take our order after 15-20 min because the waitress hadn't even been by to take a drink order.

[progbuddy]

When this type of thing happens, you generally don't leave a tip because of a bitchy waiter/waitress and bad service. However, I am unconventional and go out of my way to ruin things completely, as I am sadistic and odd. If I were talked to in such fashion, bad ratings would fly up all over restaurant reviews, and a convenient sign placed slightly off property to tell people to avoid such waiters/waitresses and don't take the slightest amount of lip from them, as well as the good ol' fashioned word-of-mouth approach.

[simon275]

Once I was at a restaurant with my family we ordered food and received our drinks but no food came for up to an hour. Twice we asked and they said they would check for us and never did. Eventually we went up to a women who was working the register and pouring drinks and complained. They promptly bought our food out 10mins later and gave us a good bottle of wine on the house for our troubles.

[Trace]

My parents actually had a server with a bad attitude that quit while he was serving them.

[Luke122]

Lol.. I had the exact opposite guys.. I had the best service EVER in Calgary at Stage West a few years back.

Our server was AWESOME. The guy never let our drinks run out, he was always close by if we needed anything, and he even went out of his way to get us little extras and stuff. Me and a friend were there on a double date with these two girls, and of course we end up with the cherry stem competition. (Tie a knot with your mouth, and you are a good kisser)

Our server sees this and brings us a whole bowl of cherries to work with. :) TBH, I think he had a crush on me. :D:D:D

We gave him a $50 tip. :D

[billygoat333]

haha I LOVE it when I have gay waiters. they always hit on me and give me free food. lol

[Eclecticos]

You must demand attention without causing a scene.
Don't be a jackarse just walk over and ask if you have to. :D
Otherwise you will just sit there collecting dust.

[luciusad2004]

Wow that's pretty ****ty service. I normally try to tip as much as I can afford w/in my budget, as a lot of wait staff employees can have it pretty rough in terms of pay but that sort of service definitely doesn't deserve a tip. I can't believe she told you that she deserved 20% just for being there.

Does anyone else remember the days when 15% was an good tip and 20% was for really good service? I think someone's getting a little greedy.

[Airbozo]

Wow that's pretty ****ty service. I normally try to tip as much as I can afford w/in my budget, as a lot of wait staff employees can have it pretty rough in terms of pay but that sort of service definitely doesn't deserve a tip. I can't believe she told you that she deserved 20% just for being there.

Does anyone else remember the days when 15% was an good tip and 20% was for really good service? I think someone's getting a little greedy.

The rule of thumb is STILL 15%. Less for poor service, more for great service.

When I went to Korea the first time, I left a tip at one of the places we ate. The owner chased me down and gave it back... I was told later that tipping was a western custom.

[progbuddy]

haha I LOVE it when I have gay waiters. they always hit on me and give me free food. lol

Too bad I'm not becoming a waiter. ;)

[luciusad2004]

The rule of thumb is STILL 15%. Less for poor service, more for great service.

When I went to Korea the first time, I left a tip at one of the places we ate. The owner chased me down and gave it back... I was told later that tipping was a western custom.

I read about stuff like that happening when people travel to japan. I think waiter staff get payed more in other countries though. I could be wrong however.

[Oneslowz28]

I got in touch with the manager. I am no the first to complain on that waitress. She is no longer with the restaurant. He got my address and is sending me vouchers for free meals.

[msmrx57]

I got in touch with the manager. I am no the first to complain on that waitress. She is no longer with the restaurant. He got my address and is sending me vouchers for free meals.

Sweet. Management like that would definitely make me give a place a second chance. In this economy word of mouth rep is gold, or poison and most places realize it. Hope you second chance is a much better experience.

[Oneslowz28]

I plan on going back Saturday night.

[luciusad2004]

I plan on going back Saturday night.

Let us know how it goes!

[billygoat333]

Too bad I'm not becoming a waiter. ;)

haha definitely. I am not above flirting with men for good deals. lol

as for goin back to the restaurant, good luck hope they walk on eggshells for you. cause for me thats what it would take to win me back.

[Oneslowz28]

I am going to take $25 cash with me for the tip. That will be like a very nice tip . We will see if it pans out

[luciusad2004]

haha definitely. I am not above flirting with men for good deals. lol

as for goin back to the restaurant, good luck hope they walk on eggshells for you. cause for me thats what it would take to win me back.

As long as the offending waitress was dealt with accordingly and the service the second time around was up to my normal expectations I don't see why they should have to "walk on eggshells." I'm sure EVERY business hires a few bad employees here and there. It doesn't take much to put on a smile and fake your way through an interview until you get a job. As long as they take care of the situation I'd say most places deserve at least a second chance. Extra service is nice but I would hardly consider it necessary. Besides, unless you made a REALLY big deal about it, theirs a good chance they aren't gonna recognize you as "that guy" when your walking in the door.

Of course if it happens regularly then that's a whole different story. That would probably be a management issue though.

[si-skyline]

I never understood the hole tipping thing and how it is expected and how much is also expected. I remember watching a program what was filmed in America about boys becoming gentlemen and they where told 20% is you being generous and if you want to show off to a woman its 25%

I also don't get why the wage is not enough to live on, I will be honest not to know much about employment and governing laws there.. but why allow someone to take a job like that and more fool the person to take a job that will not pay all the bills. I understand that people don't have a option and have to work there..

I have heard about friends and even older men on holiday with their family being restrained by staff or being mistreated because they did not feel they needed to tip.

[luciusad2004]

I never understood the hole tipping thing and how it is expected and how much is also expected. I remember watching a program what was filmed in America about boys becoming gentlemen and they where told 20% is you being generous and if you want to show off to a woman its 25%

I also don't get why the wage is not enough to live on, I will be honest not to know much about employment and governing laws there.. but why allow someone to take a job like that and more fool the person to take a job that will not pay all the bills. I understand that people don't have a option and have to work there..

I have heard about friends and even older men on holiday with their family being restrained by staff or being mistreated because they did not feel they needed to tip.

I'm not sure why its the way it is but I know the law is something along the lines of: "the employer can pay under minimum wage because the employee makes so much in tips." I think my girl friend was making a little over $2 an hour at a local joint as a bus girl and she didn't even get a large chunk of the tips (the waitress she worked w/ hoarded them all to herself). Her paychecks were well under $100 and she would get a handful in tips every week.

Not much you can do about it over hear. Its not unheard of for a waitress to make $2-$3 an hour which is why they take tips so seriously, that's what they live on. I've heard a GOOD waitress can make a good amount of money if she's working at the right kind of restaurant with clients that tip well.

I don't have a problem with tipping but I guess that's because its just part of American culture, but I would love to see the laws changed so that everyone was at least guaranteed minimum wage. I actually would find it really hard not to tip if I ever went overseas.

[si-skyline]

To be honest hearing some of those figures is a eye opener.

in the UK min wage is £5.73 ~$9.46 to 2.d.p.

I'm not against tipping, I believe it should only be given when achieved. This morning a tipped a lady £1 for my hair cut. she seemed to take ages and seemed to set a high standard for herself. that or she was bored with a slow day at work.

I do get out raged and very reluctant to give a tip if it is expected, I think its just bad mannered.

After reading the last message if I was to visit the states i would keep that in mind. It is disgusting that people trying to live are on wages like that.

[Oneslowz28]

To be fair it is illegal for the restaurant staff to restrain you for not leaving a tip. With that said I do wish it would happen to me and kinda hope they would rough me up a bit. It might be fun being a restaurant owner.. lol

[Zephik]

I see it like this; Tipping the waitress means that you're just paying what you would normally pay anywhere else in the world. However, if you get a bad waitress, then you at least have the option to not tip him/her.

Although I'm not sure if that's a correct way to think. I just figure that if they don't have tipping elsewhere in the world, then their staff is getting full pay and thus the price of the meal has to be higher. Sounds the way you think it would work anyways.

[Oneslowz28]

exactly. If they were to raise the waitresses pay then that $30 salad, steak and potato would end up costing you $50. And those $8 glasses of wine or $6-$10 mixed drinks would cost more. It would turn a normally $70 meal into a $130 meal and thats just ridiculous. Now imaging a family with 2 or 3 kids and turns that meal into a $200 meal. Big difference there. To be fair though there are some restaurants that do pay their staff fair wages. There is a coat and tie place here that I know pays a minimum of $12 an hour and its chefs make around $30 an hour. You will not leave there with a bill under $200 though. I try to avoid that place.

[Mach]

My girlfriend used to wait tables in the States and she says she liked it. She worked in mid to upscale restaurants in a tourist town and put herself through school. She says you have to be smart, personable, and attentive but the base is small money compared to what she made in tips. She also said you have to work as a team with the bus boy, chef, and hostess. On nights where business was good, she'd split her tips with the "team". Granted not every situation is like hers was.

The restaurant business has different rhythms in Europe vs North America. In the US, I can be finished my meal and on my way in 30-45 minutes. In Spain or France, I could probably get the appetizers by then but nobody would say anything if we stayed until they closed. In the US, I'd be badgered if I sat until my coffee cooled, in a nice way mind you, but its clear its all about volume and the only reason tipping works.

London has caught on to the volume idea in some places, especially popular or places close to tourist venues. Paris, meh a little. It was interesting to see tip jars become more popular when I lived there a few years ago. Tourism effects I guess.

[Zephik]

I just remembered another reason why I like tipping. We have a place here called "Beverley's", its on the very top floor of our world class lakeside resort here. Sounds expensive? You bet your ass it is! Here is why I love tipping. You work there at minimum wage, but thanks to tipping, you have a pretty good chance of walking out of there with a grand or more per week. They could never support that kind of wage on their own, so thanks to tipping, you can make a load of cash. All you have to do is be a great waiter/waitress. Freaking awesome!

[Oneslowz28]

Well I am off to dinner guys. I will check in and let you know how it goes

[Oneslowz28]

Ok so I left last night and picked the g/f up. We get to the place and the hostess seats us. Our waitress shows up within 5 minutes and takes our drink orders. She shows up 2 minutes later with them. We decide what we want to eat this time and as soon as we set down our menus she is back to take our order. I ordered a NY strip steak , she ordered a blackened chicken dish and we ordered a shrimp platter for appetizers. The appetizers came about 5 minutes before the actual meals did so that was not that great but other than that the service was what I expected. I did not use the free dinner cards I was given and I did leave the $25 tip. I would go back in the future

[Zephik]

Nice! Good to know that it was probably just one bad waitress and not an entire sinking ship. I'd hate to have called Gordon Ramsey on them! lol

[Drum Thumper]

There's only one thing worse than being confronted about no tip: a restaurant that automatically adds the gratuity in for you. I expect as much at the high class restaurants, but not at a freakin microbrewery/restaurant.

Don't get me wrong, the waitress was top notch (not to mention very easy on the eyes), and I had planned on leaving a $10.00 tip for a $35.00 meal and drinks (Rib steak, baked potato, a wonderful hefeweizen and a desert), but they figured in the the standard 15%. Principal of the matter. I haven't been back to that particular place since, and tell anyone who is going through Helena MT to go to the Staggering Ox instead.

[Zephik]

Ouch. That would have been like a 45% tip! lol

I didn't even know restaurants could do that. I can't really blame them too much though, there are a lot of cheap bastards out there who just don't understand that by not tipping you are actually paying less for the meal than anywhere else in the world. You're paying what anyone else anywhere else would pay, so pay up people! I wish they would do something to make people understand this. The only time you shouldn't tip is when you receive poor service.

And for the love of god, don't tip a waiter or waitress like a nickle or quarter or something. lol That's even worse than not tipping at all! When I worked at a restaurant that happened to one of our waitresses and holy freaking cow she was pissed. Although, to be fair, she was kind of a "meh" waitress 99% of the time.

[Drum Thumper]

Pennies are even more fun. Or suctioning a dollar bill to a water glass. I save that for exceptionally horrible service. Unless they have a spatula on them, they ain't picking that up without making a mess.

[Zephik]

Oh, I got a couple horrible tricks up my sleeves too. Oddly, I learned these from fellow restaurant employee's rather than customers. lol

Get one of those plastic salt shakers, get a quarter and a dollar bill. Place the dollar bill on the table, then spin the quarter on top of the dollar bill. Once you have it spinning fast and steady, slam down the plastic salt shaker on top of the quarter and you'll bust out the bottom of the shaker without making a mess or even a sign of one. So here comes along the waitress/waiter, see's the dollar pinned under the shaker, assumes that its like that so the dollar doesn't blow away or something, picks up the salt shaker and VOOOSSSHHH all of the salt comes pouring out everywhere.

I've never done it though, I'm not that much of an ass. I did try the salt shaker and disappearing quarter trick at a burger king before, just to see if it works. It does. lol

[Oneslowz28]

I have in the past left 2 pennies and a note, left a dollar in my drink, and balanced several items on top of each other with a loosened cap salt or pepper shaker. Most of that was in my teen years.