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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 11:16 am
LOL Jimmer I stopped at Starbucks this morning before work, and I cleaned up their creamer/sugar/stir area while I waited for my drink. They were super busy and I was just standing, so I made myself useful. The other night we went for pizza (I had salad) and they were crazy busy with really rude customers (a cultural festival(one culture) had just let out and they all decided to descend on the pizza place, and it was obvious that a lot of these people don't leave their immediate communities into the larger communities or dinig establishment) and it was just insane on top of being down 10 servers. So while we were waiting in line, I could see that they were about to go crazy at the counter, and had no time to clean tables, so while DH ordered I offered to wipe down a couple of tables, since I was just standing in line doing nothing. The guy was so happy, he gave us a big discount on our pizza and drinks and told us that he hoped we didn't mind that our pizza was going to take a while to come out because of the giant party's that came in right before us without a reservation. We told him we didn't mind and not to worry about us (sis used to work there) we'd be fine. He gave the girls some stuff to snack on to keep them occupied while we waited. No one screamed (not our children anyway) no one got down from the table, we played a "what am I" game while we waited and he personally delivered our pizza to our table with another apology, and extras. We tipped him about 30% and left happy, full and not at all envying his job as when we left another group of about 20 came in sans a reservation.
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 3:31 pm
I have a question for you guys.....dont' answer with what you THINK I want to hear, answer with how you'd be thinking as a customer. You walk into a restaurant that has ton of people at the host stand. You look past the host and see many tables clean, open, and available. The host says the wait is still about 30 minutes because they don't have that section open. Do you think they should open that section, even though there isn't another server for it (so the other servers would the take on DOUBLE the tables, and the service gets a lot slower). Or, are you OK to wait at the door, that extra time? I ask this because it is a VERY common situation in a restaurant, where you normally AREN'T busy at a specific time, yet you end up with a cultural festival letting out that you didn't know about, or a community event is going on nearby, or something like that. All of a sudden, a time where one server is usually MORE than enough, suddenly needs a full staff of 4 servers. What do you think the restaurant should do? People can clearly see that there are empty tables. Should the restaurant just get people seated, and let the people get served when they get served (AKA slow), but at least they are sitting? Or, should you make people wait in line?
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Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 3:38 pm
I would first decide whether or not I still wanted to eat there knowing that it would be at least a 30 minute wait. If I had to stay in line, rather than having my name written down, I would leave for sure. If my name was taken and I could go sit down in a waiting area, then I think the MANAGER should make the sacrifice and offer something to drink - water, tea, or coffee. It would be helpful to my decision to know the reason that the seats are to remain unused - not enough servers.
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Merrysea
Moderator
08-13-2004
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 3:41 pm
I agree with Rosie that it would be helpful to know why the seats were open; otherwise I tend to think people are just being lazy or taking long breaks. I would rather be seated and wait at a table than wait in a long line or a crowded waiting area.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 3:42 pm
Any festivals in my town, everyone knows about, we are smaller, especially since the festival was less than a couple of miles from the pizza place. No, we didn't mind waiting in this instance, they let us know ahead of time they were short staffed and super busy. This is an annual festival and the people who attend it come from all over the place. Our town knows about it ahead of time, what roads to avoid, etc. My problem was that I could not believe the haughtiness and disregard for the wait staff by these patrons. They were the ones who descended on the restaurant like vultures sans a reservation, then expected top notch service, even though the manager told them they were short staffed and it was first come first serve. These people were PISSED! It was insane. I think it's alright to make people wait in line, but I think they (staff) should let people know that they are short staffed and overly busy. Most people will understand. I've seen people be asked to wait and then watched them just go sit at an open table without a hostess taking them to it, then expect to be served along with others who waited their turn, I find that extremely rude of other patrons.
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Pippin04
Member
10-26-2007
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 3:52 pm
If there is no place to wait. I would like to be seated and not have to wait in line. The restaurant should tell everyone they seat they are short staffed due to an unexpected increase in customers. I would be happy to wait for service. If there is a bar, I would go wait there I would not expect anything like free drinks. But I was in a restaurant when this happened, the manager came around the bar with free finger foods. Everyone was very happy the manager went out of his way to make the customers happy. If I am in a rush I will tell them thank you I am in a rush and will come back another time.
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Kitt
Member
09-06-2000
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 3:59 pm
If it was just me/my group I think we'd prefer slow service, as long as we were warned, rather than waiting away from the table. If I couldn't sit while I waited I'd almost certainly eat elsewhere. I don't really mind leisurely service as long as they get drinks and bread out quite quickly, but I understand why the restaurant wouldn't want to do that, as some would be sure to complain. For me it's communication. If you explain what's happening I can make a choice. If you're not honest about the situation that choice is taken away from me and I won't like it.
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Sharinia
Member
09-07-2002
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 4:04 pm
As a customer I would certainly like the option of being seated, and would understand waiting to be served ... There are a few fine restaurants in my area where there are 'waiting rooms' with table seating (mini tables) and there isn't necessarily a bar in the room. It is nice to be able to sit. Altho, on the rare occassion I have been known to go shopping in the interim Because my dh was a waiter for 6 yrs, I am sensitive to how difficult it is for a server to be overstretched. You have to make some very difficult prioritizing decisions, and some customers will inevitably be unhappy, and tips may go down. So I would not expect a server to accommodate me if they felt that they could not do their job effectively. However, I would not mind being given an option of 'We could seat you and try to take care of you if a server is finds a few mins in the next 1/2 hour, but it may be slow and no promises.' I agree that honest, clear and open communication goes a long way.
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Beachcomber
Member
08-26-2003
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 4:07 pm
I feel the same as Kitt, honest communication is the key. Tell us the reason for the empty tables and realistically how long the wait is and we will make our decision to wait or leave with a favorable impression of the restaurant and we'll try again another night.
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Boberg
Member
10-04-2002
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 4:12 pm
I would definetly want to know WHY the empty table and long wait...this gives ME the information to make a decision that makes me happy. Do I want to wait the 30 minutes or do I want to go elsewhere? To just seat people when the staff is short makes the experience less enjoyable for everyone AND you will still have a wait.
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 4:32 pm
I'd leave. LOL - Just being honest.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 5:05 pm
I'd leave too, open tables or not. A wait of 30 minutes--no way, not waiting that long.
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 5:10 pm
Or more likely I would have made a reservation and expect it to be kept.
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 5:17 pm
If I hadn't been given the option of being seated with slower service, I would leave.
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 6:02 pm
See this is the dilemma almost EVERY server and every restaurant has dealt with before. It's actually quite common. The whole "where did all of these PEOPLE come from?" scenario. The last place I worked at had a massive 70 table patio, that at full proper staff, would need about 14 servers to get everything done properly. The way one part of it was shaped, is that one server would work "the rail" on the water side, but allll of the 40 inner tables would just be sort of "closed". Every summer there are one or two days through the season, where a single server who rarely gets more than two tables at a time, finds that a cancer walk is passing by, or some strange thing, and then all of a sudden you've got a hundred customers looking at these 40 tables off the rail, an wondering why they can't get service. Seriously, it's impossible to serve more than about 15 tables, and even then you are bending over and taking it like a prisonb---h and just giving terrible service to those 15 tables. People THINK the would be OK to be sitting, and that would be enough to keep them happy, but even then, the single server on duty cannot do 40 tables. Every time you get people saying "oh we don't mind", they end up minding, because from the front door, you just can't fathom how BAD and inattentive service can be when a server is trying to handle more than 15 tables. To get an idea of how many tables a person should have, you have 2-3 in fine dining, 4-5 in semi-fine dining, 5-6 in casual upscale, and anything more than that in a FOOD restaurant is just asking for bad service. Pubs that sell only pitchers of beer can get away with larger sections, because a pitcher requires only sporadic server attention. It's interesting, because when they are told by the host, "I'm sorry but we just don't have enough staff to cover those tables right now," most people at the door actually don't like hearing that a restaurant is understaffed. They are often like "what do you MEAN you don't have enough staff?!" Many people think that if the tables EXIST in the restaurant, then the restaurant should have staff for those tables at all times. Most people don't get that a restaurant follows sales trends and not every minute of the day is as busy as 730pm on a Friday night. When the "unexpected rush" happens, every server dreams of the 80s, when there were those tacky tacky sign-poles with velvet ropes that said "Sorry, this section closed". Anyways, I just wanted to hear what people thought about that scenario. It's a no-win situation for the restaurant in my opinion, because you will for sure piss people off when they are sitting and getting reaaaalllly inattentive service, and you will also piss them off when they see open tables and you tell them you can't seat them. Completely a no win situation. When there are 50 people at the door, the hostess can't break into this little educational seminar about how restaurants only schedule one server on Tuesday afternoons, because we never usually get more than 3 or four tables, and now there are 100 people looking for tables and it's fluke occurrence. I agree that people who just KNOW what's going on can make that informed decision, but rarely do you REALLY have an opportunity to be that thoroughly truthful with each person who comes in, when the unexpected rush is happening. For me personally, the correct answer is to leave and find a place that you WILL be happy, and come back to the busy restaurant when they have their stuff together another time.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 6:03 pm
I'd leave unless for one reason or another we had our hearts set on that particular restaurant for that night. Sometimes Darren and I go out by ourselves to a restaurant we wouldn't take the kids to...it'd be worth it to wait. Or if we're out with the kids and celebrating something and one of them has picked it. Otherwise, chances are we were just driving down the street and chose this or that restaurant to go to and it's no big deal to go somewhere else if the wait is too long. In that case we probably have hungry kidlets who aren't going to take well to waiting too long, lol.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 6:09 pm
I would tell them 'Do you know who I am?!' and demand to be seated.

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Sharinia
Member
09-07-2002
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 6:12 pm
Oh sure, if there is an unexpected wait and another place close by that I would be happy going to, I will do that. I thought the assumption was that we want to eat THERE and would we rather stand or sit. A half hour wait, even with a reservation, is not at all unusual with many of the restaurants I go to. Pretty common, actually. I have been to very popular restaurants where the wait is WELL over an hour and people just keep packing in.
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Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 6:28 pm
Last year my family went to a restaurant (it was my choice) and none of us realized that it was PROM NIGHT. As we parked, we saw all of the young adults arriving in gowns and tuxes. We decided to stay because it was fun to see them. We had the best service EVER!
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Friday, May 30, 2008 - 5:02 am
That happened recently at a fairly pricy restaurant in Coronado. My sister and her BF were in town and my father, his wife, me, and the two of 'em were spending a nice long lunch together. I got to the restaurant first and they said a half hour wait. We all agreed, and went and sat in the bar. 1. No one came to get our drink orders. 2. After a half hour, I checked and the hostess said it would be only a few more minutes. 3. After 15 minutes, I checked again, explained that I had to get back to work, and was again told it would be a few more minutes. 4. At the one hour point, I left. I stopped by the hostess station and told them they could reduce the number of seats to four and maybe seat the rest faster. 5. At close to the two hour mark, I got a call from my dad's wife. They'd just been served their food. 6. There was no bread. The server said it was "still baking." He did, however, bring out bread as they meal ended and told my father to take it home with him. 7. Throughout this entire thing, we saw several other parties being seated, several open tables on the patio, and NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON CAME BY TO UPDATE STATUS, ASK FOR OUR DRINK OR AN APPETIZER ORDER. Once I found out what time they actually left the restauarant (we got there about 12:15, they left about 3:45 and they did NOT linger long), I called back and spoke to the manager. I explained all of the above, explained (as I had to the hostess) that I had a fairly long lunch period but that I did have to get back to work, and told her that was absolutely unacceptable. IF THEY HAD UPDATED US, THINGS MAY HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. But to walk by, not acknowledge us, make ME go find out what the heck is going on, not even take drink orders? Um, nope, not acceptable. The manager wanted us to come in the next day but I told her I couldn't take another 3 hour lunch. She offered to ensure we had the best servers, the best service, and so on the next time I want to eat there, and to call her first. But... I won't go back. I feel bad for the manager, and she did say she would bring this up during the Saturday staff meeting, but... not one single person did their job correctly. Not the hostess (and yup, there were two of them), not the bartender, not the cocktail waitress, no one. We were the only people sitting in the bar waiting. I'll wait if there is a place to wait. But I will not wait forever. I don't care of this high end restaurant caters to a lot of tourists. I live there, you don't know who I am, and you just lost a lot of business in the future.
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Biloxibelle
Member
12-21-2001
| Friday, May 30, 2008 - 6:13 am
This must be my week for not getting top of the line serve. While I understood what was happening to our server in my other post, the server my son and I had for breakfast the other morning was just plain bad. My tip reflected it. We stopped for breakfast Tuesday at of all places the Waffle House. It was well after the breakfast rush. Our server was much more interested in what was going on at the door then our order. The whole time she was taking our order she had her head turned away from us watching a group come through the door. Twice during my order she turned back and said "huh?' to me. At the end of the order I had to again tell her twice I did not want any meat. Son ordered a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with a side order of hash browns. What he got was hash browns with ham and cheese in it. While we were waiting for our check she looked over at our table a couple times and knew we were done eating, but she just kept working behind the counter. I finally went up to the counter without a check. Another server got the check from her and rang us up. Our server threw a half hearted sorry over her shoulder at us. I sent son back to the table with only one dollar of my change...I never do that. I try to be understanding, as I mentioned earlier I served. But, I expect at least an honest effort whether it is at a Waffle House or fine dining. I figured if she wasn't going to put any effort into earning her tip, I sure wasn't going to put any effort into giving her one.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Friday, May 30, 2008 - 8:06 am
I would have left her a penny for her "thoughts"
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Friday, May 30, 2008 - 10:23 am
Biloxi - if everything was grossly negligent like you explain, I would have asked to speak to a manager and told him about the server. That is unacceptable. Costa - a 3.5 hour lunch is pretty ridiculous! I'm not sure what the exact situation there was, but man, there are times when that "unexpected rush" happens, that all hands on deck are busy just trying to tread water. Like, when there's one server, but 100 food orders, the server is so busy just taking orders, delivering drinks, and billing people, that the manager is usually the one running food, so there isn't time for them to wander around doing "table calls" while tons of food sits on the hot pass. It's a hard juggle. The thing that bugs me is that many hostesses just stand at the front, and don't look IN to the restaurant to see the chaos. Like, if there were two servers, I would be up at the front pulling one of them OFF of the door and saying they need to deliver food for me. Stick the manager at the expo line and they should just hand the hostess two plates at a time and say "take these to table 36". She's a hostess, so even though she may not know the food, she does know the tables so she can be a delivery person. Or the host could go around and give water to people. Fill waters for people. Fill coffee. Go in the back and MAKE coffee. The little things that suck up a server's time, an extra hostess could do easily. I find there is a shortage of strong minded people to work the door nowadays, and what we end up with are these meek underage girls who are too scared to take charge of the floor, be the BOSS of the customers, and take initiative. Soooo many times hostesses are lead around by customers, as the customer "browses" the restaurant for where they want to sit. That KILLS servers (especially single on duty servers), because the customer never picks a table that is close to all the others, so it's harder and farther to serve. A hostess needs o plunk the people down and say "here's is your table, Jane will be your server and she'll be right with you." No conversation about whether the table is OK, or any kind of hesitation. OK, I'm ranting again. But seriously, a hostess can really screw you up if she messes with your timing. Costa, what was the deal in the bar? Why were you sitting in an empty bar, and why wasn't the cocktail person serving you if the bar was empty? Was she taking tables in the restaurant side?
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Friday, May 30, 2008 - 11:15 am
I find it extremely irritating to see tons of empty tables and be told it is a 30 minute wait. I'd rather waiting sitting at my table sipping my drink! I've been told this and then stood there while I watched the wait staff standing around chit-chatting. I don't understand why the wait staff didn't want more tables -- wouldn't that translate into more tips? When we finally were seated our food came out in 3 minutes so it wasn't that the kitchen was backed up. I did complain online about the restaurant, never heard anything back, and haven't been back to that location since. Really poor management of resources.
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Spygirl
Board Administrator
04-23-2001
| Friday, May 30, 2008 - 12:31 pm
I find it fascinating how different restaurant dining must be in different parts of the country/world. Waiting 30 minutes for a table ANYWHERE in this city on almost ANY night of the week is nothing. In fact, I would say 45 minutes is the average wait time for a table at virtually any restaurant on a Friday and Saturday night and it would not be surprising to wait up to 90 minutes. It isn't like you can just go somewhere else because they are all like that. Eating out is what everyone does here. Go figure! So, to answer your question, Eeyore. I'd wait and be grateful that it was only 30 minutes. 
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