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Archive through January 18, 2009

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan ~ Apr 2009: Paying in a restaurant: Archive through January 18, 2009 users admin

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Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 2:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Heck no I wouldn't complain. I would give the person a look and that depends on how old my kids are.

Sharinia
Member

09-07-2002

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 2:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sharinia a private message Print Post    
just ran this by dh and we agree with mocha

lol kooliebird


Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 3:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
Well DD said "mommy, what is a douchebag?" and I said "It's a bad word" and DD said, loudly "Good girls don't say bad words!"

Eeyore, what do you think? I am sure you would never call a co-worker a deragatory name in front of customers or little children, right?

See, I was doing the "look" but the gal was standing so I was not in her direct line of vision, and then she walked off the other way.

ETA: She was talking to the manager while she said it.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 9:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
If she said that to the manager, then an email to corporate might be in order.. specially in front of little ones like yours, Escapee..

A Mocha LOOK might be useful as well, lol.

Whoami
Member

08-03-2001

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 10:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Whoami a private message Print Post    
I have a good question for Eeyore from the professional view, and for anyone else out there from the customer's view. I'll reserve my opinion until I hear your's.....

You're in a restaurant, and your server is having several difficulties. Never mind what those difficulties are, we've all experienced one thing or another from getting orders wrong, forgetting to bring something, etc. Let's just leave it at difficulties.

It gets to the point you finally feel the need to say something to the manager. The manager's response is, "I'm sorry. She's new."

Yankee_in_ca
Member

08-01-2000

Thursday, June 12, 2008 - 8:12 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yankee_in_ca a private message Print Post    
I would have empathy for the new person, as I understand how overwhelming a new job can be.

I would be disappointed and annoyed by the manager, however.

I would have expected another sentence after the "I'm sorry. She's new" -- that would go something like, "But we are making every effort to train our new employees as quickly as possible, and am sure that your next visit will be more successful. I would like to offer you (X) for the difficulties you experienced with your service."

Brenda1966
Member

07-03-2002

Thursday, June 12, 2008 - 8:41 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Brenda1966 a private message Print Post    
I agree with Yankee. The manager should be stepping up and helping the new employee until that employee is up to speed. To just use the excuse of "she's new" is a cop out on management's part.

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Thursday, June 12, 2008 - 9:36 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
I agree with Yankee and Brenda. I think that in that case it is the manager's responsibility to make ammends for the server's difficulties and to make sure your experience doesn't suffer because of them, especially if the difficulties are because the server is new.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Thursday, June 12, 2008 - 12:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
:-) And Ita with Yankee and Brenda but is the server not caring or apologetic that they're having difficulties? Cuz if they have a <77> attitude then I'd have a problem with them.

Darrellh
Member

07-21-2004

Friday, June 13, 2008 - 7:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Darrellh a private message Print Post    
This is late in posting, but my minister wanted to chime in on this. I told him about the conversation here about tipping and tracts. Here is his email response:
"I believe it is in horribly bad taste to leave a tract, with or without a tip. It is making assumptions about the server without ever having talked with or gotten to know that server.

To not leave a tip, except in cases of extreme poverty where you have only enough to cover the meal itself and you ate only essentials is, I believe cheap."


Whoami
Member

08-03-2001

Friday, June 13, 2008 - 7:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Whoami a private message Print Post    
Thanks for sharing that Darrellh! No matter if its late or not. Still a good contribution to what's been discussed!

I agree with the rest of you on the "she's new" excuse. In one instance I've had that excuse used, I remember the poor server was literally trembling as she poured my sister's coffee. She was a nervous wreck. I totally blame the management for not preparing her properly before putting her out on the floor.

Another time the "she's new" thing was used was when we made reservations to go to a nice little restaurant in the mountains that my friend and I had visited once. We really liked it and decided to share another experience with members of our families. So we made the reservations, made special plans, drove all the way out there; only to find a wedding going on out on the grounds. We hoped maybe they still had the dining room open for the rest of us, but sure enough when we went in they said the whole place was reserved for the wedding. When we asked why they had taken our reservations earlier, the answer was (of course), "the girl who took your reservations was new, she didn't know." Well, certainly at some point or another someone should have discovered this error and contacted us to tell us the place was reserved for a private function, and ask if we wanted to reschedule. Instead, we were just supposed to accept the "she was new" excuse. And of course, there was only four of us, so it was an easy choice to blow off four people in exchange for an entire wedding party (and guests). And of course there was no offer to compensate us for our troubles.

Oh, and that poor girl who was visibly trembling as she poured sis's coffee?....that was at Red Lobster (over 10 years ago), on Mother's Day. One of the other excuses was they were swamped and unprepared. Um....its MOTHERS DAY you fool! Why weren't you prepared to be swamped? We had such a comedy of errors happen on that visit (that would take a whole new LONG post), including going to the hostess to ask for a manager (who told us in a very snotty snit "I AM a manager). Well, she was already part of the problem, so there wasn't much we could say to her. But as we went to pay our bill, we were just hoping the cashier would ask us was everything ok, cause by that time we were seething. She did, and we said we wanted to talk to THE manager. We told him everything that went on. He apologized, and comped us our entire bill (which was around 60$ IIRC, a fairly hefty amount 10 years ago).

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 8:43 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Radio host on now is talking about tipping in a restaurant. He said he and his wife went out to a nice restaurant recently in downtown Chicago -- just the two of them. When he got the bill, the tip had been added in. He was surprised and asked about it. Policy now for that restaurant is to add in tip for table of two on Friday and Saturday nights. Is that getting to be the practice now generally? Anyone else heard of that?

Host said he tips pretty generously -- starts at 15% and goes up depending on service. If it's bad, it goes down. He didn't like having tip added in because then he doesn't have option of a lower tip if service was poor. He said because of that practice, the restaurant just may lose his future business.

Pamy
Member

01-02-2002

Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 10:55 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Pamy a private message Print Post    
I would agree with the host.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 11:01 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Especially if they didn't warn them of this policy ahead of time.

I know when I call for group reservations, many places do have the automatic added tip, but they also inform me ahead of time, so I can choose whether to make the reservation or go elsewhere.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 11:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
I think customers should definitely be informed ahead of time if that is the restaurant's policy because it has become a part of the price.

Grumpy
Member

02-08-2004

Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 11:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Grumpy a private message Print Post    
Yes I agree with Host, too. Customers have every right to know PRIOR to any ordering or service. We went somewhere,I think Dave & Busters, but cant remember, & they at least had a notice somewhere saying that if there is a party of like 5 or more, or some number, they automatically add gratuity. In a way I agree because people like my mom go and leave a couple bucks tip & leave. And until I met KTBB, I did the same. KTBB made me aware of the 20% deal. I feel bad that I may have undertipped in the past. I dont know if my mom still does it that way or not. I told her about doing 20%. But I personally like to go by the service & attitude. I have gotten plenty of bad service in my day. I dont like to make my choice made for me.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 2:05 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Tip added in for a larger party is common, but I'd never heard of it for just two / small table and neither had the host when he was out for dinner.

Later comments on the radio program said patron should just change the tip amount -- especially if you don't know about it beforehand.

Serate
Member

08-21-2001

Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 2:27 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Serate a private message Print Post    
mandatory tipping is ok if you are in an establishment that the severs do their job or even above and beyond their job. But there should be the option that if the service isn't good the tip should be cut.

We went to breakfast at a smaller casino. Had a small convention there [maybe 50 total]. Since it was the only place to eat alot of people from the convention ate there for breakfast. I think there were 18 or 20 in line that were from the convention. Everybody was paying for their own meals. Seated in tables of 3 - 4 people per table. Were not seated as one big group. The manager decided that everybody in the "group" should get their breakfast at the same time to be fair. We waited 55 minutes for our food. Some had meetings that started in 5 minutes. Most of the food was cold. 18% was added to EACH ticket as it was a GROUP. Not sure how others handled it, but our table and the one next to us told the manager he had 2 choices. Lower our food bill by the amount of the tip, or the tip would be taken off of the bill completely. So it was up to the manager if the servers got tips or not. He said they would comp it and wouldn't take any $ for anything. We made sure our server got her tip in cash in her hand, so if the manager ended up tipping the server she got double. But if she didn't, at least she got her tip. [FWIW the tip was over 25%.]

Grumpy
Member

02-08-2004

Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 3:05 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Grumpy a private message Print Post    
Once, I went to a Perkins in Boulder Colorado. I was by myself, I had breakfast & coffee. Well anyone who knows me knows I use ALOT of cream & sugar in my coffee. (About 4 of each per cup) Well, the waitress brings 2 creamers; so I ask her for more. She gets huffy, then brings 2 more. I now need a refill on coffee & ask her for more cream. She proceeds to tell me that I will now be charged for a glass of milk for using too much cream! If I wasnt young and nieve, I would have told them where they could put their cream, but no I finished my meal and coffee and paid then left. I dont remember if I gave her a tip or not, but she was also the manager. Needless to say, I never went back there to that Perkins. But years later I did go to one in Longmont, Colorado with KTBB & WHOAMI & WHOSMOM. The service still stunk!! I dont think I ever got good service at a Perkins.

Biloxibelle
Member

12-21-2001

Sunday, January 18, 2009 - 7:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Biloxibelle a private message Print Post    
I feel so bad. Last night my son and DIL took us out to eat in a restaurant that recently opened here. It is actually a restaurant that has been here for years. Not long ago they closed it down and redid the whole thing and opened as a much more fancy and expensive establishment. It is still the same owners.

Everything was so disappointing. I am wondering if I should write them a letter. To be truthful I don't think what I would tell them in a letter will come as much of a surprise. The place was a ghost town on a Saturday night. They only had 3 tables of customers, ours included.

We started off with appetizers. Bacon wrapped scallops, which were fine. Calamari which was so overcooked we just ended up with these little chewy rubber things. We ordered crab claws, only to be told they had just served the last of it. Funny our reservation was for only an hour after they opened and considering there were only 2 other tables being fed. Guess they only have at the most 2 servings of crab claws.

While ordering the salad 2 of the dressing we wanted they didn't have. We were told their dressing are homemade and they haven't found the right recipe for what we asked for. Salad came and guess what? They haven't found the right recipe for the ones they do have either. I got the vingerette, it wasn't too bad just a lot sweeter then I like. However, the rest of our table had ranch. It was so salty it ruined the salad.

For the main course I ordered a 12oz ribeye, DH had the fried shrimp, DIL had blackened chicken breast and son had yellow mouth cajun style. All with baked potatoes, little teeny tiny baked potatoes. Of course they put the sour cream and butter on as if they were large baked potatoes. My steak was cooked just like I ordered it, so that was good. However, it was a very low grade of meat with tons of fat in it, very thin and stingy. DIL's blackened chicken breast was a grilled chicken breast. Son and husband were once again victims of the mad salter. Their shrimp and fish were again too salty. Oh and as a side my husband had cole slaw, which had gone bad.

The bad thing is their prices are on the level of somewhere like the Vibe or Ruth Chris' at the Hard Rock. I really hate my son and DIL spent all the money on a substandard meal.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Sunday, January 18, 2009 - 9:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Candidate for Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares? (Subject of Kitchen Nightmares this past Thursday was a restaurant here in the suburbs west of Chicago. It was filmed about a year ago.)

I would inform the owners of your disappointment in the food by whatever manner -- in person, phone, or by letter. Word must be getting out about it if there were just a few other diners when you were there. If they have plans for replacing the chef or whatever to improve the cooking, you could suggest (if they don't) another dinner, gratis of course. Depending on the second dinner, promise to spread the word about the now (hopefully) fine food and dining experience.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Sunday, January 18, 2009 - 9:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
hope it wasn't Mary Mahoney's; i love that place!
i would write them a letter.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Sunday, January 18, 2009 - 9:41 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
It sounds like they are in pretty bad shape so writing them a letter probably won't do much good but I guess it is worth a try.

The best solution might have been to refuse to pay or ask for a discount for the bad food but it is a very awkward situation when you have family or friends that are taking you out to dinner (or you are taking someone out to dinner). You don't want to make a scene and they don't want to make a scene. It's unfortunate for everyone.

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Sunday, January 18, 2009 - 10:19 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
It sounds like they also put a lot of money into renovating the place and now they don't have money to do the mundane things in a restaurant like...oh...having food to serve. Maybe victims of the credit crunch--enough money to renovate but not enough to get the place fully operative?

I agree with everyone else. Write a letter.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Sunday, January 18, 2009 - 10:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Things can't improve if you don't complain, right? I think if your experience was bad, even if you're not looking for something in return, a letter is good, because it is hard copy proof that something is in need of serious improvement.

A few things:
Calamari - should have been sent back. Period.

Crab Claws - while it seems "fishy" (haha) that they were out so soon after opening, I think it is better for a restaurant to RUN OUT of food, than have too much food, and you are eating 3 day old crab claws. At the last place I worked, Sundays were REALLY bad for running out of food, because the delivery comes Friday, but if you have two higher-volume-than-expected nights, or one item is oddly super popular, you can't help but run out. Seriously, running out of food means they don't keep too much food in house, thus serving non-fresh food. This is especially important with seafood. In these economic times, and combined with this being the NOTORIOUSLY slow season for restaurants (mid-January is when the Xmas credit card bills come, and people stop going out for about 2 months), it is understandable that businesses are erring on the side of caution, and not ordering too much stock. I'd rather sell out of food, than have too much perishable stock.

Salad dressing - I haven't worked in a restaurant that carried that crappy Kraft salad dressing in years. Most places that are serving expensive food (pretending to be elite or not), should be serving their own house made dressing creations. The last two places I've worked (over 6 years) have only ever had one or two green salad dressings, and the standard ceasar dressing. The dressings will be stuff like a "sour cherry vinaigrette" or a "tarragon vinaigrette". It's hard to discern from your explanation whether this was a restaurant that had a bunch of Kraft dressings, and they were out of a few and trying to make similar substitutes, or whether this was a restaurant that carried their own house-made dressings that just weren't to your table's tastes. If it is the latter, then it isn't the restaurant's fault. We take those changes when we go out, that we may not like the flavor combinations that the chef has chosen.

I have a huge gripe coming here. I HATE COOKS THAT DO NOT TASTE THEIR FOOD!!!!!!! Holy crap it is more prominent than you'd think, and every restaurant gets hit by it. You just lucked out on getting a mad salter on shift. Heck just the other night I was watching The Next Food Network Star, and a guy was told his food was oversalted by every judge, and they were like, "Did you taste your food?" and he responded "Yes, but I thought it was OK. I guess I like more salt." The only thing you can do is send it back.

I never understand why people SIT through a thoroughly bad meal. Well, I understand, if it is your children treating you and you don't want to insult their choice of restaurant, or whatever. But seriously, if you don't like it, there is a polite way to send it back, that won't offend the kitchen, that isn't insulting to the server or the food or the chef, and it gets you food your rather eat. I send food back once in a while. I just imply that it was probably an accident or a once in a blue moon mistake. Like, I'd say, "Excuse me, my dish is really salty, and I'm sure it was just that the chef forgot that he had already salted it, but it's a bit beyond anything I can handle. Or maybe it's ME! Maybe I'm just more sensitive. Is there any way I can get this redone, but with no added salt, and then maybe I can add some after I've tasted it? I'd really appreciate it. I don't mind waiting."

It's polite, it doesn't sound like you are judging or blaming, you are opening the door for the difference in tastebuds, and as long as you don't mind waiting for the recook, then at least you are eating a meal that you WANT to eat.

In case where I just plain don't like something, as long as it wasn't stated on the menu (so I should have known), I will just send it back saying what I genuinely don't like about it (after only one bite! don't eat half), and I assume they take it off the bill. Just the other night, we went for dinner at an Italian place, and I ordered the polenta. It just said "Polenta" on the menu under the sides. When it came, it had gorgonzola in it, which I personally find tastes like sweaty balls. I just said nicely to the server at the time of the quality check that the menu did not state that it had gorg in it, and that I wouldn't have ordered it had I known, because I genuinely don't like gorg. Simple enough. But only if the menu doesn't forewarn you. Like, if the menu says "sour cherry vinaigrette", you don't have a right to send back a salad for being too sour or tart.



As a server, we are supposed to do TWO quality checks (this is an industry standard). One comes about 2 bites in, and should include "Are your steaks done to your liking" to every individual who ordered steak. It is at this quality check that any major problems are corrected, because people usually dig into their protein first, and any truly offensive problems (like too much sour cream hiding the mini potatoes) can be corrected while the whole table's meals are new.

A second "overall" quality check should come later in the meal, once people have gotten into their sides, and it's when you can bring salt & pepper, etc.

Once in a while, you get the people who go through TWO quality checks, and then decide to complain at dessert. Well, the restaurant isn't going to fix it, because you didn't say anything when your opinion was solicited the other two times. We may apologize that you weren't happy, but really, you had two chances to speak up. I hate those people. I genuinely don't care if you hate your food; just let me serve you something you like. If you don't LET me fix things, then you made your own bed. Do people think they are a martyr for some food cause?

COMPLAIN!!!!! On paper!!! If your service was good, say it. If the food was the problem, SAY IT!! After 17 years in the restaurant industry, I can quite safely say that managers HAVE NO CLUE. And the same goes for owners. Servers complaining about a cook does nothing. Even when food gets sent back, that never really registers on a manager's consciousness, except to comp the item, or do the obligatory running out of the re-cook. It is only when it comes in the mail, in writing, that people really take the problem seriously.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, write a letter. Try not to be insulting, save the term "salt-monster" for this thread, and just let them know that there were a few things that weren't good, and for what reasons.

With that said, when people write a letter with this laundry list of problems, it often comes across as someone who had a bad experience with the host, or they weren't greeted by the server quick enough, and were going to spend the rest of the night picking on anything and everything. So if there was anything good about the night, mention it, so it doesn't look like you're one of those middle-aged women (restaurant cliche) who takes delight in complaining. (Have you seen the movie i{Waiting...}? It is about working in a restaurant, and EVERY person I know who has worked in one, LOVES IT. It is sooooooooo accurate, except the dropping food part. I think the dropping food part is more about a restaurant worker's fantasy, and they were playing into it. But so much of that movie, right down to the middle-aged secretary woman being biotchy and belittling about her steak is soooooo typical.

Honestly, I'd say 90% of restaurant complaints come from middle-class working women, aged 38-55. I don't know why, but it is true. People may hate me for that generalization, but it is a restaurant truth.

Anyways, after this whole novel of a post, my main point is you need to write the letter.

PS - if the food sucks, and the service is good, please tip your waitress!! She didn't do the cooking, and she's not allowed to taste it before it comes to your table! Thanks!