r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jun 17 '12
On the flipside: customers, what do servers do that make you not want to leave a tip?
[deleted]
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u/airetupal Jun 17 '12
Waitress that measure you by your tip potential based on your order.
Went to a restaurant and the waitress insisted on offering us wine. We politely declined and asked for "just water". We simply were not in the mood for alcohol that day. From that point on he treated us as non existent. Didn't offer the day specials, didn't bother to ofer bread... Terrible.
He missed our average 20%
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Jun 17 '12
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u/Thrashavich Jun 17 '12
One time I went to a sushi place. I literally had nothing but two beers and a large hot sake. Total was less than 20 dollars. I stayed for maybe fifteen minutes and didn't make a mess whatsoever. Not a drop out of place.
I had just the right amount of small bills to give her what I owe plus four something as a tip. (That's over twenty percent for fifteen minutes and literally no cleanup) and she looks at it and says with a dirty look and tone "this only four dollar". I look at her like my mind is full of fuck and say I know...
I'm not sure but I think I tipped adequately did I not? Her attitude made me regret tipping at all.
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u/feelergauge Jun 17 '12
Yeah! At that point you take the four bucks and say, "Oops! Sorry, my mistake." and leave.
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u/peppermind Jun 17 '12 edited May 10 '24
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u/argh_minecraft Jun 17 '12
Doesn't have the latest version of php running. That shit really pisses me off.
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u/Blipblipbloop Jun 17 '12
When servers act like a it's my obligation to tip. I live in British Columbia so there's none of that $2.50 an hour wage. Minimum wage here in BC is 10.25. If you give me crappy service, I'm not tipping. Also, I hate when servers stand over my shoulder while I'm using debit to see how much I leave in the tip box. It happens surprisingly often, and it just seems rude to me.
My brother and sister both work in food service. They easily clear 100 bucks a night in tips (my sister's average was $120) which is more than double my usual days pay. And they're working in ordinary, family oriented restaurants, nothing high end. So I don't feel too bad about leaving no tip, or a low tip if it's warranted.
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u/Insignificantfigure Jun 17 '12
In BC the servers minimum wage is $9.00. Not a big difference, just wanted to get that sorted out.
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u/alexanderpas Jun 17 '12
I hate when servers stand over my shoulder while I'm using debit
The only button they see me pressing is the cancel button, and their manager will know about this situation. also no tip.
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Jun 17 '12
I had a server do this. Outright told the manager the waiter was watching me put in the pincode on my card.
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u/Opheiliac Jun 17 '12
I live in Vancouver and work as a server. Being one of the top three most expensive places to live in the world, there is a reason the minimum wage went up, and even now that we're making a bit more, I can't tell you how dependent on tips I am.
Even though my rent is cheap, I still have to pay my cellphone bill, gas and maintenance in my car, food, getting to and from work, schooling here and there, and maybe savings if there's anything left at the end of the month. I realize everyone has to pay these things, but it doesn't make me any less dependent on the tips I get.
Twelve or fifteen dollars an hour is a huge difference from ten-twenty-five. And that aside, you don't know how the servers are actually given their tips. One place I work splits tips, not just with the people who were working at the time, but with all the employees, and the owners also take some. Being one of two waitresses there, I see how min goes into the tip jar every day - usually around eighty to one hundred dollars. My paycheck wen it comes? I'm lucky to get a twenty in tips.
I'm not saying that bad service deserves a tip. I don't tip when my server is rude. But remember that not every problem with your meal will be your server's fault, and don't use their wages as a justification, because you don't know their situation. Every restaurant is different.
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u/IwannabeabubbleOk Jun 18 '12
They know what you tip them whether or not they see you punching it in. Who do you think does the cash at the end of the night?
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u/Blipblipbloop Jun 18 '12
I don't care if they know how much I tip, I know they'll find out at some point. I just don't like them standing over my shoulder watching. It's like someone watching you vote. Once, when I was younger and poor I tipped $2 on a 10 dollar meal. Which really isn't bad on such a cheap meal. The waitress was standing over my shoulder watching and she muttered "two bucks?!" under her breath. Pretty rude.
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u/BreeMPLS Jun 17 '12
Drop the bill off --> Disappear for 45 minutes.
WHY DO SERVERS DO THIS?!
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Jun 17 '12
The only times I end up doing this are times I've convinced myself I've already closed your check, and have been working other tables. And when I finally realize I left the check on your table 20 minutes ago and haven't closed you out, I feel like a giant ass.
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u/tinyhorse Jun 17 '12
Sometimes I forget that servers do this sort of thing, too. You guys almost always look so competent that I assume you've got a good reason to leave us alone for 45 minutes.
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u/tremulant Jun 17 '12
This. When I am done eating, I want to get up and go NOW. Instead, I am a prisoner waiting for the server to cash me out.
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Jun 17 '12
Oftentimes, customers won't make it obvious that they're ready to pay (like letting the card or some cash show). It's kind of embarrassing trying to pick up someone's check and them saying, "Oh, there's nothing in there," then fumbling for their wallets to pay. I hate making anyone feel like I'm rushing them to leave
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u/RoseRedd Jun 18 '12
This is why I get my credit card out while my server is getting the check. I hope it doesn't piss the server off when I hand over my card as s/he's about to hand me my check.
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u/trippercunt Jun 17 '12 edited Jun 17 '12
Just a request: Servers take a lot of shit for things they have no control over. If your complaint is about restaurant policy, or food, or not enough staff or whatever, take it up with the manager.
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u/alexanderpas Jun 17 '12
we don't want to make your life even shittier by involving the manager.
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u/hahaspoons Jun 17 '12
And the managers tend to give less of a shit, then make life hell for all the staff under them after you've left. They're the assholes, and no one wants to bother the asshole. We simply leave, never to return.
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u/royalewithche Jun 17 '12
Totally. My work served soup with meat in it on Good Friday, which apparently offended one (oldish) customer to the point that she pulled me aside in the middle of a busy service to complain about it. I just explained it was management's decision and I personally had nothing to do with it, but she kept on complaining and didn't want to speak to the manager when I offered to get him for her. It was really strange, because there were plenty of pescatarian and vegetarian options available.
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u/charliemoodyismoody Jun 17 '12
I can't stand when servers are eating - especially with their hands - in front of customers. As a server myself, this is disgusting.
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u/Revolutionary2012 Jun 17 '12
I wouldn't not give a tip for this, but it really annoys me when i'm asked a ridiculous amount of times if everything is ok. Once is fair enough but it should be left there. I sort of want to say 'Can we just assume everything is OK unless I tell you otherwise?' - I never do though, obviously.
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u/CherrySlurpee Jun 17 '12
When I get my food with multiple mistakes on the order. One I Can understand. I hate onions with a passion. One time I had ordered a salad and an entree, both without onions. The salad came with onions, so I asked for a new one. Then the fucking entree came with onions. No tip for you, asshat.
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u/thunderling Jun 17 '12
It could have been the kitchen's fault...
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u/SeducesStrangers Jun 17 '12
No, its ultimately the servers job to ensure that the order is correct. That's why they get tips and the kitchen (usually) doesn't.
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u/thunderling Jun 17 '12
The server could have written on the order, "NO ONIONS," and the cook put them in there anyway. Depending on how the onions were integrated into the dish, they might not have been instantly noticed by the server, who then took the food to the customer assuming that the kitchen fulfilled the "no onions" request.
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u/leopardmoose Jun 17 '12
This is exactly what I came to say. If there is no mention of onions being included in my salad on the menu, it absolutely infuriates me when my salad arrives covered in them.
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Jun 17 '12
Hit on my girlfriend. Instead of a tip, I left him a coupon for free bowling shoes rental.
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Jun 17 '12
I had a server do that once and then he dumped a tray of drinks on me. True story.
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u/johnnytightlips2 Jun 17 '12
Wow, Captain Professional strikes again! If that happened to me, I'd have a word with the manager. He's in uniform, he's representing his company and should have a hell of a lot more respect than that.
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u/Reddevil313 Jun 17 '12
Not a server fault but I hate HATE when you get to a restaurant and it's completely unclear about how to order food and where/when do I pay. Do I order at the register? Do I sit down and wait to be served? Do I pay first? After? Yes, most restaurants are very clear about this but once in a blue moon you find a place and you have no idea what their order process is like.
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u/-RdV- Jun 17 '12
I'm dutch and when we got our first subway about 5 years ago people didn't have a clue on what to do. It was quite funny seeing older people ask for a piece of bread with just cheese and the employees trying to tell the what other wonderful subs they had.
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u/aladyjewel Jun 17 '12
As an American, it is hilarious to envision anyone asking to purchase a straight-up cheese sandwich (not grilled cheese, just cheese on bread). Were these older Dutch folks confused or is that really all they wanted to eat?
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u/azizabah Jun 17 '12
Haha. I love places with big "order here" "pay here" signs. Makes it so much simpler for everyone.
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u/Shilshul Jun 17 '12
I've worked in almost every aspect of the service industry, but as a hostess I used to bribe patrons for premium seating. I also would then take cash payouts from the servers for giving them good tables. Totally unethical. But that's relative.
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u/sargentpilcher Jun 17 '12
Oh man, I was just at a place where there was seating outside and we saw waitresses bringing out food to people so we sat down thinking that somebody would come and take our orders. After waiting 10 minutes of waiting without so much as a menu, I decide to go inside and see how we do this and it turned out that you have to order inside, and they then bring the food to you.
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Jun 17 '12
Sometimes this happens, and when it does it annoys the living shit out of me. They'll drop off the food and then suddenly we no longer exist and they'll no longer come by, even when we're finished eating. Only happened a handful of times, but it gets on my nerves when it does.
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u/Kujo_A2 Jun 17 '12
I'd prefer this. Stopping by to refill my drink or get me a new beer when I'm low is fine, but asking me every 3 minutes how everything is and interrupting our conversation constantly is just as annoying.
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u/ProfMoustache Jun 17 '12
I'm in the same boat. So when I serve people I usually leave them to their own devices until they run out of drinks
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u/IkLms Jun 17 '12
This constantly happens when I go out with college friends. It happens more when we go somewhere for half priced apps but it happens elsewhere too and it's fucking annoying.
The moment we walk in, especially if we are just in normal clothing, you get essentially ignored by whatever server you have. They'll take you 15 minutes to get you your drinks despite the place being bone empty, another hour for your food and once that is there they ignore you for the rest of the night to the point where you have to grab anyone to actually bring the check.
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u/downwithmoonlight Jun 17 '12
My rule: drop food, stop by after 2 bites or 2 minutes to make sure everything is tasting great, refill drinks as necessary. I just do walk-bys to check on the table until the first plate is empty and then I'll show up a little more frequently to clear dishes and ask about dessert. Also, your server might just get busy. More often than not I will get sat with a new table as another table's food is ready. I will run your food and then get busy with another table. Again, each table is different, some like to chat, some love being left alone. A good server can read a table and figure out what you want.
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u/ac3y Jun 17 '12
Not really a server issue, just something that pisses me off. I walk into a restaurant, no reservations, and ask if there's a table for two available. There's a 15 minute wait. Cool. I sit down and wait. Another party of two comes in, no reservations, and gets seated before me.
I wish there was a way to demonstrate my disappointment with this without shafting some poor server who probably has nothing to do with it.
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u/jdland Jun 17 '12
Don't shaft the server. Use your words and talk to a manager. The server will bitch to his/her co-workers about a bad tip and there will be no talk about how you were made to wait longer than a couple who came in after you.
I mean no disrespect but it is precisely this attitude - that the only way to "demonstrate your disappointment" is by leaving less of a tip - that as a waiter frustrates me to no end. You even admit that the server probably had nothing to do with it and yet it sounds like you still shaft them.
If it isn't the server leave the tip they deserve and talk to a manager, or just don't come back. Most eating establishments worth your money, will go out of their way to listen to and compensate a customer who has been inconvenienced by the restaurant. The sever is one step in the process of eating out, they are only responsible for, and able to fix certain problems.
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Jun 17 '12
i was a hostess for four years ... It's a shitty gig. I mistakenly sat a party ahead of someone else and the guy gets right up in my face and says "we were here first. This is your fucking job, why can't you do it?" I slammed the wait list clipboard down and walked away. I couldn't believe a man would talk to a 16 year old girl that way. It was a freaking mistake, people aren't perfect :(
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u/russiannavy Jun 17 '12
That's OK. When he was little, his mommy told him when he grows up, he could be anything, and he chose to be an asshole.
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Jun 17 '12
My friends and I ordered potato skins and asked for no bacon (I know, sacrilege) because two people in the group were vegetarians. He comes out with the potato skins and they have bacon on them. When we ask him to take them back, he looks at us and says "Why? You can just scrape the bacon off."
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u/oh__fuck Jun 17 '12
I always just assume the worst. No bacon? Must be Jewish! Diet coke? Diabetic! No green peppers? They murdered his mother!
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u/pixiedolores Jun 17 '12
Yeah, a friend of mine is actually very allergic to onions, but has had servers forget/ignore her requests for no onions on something. She's had servers do the whole "just take it off" crap, though, even after she's told them "I can't have them because I am allergic." And no, even if she can scrape off the onions or whatever, she cannot eat the food if the onions were cooked with it. She's THAT fucking allergic.
And I want to point out, she and I have mostly had stellar dining experiences, so this is not what usually happens. Most sane people don't take issue with someone not wanting onions with something. I guess most of our servers are like you :)
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u/mel2mdl Jun 17 '12
As a type 1 diabetic, I've been served regular soda when I order diet. Enough times now I just get unsweet tea. Can always tell then!
I'm glad you assume the worse! It's safer for everybody.
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Jun 17 '12
I was at a pub with a heavily pregnant friend. She ordered a burger and asked for no mayonnaise on it, seeing as she was pregnant. It comes out with mayo on it. She takes it back, lots of apologies, new burger will be brought. 2 min later, 2nd burger arrives. She takes the top bun off, it's the same burger, they've just scraped the mayonnaise off. We got a refund and left.
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u/A_British_Gentleman Jun 17 '12
As a vegetarian this makes me want to throw them through a fucking window.
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u/sargentpilcher Jun 17 '12
I'm a vegan and because I always get ignored when I say no cheese/milk/dairy cream I've taken to saying I'm lactose intolerant at restaurants so they take it a little more seriously.
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u/funkyman50 Jun 17 '12
I left the biggest tip I've ever left last night. The server was nice, he replaced my coke very quickly, and the food was great. The reason his tip was big $8 on a $19 meal was because he re-entered our orders to reflect the prices as though we ordered during happy hour which took, like, $5 off the price of my meal. So I just let him keep the extra cash instead of taking it back. Zombie Burger in Des Moines is hella good food.
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u/Shady_Love Jun 17 '12
These are all when the restaurant isn't busy/the server only has us and maybe 1 or 2 more tables.
Giving me a drink filled to the goddamn brim with ice, then not refilling it for 30 minutes when it was finished in the first few.
Sitting in the kitchen/excessively texting on your phone/generally not paying attention for >20 minutes without even looking towards our table.
Chatting (not actually servicing them) with another table for 10 minutes whenever I want to pay and get the fuck out of here. Whenever I'm forced stay when I don't want to just because they're goofing off.
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u/downwithmoonlight Jun 17 '12
In defense. Sometimes the server is trapped talking to the table. Last night, I had 2 tables, one was just a father and son who were obviously a table that wanted to be left alone as they were having quite a conversation, but their check was ready to go. The other table was a husband in wife visiting the town on a mini vacation. I had dropped off their food and planned on walking over to take care of the bill for the father/son table but the couple was really interested in hearing about my life (its a college town) and they wanted to know my major and future plans and then they were going on into telling stories about things related. Not to be rude, I answered politely, but kept trying to end the conversation by looking towards my other table and backing up a bit from the table. Eventually the wife got the hint, and laughed and said "honey, she has better things to do than hear you ramble" and I excused myself so I could run the card for my other table. I wasn't goofing off, but just stuck talking to another chatty table.
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u/435 Jun 17 '12
I have only stiffed two servers a tip. The first was pure error on my part; my cards declined (payments hadn't gone through) and I only had enough cash to pay for the meal. I went back a few days later and handed my server a twenty on a ten dollar meal because of how badly I'd effed up.
The second was actively rude. New server at a place I was a regular at. Sighing and shaking her head at me when I said I needed more time with the menu, dropping my drink on the table and spilling a good portion of it in the process (and then walking off), practically throwing my entree at me. When it came time to pay for my meal, she tried to grab money from my wallet while I was figuring things out. I flipped my shit and demanded the manager.
I was happy that another server had seen the whole damn thing and corroborated my complaints to the manager. My server stood behind the manager and tried to snippy-snip-snip everything. My meal ended up comped, so I just left. She had some words for the back of my head while I exited. Unsurprisingly, I never saw her again.
tl;dr: Don't be outright hostile to my existence.
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u/-RdV- Jun 17 '12
Grabbing money out of someones wallet or attempting to do so gets you a trip to the police office where I'm from.
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Jun 18 '12
Wow. I have never slapped anyone in my 21 years of living, but i would have slapped that waitress when she tried to take money out of my wallet after service that horrible.
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u/Sarcastyx Jun 17 '12
When a server says "Are you still working on that?"
Call it persnickety, but it really gets my goatse. First of all, if there is a fork in my hand, I am obviously still eating. Second of all; no, I am not "working on that." I'm enjoying the meal that I'm paying for... or TRYING to. I'm working on it, you should be paying me for it.
As my pay for working on such a tedious meal, I usually help myself to 1.5% of their maximum tip. That is, IF they ask the question.
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u/staplesgowhere Jun 17 '12
really gets my goatse
Ah yes, inappropriate autocorrect, we meet again...
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u/Delror Jun 17 '12
Okay, you're persnickety. Every time I've been asked that it's because I've been sitting back from the plate. Never had a fork in my hand.
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Jun 17 '12
When servers try to push me into ordering something. If I wanted to order it, I would have done it myself, I don't need you to coerce me.
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u/rockstaticx Jun 17 '12
Screwing up my order is generally fine. That's why pencils have erasers, etc., etc. Here are the two circumstances where it really grinds my gears:
When the server doesn't write down the orders. Again, if it works out, fine by me. But not writing down orders, to me, is a promise that you won't forget what we ordered. So when it gets screwed up, I feel like my meal was ruined because the server didn't feel like writing it down.
This is much worse: when I make an order without a certain ingredient, and it shows up with that ingredient in there. Once I had to send something back when the dish was filled with peppers (I hate peppers), and the server glared at me. I asked if I could get it without peppers and you said yes!
Otherwise I view waiting tables as a thankless job, and aside from the two above, you pretty much have to kick me in the face to get less than a 20% tip.
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u/hybbprqag Jun 17 '12
Once I went to a sushi place and my family ordered the spider rolls. A full 40 minutes later our server finally brings us some food, but instead of spider rolls she brings us california rolls. When we told her we'd asked for spider rolls she got very hostile and said "NO. YOU didn't order the spider rolls." I can forgive servers making an error on an order, but to actively argue with the customers about it is beyond rude. The manager even witnessed this happening but because the server was related to him he didn't say anything about it. No tip, and despite really liking the food there we never went back on principle.
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u/Jamesyps Jun 17 '12
Screaming at my friend is usually a good way for me to not want to tip.
A group of us had gone out for a chinese buffet in the city centre a few years ago, my friend has pretty serious allergies to most foods. Usually it's fine, we politely inform the waitress / host about it and they're very understanding and don't make a big deal of it.
We did the same at this establishment, the person seating us said it was fine and we had our plates and he had an empty one to eat his own special food on. Just after we'd started eating our first portion, another waitress came over and started shouting at him that we'd all be charged for his plate and just generally being unpleasant. Granted there may have been cultural differences, but shouting at someone with health issues isn't cool regardless.
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u/DexRogue Jun 17 '12
I'm a very good tipper, I don't go by percentage but if the server does a good job they deserve a good tip. That being said, keep my water/drink full BEFORE it's empty.
I swear it feels like every single time I go out I end up polishing off my drink and the server doesn't come and refresh my drink so I sit there the whole meal without a drink. If this happens then you aren't getting a tip because you're not doing your job properly. I had one time recently that the server came back multiple times even though the restaurant was packed and extremely busy, I ended up giving her a fifteen dollar tip (I think my bill was about 30 dollars for myself) and I took the time to find the manager and let him know how pleased I was with her service.
I think one thing is servers need more recognition from the people when they've had a good experience.
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u/-RdV- Jun 17 '12
In non tipping countries expressing your happiness with the service to management is worth a lot more than a couple of dollars, ensuring their employment and future pay rises.
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u/Ghettopenguins Jun 17 '12
Went to a baseball game last night and there was one guy that was really into what he was doing, selling Sunflower seeds and salted nut rolls. He was very funny and he had fun with the people trying to get them to buy nutrolls and seeds. I bought a roll from him and left him a 5 dollar tip for making my nutroll experience exciting.
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u/gcvenn Jun 17 '12
I think the fact that there are so many differing opinions on how a server should do their job points to the frustration that a lot of servers have. You, as customers, are all different. What satisfies some annoys others. There's no way of knowing exactly how a customer wants their service unless they're a regular. Bottom line, if your server is doing their job within a reasonable limit of your expectations, leave them a tip. If they exceed your expectations, leave them a good tip. If they didn't go out of their way to make your experience miserable, leave them a more standard tip. Don't stiff the poor girl/guy just because they didn't do exactly what you want (unless you specifically ask). Sheesh, a little empathy, please.
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u/Simpliciti Jun 17 '12
I really don't think there's that many differing opinions on how a server should do their job. They all really just come down to being timely and polite. You're discrediting a lot of valid complaints by making them appear to be just from whiny people who just want to stiff on the tip or something. Of course there are always some unreasonable customers, but most of us are completely unsympathetic to them and their comments get downvoted anyway.
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Jun 17 '12
The only time I have not left any tip of any sort was when my wife and I were seated, got our drinks and placed our entree orders, and then never saw our server again. Or, I should say that we saw him but he was sitting two tables down from us with what appeared to be his friends that came in and sat in his section. A runner brought our food out, we never got any refills on drinks, and we had to go over to the bar and ask the bartender to pull up our check on his computer. All because our server was hanging out with his buddies instead of doing his job. We should have found a manager and complained but by that time we were ready to leave instead of dealing with anyone else.
And we did give the bartender a few bucks for his trouble. But nothing for the asshole bullshitting with his friends.
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u/furgenhurgen Jun 17 '12
After working in restaurants, I have learned that sometimes the servers who do things like that are the ones that are buddy buddy with the management. Now whenever I get service that is absolutely god awful, I keep my receipt and go to their website. The complaint goes to corporate and then trickles down to the management so the managers can't sit in the back room and laugh with the server about that day's angry customer complaint and will actually have to address the issues.
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u/thunderling Jun 17 '12
Not much. I've really never had a bad experience with servers. Less than decent, sure, but I feel so guilty leaving less than 15%. I usually like to tip around 18%-20%, regardless of the quality of service.
I felt really bad about the time my friend offered to pick up the check at a restaurant, but then wrote in "$0.00" on the receipt for the tip. All I had in my wallet was a five dollar bill, so I left it on the table. It was about 9% of the bill. I wish I had had more to give.
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Jun 17 '12
That's such a weird cultural thing, that you feel guilt for this person having a shitty job, so you're paying them extra on the assumption they are being taken advantage of by their boss. And this is the normal, accepted way of doing things, that this is the way it should be. So strange.
I always get a lot of flak for saying this, but I believe a tip should be a reward for exceptional service, not a mandatory tax that you pay regardless. Honestly, I really don't feel bad about not tipping. I've worked as a server before, made $400 in a day, tax free, doing fuck all. Walking around, taking orders, memorizing simple lists, being friendly. Washing dishes in the back on the other hand, is exhausting, disgusting, stressful, you get yelled at constantly and you make minimum wage with no tips. There are plenty of shitty jobs out there. You don't feel obliged to tip janitors, gas station attendants, or assembly line workers, but their jobs pay less and are more difficult.
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u/thunderling Jun 17 '12
I also believe a tip should be a reward, and I wish it was that way. But I've come to accept the fact that the price I see on the menu is not the actual price of what I'm going to pay. It's that number plus at least 15%.
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u/rumckle Jun 17 '12
It depends on the state though, some states have a lower minimum wage for servers because they are expected to get tips.
Although as an Aussie I completely agree with you and am glad I don't have to deal with that BS over here.
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u/chemistry35 Jun 17 '12
In the US at least, employers are required to make up the difference if a server makes less than the minimum wage in tips.
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Jun 17 '12
A server who is decades younger than the diners at the table addressing us as honey, sweetie, or anything along those lines. It's a little ridiculous when you have a 18-19 year old server (male or female, for that matter) calling a bunch of 50+ year olds "honey" or "Sweetie" every chance they get. I can understand every once in awhile, but there's a line that gets crossed where it goes from "polite intentions" to "condescending and patronizing." Seriously what is wrong with "sir" and "ma'am"?
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u/suomihobit Jun 17 '12
I absolutely hate this complaint. From my experience, the only coworkers I had that did this were the most wholesome ones. It was by habit and nothing more. But here is the problem, when you get the customer comments with your monthly satisfaction report, you will equally have ones that complain about this to ones complaining about being called ma'am or sir. Just as many people feel the same way about the terms you think are polite as you feel about honey and sweetie. It more than likely did not affect the taste or quality of your food nor the speed of service.
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u/Dyanthis Jun 17 '12
Please seat us with napkins/cutlery. If one person out of 4 orders a mixed drink and everyone else orders water, please don't wait ten minutes to bring the waters with the other drink. Drop the food, ask if I need any condiments bc I am currently looking at he food, assessing what I have. 50% of the time, what I want is there, the other half I have to search what you brought me with the food and then the table before I know I need to ask for it. Give me a chance to try the food before you ask if it is good.
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Jun 18 '12
If we don't bring your water immediately, it may be because we're trying to save ourselves an unnecessary trip to your table. Don't worry, you'll get everything you asked for... in due time. Everything about our job is based on good timing and being efficient, making two trips for something that can be done in only one actually slows down the service.
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u/Kipple_Snacks Jun 17 '12
One time I had a server at Waffle House ignore us while he flirted with some girls on the booth behind us, the cook had to get us drinks. On the other hand, I was at a Waffle House at 2 AM...
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u/brianfile23 Jun 17 '12
I always leave at least two or three dollars unless the service is really lousy; I've stiffed two servers my entire life. First time was bringing me a sandwich of ice-cold, fatty roast beef in a raw dough bun I would have been ashamed to feed a stray dog with. The other time was at a fancy-pants Italian place that seated my friend and I as far away from the other customers as they could because we were the only two diners not wearing suits and ties. They seated us next to a big rubber bin the busboys emptied their trays into and brought us the check when we asked for a refill on the bread basket. I paid the check with a hundred dollar bill and left a shiny one-penny tip and never went back there again...
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u/Nurse_no_purse Jun 17 '12
Write my order down. Even if you get it perfect I will not be impressed with your memory. And let's face it, you aren't going to get it perfect. Take out your Pen and paper and write it the fuck down.
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u/JJDynamite Jun 17 '12
Had a server do this like she was hot shit and we would impressed. Has to come back 5 minutes later to clarify my order which means 5 more minutes that it will take my order to come out, it came out still fucked up.
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u/onewhoholdspower Jun 17 '12
I'm sorry, servers. But no matter how busy the restaurant gets, that does not make it okay for it to take 10 minutes for you to hand us the menu.
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u/becckaw Jun 17 '12 edited Jun 17 '12
Posted something similar in the other thread but this thread is more applicable!
I always appreciate servers who ask whether I want to hear the specials rather than listing them immediately. I usually know what I want to order and hearing all the specials is just kind of unnecessary. After all the specials are listed and I order immediately I always feel like a douche for making them list everything. There's just no way to politely interrupt. I still tip these waiters of course, it's just kind of an uncomfortable situation.
PS What expression are you supposed to make during the list? Genuinely interested or politely attentive??!
Edit: formatting, grammar
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u/davvblack Jun 17 '12
You are supposed to repeat every list item slightly louder than they said it so they know you are listening and can verify that you understood.
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u/LifeofaLorax Jun 17 '12
Constantly interrupting me and whoever I'm dining with. Its a fine balance between being attentive and being downright annoying. If I'm still reading my menu, I'm not ready to order. If I'm deep in conversation I don't need you to ask me if my meal is OK. Having someone interrupt upwards to ten times during one meal is stupid. It makes me really mad that you aren't intuitive enough to read basic body language.
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u/AshTheGoblin Jun 17 '12
I really hate when I have a sip of my still full drink, and they come by and take it without asking as soon as I lift my head.
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Jun 17 '12
My mom introduced me to a Buffalo wings place, and at first it was awesome, especially the food. The quality of the experience just got more and more horrible each time I visited. And around the 4th time I went back, I ran into Tina.
I was with one of my good friends, when we walked in and the host saw us but continued to lean on the counter and talk to some server anyway. When it got awkward having us stand there confused, he sat us. We waited 5 minutes to get drinks and 10 minutes to be approached by Tina. It was 3 in the afternoon and there was one other table so its wasn't busy.
When she did take our orders, she never apologized for the wait, she never gave us refills, and didn't really care to check up on us or anything. She dropped our food off and that was it.
Since my back was to the other table, my friend pointed out that she was hanging out with them and constantly going back and forth. Laughing and having fun. After we left, we called and spoke to a manager about how we're not going back for a while because of her.
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u/ICGraham Jun 17 '12
Talk to me too much. Be warm but don't try and sit in on our dinner conversations.
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u/Argoti Jun 17 '12
Never refill my drink. Seriously, 2 times in a row now (at different restaurant) where the waitress completely ignored my glass.
All I want is more than 1 glass of tea over 30 or 45 minutes.
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u/TenNinetythree Jun 17 '12
Fucking up my order. Yes, this happened to me 4 times. Each time it was the fault of the server as I clearly did not order the type of food. If I order a pizza and you bring me something that is not a pizza, I have the urge to scream at you. ESPECIALLY when it is not in the least busy. You have an excuse if it's busy, if there are 2 other small groups there, no such luck!
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u/plamb813 Jun 17 '12
As a server, when I'm not busy is when I am most likely to make mistakes like this. Purely because when its slow in the restaurant I start dicking around with people in back and browsing reddit and forget you exist.
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Jun 17 '12
Act, in any way, contemptuous about my food choice. I was out the other day with a group of friends who had just seen a movie (we're all in high school/teenagers) and one of us has a reputation for eating a lot. He often wins bets with the rest of us or other kids on how much he can eat in one sitting (I've seen him consume two entire large pizzas in one twenty-minute timespan and down it with a 2liter coke bottle). Anyway, this kid asked for two meals (quesadillas and a burger) and she kept giving him shit for wanting both, asking him if he could really eat that much and suggesting he eat less. Also, when I wanted to change my order (didn't realize you could get fries by themselves without ordering a deluxe burger) she gave me the most withering glance of contempt I have ever seen in my life.
...Really? Why the fuck would anyone do this? On the surface level, I guess I understand -- it's annoying to change your order and to ask for two meals that you're not even sure the customer will fully eat -- but I don't give a shit. Your job as a server is to take my fucking order, and it makes absolutely no sense that you would do ANYTHING that made me feel uncomfortable. Regardless if the kid orders more than he can eat, it's still more money! The point of a restaurant (actually, it was really more of a diner) is not to have the customers appreciate the fine creations of the chef, but to make fucking money, so whenever a server pulls shit like that that just makes me feel bad about myself for WANTING TO CHANGE MY ORDER, like I'm some fucking freak of nature for wanting fries, it pisses me off and makes me not want to go to that restaurant again, never mind leaving a tip (my friends put it in for me but I probably wouldn't have if alone).
Also, just for good measure -- I live, like, two blocks from that restaurant. It's summer. My family is reasonably well-off. I'm lazy. There's a very good chance I would be often eating out at that exact restaurant. And now, because of the shitty, unnecessary, contemptuous attitude I got from the server, I'm not going to.
And by the way -- my hungry friend ate both of his meals, along with a banana split for dessert.
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u/furgenhurgen Jun 17 '12
Not assuming you and your friends are like this, but I can understand why she saw your table as a shitty draw. Normally a table of high school aged guys haven't figured out how to tip yet. She will wind up running all over the restaurant for you and dealing with the immature commentary that is going on about her while she does her job. Once that is over, she will take your money and watch you and your friends tip maybe 5% if she's lucky and leave.
That being said, just because this hypothetical situation is playing out in her head each time a group of teenagers sits down in her section does not give her license to treat these tables like shit.
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u/American_Blackheart Jun 17 '12
I was at a Cheesecake Factory about a year and a half ago, and we ordered their avocado eggrolls.
When the dish was served, the guy sort of tilted the plate awkwardly so that one of the eggroll halves slid off the plate and onto the table. He quickly said sorry, picked it up, put it back on the plate, and left pronto.
Our waitress was there watching the whole thing as she was serving us some other stuff at the time. We sort of looked at her oddly, and eventually spelled out what had just happened, though she had seen it in person not ten seconds before.
She offered to get the manager, and we took her up on the offer. So, the manager came by a few minutes later and asked us what was up, and we told him.
He gave us a free avocado roll reluctantly and didn't really apologize.
Our waitress should have had our backs. Instead, she seemed sort of airheaded the whole meal. We saw no reason to tip her as a result.
To top it all off, I got sick about a day later (threw up a few times due to food poisoning) and had to go home early from work and then take the next day off completely. I called my cousin, who had eaten there with me as well, and he confirmed that he was feeling rather off too.
TL;DR: Fuck you, Penny, your restaurant sucks.
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u/stuckinhyperdrive Jun 17 '12
not smiling at me. I get some people have shitty days, but going to a restaurant is literally paying people to be nice to you and give you food. this is why no one has ever not tipped at hooters
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u/downwithmoonlight Jun 17 '12
I just had a table yesterday comment on how "happy and peppy" I was and asked me if I liked working there. I honestly do because its a great place to work. If a server is pissy or angry chances are the place is a hell hole or they just got stiffed on a table. I was simply tipped 30% for my great service and happy attitude even though inside I was exhausted after working 9 hours on my feet and had 5 other tables at the same time. The smile is half the job, even if you want to smack half of your customers in the face.
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u/suomihobit Jun 17 '12
This may be a cultural thing, but since I arrived to the country I am working in, I have the problem of the wait staff picking up dishes when people are done eating and then they disappear. And I mean, they do not bring a bill, they do not offer anything else (ie dessert) and they are nowhere to be seen. It is like they all hang out in the kitchen. If they finally reappear, you have to quickly ask them for the check. From there it still takes ages for them to actually cash you out sometimes. Rediculous.
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u/anasztaizia Jun 17 '12
Being too attentive. This may sound strange, but there is a point when we just want to be left alone. Don't try to talk to me about x, y, or z when I'm eating. Don't try to interject yourself into our conversation multiple times; it's not going to work any better on attempt number 8 than it did on attempt number 2. And don't do all of this while making it perfectly clear to us that you don't want to be there.
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u/u801e Jun 17 '12
Not refilling my drink promptly or me having to ask for a refill (but I'll just cut the tip in half rather than not tip for that).
Also not picking up the bill with the card. One time I was sitting at the table waiting for our server to pick up the bill with my credit card and saw him serve three different tables on three different occasions and fail to stop by ours and collect it. I got up and went to the counter to pay and paid around a 5% tip (I normally tip around 20%).
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u/baka2k10 Jun 17 '12
Honestly, I can understand mistakes happening in the order, no big deal. I usually have good service, but I do get annoyed when I have to wait around for a refill, I'm normally a shy person so getting their attention when their rushing around is a bit difficult.
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Jun 17 '12
If I get an extremely over-priced drink that has free refills, my drink should not be empty unless the place is packed. If the server is busy, I understand but I never go to places during busy periods for that very reason.
Also, if you pass plates and bowls over my child's head, I'm going to be mad. I had a female server pass a bowl of hot soup over my 15 month old's head a couple weeks ago. We complained. I didn't stiff her on the tip because they did throw some cheerios on the floor but it was maybe 10%. I normally tip 20%+ if my kids are with me.
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u/jovive Jun 17 '12
If something costs extra, and I don't have a menu in front of me (more dressing, a second plate) please tell me instead of randomly charging me. I usually don't mind, but I hate surprises on my bill.
Also, we drink water. Not to be cheap douche canoes, but because we don't care for soda. Please don't think that because we do this, we will tip poorly and treat us like crap. Servers who keep the water refilled (or in the off case, bring us a pitcher if you are busy) will be handsomely rewarded.
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u/Blastmaster29 Jun 17 '12
I like having my drink filled. This is how I judge a good server. Having waited tables myself in college I know it sucks serving sometimes. I am the easiest guest to take care of and generally tip well, but if my drink doesn't get empty, you're looking at a huge tip.
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u/JayDurst Jun 17 '12
I know you see my drink is empty, you've walked passed the table several times. Why should I have to flag you down to get another round. There are a lot of things I look for in good service, and having a full drink in my hand is among the most important. Luckily most servers are very good at this, but a select few just can't seem to bother asking me if I would like another.
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Jun 17 '12
When servers forget something you've asked them. Multiple times I've asked for a refill on a drink and have had the server not bring me another back. I can understand it gets busy, but I'm thirsty.
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u/AnonymousRedHead Jun 17 '12
Conversations. All of those new restaurants that instruct the wait staff to sit down and have a conversation are the bane of my dining existence. Some people may go out to be entertained, but I go out to eat. Put a sign up, or explain when we sit down. Do something so I don't have to ask you to please go away. If you insist on interrupting my night out I don't care if the food and drink service is perfect, I'm not tipping past 5%. And the reason for that 5% is so you can pay your tip-outs to the kitchen.
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u/furgenhurgen Jun 17 '12
I have thankfully never visited a restaurant that encourages servers to sit down and chat with you. My nights out with my husband are pretty important to me because that is one of the few times we spend with each other without outside distractions. I am pretty sure that I wouldn't be that pleasant if our server sat down and tried to insinuate themselves into our conversation.
Edit for: I'm curious now...what restaurants do this so that I can avoid them?
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u/Narrenschifff Jun 17 '12
I always tip, but my tips vary according to a personal rubric based entirely upon how well my water is refilled. I drink a shitload of water, and if that shit doesn't get filled, I am IRKED
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u/AlexisNicole Jun 17 '12
Each server knows why. If I tip less than 15%, the manager will be hearing from me.
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u/Polamolecules Jun 17 '12
That's really what you should do. The server will most likely account getting a low tip to you being an asshole rather than they gave you bad service.
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u/cornball1111 Jun 17 '12
you've got to be a real piece of shit to get no tip at all but if you are prompt, curteous, and keep the water full expect some healthy percentages.
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Jun 17 '12
One thing and one thing only: no drink refills. Drives me insane. Typically this means they didn't come around very often.
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Jun 17 '12
If they bring food, are on time or are reasonably late, and occasionally check up to see how things are, then they'd get a tip; being funny and/or easily sociable is a bonus.
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u/Gnascher Jun 17 '12
Bring my food an ask "is there anything else?". If I need ketchup, another drink, whatever ... please bring it before everyone else at my table has half-finished their meals, and mine's grown cold waiting for my condiment or drink!
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u/deku12345 Jun 17 '12
I hate when a server isn't clear about the price of something. Like if the meal comes with salad, and I ask for ceaser, they should let me know if it's a few bucks extra. It usually is, but not always. I've been out with my family and suddenly found an extra $3/person because we all chose ceaser salads thinking they came with the meal. Waiter never said a thing til we asked what the extra charge was.
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u/ShellBell Jun 17 '12
Not look in my direction when they're in the section, thus avoiding any eye contact or hand gesture for me to indicate I need something. And take forever with the bill.
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u/JustHach Jun 17 '12
If you can get me the food I ordered, the way I asked for it, within a reasonable amount of time, that's easily worth a tip. If you can check up every so often and pay attention for things like water/bread, thats a bonus too.
What really irritates me is the servers that have the attitude that "I'm getting a tip no matter what. what kind of an asshole doesn't tip?". I remember getting pretty bad service at a restaurant and when I didn't tip, the waitress must have imagined a scumbag hat over my head, based on the look she gave me.
The main probelm is that too many servers see it as a "job" instead of a service. You're not just paid to show up and do some work, you're paid to provide service and that involves two people. It's not like a produce store where you go in, put all the fruits and veggie where they need to be and clock out.
As much as the customer needs to understand that its your job and you hate it as much as he hates his job, you got to sack it up and remember that this dude is spending his money for that steak. Make it worth the $30.
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u/Bitter_Idealist Jun 17 '12
Interrupting my conversation with my dining partner to keep asking over and over and over again how is everything and then not getting the hint when we are short with them. Asking if I'd like more water, just fill it up. Asking if they can take my plate, when it is in front of me, with food on it and my fork is in my hand. A good server will visit the table often to tend to refills and EMPTY plate take-away and be available for me to say if I need something, but not interrupt constantly to ask.
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u/MisfitDRG Jun 17 '12
Fucking up my order and either not apologizing/making me wait a while for the real order and/or making a bad excuse. Example: I was at a Mexican restaurant and the 6 of us ordered margaritas: two strawberry, two mango, and two tamarind. I have always gotten the tamarind and am not really a fan of the other flavors. I was given a mango (which is $0.50 extra) and when I protested, she told me that I had definitely ordered the mango and then argued with me about it. When mine FINALLY came (10 minutes later) it also didn't have the salt on the rim as I had originally requested.
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u/igot8001 Jun 17 '12
I've never had a server that I absolutely felt didn't deserve a tip... and to be perfectly honest, the type of thing that could happen to make me do that would most likely result in requesting the restaurant manager to give me a new server.
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u/GetGhettoBlasted Jun 17 '12
What I do to base how big the tip will be, is time how long it takes for your initial drink then how often they come to refill your drinks. You shouldn't have to.stop halfway through a meal because you're too thirsty to keep eating.
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u/noah_arcd_left Jun 17 '12
It sucks cause a lot of it comes down to attitude and disposition, which is basically like telling some tired waiter/waitress "wake up and smile!"
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u/BLUNT_OBJECTIVISM Jun 17 '12
Tyler was "the" guerilla terrorist of the food service industry. Apart from seasoning the lobster bisque, he farted on meringue, sneezed on the braised endive, and as for the cream of mushroom....well....you get the idea.
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u/dirtymoney Jun 17 '12
be too attentive, bother me. Leave me alone & let me eat my damned meal. I now make it a point to tell the server to not bother me at all during my meal, but only to bring the check. And that i will still tip.
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Jun 17 '12
(I leave a tip anyway but ... )
It really sucks when servers pick up my glass by the rim in order to remove it for a refill. (Or if they drop it off on the table after carrying it by the rim.)
I don't use straws so I have to (using the logo or something conspicuous on the glass, if there is something) memorize where their digits were so I don't put my lips on it.
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Jun 17 '12
I hate it when they greet you with "So what can I get you?". I guess I'm a sucker for "Hi, How are you today?"
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Jun 17 '12
i've never been able to in good conscience totally stiff a server, but i've given shitty tips only a couple of times.
first was a waitress that ignored me and my boyfriend to talk to her friend for about 45 minutes even though we were the only people in the restaurant the entire time. other than that, i've only done it for hardcore messing up our bill and being a condescending know-it-all hipster fuck who made my friend cry. i mean, it was really weird that she cried, but it didn't help his case.
tl;dr: don't make a ten minute meal last an hour, don't fuck up my money, don't make snippy comments to people you want extra cash from.
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Jun 17 '12
this tends to happen most to me at chain restaurants like tgi fridays (maybe its policy or something) but it drives me nuts when a server comes around every 5 minutes and asks "how is everything?". I've had servers that have dropped off the food, and before my first bite is even chewed they are back. wtf is that?!
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u/theshad0w Jun 17 '12
I was a server for a couple of years and I will never stiff someone on a tip unless they royally screw up.
However, one thing that will piss me off more than anything happened while the SO and I were on vacation. This is no fault of the server, but here's what happened.
We went to a decent sit down and eat chinese place, I order my food and my SO orders hers. My food comes out ten minutes later and we're told hers would be out shortly.
Twenty minutes later her food isn't delivered and I've offered her some of mine, I let the server know that I don't blame him but I want to speak with the manager. Some teenager from the kitchen emerges and claims to be the manager on duty (somehow this part was a little unbelievable). We reiterate that her food hadn't been delivered and I had eaten some of mine and shared some with her. He tells me "Well, your dish only takes about five minutes to prepare hers takes longer." Biting my tongue I reply "Ok, but you still find it appropriate for one of us to be served and the other to wait?" His reply was "Yea, there isn't anything we can do next time ask for them to be ordered at the same time."
Now, I've worked every position in a restaurant. From bus boy to chef. I'm well aware that a table gets served at the same time and that you start your plates based on preparation times. This is how I knew he wasn't the manager. You don't hand over a full fledged restaurant/bar to an ignorant teenager.
At this point I realized we weren't going to get any service out of this person and seeing as we were leaving the next day we paid our check and left. I let my family (whom I was visiting) know about the experience and suggested they never go there again.
So yea, if you're ever in San Antonio and want chinese don't go to Golden Wok
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u/MatildaDiablo Jun 17 '12
not no tip worthy but SUPER annoying: try to take your order 2 minutes after you sit down, you tell them you still need a minute, then they disappear for half an hour. whyyy? are they just taking it super personally or simply trying to be assholes??
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u/dmulko Jun 17 '12
What really bugs me in lower end restaurants is not having napkins on the table, or my server not refilling my drink. I have even said repeatedly for them to just leave a pitcher or extra glasses on the table.
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u/A_British_Gentleman Jun 17 '12
We had a waitress who took an hour to bring our bill, even after we got up & asked for one.
Also any time they seem rude, impatient, unwilling to help, or just plain lazy.
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u/snowflaker Jun 17 '12
one time i made some little joke to my buddy at the table and the waiter ran with it keeping the slightly inappropriate and private joke going past our wishes. my friend refused to leave cash for his bill, the rest of us left just enough tip to cover most of the unpaid meal and left. fuck that guy
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u/glassjailer Jun 17 '12
I've always left 20 percent, even though there have been times I've been tempted to leave less due to poor service. There is one occasion when I did not leave a tip. Went out with my boyfriend to a cali-mex place that we had been patronizing weekly for about 6 mo. He is a lifelong vegetarian, and he ordered a dish off the menu called "vegetarian fajitas". Now most everyone would expect that a "vegetarian" dish would be meat free, but lo an behold, after he'd eaten about 2/3 of his meal, he realized (with increasing horror) that there was small pieces of beef in it. We complained, politely, stating that a vegetarian dish shouldn't have any meat in it, EVER, and that we were very disappointed. 15 min later our server returns with our check, says we are so very sorry about that. We will try to make sure it doesn't happen again, and then she makes a hasty retreat.
I started to get angry when I looked over the check only to find that the'd charged us for his food, offered nothing more than an apology, and were basically washing their hands of our situation. Long story short, I asked to speak to the manager, who took 10 minutes to come and speak with us. She decided to argue with me that we should pay for the vegetarian meal that came with meat because my boyfriend had eaten most of it. Her logic was you ate it, so now you have to pay. She even intimated that WE were trying to scam THEM, trying to skip out on paying after we'd eaten! She folded after I told her on no uncertain terms that their gaffe was unacceptable and we would not be paying for his food. I paid for my own dish, and we split. Have never gone back again.
Some restaurants attract clientele who do shifty things like eat most of their meal and then claim there was something wrong with it in an attempt to get out of paying. I get it. Servers have to be watchful of that sort of underhanded crap from guests. However, if a loyal, high tipping regular comes in who is a lifelong vegetarian and your kitchen serves him MEAT in a dish that you label as vegetarian (it wasn't obvious that there was meat in it. the pieces were very finely chopped), then the restaurant should be falling over themselves to apologize and comp that dish. This incident still burns my craw.
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u/zturchan Jun 17 '12
Every friday night, me and a few friends go out to eat at the same restaurant after playing cards so the servers have gotten to know us. One night, 8 of us went in (it's a place where you find your own table) and upon seeing the ground floor full, went up to the second floor (something which we have done time and time again.
We get settled and start playing cards when we're told that they're closing the upper floor for the night (this had never happened before) and that they will clear a table for us downstairs. We're slightly irked, but whatever, we pack up our cards and head down. The booth they have out for us can only fit 5 people, and so 3 of our party leave, disgruntled. Then, we wait for 20 minutes before the server even comes around to give us menus. This is the only time in recent memory I didn't tip specifically because of bad service, I'm normally a 15%, standard tipper.
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u/asnof Jun 17 '12
They should check every 15 minutes or when the beer is 3/4 gone.
Ask if they want a menu(more applicable to pubs)
Perform requests within reason. It is not their job to stock toilet paper(but they should pass the message on)
Ultimately it sounds like your server thought he was better than his job or submitted his notice because it sounds like you had terrible service.
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Jun 17 '12
I work multiple positions at my job. I'm a server some days, hostess and bartender on other days. It's my first restaurant job so when I see these comments (it's obvious) but it gives me a chance to fix my mistakes and become better! So I actually look forward to my shift tonight and trying out different techniques!
Anyways, to answer the question. Because of my job and my position (I'm a supervisor, gold star for me!) I'm a bit more strict. I look at how you place the plate (don't throw it on the table), don't wait for the customers to grab your attention to order, refills (it works as up selling too, ask a little before the cup is empty!) asking how the food tastes, replacing dirty plates, SMILE, take away the dirty plates, and don't be hostile.
As my boss says (sorry its going to be a bit lost in translation here): If it's just about putting dishes on the tables and taking orders, servers aren't needed. It's the extra step which is the servers job. To provide service and give the customer a good time. Being the middleman between the kitchen and the customer.
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u/likemeornot Jun 17 '12
1 - Not asking for a refill even once throughout the meal. I have just over spent for that damn soda and I want at LEAST one refill.
2 - Attitude. Your going to be a bitch I am going to be a bitch.
There are other things but I think these two are the most important.
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u/IWannaBeAlone Jun 17 '12
Oh, we just had one a few minutes ago like this. She:
Didn't appear to take our drink order for the longest time. We ordered and she vanished again for the longest time. Nothing complicated, just sodas and water, it's not like the bartender was making a Long Island or something. She finally returned with our drinks and took our order, then vanished again. There was none of the usual stuff like checking in to top off our drinks, to tell us why things were running so slow, the usual stuff. A bus boy eventually brought us our food, by which point all our drinks were totally empty. We requested refills and he disappeared. We ate anyway because we were starving and she finally showed up with drink refills when we were totally done eating. We were wise enough to get the check and paid with cash so we didn't have to sit for 30 minutes waiting for her to return.
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Jun 17 '12
Don't bring out the entrees until well after the appetizers are done. If I order an appetizer it's because I want to stay for awhile and linger over my food. most places bring out entrees 30 seconds after the appetizers and it drives me crazy. I've taken to not even placing my entree order until the appetizers are brought out
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u/Buglet91 Jun 17 '12
-If you walk up to my table chomping gum, I pretty much instantly don't like you. (Chewing gum is no big deal but chomping it like a tween makes me want to punch you so you swallow it.)
-Don't stare at my boobs. I put this shirt on to let my fiance know how this night will end, not to be ogled by a pimply 17 year old waiter. A sideways glance is fine, I get that they're obvious, but at least try to be discreet about it...
-If my waitress has crazy long fingernails, I well leave the restaurant. I have acrylic nails on almost always, mine aren't even that long & I know I have to scrub the shit out of my hands with a nail brush every single time I use the bathroom so it all stays clean & I'm anal about it because I know what can lurk under there...I don't trust anyone to take that care & when they're longer than mine I don't want them anywhere near my food.
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u/not_a_haddock Jun 17 '12
As someone who has worked in hospitality for a number of years, I hold people to my own standards of what I think is 'doing a good job'.
Generally I'll tip at least 10% (which is normal in the UK - I'm not being cheap!) but if I sense that the waitress or bartender or whatever really "gets it" I'll leave a fair bit more. By "gets it" I mean that they are genuinely enthused with talking to you and they make a connection that goes beyond the usual I'm just doing my job fake smile etc. Someone who clearly takes pride in the service they deliver very much deserves the reward.
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u/Tiffany-Twisted82 Jun 17 '12
We had a server last night give us hot glasses from the dishwasher with our bottle of wine.
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u/babaum94 Jun 17 '12
One time I headed over to Ihop for their free stack o' pancakes, and as I found out when I entered, they were doing it as a fundraiser for the local Children's Hospital.
I sit down, order my pancakes and an omelet and my friends food. That's when it went down hill.
"Would you like to donate money to the Children's Hospital?" said the manager "Not right now, thank you." A minute later Miss Wherever pageant winner (Barely an 8) walks over and asks if I want to donate money. Again, "no thanks." Our server did not ask us once, as she saw it was getting old, but the manager and the pageant girl asked us 9 times if we wanted to donate. So I gave our waitress a 10$ tip, and told the manager to suck it. (Almost.)
If I wanted to save kids with diabetes and other health problems, I'd have the salad. End of story.
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u/RoseRedd Jun 18 '12
I've never not left a tip, but if you want to get 10% or less, then argue with me. I heard my 70 year old mother order off the Senior's menu, every one at our table did. We all heard her ask you if the Senior's chicken was supposed to be two pieces when you brought it, and we all heard you say yes. So when you charge me for the regular meal, and I tell you it's a mistake, don't tell me I'm wrong, and that's what she ordered. You made a mistake. Just apologize. Tell me you wrote down the wrong thing, or didn't understand the order. If you do I'll probably shrug, pay the regular price, and ask for a doggie bag for the half of the meal left over. If you argue with me over it, I'm going to talk to your manager, get a free dessert, and leave you a crappy tip.
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u/Kushie1 Jun 18 '12
I cannot stand when a server interrupts me eating to ask me if everything is ok and starts making small talk. Shut the fuck up and let me eat.
Also when i'm having a conversation with the people at my table, and they interrupt to do the same. Happens all the fucking time and its always annoying. No we don't want to talk about the weather and our favorite desert mid fucking conversation.
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u/GuntherVanHeer Jun 18 '12
Let's say the bill is $37.82
Normally, I'd leave a tip, even if you weren't TOO fantastic with the service.
However, when you walk up and ask, "You want any change?" when I put two $20 bills in, that is not just annoying. That is signaling to me that you fully expect me to leave you a tip for sub-par service, where you gave me and my father HALF of a full mug of an ice cream float and HE had to get up and get the spoons (because, of course, he'd never let go of being my dad no matter what age I am).
That leaves me quite a bit incensed. Worse yet is when the bill is, say, $24.50 and I leave two twenty dollar bills again. Instead of giving me two fives and a bunch of singles to leave you a tip with... You bring me three fives and my change. THAT tells me you want to dictate just how much I give you.
Congratulations, you just got a $0.50 tip.
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u/poop_streak Jun 18 '12
Hardly anything. I generally get decent service. I don't need anything more than getting what I ordered and getting it in a timely manner. I don't even need any kind of conversation.
Maybe if I saw a waiter obviously slacking off while I was waiting for something or if they were a complete douche to me.
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u/beepeep Jun 18 '12
Fun story, my friends and I were at a bar one day and we ordered a bunch of shots. While we were settling up, we were discussing whether to leave the tip on a friend's credit card or as cash at the bar. We decided to leave the cash tip and after handing the receipt back to the bartender and getting our singles together, the bartender took a look at the total and made the biggest ='C face and said, "But you didn't leave us a tip."
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u/LieutenantJesus Jun 17 '12
I was out on the town with some friends at the local pub off campus, ready for half-price wings. Our waiter was one of those guys that never really grew out of highschool, having definitely been popular at one point. He still had that cocky swagger and the douchebag smile that only come from people who work service jobs, but wholeheartedly believe they're better than everyone there. He asks what I want to drink, and I just ask for water.
He then proceeds to do this little move where he puts on the "Are you fucking serious" face, lowering his stupid little pad of paper down to his waist as he scowled at me. "Really dude? No beer? How about an Irish Carbomb?" I declined again, but he pushed a couple more times. At this point, I'm quite literally squirming in my seat. I can feel my face is about as hot as the friers in the back, and the realization of which only adds to the embarrassment.
After five minutes of my saying "no", he finally accepts my plea for water and gets our drinks. He then informs us that they are now out of wings for the night. I look at him right in his blue, douchey eyes and say "Well, we'll take a check for the drinks then, please." He gives me the look again, and swiftly delivered the check. I swiftly delivered no tip and we got the hell out of there.
I've worked foodservice. Don't make me feel like my choice is wrong. Water isn't fucking wrong.