Bad restaurant experiences

WiskeyBlue

So I went to a restaurant today and had a really good time. The food was great and the waitress was nice. So i put a nice tip on the table in cash, and went up front to pay the bill on my card. I filled my paper out and drew a line threw the area for the tip and started to walk away when the waitress who had waited our table says to me "Did you want to leave a tip on your card?" When I told her no, she just gave me this mouth gaping dirty look to which I replied "Your going to feel like a real butt head when you find your tip on the table."

anyone else had a bad restaurant?

anemoneprose

the main thing that makes a restaurant bad, to me, is if i can make the dish better at home. i get annoyed if i'm paying to eat something i feel took no care or skill. worst in recent memory was at a greek restaurant. was offered a disgusting frozen tilapia (it was mushy and still cold when i got it) drowning in a goopy 'white sauce' (probably some new form of velveeta) and what i swear is uncle ben's rice, for $20. it looked like garbage before i touched it. (forgot: with a side of, i am pretty sure, a frozen stir fry brocc/carrot mix.)

i know some people think location makes up for having to produce something of value, but that can't last forever with online reviews. i just don't know how they go to sleep at night, don't people want to take pride in what they do every day?

StrongAndHealthyMommy

So I went to a restaurant today and had a really good time. The food was great and the waitress was nice. So i put a nice tip on the table in cash, and went up front to pay the bill on my card. I filled my paper out and drew a line threw the area for the tip and started to walk away when the waitress who had waited our table says to me "Did you want to leave a tip on your card?" When I told her no, she just gave me this mouth gaping dirty look to which I replied "Your going to feel like a real butt head when you find your tip on the table."
....
anyone else had a bad restaurant?

1st of all, she cant ask for you to tip her..... I know someone who got fired in NYC for asking the dude for his tip and the guy said: its my money I tip if I want to, and talked to his manager and got him fired......
Ive been bartending for years and Ive learn to don't even mention the tip.... most of the times is on the table, and more than once Ive had the person coming back and tiping extremely good and apologizing for no tipping the last time.....

WiskeyBlue

See, I've done that before. Where the bill was higher then I thought and I didn't have enough on me for a tip. I have always came back and tipped double, I even told a waitress that last time i was there I didn't have the money and I felt bad. I'm pretty sure that only works because I live in a Podunk town where the same waitress works every day.

kit_katty

I've twice had a waitress come by (two different pubs) and ask if we'd like another round, we said not yet, and they brough us the bill. WTF?

I've also had someone try and make a risotto out of wild rice. When I sent that back, I orderd the salmon which they rushed so it was burnt all to heck. Finally they stole a gnocchi from another table.

Someone trying to pass off sliced garlic for roasted garlic.

Servers ignoring me, me having to flag them down for even a water refill etc.

I tip for the service I receive.

WiskeyBlue

I just think its not cool. I like going out to nice restaurants, so there is a good chance I am going to spend the equivalent of a tank of gas or more on a meal. I don't mind tipping, but I want good service and good food, and definitely not to be stared at like a monster when I already left you a tip on the table. Right after my husband and I got married, we went to a restaurant on the beach because we eloped and had no reception. I was still in my dress and he was still in his suit. The waitress asked up why we were so dressed up and then said "I'm so sorry" when we told her we just got married (she later justified it by saying she is in a bad divorce -_-). Then when our food came she actually ate a chip off of our goddaughters plate. When I got the bill they had already taken out an 18% tip and left a slot that said "extra tip." Needless to say I left it blank.

ldrosophila

I would have demanded to speak to the manager then taken her tip away. How rude!

randomtai

Then when our food came she actually ate a chip off of our goddaughters plate. When I got the bill they had already taken out an 18% tip and left a slot that said "extra tip." Needless to say I left it blank.

That's gross. I would have walked out.

quirkytizzy

I don't think I've ever had a really bad restaurant experience. I eat at cheap places, fast food, Denny's, IHOP. Applebee's is expensive dineout to me. So I don't really expect stellar service.

There was this one time, though, at a pizza shop, where the three people in front of me and myself cleared out one of the pizza's they'd put out. (It was like a line where you picked what pizza you wanted and they gave you a slice) I noticed the entire kitchen staff snickering and laughing and pointing at us and the food.

I dropped my pizza back on the plate and left. I don't know if they did anything to it, but I was happier eating at Wendy's that day.

BrainyBurro

if you're dining with a mobster who orders canoli and then excuses himself to go to the bathroom... you're gonna have a bad time.

mandasalem

My husband and I somehow put off "Give us bad service" vibes even though we're great tippers. (My husband often overtips even when the service is crap-- maybe that's the vibe.)

I think the worst we ever had was at the Union Oyster House when the waitress ignored us because one person at our table already had a drink from the bar so "I assumed you were already served." She didn't know the menu, insisted several items weren't on it that were, then failed to bring my husband's dish out after being reminded four times that he'd ordered something in addition to his appetizer. Then she charged him for the dish she never brought and when asked to correct it, said "Well, I'll just have to double charge you and we'll get the rest back on your card sometime."

Suuuuuuuuuuucked. There's a restaurant resting on its reputation and doing jack squat to uphold it.

A close second is the TGI Friday's waiter (back when I was in college) who kept touching me on the shoulders when he approached the table, and who, when alerted to a hair in someone's salad, bugled it out at the top of his lungs, grossing out all the other diners in earshot.

LMJS

I was at a restaurant once with family that we had been to on many occasions as it was a convenient place for everyone to meet up and had nice food.
At the end of meal my sister ordered an Irish Coffee which was served with a blob or squirmy cream on the top! Needless to say, by the time it got the the table it had already sunk halfway to the bottom! We complained and were told in no uncertain terms that's how they make Irish coffee. I proceeded to tell the waitress that when we had been served a Irish coffee here before (albeit several months ago) that it was correctly made with pouring cream on the top. The, by now quite rude, waitress told me she had been here for over 2 years and that is how they always served it because they do not keep pouring cream in the restaurant! She offered to serve it again, and it came back exactly the same so we refused it, paid up and left. Not been back since!

ren_ascent

I tip as a rule, but go extra for excellent service/mom and pop places. Dining experiences vary, but the most memorably bad was getting raw chicken when I was 7 months pregnant. Turned out ok but that could have gone pretty down hill.

snazzyjazzy21

Wait, I thought america was supposed to have great service?

Crochetluvr

the waitress who had waited our table says to me "Did you want to leave a tip on your card?" When I told her no, she just gave me this mouth gaping dirty look to which I replied "Your going to feel like a real butt head when you find your tip on the table."

I wish I had been there to see the look on her face when you said that. She should have apologized to you, at the very least.

I have had less than stellar servers but food would be my major complaint. I recently went to an well known, city cafe for dinner with relatives and the food was near tasteless! And this is such a popular place. Don't get it....unless its the beer that brings them in. I don't drink beer;

chancock6

Worst experience was at a Garfield's. The silverware had crusted, dried food on it, and we had to send back for a new set. There was something floating in my ice water. I ordered some sort of mexican-style salad (which was essentially just the inside of a taco dumped onto a plate with some tortillas). The tortilla's were soaked with juice from the meat. The meat was cold, the tomatoes were spoiled, and the cheese was still stuck together like they'd frozen it. I'm not a complainer, and I felt like we were bugging the waiter too much--he was very nice about everything before that and apologized profusely. I just didn't eat, and we tipped him well but never went back.

organic0gf

I'm an old lady and don't get out to dinner much anymore. When I did I always tipped more than the going rate as in my younger days, I was a waitress for a short period of time. Just long enough to understand how important tips are to service people.

Problem is; the last 20 years or so (and it continues to get worse), many wait staff feel entitled to a tip even if they have an attitude and their attentiveness was poor. This thread is just one example... the waitress asking for "her" tip.

I guess people quit tipping before the meal because after they had already tipped, the wait staff could do whatever they wanted.

TIPS= To Insure Prompt Service

teresamwhite

Oh, jeez...This is EXACTLY what I tell my staff: one satisfied guest might tell another person or two, but a dissatisfied one will tell at least ten...and in the world of easy-access social media, those ten turn into the world.

As a food service professional, I am sorry so many of you have had bad experiences, and I have to say there are a great many who DO take a great deal of pride in what they have chosen to do for a living. But, most people think food service is an easy way to earn a paycheck and they do it to collect a check and not much more. I feel food service professionals need to really have a desire to serve the public, otherwise they aren't going to make it, and we are going to have a problem in the future with a guest.

I bartend during Derby season, and we have a lot of parties and galas during those three weeks. We host celebrities, internationals, and locals...I am in my late-ish 30s, and my well-mate is about the same age. At the end of one night, we made more in tips than some really cute early 20s chicks. We overheard them demanding to know why we "fat, old, b****es" got more than they did. We never once asked for or mentioned tips with the guests...and we flirted with everyone...men, women, old, young...(not sexually, but compliments on their clothing or eyes, or choice of date...and with a couple ALWAYS flirt with the girl! The guy will look at her with new appreciation and the tips get bigger as a result). They only flirted with the young, rich and good looking.

zeebruhgirl

I've had two experiences that were awful.

One, my hubby (then boyfriend) and I went out to dinner, and the waitress came over every two minutes. She completely smothered us! I couldn't say more than four sentences to him before she'd come back. We got so frustrated we went out for dessert later just so we could actually talk.

Two: My mother and I went to dinner and everything seemed to be going well. The waitress who was maybe 35 came up and said "What can I get you kids" I just looked at her with my mouth gaped. I was 18, my mom was easily 10 years her senior. It was so disrespectful. She referred to us as kids and kiddos like all night. I would have understood if she was like 80 years old or we were younger, but come on.

organic0gf

Another thing; rich people are seldom great tippers; they tend to be tightwads for the most part. Get the blue collar guy that belongs to a union for big tips.

teresamwhite

I once thought that if each table came equipped with a call button (like on an airplane), it would resolve quite a few service problems.

k8blujay2

Shoot, if that was the worst I have ever experienced at a restaurant I wouldn't have any complaints.

My husband and I went out to a resturant where we got absolutely horrible service. The waitress hung out at the hostess podium with her back turned to us about 95% of the time we were there... she never refilled our drinks or came by to check on us. When it was time for us to get our check, we had the busboy help us because we couldn't get the attention of our waitress... because she had her back towards us. So we tipped the busboy instead.

Then there was another time where the waitress got the order all wrong and then the kitchen let hers sit while mine was still cooking... so it was cold and virtually unedible.


But with all that said, we usually get pretty good service when going out and we tip accordingly.

CookNLift

My girlfriend and I go to Salem every year for Halloween and we make it a point to visit new restaurants in the area while we are there. I am a foodie and a chef and tend to love trying new things / seeing new ideas. I usually am never over critical unless someone swears theirs is the best, or I really psyche myself up for it.

I'll paste the reviews I left on the sites following the description of the 43 Church Burger, which was promoted on Ghost Adventures on Travel Channel. The other thing that was a huge issue was trying to find what was supposed to be a staple in Mass - New England Clam Chowder. I would go the entire day not eating in hopes of filling up on an amazing binge of the NE Clam Chowder, only to find it water, bland, scorched, or tasting nothing like clams. Spent over $60 on clam chowder that weekend, and the best one I had was at Chili's, possibly because it came from a can - so disappointing lol.

The 43 Church place has since closed - they had a burger that was described as grilled angus with thick cut peppercorn bacon topped with melted gorgonzola on a pretzel bun with side of shoe string potatoes. I ordered it medium rare and it came out charred black on the outside, and cooked to temperature in the middle. This wouldn't have been an issue except aside from the burger, everything else was lukewarm / cold at best and the burger was unseasoned (this baffles me). It would not have been an issue except the burger was $24!!!! They also did some weird attempt at a take on tuna tar tar, making it with sliced raw apples in it....which did not make sense / taste good at all lol.

Other place we went to had this AMAZING pumpkin seasonal beer that they would put this caramel / pumpkin glaze on the rim of the rim of the glass and dip it in pumpkin spice / brown sugar (AWESOME)

Downside was it took over 30 minutes before we even got a beer, waited 20 minutes to get menus, 15 for nachos that were cold, and had no cheese on them except on the top layer. I dealt with it, annoyed as I had been waiting so long already. Went to ask for another beer, because it was so good. But I then realized that they had stuck the check under the nachos so we were closed out already. I said screw it, paid the check, 10% and left.

DiaryofaFitMommy

Found a BAND AID in my pasta once

TribeHokie

I've had the occasional waiter or waitress who never comes by to refill drinks, have walked out of two different restaurants because no one came to wait on us for 5+ minutes after we were seated, and maybe once or twice had an order completely screwed up. I usually leave 15-20% on the taxed bill (so apparently higher than I should anyway) but I know I have at least once left zero tip. I don't remember exactly why it was so bad, but it takes a LOT to piss me off in a restaurant so it must have been pretty horrible. About six months ago my bf and I went to this kitbar that we really like (basically a bar that is also an open kitchen and the bartenders make your food), and about halfway through our appetizer we had the unpleasant experience of seeing a roach scuttle across the food prep counter two feet in front of us. We informed our bartender when he came back over, I ate about half of my dinner (only because it had been prepared in another area), and even though they comped us a round of drinks and our entrees (I tipped the kid very well also) I will never go back. It is unfortunate because they have delicious food and creative beverages, but even now the thought of eating there brings up the image of that roach running around and makes me gag a bit.

hbrittingham

It is always unacceptable for a server to ask about the tip. That said, I always write "cash" on the tip line for two reasons. One is because that lets the server know that I have left cash on the table and the second is so that someone can't write their own tip amount in that space. I've seen it happen before.

I worked at one of the top steakhouses on the east coast for 5 or 6 years. I was a waitress and my (now) husband was a cook. We are very nice to people who work in the service industry because we've been there, done that. But we also know what management will and will not accept and we won't allow a server to give us poor service without speaking to management about it. We have no problems if a restaurant is extremely busy and our server is running behind on things, but being blatently ignored is unacceptable to us and we WILL speak up.

If we are given good service, we will leave a very nice tip, generally in the 20-30% range and if the service is exceptional, we tip more like 50%. We reward good service.

peleroja

I will forgive service staff pretty much anything short of outright rudeness if I can see that the restaurant or the server is very busy. I bartended for years and I know what a tough job serving is (said from my cushy office job.) But if I count 6 tables occupied, 3 servers, and I have to watch you flirting with a hostess when I've had an empty drink for ten minutes...hell no. I never punish service staff for bad food either, or even wrong food (unless it's obviously visually wrong and the server brought it personally) unless the server doesn't try to make it right. I know how bad managers and stupid corporate policies and a bad kitchen can be, so I really try to only punish servers for stuff I know is within their power. A good attitude goes a long way with me.

I'm pickier with fine dining, but honestly, I very rarely get bad service anywhere because I try to treat people well, and servers usually try harder with nice tables.

I have had some deplorable food, but I think that's what I deserve for eating at crappy low to mid range chains. No real horror stories, though.

Our favourite restaurant, though, is a little neighbourhood sushi place where the service is slow, practically absent at times, and the food is great. We tip well anyway in exchange for the best table in the place and getting to skip the line when it's busy because they know and like us. Never having to wait and eating fantastic food is worth it.

CookNLift

I've had the occasional waiter or waitress who never comes by to refill drinks, have walked out of two different restaurants because no one came to wait on us for 5+ minutes after we were seated, and maybe once or twice had an order completely screwed up. I usually leave 15-20% on the taxed bill (so apparently higher than I should anyway) but I know I have at least once left zero tip. I don't remember exactly why it was so bad, but it takes a LOT to piss me off in a restaurant so it must have been pretty horrible. About six months ago my bf and I went to this kitbar that we really like (basically a bar that is also an open kitchen and the bartenders make your food), and about halfway through our appetizer we had the unpleasant experience of seeing a roach scuttle across the food prep counter two feet in front of us. We informed our bartender when he came back over, I ate about half of my dinner (only because it had been prepared in another area), and even though they comped us a round of drinks and our entrees (I tipped the kid very well also) I will never go back. It is unfortunate because they have delicious food and creative beverages, but even now the thought of eating there brings up the image of that roach running around and makes me gag a bit.

Roaches are the least of your worries in a kitchen. If the food is good I'd still go, but get it to go from then on out.

MisChef

**I DO THIS** for my In-Home Fine Dining events!

I have a remote doorbell button, and the chime part plugs in, in the kitchen. I put the remote under the host's plate, and tell him that "I want to give them their privacy" during the meal.

That's code for "i'm going to stay in the kitchen, and finish cooking or cleaning, until you call me, so I don't have to keep checking up on you every 5 minutes."

The first time they ring the doorbell, everything's silent, followed by a big laugh when they hear the DING... but after that, it's no big deal. EVERYONE says that they wish they did something like that in a restaurant!

RaggedyPond

I was pregnant and wanted a baked potato but all they had was mashed potatoes. Just not the same...

RaggedyPond

I once thought that if each table came equipped with a call button (like on an airplane), it would resolve quite a few service problems.

Here in Japan most places have this.