Question for restaurant servers.

I just flag the server down and ask/gesture. Sometimes some of these places hire kids who don't have any sense or were raised by feral, rabid wolves. Sometimes, they hire college students who are exhausted. Sometimes they just hire the daft who were out the day that clues were being handed out. We try to find places we like to dine and stick with that. Sometimes, we'll ask for a specific server's section. (I was heartbroken when my TGIF guy went elsewhere.)

Having waited tables, I had a shirt that I cold never get the burnt grease smell out of. I expect people to do their jobs, so I tip exceptionally well when they do and call them on it when they don't. I'm also that b*tch who'll flag down the manager, to impart either words of praise or to tell them how I REALLY feel. I try to focus on the positive though.

On the flip side, Federal minimum wage, not counting tips, is $2.13 an hour in some states. I split my time between dining in PA ($2.83) and NJ ($2.13). So, some compassion usually prevails, but only after I've said my piece.



http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

Many years ago I was a server. I was always on top of refills, I think partly because I hated waiting for my diet coke to get refilled. But give me a rude customer, they can sit forever and if I did bring them a refill after the were grumpy, I would oh so drop the tip of a dirty towel in it, smile and say enjoy. Be nice to your server, or dine at fast food places. Yes, you can get really bad service. If so, don't tip. TIPS... To insure prompt service

Yea...that's a pretty crappy thing to do to someone. If someone is rude, sorry, that doesn't give you a green light to introduce potentially damaging materials/bacteria etc.. into their meal.

You should honestly be ashamed of yourself for ever doing something like that. It's not cool when people are rude, but you should never put their health at risk because of it.

It seems to me to be common sense not to be a d-bag to the people who handle your food.

Many years ago I was a server. I was always on top of refills, I think partly because I hated waiting for my diet coke to get refilled. But give me a rude customer, they can sit forever and if I did bring them a refill after the were grumpy, I would oh so drop the tip of a dirty towel in it, smile and say enjoy. Be nice to your server, or dine at fast food places. Yes, you can get really bad service. If so, don't tip. TIPS... To insure prompt service

Yea...that's a pretty crappy thing to do to someone. If someone is rude, sorry, that doesn't give you a green light to introduce potentially damaging materials/bacteria etc.. into their meal.

You should honestly be ashamed of yourself for ever doing something like that. It's not cool when people are rude, but you should never put their health at risk because of it.

It seems to me to be common sense not to be a d-bag to the people who handle your food.

It seems to me if you go somewhere to eat, there should be no chance someone is going to contaminate what you ingest for their own amusement, regardless.

Don't be an *kitten* and there will be no chance of it. Pretty simple.

Hey, look around honey... you're not the only table we have. On an average day one server has 10+ tables. Imagine having to get everyone at each table a ****ing refill. Gets hard.

Hey, look around honey... you're not the only table we have. On an average day one server has 10+ tables. Imagine having to get everyone at each table a ****ing refill. Gets hard.

We're customers. We really don't care how busy you are. We just want what we want because we're paying, and therefore believe that we deserve at least your best effort.

But quite honestly, I usually don't have a problem getting enough soda in a restaurant. But then again, I'm a two-drink kinda guy. The OP apparently has an issue with excessive thirst. :laugh:

And to the person who said that she punished her customers by contaminating their food ... get help. Seriously. You're a ****ing sociopath.

ETA "sociopath." My original choice, "sadist," wasn't strong enough.

I seriously don't understand the comments from servers who mention how busy they are and how nice you have to be to get the service. First, you chose the job. You may not like it or find it easy or glamorous, but like most others, you have the choice to move along to more enjoyable work. Second, there are many, many customer service jobs that are stressful and difficult and deal with rude customers. Sure, the pay scales might be slightly different, but the concept of customer service is the same - your serving job requires you to provide a high level of customer service and you get rewarded for that. Take a call center, where an employee might have a higher hourly wage, but maybe they lose a bonus or raise due to poor customer service scores from rude or angry clients. None of those jobs are perfect, but they all have pros and cons. Again, you chose the job.

For the customers who expect mind-reading for their special quirks, I think that may be a tad bit unreasonable. Everyone who pays good money for service should expect the minimum (friendly, attentive servers) but if you wish for something specific, like a soda refill every 5 minutes or bringing your check as soon as the last course is served or any number of preferences, then it only seems fair to communicate that with your server. If you do that and they make a reasonable effort to satisfy your requests, great and you can tip them well. If you find their effort lacking, then by all means, don't tip as much, but to not say anything at all and then punish them because they didn't "know" how you wished to be served smacks of a passive-aggressive approach (IMHO).

LOL Calm down, I was just kidding. It has crossed my mind before to do something mean like that, But I personally haven't. Although I have seen plenty. Don't be rude to people that handle your food.. But seriously I made sure I double ignored the rude people. I didn't care or need their tip.

Many years ago I was a server. I was always on top of refills, I think partly because I hated waiting for my diet coke to get refilled. But give me a rude customer, they can sit forever and if I did bring them a refill after the were grumpy, I would oh so drop the tip of a dirty towel in it, smile and say enjoy. Be nice to your server, or dine at fast food places. Yes, you can get really bad service. If so, don't tip. TIPS... To insure prompt service

Damn you could have gotten that place shut down.

Americans are very odd

We usually have to pay for extra drinks in restaurants

well, thats how you roll when you win two world wars.

Americans are very odd

We usually have to pay for extra drinks in restaurants

well, thats how you roll when you win two world wars.

Oooh, we're going there now? :laugh:

Good to know that others tip based on service, specifically the wait staff that is attentive and refills my water glass.
I've been known to leave an extra dollar even after the bill was paid for a waiter who continues to fill the glass after the bill was paid.

I have a question for customers: can you not see that I'm running my butt off serving 6 to 8 other tables? That I'm seating people at the door, helping people at the register, making soups, making salads, and I just can't do it all at once? You drank your soda in three minutes? That sucks, do you want me to just sit here and watch your table non-stop? I do the best I can, and I'm serving 25 customers at a time in my cheap restaurant where we're understaffed, so thanks for shorting my tip because I'm not superwoman.

get together. take it up with your manager, not the customers.

Seriously. Every server sometimes feels like doing stuff like that when he or she is frustrated...but in my eight years of restaurant work I have NEVER seen anyone do it, nor would I ever. Maybe I've been lucky to work in good restaurants with good people, but yeah. Never. Rude people get super efficient, nearly silent service from me so I can get them in and out as fast as possible and make sure they have nothing to complain about.

I don't get into server wage debates as they're as bad as politics or religion. However, I find that good servers or bartenders have things equal out for them in the end. For every rude table who tips badly, there are so many more nice ones who tip well...as well as a few nice ones who tip poorly and rude ones who tip well. I have bad nights occasionally, as we all do, but my good nights outweigh them by a landslide. Probably because I work hard and try to treat everyone well, even the rare ten-soda-refills weirdo. I remind myself often that for every crazy person, I get many nice, normal people.

I'd think it'd be impossible not to hate people after seeing them at their worst. Servers should have fixed wages, the end. After a certain time, they should have the option to have a small %* of the total turnover: more like shareholders in a company, less like a pyramid scheme or mafia.

*a small one, fine, give the guy who put up the initial cash his due, but enough to make it worthwhile, & give staff a sense of ownership over their work. & let them get something decent back for putting up with humanity when we're hungry.

There are many jobs that involve as much or more customer service; almost all are salaried. Food business is crazy.

I agree with this, but it seems this is the one standard in the US. I wonder would a waiter at Denny's want a salary and would a waiter at some 5 star michelene restaurant want a salary. What are the differences when you work at a place where the plates are $10 vs $100?

My field is healthcare so all my staff is hourly.

Many years ago I was a server. I was always on top of refills, I think partly because I hated waiting for my diet coke to get refilled. But give me a rude customer, they can sit forever and if I did bring them a refill after the were grumpy, I would oh so drop the tip of a dirty towel in it, smile and say enjoy. Be nice to your server, or dine at fast food places. Yes, you can get really bad service. If so, don't tip. TIPS... To insure prompt service

Yea...that's a pretty crappy thing to do to someone. If someone is rude, sorry, that doesn't give you a green light to introduce potentially damaging materials/bacteria etc.. into their meal.

You should honestly be ashamed of yourself for ever doing something like that. It's not cool when people are rude, but you should never put their health at risk because of it.

It seems to me to be common sense not to be a d-bag to the people who handle your food.

It seems to me if you go somewhere to eat, there should be no chance someone is going to contaminate what you ingest for their own amusement, regardless.

Don't be an *kitten* and there will be no chance of it. Pretty simple.

You don't treat the people who bring you food like dirt. God knows what goes on behind the kitchen doors. The amount of self entitlement I have seen from people who feel that they have the right to treat people who work in customer service like crap is mind boggling.

I think everyone should work retail or in food service for a year just to learn a little humanity.

Many years ago I was a server. I was always on top of refills, I think partly because I hated waiting for my diet coke to get refilled. But give me a rude customer, they can sit forever and if I did bring them a refill after the were grumpy, I would oh so drop the tip of a dirty towel in it, smile and say enjoy. Be nice to your server, or dine at fast food places. Yes, you can get really bad service. If so, don't tip. TIPS... To insure prompt service

Yea...that's a pretty crappy thing to do to someone. If someone is rude, sorry, that doesn't give you a green light to introduce potentially damaging materials/bacteria etc.. into their meal.

You should honestly be ashamed of yourself for ever doing something like that. It's not cool when people are rude, but you should never put their health at risk because of it.

It seems to me to be common sense not to be a d-bag to the people who handle your food.

It seems to me if you go somewhere to eat, there should be no chance someone is going to contaminate what you ingest for their own amusement, regardless.

Don't be an *kitten* and there will be no chance of it. Pretty simple.

You don't treat the people who bring you food like dirt. God knows what goes on behind the kitchen doors. The amount of self entitlement I have seen from people who feel that they have the right to treat people who work in customer service like crap is mind boggling.

I think everyone should work retail or in food service for a year just to learn a little humanity.

I very much agree with that. Alot of people have no idea what we have to put up with, and think our job is a piece of cake. Come have someone tell you are stupid because the kitchen messed up their food and make you feel like crap because you are suppose to be taking care of their every need. It sucks but there are rewards but those come alot less than the crappy people.