Restaurant Pet Peeves
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By the way, speaking as someone who actually did the job for years, its not ALWAYS the servers fault, sometimes the food runner doesnt check the ticket and takes the food out before I even had a chance to look it over. Most properly functioning restaurants have an expo and someone who runs food, or the servers run food for each other.
I agree with, worked back of the house and there were several times that servers never even touched one plate that came out of the kitchen.0 -
Servers in most countries get paid a reasonable wage. In the us its minimum wage, so you HAVE to get tips to make any kind of living. That is also why "foreigners" have a bad rep of tipping "poorly" because in a lot of countries a lower tip is ok since the server is getting paid a reasonable wage.
Who told you servers in other countries get paid a reasonable wage?
They don't it sucks!!0 -
I can relate to what you are saying but what would make me even more frustrated is when the server wants to argue with me about how the person does not want wine in there red wine braised dish.As a former server I absolutely hated serving a table that wanted alter/add/remove tons of things from their meals. I get asking to not have a tomato on a burger, or dressing on the side but if your dietary requirements are SO EXTREME that you're trying to substitute beer-battered fish for chicken, and chips for veggies, don't order fish and chips. If you are Celiac maybe don't come to a place where beer is literally in every dish they make.
If you can't have 6 of the 9 ingredients in a dish, go somewhere that can meet your needs. Most restaurants would rather take the 3 min on the phone to talk to a customer about their food preferences and tell you this place may not be for you, than have you show up, make demands to alter every plate, potentially get sick or just stupidly angry that YOUR way of eating wasn't the number one thing going through the chef's mind when the menu was put together.
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I once ordered a Reuben, which is a very specific sandwich with very specific ingredients. I did not alter my order. I got some corned beef on dry bread.
I can relate to what you are saying but what would make me even more frustrated is when the server wants to argue with me about how the person does not want wine in there red wine braised dish.As a former server I absolutely hated serving a table that wanted alter/add/remove tons of things from their meals. I get asking to not have a tomato on a burger, or dressing on the side but if your dietary requirements are SO EXTREME that you're trying to substitute beer-battered fish for chicken, and chips for veggies, don't order fish and chips. If you are Celiac maybe don't come to a place where beer is literally in every dish they make.
If you can't have 6 of the 9 ingredients in a dish, go somewhere that can meet your needs. Most restaurants would rather take the 3 min on the phone to talk to a customer about their food preferences and tell you this place may not be for you, than have you show up, make demands to alter every plate, potentially get sick or just stupidly angry that YOUR way of eating wasn't the number one thing going through the chef's mind when the menu was put together.
END RANT
This, apparently, was how whoever made the menu thought a Reuben was made.0 -
Im a mom of 3 who hasnt eaten out anywhere that doesnt have a buffet in years, I say young children. When I do get to go out to a decent restaurant again, I dont want your spawn screaming in my ear or kicking the back of my seat.
You can wait a few years until your child understands proper dining ettitquette. If you are about to tell me how well behaved your 1or 2 year old is then YOU are the ones I am talking to.
Oh, I'm about to tell you how well behaved my two 2-year olds are in public.
Firstly, we make it a point to carefully time our dining schedule around their eating schedule. If it's anywhere close to nap time, we don't take them out. If they don't seem the slightest bit hungry, we use a drive-thru over an actual restaurant. They get a glass of water each, along with a small toy we brought in with us. That buys us plenty of time to have their order brought out first and then they spend the next 20 minutes or so joyfully dipping chicken strips into a blob of ketchup. If they happen to drop something by accident, we pick it up. If the check is taking just a wee bit longer to get to the table, one of us takes the kids out to the car to wait patiently. We've been in the presence of someone else's screaming children, but servers always compliment us on our children's behavior. We have never tipped under 20%, and usually tip around 30%. This has been going on for over a year. Their pleasant behavior in restaurants may only last another week, month, or year, in which case, we will no longer dine in, because we are considerate ADULTS.
Since you pointed a finger directly at me simply because I have well-behaved children, I say this: enjoy your buffets and thanks for leaving the decent restaurants to decent people.0 -
#1 here too! Especially those shrill screams little girls make as well as some boys.
#1 has to be screaming children...I mean not a crying child who is just cranking or hungry. I mean the little brat throwing a fit and screaming at his parents while they pretend not to notice...ok so the parents too!!great idea!!0 -
Some small children actually ARE well-behaved. Mine wasn't so much, so I didn't take her out. But I have witnessed plenty that were.
And according to every adult who knew me as a child, I was a very well-behaved child. When I was 2, my parents took me to see Vincent Bugliosi speak (he prosecuted the Manson family and wrote Helter Skelter). He sought them out after his talk to praise them on my behavior. He said he saw me and expected an outburst at some point, but was pleasantly surprised when I behaved all the way through.
Whether this was parenting or disposition I couldn't tell you. I can tell you, based on my daughter, that it wasn't genetic.
If you are honest and know your children well and you know they can behave, I see no problem having them in nicer restaurants.0 -
I think it's annoying when the waitress is too involved in making me happy. Too committed to the job. I tip well if she does this, and do not get upset but it is really annoying having someone come by every two seconds asking how my food is.
"Yeah, its just as good as 60 seconds ago! Thanks"
Or the waitress who wants to be your friend so will have an in depth conversation about her entire life.
"im here to eat, not get to know you"
lmao. People are funny0 -
servers that are lame UNTIL the check. the closers we call them. so transparent.0
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when someone brings in a bratty screaming child and ruins your time there.0
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When the waiter doesn't check the food before he/she brings it. My husband and I took some friends out to dinner, and the wife of the couple didn't mention that she didn't get part of her meal. When the check came and my husband looked and realized that she hadn't gotten her grilled shrimp. He called the waiter over, and the waiter goes "are you serious?!" in this incredulous voice and boy was he going to let the kitchen staff have it. Um...sorry dude, but it is your job to get it right, even if the chef did mess up! I also don't like when the server sits down with you and chats about what you want to order. (!) This has only happened a couple of times, but I'm not sure if it's a new thing! Me no like!0
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So, we have people with majorly high expectations of their servers, and then there are people who believe it is "unskilled labor" and doesn't deserve a living wage. Hmmmmmm...... Let me just say this one more time, servers rock! Most of them, anyway.0
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You all must go to awful restaurants. I never encounter all of this awful stuff. There was one time when some kids went to the bathroom and they were in the hall and extremely loud. At first I thought they had some kind of disorder that caused them to behave that way. But, I was wrong about that. So, in that moment I understood what people are talking about when they say "loud kids". That was horrendous and I can't believe their parents allowed that. But, that only happened one time. I got over it. I generally have a good experience at restaurants. Mostly I just want to be left alone to spend time with whoever I am with. Maybe other annoying stuff happened, but I just don't remember because I don't retain unimportant information. I just move on with my life. If I have a bad experience at a restaurant I just simply do not go back again. I can think of about 3 times, but I don't have the energy to dredge up boring stories. There are thousands more stories of great servers.0
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And as for the tipping issue, I'm mostly just annoyed by people who think waiting tables is supposed to pay a "living wage." It's unskilled labor. It's not a career. The secret to earning a higher salary is to acquire some skills that the people around you don't have. You can do that in food service. But not if you stay at the same level for the rest of your life. Millions of people have gone through management trainee programs or used the wages they earned flipping burgers to put themselves through college or vocational programs, from which they've gone on to make significantly more money. I like to call them "people who get it."
So, what are people supposed to do when they start out as a server? Live in a homeless shelter?0 -
And as for the tipping issue, I'm mostly just annoyed by people who think waiting tables is supposed to pay a "living wage." It's unskilled labor. It's not a career. The secret to earning a higher salary is to acquire some skills that the people around you don't have. You can do that in food service. But not if you stay at the same level for the rest of your life. Millions of people have gone through management trainee programs or used the wages they earned flipping burgers to put themselves through college or vocational programs, from which they've gone on to make significantly more money. I like to call them "people who get it."
So, what are people supposed to do when they start out as a server? Live in a homeless shelter?
In my opinion, anyone who will put in an honest day's work deserves to be able to pay their basic bills. Waiting tables is hard work. Just look at how hard some people are to please!!0 -
Loud cell phone patrons. Unless you're a doctor, put it on vibrate.
OMG this! My FIL is so embarrassing as he yacks on his phone VERY loudly! I hate going to dinner with him because he talks SO loudly!0 -
So people in this forum are saying that waitresses should know how you want them to phrase questions, should know what you want before you ask for it, should never give you anything unless you ask for it, should be experts at their job no matter how long they've been working or what training they've had, should know your specific preferences regardless of what training they've had, should love their job, should smile all the time, someone actually said they should be "amateur psychologists"
but they shouldn't be paid a living wage because it's "unskilled labor"??????
I'm not a waitress, but anyone who works a full time job deserves to make enough to not live in a homeless shelter0 -
Where i work we have college students, and we have people in their late 30s/40s....of course they are really good looking and you can't tell their age, but still....I think its HILARIOUS people think its unskilled labor. It takes some sort of talent to be able to deal with the public and be good at serving. The best servers at my restaurant are the ones who have been doing it for years, and who made it their career. If we all became drs and lawyers, the only people who would be servers are those going to college and the service as a whole might be bad because that isn't really their passion.
Plus, personally, id rather make about 30 dollars an hour and work a 6 hour shift than to be "skilled" and work at an office making MAYBE 18-20 for 8 hours. Its way funner, and time flies by so much faster0 -
Where i work we have college students, and we have people in their late 30s/40s....of course they are really good looking and you can't tell their age, but still....I think its HILARIOUS people think its unskilled labor. It takes some sort of talent to be able to deal with the public and be good at serving. The best servers at my restaurant are the ones who have been doing it for years, and who made it their career. If we all became drs and lawyers, the only people who would be servers are those going to college and the service as a whole might be bad because that isn't really their passion.
Plus, personally, id rather make about 30 dollars an hour and work a 6 hour shift than to be "skilled" and work at an office making MAYBE 18-20 for 8 hours. Its way funner, and time flies by so much faster
Working in the restaurant business helped me I believe in becoming financial planner0 -
I don't think most people realize that server's minimum wage is different than the national minimum wage. Last time I waited tables the min wage for servers was $3.15/hr while the minimum wage for the guy flinging burgers at mcdonalds was $6. Servers rely on tips and often have to split their tips with the bus person {despite being required to bus along the way} & a barkeep.
As a long time waitress {until I had children and my husband asked me to stay at home with them} my biggest pet peeve is lack of service when the place isn't busy. My cup not being refilled, not having the person check in and see if I want anything else etc. I can see how many tables are in use and count how often somebody is circulating their area. If you come out, take an order, the other staff brings out your food to table, and I don't see you until time for check you're not only not getting a tip but you are getting a complaint. Exception is if the place is slammed and you are obviously doing your best to keep up with it but then I would see you working wouldn't I?0 -
When the waiter asks how the food is, when you have your mouth full. Timing people!0
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Nose blowing at the table, just no0
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When I was a server my top pet-peeves were:
Ordering water and iced tea or soda. THEY NEVER TOUCH THE WATER!! >.< Why create more work for me?
2 top sitting next to each other in the booth/table.
When a man orders for a woman-I know it's old school but it's annoying
Spending 5 minutes asking a 3 year old what they want to eat. ALL THEY WANNA DO IS COLOR ON THE MENU, ORDER FOR THEM!
People who let their kids make a HUGE mess then don't help clean it up (or tip extra for being a huge pain in the *kitten*)
Ordering "A LOT OF BREAD" and never eat it.
As a patron:
Parents that don't correct screaming children
Bringing the check before you've even gotten your food0 -
Servers in most countries get paid a reasonable wage. In the us its minimum wage, so you HAVE to get tips to make any kind of living. That is also why "foreigners" have a bad rep of tipping "poorly" because in a lot of countries a lower tip is ok since the server is getting paid a reasonable wage.
Who told you servers in other countries get paid a reasonable wage?
They don't it sucks!!
In the UK the minimum wage is equivalent to 10.41 US dollars per hour. But them I'm not sure what income taxes are like in the US - I suspect they are generally lower because, from an outsiders perspective, socialist policies appear to be treated quite aggressively - whereas over here they are the norm (NHS anyone?). But then over here, if you earn less than £9440 ($15.5k) then you don't pay income tax at all. So I don't know, I would guess that the take home pay over here is pretty reasonable (comparatively speaking).0 -
2 top sitting next to each other in the booth/table.
Why does this bother you? I mean if that's how they want to sit, it's **THEIR TIP MONEY*, so WHY does that bother you? WHY does that matter? I don't get this at all? I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY don't? Could you please explain? Thank you for your explanation ahead of time.People who let their kids make a HUGE mess then don't help clean it up (or tip extra for being a huge pain in the *kitten*)
You sound VERY LAZY. I mean, that's part of your job.Bringing the check before you've even gotten your food
I 100 BILLION TRILLION percent agree with you on that one. It's not the server's right to decide *ANY* decisions about what you want or don't want. Our tip money RULES the show.0 -
When I was a server my top pet-peeves were:
Ordering water and iced tea or soda. THEY NEVER TOUCH THE WATER!! >.< Why create more work for me?
2 top sitting next to each other in the booth/table.
When a man orders for a woman-I know it's old school but it's annoying
Spending 5 minutes asking a 3 year old what they want to eat. ALL THEY WANNA DO IS COLOR ON THE MENU, ORDER FOR THEM!
People who let their kids make a HUGE mess then don't help clean it up (or tip extra for being a huge pain in the *kitten*)
Ordering "A LOT OF BREAD" and never eat it.
As a patron:
Parents that don't correct screaming children
Bringing the check before you've even gotten your food
We're all entitled to our pet peeves, so understand that I'm simply curious when I ask this - not offended or angry: why does it bother you when two people sit beside each other? Ever considered the fact that it may be a couple who rarely just get to sit together? (Yeah, my husband and I do that on the rare occasion that we get a date night.) Does this create a problem for the server?0 -
why does it bother you when two people sit beside each other? Ever considered the fact that it may be a couple who rarely just get to sit together? (Yeah, my husband and I do that on the rare occasion that we get a date night.) Does this create a problem for the server?
I 100% FULLY AGREE! I mean, our *****MONEY PAYING OUR SERVER*******, then OUR CONTROL, 100% ******FULL CONTROL********* over WHERE we sit at the booth or table we sit.0 -
why does it bother you when two people sit beside each other? Ever considered the fact that it may be a couple who rarely just get to sit together? (Yeah, my husband and I do that on the rare occasion that we get a date night.) Does this create a problem for the server?
I 100% FULLY AGREE! I mean, our *****MONEY PAYING OUR SERVER*******, then OUR CONTROL, 100% ******FULL CONTROL********* over WHERE we sit at the booth or table we sit.
I'm almost flattered that you agreed with me, but you could have quoted my entire post instead of making me sound rude.
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When you get your entree and you haven't even taken a bite yet and they say "HOW IS EVERYTHING?!?!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????!?!?!?!"
I am like.... come back in 5...
haha
OH GOD YES
Or when they ask you "How is everything?" and you have a mouthful of food. Every time. It never fails.0 -
Edit: Nevermind, I don't feel like e-fighting. Anyway, yeah, I agree with the "how are you doing" as soon as the fork enters your mouth, lol.0
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