Posted on 12/20/2009 5:25:26 AM PST by Daisyjane69
I wanted you to see this clip
If the kitchen problems are not even addressed by the waiter after you bring it to their attention, that invokes my death penalty tip calculation.
I’ve only used it twice. Once I got an alumium shard in my gnocchi at “Pasta?” The waiter only offered to bring me another dish. Um, no thanks and if you’re not even going to offer to get the manager for me, then I can’t be bothered paying you for your complete lack of service. I now know how they got the “?” in their name, LOL.
My only other death penalty case was at a Charlie Brown’s where the waiter disappeared for an hour, then brought us our food cold after one of us got up from the table to look for him. I actually deducted money from the food total, writing it as a negative amount on the tip line. If the manager bothered to talk to me, which he didn’t, I was going to tell him it was that, or he could zero out the bill when I complained to the credit card company, and that I would describe my experience on Yelp.
Normally I’m a nice guy...if I had any friends, you could ask them.
Just because a restaurant will accommodate a special request doesn't mean they like doing it. I eat lunch and dinner out approximatley six to eight times a week. I have owned restaurants in the past; my first job at age 13 was a dishwasher/bus boy in a diner (I later became a short order cook); and I put myself through college and grad school working in the food service industry. Next to customers who snap their fingers to get attention, our number one per peeve was special orders. We would try to accomodate, but we didn't like doing it. And more often than not, we found that special order customers did this all the time at every place they ate, not because of special dietary needs, but to show their dinner companions how important they are. In my experience, 99% of special orders were an exercise of ego and control.
Although the customer may not see the special order as a big deal, I can guarantee you that they are a big deal to the kitchen staff, paricularly during prime dining hours. A good kitchen runs like a well oiled machine, and if a line cook has to spend three minutes plucking the peppers from sausage and peppers, that means that someone else's food is three minutes late or that another line cook has to do two jobs instead of one, which can compromise the quality of another diner's food.
Here's an example: I used to have an ownership interest in a small bistro (24 seats). A guy and his wife came in at 8:00 pm on a Saturday night. He orders the shrimp and pasta, but asks us to cook the pasta without using salt because he has high blood pressure. We have six, stovetop, gas burners, one of which is dedicated to a pot of salted, boiling water, which is primarily used to cook pasta. To accommodate the special order, the chef either has to take the pot out of service for ten minutes while he boils unsalted water for the special order, or tie up another burner for ten minutes to boil unsalted water. Either way, another customer's dining experience may suffer. The worst part is that special order customers are often flexing their egos and can't wait to complain that the special order "is the worst food that I have ever eaten."
Imagining Morgana and her boyfriend, after making out: "Wow, that was some screenplay. Who wrote it? And whoever was responsible for the special effects and soundtrack is just amazing! The celebrity impersonations were awesome! I hope no animals were harmed in the making of this event!" :-)
“We have special Won Ton Soup for you.”
Would it be bad form if I ordered, "A prawn Goebbels, a pickled Goering and two Colditz salads."
(Don't Mention the War!)
No doubt that there a truly asses out there who make life difficult. But that is exactly why I apologize FIRST. I also tend to limit my specials to things that are added to the meal. For example ... can you put the dressing on the side? Please leave off X (Mayo and Avocado are my two biggest) I am not allergic to avocado but as a child I was forced to eat it to the point that it still invokes a gag reflex.
I’m sure the restaurant would not want a patron upchucking their dinner where everyone can and will hear them. My most difficult state is California. For some reason they dont believe anything should be served without either avocado or yuck-a-moley. After two bad experiences at one location, I finally had to resort to saying .... “I want a hunk of meat, cooked. No coverings, no pepperings, no crust, no paste, no extras - nothing. Just a hunk of meat cooked.” Fortunately they got that one right. It was quite an enjoyable meal and I tipped rather well.
If the place is packed, I’ll move along. If there are obviously a lot of empty tables, I’ll feel fine in taking my time (but will remember that in my tip).
Now, if they are asking me to lift my feet so they can vacuum, that’s a clue I’ve been there too long...
Normally asked right after you shove a big forkful of something into your mouth, so all you can do is nod. One of my pet peeves.
Yes, and that is a completely different business plan. I would expect special orders in a reastaurant like you have described because every order is a special order. But special orders in a fixed menu restaurant is a PITA. We will try to acccommodate, but we don't like doing it.
If the business does not acquiesce to the request - another restaurant will gladly do it and have a new, happy customer.
High maintenance customers are generally money losers in all but the most overpriced, trendy restaurants that exist primarily to serve the powerbrokers and beautiful people, and their groupies. In my experience, many special order customers also complain the most, tip the least, and hang on to the table while others are waiting as if they rented it for the night. I wished they would take their business someplace else, but for some reason they kept coming back.
btt
I will tip a larger amount if the waiter/waitress will look “ooh” and “ahh” over how cute my perfect grandchildren are. ;-)
Flame away because tipping is ridiculous - ok, got that out there first because there will be indignation poster who’ll get their panties in a wad over the following but too darn bad. I can hear it now, “oooh, but owners don’t pay enough”. So, what. The customer is not the manager and as such isn’t responsible for your pay. Don’t like the pay, get a job that pays what you think you’re worth. No one said you had to work there.
Do you tip the mechanic who provided a “menu” of what tires he sells and tells you what “dish” he prefers? No.
Do you tip the librarian for showing you the card catalogue, taking your “order” and recommending “best sellers”? No.
Do you tip your doctor? Do you tip the produce man at the grocery? Do you tip the bank teller? Of course not. But they all provide a service to you just as a waiter does.
Why should I pay for table service when I’m already paying for the food which is what I came there for in the first place. The business provides the service and should pay a straight salary. I’ve worked as a waitress and know full well what nastiness and gross things are done to people’s food which is why I prefer to eat at home. Why should I pay for someone to scratch their butt as they’re dishing up my salad? Why should I pay for someone to spit in my water just because I ordered a second glass? Why do I want to eat the same chips and repoured salsa as the last three tables? I don’t want to become best friends with the waitstaff in hopes they wash their hands before serving me. No thank you.
Frankly I’m sick to death of the whole “wait-staff” Lord/servant relationship. All the snooty customers with attitudes, and occasional snobby waiters can bite me.
If I wanted to be waited on, I’d check into the hospital.
In fact when I’m hungry, the last thing in the world I want to do is wait, and wait, and wait. Additionally, if the restaurant’s featured fare is something I can prepare at home myself, there is no point for me to walk in there in the first place....and wait.
When I’m starving, and if there is a decent fast food place (and they better be good and fast) or an ethnic food buffet Indian/Thai/Chinese I’m happy as a clam. I might spend an hour.
By the way, I tip the buffet staff well.
“I want a hunk of meat, cooked. No coverings, no pepperings, no crust, no paste, no extras - nothing. Just a hunk of meat cooked.”
I do the same thing with my New York Steaks. I ask for no salt, pepper, seasonings of any kind, bacon-wrappings, butter, gravies/sauces, toppings and please, extra rare, LOL! I then add the amount of salt/pepper I like. I want to taste the meat!!
Don’t you find that you get the strangest look from the staff when you ask for that? “But sir, if you leave off the X, it will only taste like .... meat.” When they give me that line or something similar, I have to tell them I’m from Colorado and we LIKE the taste of meat.
Cow, buffalo, elk, boar, squirrel, rabbit, venison, even black bear and antelope. But it is not possible to taste the meat if they insist on putting all that other stuff on it.
I dont know about you but I get the STRANGEST looks. In Chicago at one fancy (customer recommended) restaurant, I even had the cheif come out, verify the order and basically tell me that they would not allow me to send the plate back if I did not like the steak.
LOLOL
Yes, very strange attitudes. Many times I have the waiter watch me until the first bite and then ask me how the steak is. I go “Ummmmmmmmm, just the way I like it!”
I'll tell ya what Cheffie. How about if I come back there and burn this bad boy up myself? Ya know what I'm sayin?
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