ts: bad service at restaurants vs people who often complain about bad service at restaurants

i know a few people who apparently have the worst luck at restaurants because they always have terrible service. i feel like i've had one, possibly two experiences in my life with service that was so bad that i might complain about it later, so sometimes i think bad service stories are just examples of people having a sense of entitlement about how they should be served (possible challop maybe).

personally i don't mind or notice weak service too much, let alone get pissed off about it, because people working tables often get overwhelmed or maybe they're new on the job, i dunno. "our service was so bad at this restaurants, i must go on about it at length" is becoming one of my new pet peeves. maybe i'm alone in this one.

yea it's def annoying. i've had a few service experiences that made me really mad, but that's about it.

I'll take bad service at restaurants, I think, cuz listening to people bitch about bad service at restaurants is incredibly annoying.

yeah service complainers are worse and more common than bad service

BUT it's different when they actually complain at the restaurant. i don't know if it's better or worse.

http://sf.eater.com/archives/2008/08/06/bartender_throws_pint_glass_at_nontipping_yelpers_fulfills_dark_fantasies_of_restaurant_owners_every.php

i think sending something back because it's undercooked or noting dirty dishes is cool but if you get bitchy about it you can fuck off imo

yah i mean i'd rather send it back than whine about it later

at a good restaurant where you have high expectations, bad service can be a real downer. But I guess when I think of bad service in that context, I mean a lack of knowledge of the establishment's food/menu/chef and/or a lack of familiarity with food in general.

A slow pace, forgetfulness or brusqueness don't usually bother me too bad unless extreme.

"i think sending something back because it's undercooked or noting dirty dishes is cool but if you get bitchy about it you can fuck off imo"

Technically these aren't service complaints.

the customer is usually wrong i think

well, i think the way you cook something/clean something constitutes service

yeah technically but it sort of falls under the same category b/c people overreact in the same way

this thread's category that is

once we were at a place where they gave my boyfriend a dirty water glass, so we asked for another. and then that one had lipstick all over it. we just left

The friends of mine who complain the most are the former restaurant workers.

But now I'm complaining about people who complain too much.

xxxpost Yeah except your server isn't doing either of those things.

I actually hate the chain restaurant's conception of "good service." ie at Chili's once when the freaking waitress SAT DOWN at our table when we were ordering. To be friendly? To creep me out, really.

I like a place with not especially fastidious service so long as the leave me a pitcher of water when I request it.

I mean is complaining about bad food the same as complaining about bad service?

omg no she didn't

xp

Sitting down at a table is a serious serving no no.

The thread title is "service," not "servers," and bad service certainly includes responding badly to lipstick-smeared glasses.

i don't think it's the same, alex, but it's similar, obviously. and the server gets the brunt of it all, poor thing

right xp

I'd reckon not, Alex. I always try to separate the two as the server ≠ cook. And thank god. Line cooks are about as dreggy as truckers IMO.

there is a price point at which the "you guys" thing will turn me off

My advice for everyone in the world, especially women, is "stay away from line cooks!"

i still think about this one time i ordered a steak. when i order a steak i want like a hot sizzling steak. well it was cold, and buried under greens, and i didn't say anything :(

Are "Yelpers" really some kind-of identifiable subculture?

I love servers (seemingly all of them) who have cultivated this magic ability to ask about your meal when you have a giant mouthful of food. "Thumbs up, I guess."

YES abbott otm

I hate these people. "I was not treated like royalty, and the servers were not pleasurebots. This is an outrage!"

people that YELP are scumbags.

i always do the nod/half-smile xp

Friends in the biz have told me that some restaurants train their servers to ask about the food when the customer's chowin' down it; they're less likely to complain right then, which is the best time.

i've never complained at a restaurant. really as long as the food meets expectations, the staff can be as surly or slow as they like. it's irksome when your table seems to be forgotten but 100% that's happened to me, the staff have been profusely apologetic when they realised.

Dirty glasses (depending on the restaurant) and dishes (rarely) can be a server's responsibility. Responding to requests for clean items/cooked food = definitely service. Under-cooked food? No.

Friends in the biz have told me that some restaurants train their servers to ask about the food when the customer's chowin' down it; they're less likely to complain right then, which is the best time.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, December 30, 2008 2:26 PM (29 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i don't really get how this would benefit the restaurant? if people are mad about something, they'll still be mad about it even if they don't voice it. and if the restaurant doesn't care, why don't they just tell their staff not to ask?

Stay away from line cooks!

"I am subservient to the power of others at my job, at every job I've ever had, so bitching about service and possibly denying the servers tip money is the only way I'll ever get a taste of power in the workplace." or "I hold power at my job, am use to having people kowtow to me, and so bitching about perceive poor service is like breathing to me"

Dirty glasses (depending on the restaurant) and dishes (rarely) can be a server's responsibility. Responding to requests for clean items/cooked food = definitely service. Under-cooked food? No.

― Alex in SF, Tuesday, December 30, 2008 3:28 PM (16 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

it doesn't really matter -- i think the issue is if and when you make a big stink about it

If I get really bad service in a restaurant then I don't complain, but I don't go back either. If I get middling bad service in a restaurant that I like in other ways then I just think "oh well, nobody's perfect" and put up with it.

A real gripe is people who go to cheapass restaurants and then complain about getting cheapass service.

I'm not crazy about when the server sits down in the booth or takes a knee next to the table. They say that if the server gets on eye-level with the patrons, tips will increase, but it certainly doesn't influence me like that.

well, i think if it's a place you like, and you feel they overlooked something, i think they would appreciate knowing it.

Former and current restaurant workers are the biggest sticklers for proper service; my sister the waitress can become extremely annoyed if:

1. People get ignored for more than a few minutes when it's time to order.
2. Cutlery, glassware and plates are dirty - she always checks that her orders go out clean and doesn't like waitrons who don't do this.
3. In a busy restaurant, when it takes a load of time to get the check/attract the attention of her server to do so. She would probably murder half of British waiters as a result, if ever in the UK.

Waitstaff are instantly 10000x friendlier in busy times if the customer says something like 'hey, you guys are slammed' to communicate even a shred of sympathy or shared experience of serving.

Your sister is annoying.

Unless someone is deliberately ignoring me, I just assume that a waitperson is busy and they'll get to me as soon as they have a chance.

there's this one server at the deli down the block -- she's SO BRUSQUE, like i've witnessed people walk in there specifically to complain about her. and i used to be sensitive to that kind of thing but for some reason i just love it. i don't need much when i'm getting my coffee and stuff, i just need some efficiency.

My sister is annoying, but not about waitressing. If a place is busy it makes sense to turn tables when your diners are ready to go, not 10 minutes later.

I don't conflate 'server' with 'servant' and I tip on the high side.

in years and years of eating out, i've only had outright BAD service two times

i mean how often does it actually happen?

Shouldn't have written the piece, though, since it achieves nothing more than an airing of grievances, legit or not.

It comes across at first as a personal grievance but it does kind of morph into a cultural rant about modern restaurant culture. I kind of feel for the whole 'get off my lawn' ethos though, since, while I don't necessarily want my restaurants to be too formal, I loathe overly loud and insufficiently attentive places.

It reads like a Custer's Last Stand of a dying medium tbqh.

well its also retarded to complain about the waiting too long for someone to take your order at a new-ish v busy, v popular restaurant. i mean reading that all i could think was that the first server forgot to transfer their table to the new server cuz he was just finishing his shift but regardless of the reason they forgot about him its p retarded to a) not just assume they made a mistake and flag down a server earlier b) get all passive-aggressively 'jokey' about it and look like a tedious asshole to the staff and c) not realize that in a really busy restaurant mistakes will totally happen, even to supercool critics, and thats it not a personal thing so mb just be chill about it

Well, food writing is entertainment. It's not really about recommendation, I mean how many go to resturants after a good review, compared to the quantity of readers?

eh the whole scene sounded p shitty all around imho

richman "takes his job seriously" insofar as he "takes himself seriously," i guess but, i dunno, hes also the guy who gave les halles a shitty review because anthony bourdain made fun of him

j gold otm

btw im in halifax atm and every restaurant when you pay w/a cc brings a lil swipe device to the table and has you walk through the whole thing on yr own pressing buttons and whatnot - so nagl - i dont want to fuck w/this lil computer isnt that your job the person im tipping ffs god

btw rereading richmans piece--that $42 burger hes so intent on making fun of is for four people

restaurant critics are the art of pretend forgetfulness

guy who gave les halles a shitty review

I would totally make fun of him, too. I was underwhelmed by Les Halles, tho.

yeah les halles is not great really

^^^Bourdain is much better at TV than in the kitchen. To his credit, his menu vision was a bit ahead of his time.

Does he cook anymore?

not professionally I don’t think

At least his fries were okay. I haven't been in a while and I found an excellent Frenchy place in the upper East Side but man, the last time I was in NYC, I got dragged to a lot of mediocre but pricey French bistro-ey places. Balthazzar, for example, can suck my dick.

working yr ass off in a sweltering kitchen all day v traveling around the world eating food n shooting the breeze

i dont have an opinion on les halles, ive never eaten there, but this is not something that someone who "takes his job seriously as a critic" says:

I wrote the piece with the intention of getting even with Bourdain. I admit that. But I had no ill-will towards Les Halles. To be honest, Bourdain is such an untalented cook that I expected it to be better than it was when he worked there. Instead, I found an appalling restaurant, one of the worst in New York.

haha the worst it is not. i can say that

i mean as far as french goes i'd take it over Patis or some shit like that

there is maybe--maybe--an interesting piece to be written abt the way standards of service are changing. and there is definitely an interesting piece that should be written about m wells! this is not either of those pieces.

I liked Pastis well enough, certainly better than Les Halles, though the scene was annoying.

it sucked well enough the one time i went and yes the scene is nagl

sometimes bad service happens at good restaurants. last week we were in LA, visiting my wife's family, celebrated my father-in-law's 83rd bd at his favorite italian restaurant. been to this place many times, food and service have always been superb. they are regulars and know the chef/owner, but from what I've seen everybody gets the "special" treatment here. It's a small place. anyway the bd visit was a flat out disaster, service wise. we had 12 people in a separate room and right from the start it was like the waiters had never served customers before. drinks forgotten, wrong drinks brought, half the table given bread half not, waiters disappearing for long stretches, dishes brought out at various times. etc etc i can't remember everything that went wrong. truth be told my in-laws can be a bit demanding - they're old - but this was restaurant armageddon. the food *tasted* great as always, i had flawless heirloom tomato/burrata starter & pasta w/rabbit ragu. i pride myself on patience (martinis help), still i underatand why my hosts bummed out.

hope i don't sound like some show-me foodie prick with this. it was weird, idk what happened, the place was basically empty except for us! a confluence of bummers in the kitchen? imagine my in-laws will continue to frequent this place, guess it goes to show how tricky it is to run a restaurant and how important service is to the fine dining experience.

btw im in halifax atm

!!!

Having been a waiter before, bad service like that usually is one thing that goes wrong and snowballs.

If you had multiple waiters, my guess is you had a grouping of waiters who either did not communicate, or did not do it well, which would explain why things were inconsitent (ie, waiter doesn't bring bread cos he thinks someone else is doing it, etc).

truth be told my in-laws can be a bit demanding - they're old

think we all know by now that this is restaurant service review code for slapping asses

I'm a loyal paying customer and demand a lucious ass to slap

Tastebuds are half-gone and they need some reason to go out.

btw im in halifax atm

!!!

― Monstrous TumTum (Lamp), Wednesday, August 17, 2011 2:25 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

waht!

Same thing happened to me on my bday once, went to a restaurant I love going to and had enthused about to everyone and suddenly they were bringing wrong dishes, wrong drinks, etc.
Bringing the swipe device to your table to pay by CC is a common security thing in the UK. If you're handing over your CC to someone and they take it away then they could be copying all the details down. In theory you're not meant to let it leave your sight but no-one seems to give a shit in the US. (I've always thought the same about ordering stuff by phone, which is why I find it weird that some ppl I know are scared of entering CC details over an encrypted website but happily read them out to an unseen stranger on the phone). Not that I think it's a problem, although we have seen random amounts 'pending' in our accounts after paying with debit card at a restaurant, which later get cleared, and seem to be a standard thing.

i am going to be in halifax this wknd!

o dude im leaving on friday, but then i will be back in two weeks!

Just about the only occasions I've heard people complain about bad service (maybe 3-4 times total) have been the ones where I was present to witness the service itself, the better to confirm that the service was indeed bad, and it's not merely a case of the complainer being a whiny, self-important douchebag. In such cases, after the annoyance of the actual meal is over, the complaints take on the form of entertaining anecdotes that make for good conversational nuggets. So based on limited personal experience, I'll take the complaints, even though I've rarely never experienced one without the other. (The exception being the time my cousin and his parents had an overwhelmed server who threw down her tray and quit her job mid-meal, which sounded kinda awesome.)

i've got friends that are p. terrible with any kind of frontline staff, it's unpleasant to be out with them at times. I rarely find service so bad that i'd feel the need to complain tbh.

And then there's

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2011/08/restaurants_and_twitter_dont_a.php

The person tweeting from the restaurant sounds like a disgusting savage.

If you had multiple waiters, my guess is you had a grouping of waiters who either did not communicate, or did not do it well, which would explain why things were inconsitent (ie, waiter doesn't bring bread cos he thinks someone else is doing it, etc).

I only worked in one restaurant that got this right (part of the Pappas Bros umbrella) - management was distinct from floor/bar staff, you were told on day one of training that any issue gets taken to a manager immediately, managers were constantly moving around the restaurant looking at tables that needed refills/bread/etc. when they didn't have bigger issues to deal with.

re: question in thread title, I just refuse to go out to eat with people who make dining out feel like an effort (unless I'm absolutely obligated). If figuring the check is going to be a pain in the ass or you're going to loudly complain that the bread basket has been empty for two whole minutes, it's not worth it to me. Eating out should be a pleasure.

Training at the above place also emphasized teamwork among servers. If you've got your tables in order, check on sections around you, etc.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/woman-tweets-restaurant-employee-gets-thrown-162908258.html

haha

i thought the worst part of the richman piece was his attempt to tie what sounded like a uniquely weird/bad experience (no matter who was at fault) to some larger point about the decline of service. i eat out all the damn time at all kinds of places! service hasn't declined!

the second paragraph in that "woman gets thrown out for tweeting" thing is confusingly written.

This is not a complaint about service.

But why sell gift cards when you know you're only going to hate seeing them again in the future?

A customer buys a $20 card on May 1. That money goes into that day's till. Customer comes back on June 1 to redeem the card, taking inventory without contributing anything to that day's books.

I get that it's messed up, so why bother? Because 10% of the gift card sales get lost in a box somewhere and expire?

Yeah, I always feel vaguely guilty when paying with a gift card, even though they sold it to me (although we're still coming in and tipping well).

Of course, we only bought the gift cards because once a year this particular pizza place offers a deal where you buy $50 in gift cards and get $25 free (or something similar), so we stock up. But we'd be dumb not to, it's free pizza!

It felt particularly weird when restaurants first started opening up...many of them had sold gift cards during the pandemic to help keep afloat, but then it felt weird to use them right away.

The look I get when I present one, even with the extra and the tipping...

And I understand the look! Using a gift card at Best Buy or wherever is different because the only labor involved is stocking the shelf and ringing you up. It's not like a restaurant where someone makes the product for you, right there on the spot.

That's why you tip at restaurants and not at Best Buy, but it still doesn't sit right with the staff or even the customers.

The issuing biz is making points on that banking those GC funds. That interest adds to their margins without having to touch inventory nor depleting working capital. It's like an interest-free loan.