Okay. There are so many things I could complain about today that I don't even know where to start. I guess I will take the first table that I waited on last night.
Let me first preface this by saying I completely understand when you want to go out and "relax" while also having a meal. Businessmen often are having meetings during dinner. I get it. With that said, YOU as the customer should also remember the purpose for being at a restaurant is TO EAT! So excuse me for asking if you are ready to order!! Now, I always greet my table, say hello, find out what cocktails, wine, or drinks they would like. When I return I'll ask if they would like to hear the specials for the evening or take some time to enjoy their drinks and chat. During this time I would like you to be listening to ME. I'm trying to do a job here, not annoy you. So back to my table. I had a 4 top (meaning 4 people at the table) of 2 couples. I head over to the table, grab the bread plates and start passing them out. This is USUALLY when people will pause in their conversations and I can introduce myself and so on... OH NO, not this table. I'm am apparently completely invisible. A gift that I have although I don't know how to control it. I never know when i'll be invisible and it happens all too often. OOOOh, maybe its because I wear all black.... and i'm soooo skinny you just don't see me. The plates are moving by themselves... Okay, you get the picture.
So they won't stop talking and I'm standing there akwardly waiting for a pause so i can interject. Nothing. One gentlemen happens to ask me a question. Yeah! I'm in. Nope. I answer and they rest keep chatting. Okay, I'll just get this one man a drink. I precede to ask him what he would like to drink and he says, "start with the ladies". Well... if they would shut up I could! How long is an appropriate time for me to wait??
I politely say, "parden the interruption, but i'd love to bring you a cocktail or wine". I'm so fake. :)
I return with the drinks and set them down. I decide to just talk over them since they clearly don't care what i'm saying anyway. I quickly go through the specials while they continue to talk as well. SO RUDE! I ask if they would like an appetizer to start or if they want to sip their drinks and "relax". I literally get NO response. I guess that means you are not having an appetizer?? I decide to leave the table. A few minutes go by and then i see my guest waving his white linen in the air to get my attention!!!!!! Is this what I needed to do earlier?!? If only I would have known. Are you freaking kidding me???? I'm praying my boss doesn't see them. This makes me look bad. Although, I have done all I could at this point. I rush over and the man says, "I'm starving. Can we order?"
Cuss words in my head, I smile and say "of course!"
This was the start to my evening and needless to say it went downhill from there.
More to come later.
I waited tables in college at a restaurant right across the street from a very nice hotel so I appreciate the job of wait staff. However, I have been with people who are very unappreciative and tend to ignore the waitress as she is obviously waiting to make her play to take an order or introduce herself. I usually am the one one to say " hey!...dumbo... What do you want to drink? And then I look apologetically at the waitress. If they are really rude throughout the dinner... I say... "you have never waited tables have you?" and try to explain it was the hardest job I have ever done. I also make my kids say thank you everytime there is a plate put in front of them, a glass refilled, or a condiment brought. I always tip at least 20% when I can unless the service was horrible and it was obviously the fault of the waiter not the cook, etc.
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