Waiters/Waitresses...time to bitch

[sugargator]

Hey all... I know most people have been a waitress or waiter at some point in their life...now called 'servers'...

I want to hear the stories about the crappy/ or good people you have served and any of your pet peeves about people when they eat out...

Those of you who havent served in a restaurant should read this anyway so you know what NOT TO DO!!!

I'll start... I hate when people bring their kids to a restaurant and proceed to let the kids run around the restaurant and totally ignore them like this is accepytable behavior...keep those kids in their seats...jeez...this is the time to teach them table manners!!!

 

[Guest]

 

[mbb308]

I'll never understand....

people who dog the waitstaff. I haunt this one place in town, and they all know me. This place draws all types, from street people to intellectuals. Part of the reason I am well taken care of is the fact that I will often leave tips in the 30-100% range, depending on the number of people in my party, and whether the server is a personal favorite.

Friday night, I had my all-time favorite - a lovely lass of Irish extraction who could get you a glass of water in Hell. She earns every dime with kind, considerate and competent service. Needless to say, we have become friends - I gave her my address so she could mail me a wedding invitation for her upcoming nuptials. The check was about $9.50 - I gave her a $20. She's that good. Needless to say, if the kitchen makes a mistake, she'll make them get it right.

If you want something, you have to give something.

I'm still tipping the help on top of Mother's tip if we go out together - she hasn't learned yet.

 

[bluemouse]

is a career waitress...soooooooo

okay, i am going to tell a good story, just to lighten it up...

i work in a brewery...we get all types, and all of you know the best tippers, right?? soo,

the other day, it was slow, i was in a non smoking section, and when i got a table of two older women, with a coupon, no less, i was not exactly thrilled....but, being my usual chipper self, i decided to have fun with them...we had some laughs, and they shared one dinner between them, and had water to drink....soooo their bill, with the coupon discount.....was 7.49...

they left me fifteen dollars....

it just goes to show, i need to stop judging by those horrible sterotypes of who will and who will not tip good....

well, ya learn and grow every day, right???

 

[sugargator]

Hey Mo - glad to see u stopped by my post ...bye the way Florida is great today!!

mbb - glad to hear from someone who understands us servers... I do occasionaly ( very occasionally) serve someone like you and it makes my day.

Emerald...good story I have one similar

I was serving these 6 women, one of whom was married to our dishwasher. I served them drinks and food all night long! ANd i didnt card them, even though i was sure not all were 21 yet. They kept me running like crazy back and forth to the bar, their tab was ( i remember specifically) $212.60... Guess what i got for tip

$2

oh yeah

 

[Moxon4]

Servers

Giving bad tips is usually for bad service, although some people are just jerks. One time while at a restaurant, I ordered a Sprite, well halfway through the meal the waiter came by and refilled it while I was in the bathroom, unfortunately, he refilled it with water, so a half Sprite/half water mix was left. I drank it and then realized what happened, he ended up getting a 10 cent tip on a 6.90 bill.

 

[Guest]

Re: Servers

 

[sugargator]

well ...not to sound concieted or anything, but i consider myself...and have been told by other customers, that I am a really good waittress. I think those girls were abusing my service since their friend/husband worked there.

Emerald: I cant even imagine serving that many people on a regular basis! Have you ever had anyone swear up and down to you that you have some sort of food on the menu...when u dont? Ive had people swear to me we have shrimp when we never ever had shrimp...crazy...Ive been a server for 5 years (this is my 6th) I have sooo many stories.

 

[sugargator]

Re: Servers

Giving bad tips is usually for bad service, although some people are just jerks. One time while at a restaurant, I ordered a Sprite, well halfway through the meal the waiter came by and refilled it while I was in the bathroom, unfortunately, he refilled it with water, so a half Sprite/half water mix was left. I drank it and then realized what happened, he ended up getting a 10 cent tip on a 6.90 bill.

HeyMoxon: are you one of those people who eat their entire meal before they realized it wasnt cooked the way they like it- before they complain? hehehe just teasing

 

[Guest]

 

[mbb308]

Bluemouse...

way to go!!! You can never tell. Glad the old girls knew the deal for you.

I wish my waitstaff a happy birthday when appropriate - and tip extra.

I have one waitress who has obviously taken us completely for granted. We just don't sit in her section much anymore. She still gets the same when we do - but none of us seems to enjoy the experience.

 

[sugargator]

Birthdays

speaking of birthdays

I hate when people lie about it being their b-day just to get a free desert.

Sometimes i find that i have sang happy birthday like 8 times in three hours...there is just no way, its not like i work at chucky cheeses(sp?)


mbb - i definetly see where ur coming from, its unfortunate that stupid servers give the rest of us a bad rep at a restaurant.
ANd there are definetly stupid servers- i work with several

 

[sugargator]

I know Im a good waitress.
I hate the people that want extra butter for their baked potatoes, and then you see them taking it home.


I alone, will serve up to 100 people in a matter of a few minutes. Its a lot of back and forth, I always make sure there is extra butter on the table to avoid running to the kitchen. You ALWAYS have one that wants butter in packets, to take home for some unknown reason.


I love weddings where the Bride chooses the menus, and you have guests that decide they want to order off the menu but bill it to the brides family. That would piss them off.
lol


Or people who RSVP with noting they are bringing kids. SO we assume we are serving 500, and end up with 575.

UHHHGG.

emerald - how about the people we need absolutely every topping or dressing on the side...and it better not touch the food on the plate or they have a cow.

Man I sound like such a whiner...but its sooo easy once i get on a roll....

 

[Guest]

 

[lovechild27]

I think anyone in a service field gets dumped on...I work retail and have chased peoples kids down who were frolicking in the parking lot and seconds away from getting hit by a car...I have had shoes thrown at me because five minutes was to long to wait to be rung up, I have been yelled at when a credit card is denied, called incompitent when an item wasnt returnable...there are mean, pissy, bossy stuck up people where you go or work these days.


sigh...such is life.

 

[Bug Eyed Monster]

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[Guest]

 

[Guest]

 

[Bug Eyed Monster]

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[Guest]

Re: Emerald

 

[sugargator]

You know Im not above telling someone i fucked up as well...and believe it or not, that seems to work really well for me. If Im honest with my tables, they seem to be ok with things a little more.

I remember a group came in and i ordered everyone's dinner except for one person's. I just missed it. So I went and told the guy that i was sorry and i had messed up and that he might get his meal a few minutes after everyone else's. He gave me more tip he said, because i had been up front with him.

But unfortunately not all things are the servers fault, the kitchen does mess up and so do the bartenders, and it sometimes gets blamed on that server by the table leaving the tip. I hope you people who read this keep that in mind!!!

Emerald...what an awful story, Ive never had anything that bad happen to me before!!!

 

[highconcept]

hellish

Where do I start with waiter horror stories? When you wait tables, you learn a whole new respect and a whole new contempt for humanity. I honestly have talked with my friends about going back and getting waiting jobs, going through training and spending a whole night berating the small minded morons who treat servers poorly. Then once I got fired, going back and doing it all over again. Some waiters are bad, I worked with a few and more then that have been my waiter. But most are harried, with an unattentive managment, uncooperative kitchen, lazy staff, and never pleased customers. You can always tell who had waited tables before. They never looked at you uncomprehandingly when you didn't fulfill their every need the moment they thought of it. Good luck to you all.

 

[mbb308]

I like waitstaff

I try to make it a point never to get upset w/ people who are basically defenseless, and waitstaff fall under this heading...so do most clerks and cashiers. Management is often fair game however.

My worst customer service experience was w/ a grocery store manager - I figured he learned how to be an asshole from all his asshole customers - and he had learned well...his misery is his own....