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SDFemDom4cuck -> RE: Fine Dining vs. Amateur Diners (5/14/2007 12:31:57 PM)
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I work at a similar type of restaurant as well and we ran a little special for Mother's Day that Mom's meal was complimentary as long as another entree was served as well, that being said I would like to reiterate a little something....
People, just because the meal was comped you still need to tip for the total of the bill before it's comped. In other words include that 12-18$ in the total when you figure the tip. I still had to serve it, prep the salad/soup, deliver the bread and pre bus the table etc...whether you paid for it or not. I still served two meals, not one.
To comment on other points...
Luckily in Cali we're paid normal minimum wage as servers ($7.80/hr) + tips. Our charge tips (and the majority of the tips in my restaurant are charge tips) are automatically taxed 11%. I have to claim 11% of my total tickets at the end of the night for the remainder whether I'm tipped 15% or not. Our state income tax is 7.75% To figure a 15% tip on your bill simply look at the tax and double it. Add a another $1 -$2 per person if you want to go towards the 20% level. Automatic gratuity of 20% for a party over 10 is not my rule, it's the restaurant's.
I agree with the person who said not to take it out on the server if something isn't prepared correctly. While I can obviously see that you were given rice pilaf rather than the smashed truffle potatos and fix it before the plate hits the table, I cannot see that your NY strip is not medium rare. Shoving your plate at me and yelling "Does that look medium rare to you, you idiot?" is not going to make me happy. Pissing off your server (not to mention one that is sadistic) is never a smart move. I am not in charge of the kitchen and I have little control over how fast your food is prepared. While I'm sypathetic that it's taking awhile, take into account how busy we are and realize we're moving as fast and as efficiently as we can under the circumstances.
Eating 3/4 of your meal and then complaining to the management about how terrible it was when I've been to your table 6 times asking if everything is ok is also a no no. If there's a problem tell me, politely, and I'll do everything I can to fix it. Waiting until you've eaten it all and then complaining just makes you look like an ass, or cheap, or both.
Allowing your children to run amok within the restaurant is never a good idea. The servers are carrying heavy trays that are delicately balanced with meals for 4 to 6 people. We are not watching where your 3 year old is running, we're watching straight ahead to make sure no one is coming around a blind corner or suddenly pushing out their chair to stand up. Tripping over your 3 year old and dumping a tray of dinners on a nearby table or ourselves or your child is not enjoyable. (Ditto for adults that are about to back out their chairs and stand up, look around and make sure there isn't a server coming up with a tray anywhere around you.)
We are not babysitters responsible for watching your child or what they are doing. You are. Don't just let them wander back behind the server run. There are warming tables, hot soup, bread warmers and the like back there. The chances of them getting hurt are good if you don't bother to watch where they are. It is not my job to continually pick your child up and bring them back to your table because they are running around unattended. If your child makes a huge mess all over the floor or table at least do something to try to help clean up the damage. We're servers, not maids.
Order in a, well, orderly fashion. Most servers start on the right and work around to the left. Or vice versa. It makes remembering who had what easier. 4 people all talking over one another and trying to order at the same time is exactly why mistakes happen. If you've ordered and decide to change something wait until everyone is finished rather than interrupting. Most servers will repeat back each meal placement to make sure it's correct before they leave to put it into the kitchen. Also, waiting until your order is 3/4 done in the kitchen and deciding you want your steak rare rather than medium means having to start over.
Asking for items to be made specialty (ie: no peppers, mushrooms or onions in your rice pilaf) means someone has to hand pick those peppers, mushrooms or onions out. It's made in big batches, it isn't added individually to each order. It slows down the kitchen and it is a pain in the friggin ass. If you don't want the peppers in your pilaf pick them out yourself when it comes to the table. If you do insist on it being done in the kitchen, don't bitch when it takes longer to get your order out.
If your server is at another table handling the guests there, do not snap, whistle, yell across the room or walk up and interrupt them in the middle of what they are doing. We're people not dogs. Degrading, humiliating, or being condescending to your server doesn't make you look like a hero to the rest of your party, it makes you look like an ass. I can't tell you how many times the other people in your party have apologized for your behavior while you were in the rest room.
General rule of thumb, treat your servers like you would want to be treated if you were doing their job. Better yet, treat them like they're your Mom if she was doing their job. Being an ass and tipping big to make up for your behavior isn't as appreciated as you think. A smaller tip and being treated with respect means a lot more. We really aren't there to make you have a horrible dining experience. We're there to make it special and enjoyable, and to be tipped accordingly.It's a team effort and you as the customer are as much a part of the team as everyone else in the restaurant is. However if you insist on being an ass don't be suprised when I call you on it. I'm only going to take so much before I can't bite my tongue anymore. I'll do it with the utmost politeness but I am definitely going to call you on your boorish behavior. Most waitstaff have great memories. We remember who treated us like shit and who treated us with respect, who tipped us well for the great service we gave and who didn't. We remember it for a looooong time.
I don't plan on waiting tables for the rest of my life, it's a stopgap to pay the bills while I'm in school. It does not mean I'm not smart enough to do anything "better" with my life. Don't assume that just because I'm waiting tables it means I can't do anything else. Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot just because I'm taking your order. I wait tables because it's great money and I genuinely enjoy people. Most waitstaff have full time jobs, are in school, or are doing so to make ends meet. Trust me, I am not paid enough to take your shit. I'm only going to smile and ignore it for so long.
I recently had one of those nightmare tables that everyone dreads and makes you want to go and beat the living hell out of the frozen custard box and scream in the walkin. He complained loudly every chance he got, talked to me like I was a 3 yr old and at one point called loudly across the restaurant "Could we get the bill at some point" (which was sitting right in front of him and had been for half an hour). The more I "killed him with kindness" the more outrageously rude he became.
The table next to them had a wonderful time and even joked with me about the ass next to them. The nice couple stopped at their table and asked what the problem was on their way out. The ass loudly explained everything that had gone wrong. The gentleman looked at him, looked at me and said very politely..."That's strange, we had the same server and couldn't have had a more enjoyable evening. Maybe the problem wasn't your server; maybe the problem here was you." I swear I could have kissed him!
rant over...sorry, I worked a double Mother's Day, and I'm still recovering.
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