Ever been rushed out of a restaurant?

[wishesuponastar]

While you are dining did you ever have a waiter rush you? I never experienced that. What does the waiter actually do to rush you?

 

[disney4us2002]

Not that it always works per se, but we've had waiters/waitresses want to take our complete order upon seating us (apps, drinks, main course, & dessert). We've also had the bill brought out with the main course and waitstaff that kind of hangs around our table as if waiting for us to pay.

 

[Kirby]

We've had that happen several times. As the PP said, the waiter/waitress asks for your full order right after you've set down before you've had a chance to peruse the menu. They bring the check with the meal then walk by numerous times to collect the payment. Then they walk by numerous times after the check has been paid, pointedly looking at our table but not refilling our drinks. Sometimes the manager walks by several times and looks at us too.

Depending upon the amount of business they are receiving, we ignore them if business is slow. As long as we have food on the table, we can take as long a time as we want.

I feel that an hour is a good amount of time to spend at a restaurant from arrival to departure and no waiter/waitress/manager is going to move me along any faster unless I want to do so.

Sometimes when I go to lunch with friends, we may sit for two hours but we always pick a restaurant that we know will have plenty of tables open so that our taking up one for that amount of time will be no problem.

 

[cmwade77]

Not that it always works per se, but we've had waiters/waitresses want to take our complete order upon seating us (apps, drinks, main course, & dessert). We've also had the bill brought out with the main course and waitstaff that kind of hangs around our table as if waiting for us to pay.

When this happens, I tend to eat very, very slowly and we sit and talk quite a bit more than normal.

The server's tip also gets adjusted for their attitude (I will usually write on the bill why the tip was lower than normal). I have returned to a couple of restaurants that this has happened at and amazingly enough, the service is way better.

By the way, what the PP has said almost always happens at Blue Bayou @ Disneyland now according to everyone we have heard from that goes there. We stopped going a while back when service was so bad, I actually asked the manager for a 60% discount (yes, it was THAT bad), of course at higher priced places like that, I have higher expectations for the level of service. But I probably would have asked for a discount anywhere based on that level of service.

Also, if a server walks by without refilling my drink that needs it, that is almost an automatic no tip for me (I mean obviously, if the waiter walks by the table, notices my drink needs refilling, but is going to take someone's order, then refill my drink, that's one thing, but as described above, I will not accept) and if it happens more than once, then I will ask for the manager and in one case I have had to ask for the general manager.

 

[dngnb8]

While you are dining did you ever have a waiter rush you? I never experienced that. What does the waiter actually do to rush you?

We were once asked to hurry (large party of people we were) cause they needed our sitting for another.

After he left, I suggested we take our time. Im not going to hurry so they can get another big tab.

I also talked to the manager when we finally left. I expressed my discontent with our server and felt that the forced gratuity (18%) wasnt deserved. I made the request that none of the gratuity go to the server and that it be split among the bus staff and cooks only. He assured me that would be the case and gave me a card for a free meal in the future.

I never went back

 

[punkin]

The only time I was ever "rushed" at a restaurant was when our huge high school reunion group (18 people) sat and talked until it was 5 minutes before closing. The manager politely told us that they were waiting for us to leave so they could close. We felt guilty. I think we had been there for 3.5 hours or so ordering food and drinks (mostly drinks) the whole time. They were really nice about it and we left a good tip.

 

[Bob NC]

When this happens, I tend to eat very, very slowly and we sit and talk quite a bit more than normal.

The server's tip also gets adjusted for their attitude (I will usually write on the bill why the tip was lower than normal). I have returned to a couple of restaurants that this has happened at and amazingly enough, the service is way better.

By the way, what the PP has said almost always happens at Blue Bayou @ Disneyland now according to everyone we have heard from that goes there. We stopped going a while back when service was so bad, I actually asked the manager for a 60% discount (yes, it was THAT bad), of course at higher priced places like that, I have higher expectations for the level of service. But I probably would have asked for a discount anywhere based on that level of service.

Also, if a server walks by without refilling my drink that needs it, that is almost an automatic no tip for me (I mean obviously, if the waiter walks by the table, notices my drink needs refilling, but is going to take someone's order, then refill my drink, that's one thing, but as described above, I will not accept) and if it happens more than once, then I will ask for the manager and in one case I have had to ask for the general manager.

I bet the waiters are just fighting over your business.

 

[kim929]

We had a waiter come every 2 minutes asking if we were ready to order. At first my dh wasn't even at the table when he first started to come and I had to tell him I was waiting for dh before ordering. (he was parking the car). then the minute he saw dh he was right there.
He came back a few times to see if we wanted him to box our food, while we were still eating it.
then kept coming over to see if the check was ready to be paid.

I knew the district manager and told him about our experience, he knew exactly who we were talking about.

 

[CowboyCO]

While you are dining did you ever have a waiter rush you? I never experienced that. What does the waiter actually do to rush you?

Well, the last time we went to Ohana (and I do mean LAST), we were seated, and they took our drink order. Before we even got glasses of water, they dropped EVERYTHING at the table - appetizers, side dishes and immediately started bringing skewers. I made them take the side dishes away until we were done with the appetizers. The waitress came back and tried to rush us again and I very calmly told her that we had made reservations 6 months ago, and that for the price I expected to not be rushed through the meal.

I could tell she was stressed trying to get the tables turned, but it was ridiculous. Even with that, they brought the dessert before we were done eating, before the dirty dishes were cleared. Ohana used to be a great restaurant to visit when at Disney -- not any more!

 

[wishesuponastar]

Wow! I would not like to have my food thrown at me all at once! I would speak up to the manager as some of you have done.

 

[moon]

For us it was a waiter hanging around really close, and then removing dishes literally before we were finished eating.

It was a really unpleasant experience and we never went back

 

[tink_n_pooh]

We were once told that we needed to close out our check before we were finished eating because the waitresses shift was over and she needed to go home to let her dog out We have not been back there since

 

[Carl]

If you want to experience the opposite, go to Norway. They will not come to your table with the bill until you actually motion to them to do so. This happened to me in Bergen.

 

[Micca]

We were rushed once. The server came by and said "you need to leave immediately, we're being robbed." We didn't need to be told twice and got the heck out of there.

 

[Eeyore98]

The main tactic they use around here to rush you is to deliver your main course at the same time as your app or salad. Sooo irritating! And of course, if you make them take it back, it just sits under a heat lamp until you're ready for it...not so good for a medium-rare steak!

Then, they deliver the check not 5 minutes later without even asking about dessert, and pop back every few minutes or so to see if we're done eating yet.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

Several times. Usually when there is a long wait at the restaurant and the server is more interested in quantity of parties seated rather than quality of service.

Both of us worked in the industry and it irks us to no end.

Usually, it happens when they press you to make your appetizer and entree selections together and then they bring your food out at once (including appetizers or salads), leave the check before they go and the first question they ask you is if they can get you a box for your leftovers.

Some try to get away with no drink refills.

We aren't the most leisurely eaters. Quite frankly, unless we are by ourselves, it is usually a straighforward let's eat and get out kind of meal for us. Although we haven't eaten out together in a long, long time due to Xander's food intolerances.

But it is annoying and I reflect that kind of service on their tipline. If it is really terrible, DH will speak to the manager.

 

[OceanAnnie]

We have been "forgotten" before and we also have been rushed.

I don't care for waiters/waitresses asking me if I'm done with something while I'm eating. If the fork is in motion and it's in front of my plate, I'm not done with it! Ugh.

One of my big pet peeves is when a server will refill my DH glass but not mine! I see my DH's glass being refilled and I assume they will refill my empty glass too. Before I can say a word, the server is off to other tables. I get steamed over that. Sometimes it is more than once, but at least the second time I'm ready. DH doesn't even have to ask for a refill! What is up with that?!

 

[pixiefairy]

Yep....just recently actually. I had taken my daughter out for a fun day with my mom and some friends the weekend of her birthday. My friend made a suggestion to eat at a Chinese/Hibachi type buffet restaurant. I'm usually a little wary, but the food was really good..they had a ton of stuff and we went back up a few times (there were 6 of us). Our waitress came back to our table...oh...about 6 times in 10 minutes, telling us thank you, and began WIPING the table down before we were up and moving. My daughter was opening a present from my friends and she hovered the whole time. It was a shame because the price was great, the food was good quality, but the feeling of being rushed out of there when there was no wait and open tables and it wasn't closing time will make me pause if it's suggested again.

Funny that a PP mentioned O'Hana. DH and I went there on a short adult trip and met two of our old friends there for a late dinner. Our waiter would disappear, then come back, take our order for something...was told my friend has a peanut allergy and then proceeded to bring peanut dipping sauce and put it by her without telling her to avoid it. They were slow to bring the skewers and never brought one of them. Then suddenly it was rush rush to get us out of there. I want to give them a try again, but I think I'll go earlier next time and hope for the best.

 

[cmwade77]

I bet the waiters are just fighting over your business.

Hey, when I get good service, I leave a good tip...but I do not forgive bad service. Please note that in all reality, it may sound like this happens a lot, but I can count on one hand the number of times I have had that bad of service, so really it is not as bad as it seems, my point was simply that I will adjust the tip based on the actual service I get.

I am not really that hard to please though, when you bring my food, it shouldn't have been sitting there for 10 minutes or longer (at Blue Bayou, we saw our food sitting on a tray near by for the entire time we were eating our salads and then for about 15 minutes after we finished them, so they were sitting there for probably about 25 minutes and never once got a refill the entire meal on our drinks until I asked a manager to refill it). I also ask that you refill my drink in a timely manner, now I know I drink faster than the average person, so I am perfectly ok when the server brings caraffe or something like that. Needless to say I was not a happy camper at Blue Bayou, especially at the prices that they charge.

Now on the other extreme, I have had service that went so above and beyond that I left a 50% tip.

Honestly, it really depends on the service.

 

[rentayenta]

I don't play passive aggressive with my server or anyone for that matter. If I feel I'm being rushed I ask them to hold the salad, entree, whatever and explain we are not in a hurry.