Inspired by San Angel - Unfriendly Servers At WDW

[grinningghost]

This seems to be a recurring theme on this board. Rude, nasty servers in WDW.

I've experienced it myself. Most notably, at the Garden Grille. The guy was just downright rude. I had a similar experience at CRT Princess breakfast.

I worked in restaurants for years, and I know it's stressful and bad days are the norm, but I also know it's imperative, if you want to be a successful server, to put on your game face and leave your baggage in the kitchen, at the very least.

Care to share your rude server stories? If the thread takes off, I plan to forward it to Disney. It's high time they heard from us. There's no reason for surly servers to suck the magic out of WDW.

 

[Tink10]

We had one at Le Cellier a few years ago who was so bad that it caused us to just get up & walk out........I can't say he was outright rude, but totally nonexistent.

Picture This.....

Me, DD (who's favorite country in WS is Canada), Dear Mom (Our Guest who loves a good steak).....

We had eaten here before & raved about it and were looking forward to another great meal.

We were seated very quickly & a few minutes later, our server came over & introduced himself & took our drink order........We waited.

And waited......

And waited......

And waited......

And waited......

We finally started really "looking" around and saw that our server was just standing there talking to another server. We tried to wave him down and all we got was a nod & a wave

He never came back!!!

We got up & left.

 

[Michelle2]

We had one at Le Cellier a few years ago who was so bad that it caused us to just get up & walk out........I can't say he was outright rude, but totally nonexistent.

Picture This.....

Me, DD (who's favorite country in WS is Canada), Dear Mom (Our Guest who loves a good steak).....

We had eaten here before & raved about it and were looking forward to another great meal.

We were seated very quickly & a few minutes later, our server came over & introduced himself & took our drink order........We waited.

And waited......

And waited......

And waited......

And waited......

We finally started really "looking" around and saw that our server was just standing there talking to another server. We tried to wave him down and all we got was a nod & a wave

He never came back!!!

We got up & left.

Good for you! We would have done the exact same thing....at least you saw how it was going to be without all the waiting for the rest of your meal...appetizer, dinner, dessert and last but not least, waiting for the check!

 

[patsal]

Rude hostess at Garden Grill--refused to get a highchair for my niece said put her in a booster (she was only 15 months and not ready for a booster for an extended period and htat far form the table.

Rude hostess at CRT breakfast, angry that we didnt' sit down fast enough and that DH had to remove his daypack before siting so she could trow his napkin on his lap.

Barely visible non-fun waiter at WCC--no refills on anything--frustration overtook me and I paid (at the hostess desk) and left.

Overall though these incidences are three in a total of over 133 TS dining experiences. Really .2% not bad.

 

[grinningghost]

Funny, patsal, that you and I both had bad server experiences at Garden Grille and CRT.

For me, they could be summed up like this:

Both were male servers.

GG server was more of the non-existent type, heavy sighs when you asked for something. Then he would disappear for long periods.

CRT server was just plain nasty. I swear the guy had male PMS. He did everything in his power to rush us along. He made a smart remark the very minute we sat down. And they just kept coming.

Needless to say - when they plunk down the bill, you get kinda sick knowing you're paying alot of money for really rotten service.

 

[LodgeMan]

Our worst server ever was at San Angel Inn. That was the first and only time I've tipped someone a penny.

 

[patsal]

Funny, patsal, that you and I both had bad server experiences at Garden Grille and CRT.

For me, they could be summed up like this:

Both were male servers.

GG server was more of the non-existent type, heavy sighs when you asked for something. Then he would disappear for long periods.

CRT server was just plain nasty. I swear the guy had male PMS. He did everything in his power to rush us along. He made a smart remark the very minute we sat down. And they just kept coming.

Needless to say - when they plunk down the bill, you get kinda sick knowing you're paying alot of money for really rotten service.

Not the same servers but very similiar experiences. CRT was really the worse--especially after dropping so much money to be treated poorly. As for GG, well we used to consider that a must do, but will not bother anymore. Too many better places to go and not be treated poorly.

 

[GretchGraham]

We had one at Le Cellier a few years ago who was so bad that it caused us to just get up & walk out........I can't say he was outright rude, but totally nonexistent.

Picture This.....

Me, DD (who's favorite country in WS is Canada), Dear Mom (Our Guest who loves a good steak).....

We had eaten here before & raved about it and were looking forward to another great meal.

We were seated very quickly & a few minutes later, our server came over & introduced himself & took our drink order........We waited.

And waited......

And waited......

And waited......

And waited......

We finally started really "looking" around and saw that our server was just standing there talking to another server. We tried to wave him down and all we got was a nod & a wave

He never came back!!!

We got up & left.

Something like this happened to my sister and I one night while out with family at a non-Disney restaurant. My sister and I both waited tables while in college, so we are very tolerant of some server transgressions and not at all of others. My lovely sister got tired of waiting on the server to show back up, so she went up to the manager and asked if he would wait on our table as our waiter apparently wasn't going to.

I must say the manager made a fabulous waiter.

 

[grinningghost]

The thing that's upsetting is this - outstanding guest service is EXPECTED at WDW. Disney has always held itself to higher standards, so we, the buying public hold them to a higher standard as well.

If I get a rude server at my local Applebee's, well, it's not fun, but it doesn't totally surprise me either. But WDW is there to create a fantasy world for it's guests - happy, smiling, friendly CM's should be the norm, not the exception.

 

[snickerharley]

I wonder what would happen if a waiter gave you poor service at Disney and you deducted the 18% gratuity that was included and only paid for the other portion? Would this be concidered theft?

 

[grinningghost]

I wonder what would happen if a waiter gave you poor service at Disney and you deducted the 18% gratuity that was included and only paid for the other portion? Would this be concidered theft?

I wonder too.

In general, I tip a good server 20%. A great server, maybe a little more. So 18% isn't a crazy tip - IF you have decent service. It's insane if you have servers like some of the ones I read about on this board.

 

[patsal]

I believe that you can request that the 18% be removed by speaking with a manager and explaining the events in full. But who knows if they give it back after you've left.

 

[PortieOwner]

Let me put it this way, my last trip we were on the meal plan and I tipped extra at every place we ate except Le Cellier. Service was just great everywhere but there.

Portie

 

[Dizneydaz]

I'm glad to say we haven't had any really bad servers. Our server at CG for my mom's birthday last Sept. could have been better-he was just okay-just wasn't attentive, like he didn't care. We were on DDP so of course he got his 18%. For those of you with the horrible service-did you ask for a manager? Few of you said you did. No matter where I am, if I get bad service I'm going to let the manager know. I think I've only had to do this a few times in my life. Once I even sent an e-mail regarding bad service (non-disney) and got a personal phone call back and certificate for dinner for 2. Also, if my food is bad, I'm going to send it back (Please don't tell me what the servers do to it!)

If I had someone as rude as some of you are posting I would definitely speak to the manager (or team leader?) and at the least ask to switch to another server's station. If that didn't happen, I would leave. There is no excuse for rude service. Free dining or not.

 

[LandBoatRide]

There is no excuse for rude or completely unattentive service (not to be confused with "slow" service at a clearly busy restaurant). The best recourse, as others have said, is to ask for a manager, but only if you have good reason. Simply being slow is not necesarrily good reason, as the slow-down may be out of the hands of the server (kitchen slowing them up, host sat them too many tables at one time, etc). Also, servers do not get a scheduled break during the time that meals are served, often 5-6 hours at a time.

Having said that, we have all had pathetic, lazy servers at one time or another, and while Disney servers are genrally better, I cannot say all are. Some IMO provide inferior service if they know a guest is on the dining plan. After all, they get their gratuity either way. As such, they concentrate their efforts on tables where the tip is not guaranteed, or they simply goof off.

If you are truly worried about service on the dining plan, my best advice is 1)notify your server at the beginning that you are on the plan (they likely assume every guest is anyway). 2) indicate that you know gratuity is included and simply ask if you are allowed to leave extra? The server will likely reply with a timid "yes" with a smile on their face. This will likely ensure you good service without being blunt or awkward about it. Then simpy leave 2 or 3 bucks extra if the service is indeed satisfactory/excellent. It makes the server feel appreciated without breaking your bank, especially for those on the free dining plan. It tells the server "thanks for treating me well even though you knew you would get your gratuity anyway". Again, I believe we all deserve great guest service regardless, and indeed 18% is a fine gratuity for a server. I am not saying you should feel obligated to do the above, but this may work for you if you are overly concerned about your level of service or if you have had a bad experience before. Again, if you have a truly unacceptable server, ask for a manager.

While servers at WDW can make decent money, they do not make the total amount of tips/gratuity they recieve. Like any waiter/server, they may have many people to tip out a portion of their tips to (including bartenders, bussers, food runners, etc.)

 

[aubriee]

I can only think of three times we've received bad service.
1. CRT last Sept a waitress was very verbal about not liking the free dining plan and how horrible she thought it was that WDW was being ripped off. I really wanted CRT to be special for my D-I-L, but finally had enough and asked the waitress if WDW thought people were going to rip them off then why did they offer the free dining. She never missed a beat and said she didn't know, but it was a mistake and she was sure Disney wouldn't repeat it. Glad she was wrong!

2. Coral Reef last Dec had a waiter who got really huffy when we wouldn't order alcoholic beverages and then just disappeared refusing to get us drink refills even when we tried to flag him down. We finished our drinks with our appetizers and asked for refills as soon as he brought our entrees. We then tried several times to flag him down later. We asked again when we ordered dessert, but again couldn't get a refill.

3. San Angel Inn last Sept had a waiter that was just outright rude and again never got drink refills. I knew I didn't like the food there, but my D-I-L wanted to try it. I didn't want to waste a dining credit there, so asked for a seperate ticket and tried to order just the cheese fundido using my DDE card. The waiter refused saying that if my son and D-I-L were going to use the dining plan then I couldn't use my DDE card and that the cheese fundido was not included in the dining plan, so I couldn't have it. My D-I-L and I round up sharing a meal and that seemed to piss him off too.

Overall though we've had excellent service.

 

[sleepydog25]

The thing that's upsetting is this - outstanding guest service is EXPECTED at WDW. Disney has always held itself to higher standards, so we, the buying public hold them to a higher standard as well.

If I get a rude server at my local Applebee's, well, it's not fun, but it doesn't totally surprise me either. But WDW is there to create a fantasy world for it's guests - happy, smiling, friendly CM's should be the norm, not the exception.

I, too, have had a couple of instances of mediocre to poor service during many visits to WDW, but those are not the norm. Based on the comments so far in this thread, it appears that bad service is largely relegated to a few experiences out of many. You must be one unlucky person if good service is the exception for your visits.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Out of the hundreds of times I have eaten at WDW restaurants, we only had two bad waitstaffs. One at LeCellier and one at Wolfgang Pucks.

Mostly, we love the waitstaff and the service they provide at WDW!

 

[tribus121]

Tribus121's better half (wife) here. We are going in September because of the free dining plan. I hope that we get good service while there. My honey does have a short temper, when he is upset or tired and I don't want to go through that. This is the first time for my mom, dd, and myself to be at WDW. My honey has been there before.

Jeannette AKA Tribus121's wife.

 

[KellyluvsDisney]

Using the free dining plan last fall we were very lucky and never had bad service. Several times they went above and beyond to do something special for my girls. Hopefully we will continue to recieve good service.

But, if I did recieve bad service I would for sure tell the manager. If they are not aware that there is a problem with a server than it can never be taken care of.