No tip

[Gumbo4x4]

If it was me, I would've left a 20 percent tip on the credit card and complained to the manager. That way the manager and server know you're not complaining just because you didn't want to skip on the tip. The manager deserves to know that you received very bad service and to have a chance to rectify the situation, IMHO.

Will you go to the restaurant again?

I certainly wouldn't go for lunch again. DW says she won't go back, period. So, more than likely I won't either.

I was actually more than a little put off that the manager never bothered to check on us, and I assume the waitress didn't say anything. We had a minor issue recently elsewhere, said something to the waitress and the manager was there instantly wanting to make it right. If people sitting with no food a LONG time doesn't get your attention, you're not much of a manager.

 

[melizaarora]

I think i have done right.

 

[stargazer2892]

As a waitress I do understand taking money from the tip as part of the fact she never checked on you. But honestly there ARE fimes where it isnt our fault, I know it sounds like a cop-out but if its busy they do honestly lose tickets. If 4 servers ring in a ticket at once(it does happen) when it's super busy one occasionally does get lost. However it sounds like the server forgot to ring in a ticket and it happens, it sucks, but it really does happen. It's not a sign of a bad server we have a thousand things going on sometimes and it's not milouse it just happens and I'm sure once the server remembered she was staring at the kitchen willing the food to cook faster (really it sucks and for some reason standing in the window staring at the cooks feels like your making the food cook faster even though its not helping what so ever besides getting the kitchen angry at you) its embarrassing. Crap happens and as much as sucks I always feel that I have to give the server the benefit of the doubt and unless food is actually delivered to me wrong or my drinks aren't refilled its not always their fault.

 

[Disneychick75]

Even if it was due to the kitchen, the waitress should have been more attentive. I would have done what Gumbo did. We tip based on service. Only a couple of times did we not tip. Other times we've tipped from the basic 20 up to 50 and even 100%.

 

[scrapquitler]

I certainly wouldn't go for lunch again. DW says she won't go back, period. So, more than likely I won't either.

I was actually more than a little put off that the manager never bothered to check on us, and I assume the waitress didn't say anything. We had a minor issue recently elsewhere, said something to the waitress and the manager was there instantly wanting to make it right. If people sitting with no food a LONG time doesn't get your attention, you're not much of a manager.

If I have a problem, I don't sit and wait for the manager to come around checking on people. I get up and walk around the restaurant and find the manager (usually standing near the kitchen or asking the bartender is the quickest way to do so). The manager always knows that if the customer is walking around looking for him, they are NOT a happy customer.

I do this because I have been in situations where I have not seen the manager and I felt that complaining to the waitress wouldn't bring it to the managers attentions. I would NOT assume that a bad waitress would rat herself out to the manager. and send him over to my table.

 

[NaLisa]

The places I worked were local restaurants with very busy lunches, about 40 tables plus 15 seats at the bar and heavy to-go ordering. The manager was taking names for the wait list, helping run food, bussing tables and lots of other things to keep things running smoothly. The manager did not go to every table individually to check in; in my experience, that's usually reserved for chain places. Still, the manager on duty was quite visible and would respond quickly if someone reported that they had been waiting 30 minutes for their food.

 

[mmackeymouse]

Because I was a restaurant manager and server for years, and the server would have to be flat-out rude (not just inattentive) for me to not leave a tip. Once a server, always a server, and I have a soft spot in my heart for people making just $2.13 an hour. And as a former manager, I know that the people who usually complained did so only because they hoped we'd comp the meal. Unfortunately, people who have legitimate complaints often don't say anything.

Ain't that the truth? Squeaky wheel gets the grease. I know, because my family and myself are the ones that grin and bear it, and say nothing. I mean unless the food is so completely wrong, to the point I can't eat it would I actually say anything. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the squeakers. And, I am certainly not saying that people should keep their mouth shut. But, I do know what it's like to be on that side of the coin.

This may be right or wrong, I don't know. And, I hate to turn this into a social experiment. But, I have always adjusted my tip, even if the waitstaff claims that it was a kitchen issue. Or even if it is so busy I think it may have been a kitchen issue. Or if they are understaffed and seat too many people and waitstaff is scarce. For me, I think back to sports and school and those situations where...if one person is punished, everyone is punished. X has to make a free throw or the whole team runs stairs kind of things. It instilled in me this philosophy of....not wanting to let your team down, not wanting to let other people down. And being that much more motivated to get it right. It also instilled a philosophy in all of us of accountability. You as someone maybe punished for someone else's "missed free throw" so to speak are more apt to gently guide them or at least get in their face about it. "Hey, Jill, my legs are killing me. It's really a struggle to have to be running every practice. We need you to practice your shooting more or get more focused." That way, the team is encouraging each other, conveying to each other what they need to do to be more successful.

I guess in my own naive mind, I think...if a waiter or waitress gets a poor tip, and it's something that isn't their fault...maybe they will get on the kitchen staff. And maybe the kitchen staff will work harder and concentrate more at making sure things are right. If the manager knows people are losing tips due to long waits, maybe he/she will work on the schedule. Maybe the hostess will do a better job of knowing where to seat people.

Now, like someone else said...if the waitress is attentive, if she offers to comp part or all of a poor meal, if she is at least getting drink refills taken care of, if she apologizes, if she updates us on whatever wait we may be experiencing...I would appreciate that enough to leave a decent tip. If she disappears, or seems put off, rude, annoyed, and doesn't bother to pay attention to us....and then uses, "The kitchen screwed up, we're so busy, we're short-staffed..." as an excuse...I am less likely to be generous.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

The places I worked were local restaurants with very busy lunches, about 40 tables plus 15 seats at the bar and heavy to-go ordering. The manager was taking names for the wait list, helping run food, bussing tables and lots of other things to keep things running smoothly. The manager did not go to every table individually to check in; in my experience, that's usually reserved for chain places. Still, the manager on duty was quite visible and would respond quickly if someone reported that they had been waiting 30 minutes for their food.

This place was abou that size, but only half full, and I didn't notice anyone coming in for takeout, which I found kind of odd. I wouldn't expect the manager to come to each table necessarily, but I felt with a crowd that size and us with no food for such a long time, someone would have noticed. I never did spot anyone who was clearly in charge either.

 

[NaLisa]

This place was abou that size, but only half full, and I didn't notice anyone coming in for takeout, which I found kind of odd. I wouldn't expect the manager to come to each table necessarily, but I felt with a crowd that size and us with no food for such a long time, someone would have noticed. I never did spot anyone who was clearly in charge either.

I assumed that the restaurant was packed, since the food took so long, the server was inattentive and the the kitchen was too busy to cut a slice of brisket. Crazy that they were only half full and it took nearly an hour for a couple of sandwiches.

Again, I'm not trying to say that you did anything wrong, only that I would've done something different based on my experience working in the restaurant industry.

Still, I would give the restaurant a call to let them know you received such bad service. I honestly don't think the management or owners look at their servers' credit card tips and realize that bad or no tips mean that the service was bad. And if you paid in cash, they'd have no idea what you tipped.

If I was the manager, I'd want to know and try to correct the problem.

 

[focusondisney]

Well, I can't remember the last time I did this, but we left no tip at lunch. DW had the day off and came to meet me. We sat down in the restaurant about 11:40, ordered fairly quickly, didn't get our food until 12:35. Personally, I think that's a long time to wait for 2 sandwiches, 1 of which was the special. In the interim, we saw numerous people come in after us, eat, and leave before we ever got our food. The explanation from the waitress was that DW's brisket was the holdup. Kitchen was busy and as they didn't have brisket sliced, they kept kicking our order to the bottom of the list until they caught up. Waitress came by to check on us once. When the food arrived, I told her to bring 2 boxes and the check. I wolfed down enough to get through the afternoon, boxed the rest up, left $25 on a $24.92 bill.

Usually, I feel bad enough for the wait staff that I still tip well even when the kitchen screws up. But, that combined with her not checking on us nor checking with the kitchen after the holdup was too much. Food was pretty decent, what I had of it. But, I could not bring myself to tip. First time in forever.

See, that reason right there would have me asking for a manager. No way should the kitchen staff decide an order was too much trouble to prepare in a timely manner. If it's on the menu, I expect it made as promptly as possible. The waitress ignoring me in the interim would have added to my complaint. Both the waitress & manager would have known I wasn't happy. A good waitress should be keeping her customer & manager up to date with a kitchen problem like that.

 

[worm761]

Because I was a restaurant manager and server for years, and the server would have to be flat-out rude (not just inattentive) for me to not leave a tip. Once a server, always a server, and I have a soft spot in my heart for people making just $2.13 an hour. And as a former manager, I know that the people who usually complained did so only because they hoped we'd comp the meal. Unfortunately, people who have legitimate complaints often don't say anything.

As a matter of principle (one that I could afford at only $5), I would have paid the bill, tipped and THEN complained, so the manager would know I didn't want anything other than to bring a problem to his/her attention.

And just wanted to point out, I did not say that the OP SHOULD have tipped, only that I would have.

I highly doubt that the majority of people complaining are looking to get out of tipping or to have their meal comped. If I am unhappy then you should know it and know why. You can't fix problems if your customers are not letting you know that you have them. And if you are treating them all like they are just looking for something for free, then I doubt they bothered coming back. I know I wouldn't.

I complained on the way out of an Olive Garden. Some of us girls from work went to lunch together. Our waiter chose to ignore us for the most part. We chose to either leave little or no tip. We also chose to speak to the manager about the lousy service. I also didn't go back for several years and then only because it was my sons birthday. This waitress was great. We left her a fantastic tip. I also stopped and told the manager that that particular waitress would be the reason I would return after having had such a bad experience before.

 

[MIGrandma]

If the problem was with the Kitchen, sorry I am not buying it, I personally think the waitress more than likely screwed up and was using the kitchen as a easy excuse. Waitstaff know their tips are based on service no matter whose fault it is and I have seen on many occasions when the server goes to the kitchen to find out what the problem is.

I agree.

I was a server for several years and I honestly don't remember it ever being the fault of the kitchen in the way the OP described what was told to them by their server. The only times I remember where the kitchen "messed up" was when they either put something on the order that wasn't written down, or left something off that was supposed to be included. Like making a cheeseburger when only a hamburger was ordered. I would have to have them make it over, after I pointed out the mistake, so then it took extra time to do that. I would always go to the customer and explain what happened. And if someone's food seemed to be taking longer than normal I would go find out what the problem was and let the customer know. And I know there was a time or two that I simply forgot to turn the ticket in myself. It was a crazy busy shift, we were short staffed, or for whatever reason I forgot. I was horrified when I realized my mistake and I would go to the table and admit my error. You can be sure they got stellar service the rest of the evening. And I found that by being as honest as I possibly could be with customers, they were then willing to cut you a little slack and still always left a nice tip.

Servers are human, and they do make mistakes. But they need to take ownership of it and admit their fault to their customers, and not try to blame it on anyone else.

 

[LSmith]

I agree.

I was a server for several years and I honestly don't remember it ever being the fault of the kitchen in the way the OP described what was told to them by their server. The only times I remember where the kitchen "messed up" was when they either put something on the order that wasn't written down, or left something off that was supposed to be included. Like making a cheeseburger when only a hamburger was ordered. I would have to have them make it over, after I pointed out the mistake, so then it took extra time to do that. I would always go to the customer and explain what happened. And if someone's food seemed to be taking longer than normal I would go find out what the problem was and let the customer know. And I know there was a time or two that I simply forgot to turn the ticket in myself. It was a crazy busy shift, we were short staffed, or for whatever reason I forgot. I was horrified when I realized my mistake and I would go to the table and admit my error. You can be sure they got stellar service the rest of the evening. And I found that by being as honest as I possibly could be with customers, they were then willing to cut you a little slack and still always left a nice tip.

Servers are human, and they do make mistakes. But they need to take ownership of it and admit their fault to their customers, and not try to blame it on anyone else.

Good for you and I agree wholeheartedly.

 

[LSmith]

I assumed that the restaurant was packed, since the food took so long, the server was inattentive and the the kitchen was too busy to cut a slice of brisket. Crazy that they were only half full and it took nearly an hour for a couple of sandwiches.

Again, I'm not trying to say that you did anything wrong, only that I would've done something different based on my experience working in the restaurant industry.

Still, I would give the restaurant a call to let them know you received such bad service. I honestly don't think the management or owners look at their servers' credit card tips and realize that bad or no tips mean that the service was bad. And if you paid in cash, they'd have no idea what you tipped.

If I was the manager, I'd want to know and try to correct the problem.

Actually, it appears that if you were the manager or owner, you would think someone was trying to get a free meal if they complained. Personally, I think as a manager or owner, you should bend over backwards to make your customers happy even if the .0001% of the complaining customers were trying to get a free meal.

 

[karen4546]

My daughter is a full time student and part time server, so I know a bit about how wait staff get paid. If the service is bad sure tip accordingly- but if the server explains the wait is not her fault then why take her/his income? Kitchen staff get paid hourly but wait staff get $3.15 an hr. plus tips. So unless the wait staff is not the issue then leave a tip. I was never so conscience of the gratuities I until after my daughter took this position. I tipped before 15 - 20 percent but now I tip 20 - 25 percent depending on service.

 

[DeniseinNS]

My daughter is a full time student and part time server, so I know a bit about how wait staff get paid. If the service is bad sure tip accordingly- but if the server explains the wait is not her fault then why take her/his income? Kitchen staff get paid hourly but wait staff get $3.15 an hr. plus tips. So unless the wait staff is not the issue then leave a tip. I was never so conscience of the gratuities I until after my daughter took this position. I tipped before 15 - 20 percent but now I tip 20 - 25 percent depending on service.

Wage depends on the location. I am a server and I make $10.35 hourly as well as tips. No way in hell would I waitress for $3.15!

 

[jrmasm]

Wage depends on the location. I am a server and I make $10.35 hourly as well as tips. No way in hell would I waitress for $3.15!

I waitressed for $2.35/hr back in the 80's during college. I can assure you I made WAY more than my friends with minimum wage jobs. WAY more! Most of the time, it was a great job.

 

[NaLisa]

I highly doubt that the majority of people complaining are looking to get out of tipping or to have their meal comped. If I am unhappy then you should know it and know why. You can't fix problems if your customers are not letting you know that you have them. And if you are treating them all like they are just looking for something for free, then I doubt they bothered coming back. I know I wouldn't.

You can highly doubt it, but my comment is based on 15 years in the restaurant business with a very regular customer base at both restaurants. Probably 90 percent of the complaints I received were unreasonable at best, dishonest at worst. Someone eating half a huge burger or more before complaining that it was overcooked and requesting another burger. The couple who only came on cheap steak night, split a steak and requested extra lemons, extra crackers, extra butter, extra-everything-that's-free, then still complained that the steak wasn't tender enough, the bread was cold, the service was lacking and tipped $1 no matter what the cost of the meal. Lots more like that, kept coming back over and over but complained every time and tipped terribly.

But I would still kill them with kindness, comp the food that wasn't eaten, offer free desserts, apologize and thank them for their business. Not for their sake, but for the sake of all the decent customers sitting around them, those people who might've occasionally had good reason to complain but never did because they didn't want to be in the same company as lousy cheapskate scammers who walked into a restaurant knowing they were going to try to get something for free and shaft the server afterwards.

So I never treated people as if they were looking for something for free, even when it was blatantly obvious they were.

The truth is, most people with a legitimate complaint rarely speak up, as is the case with the OP. I would always look for signs that someone wasn't happy with the meal or the service. If I was clearing the table at the end of the meal and the food was only half eaten, I'd ask if something was wrong with the meal and I'd comp it. If a beverage was empty, I would apologize and give a free drink. If I was manager on duty and I noticed people looking around for their server, I would go to the table and ask what they needed. I took pride in my work as a server, bartender and manager and wanted customers to have a good experience.

But you're right about one thing--If I am unhappy then you should know it and know why. You can't fix problems if your customers are not letting you know that you have them. As I said, I would've complained in the OP's situation, and I think most people should complain in similar situations but at a point when management has a chance to make things right, if possible.

HOWEVER, OP said the food was fine, he ate some and took the rest with him. So as someone who's been on the other side of things, I personally would have paid and still tipped and then complained to the manager afterwards.

 

[Disneychick75]

You can highly doubt it, but my comment is based on 15 years in the restaurant business with a very regular customer base at both restaurants. Probably 90 percent of the complaints I received were unreasonable at best, dishonest at worst. Someone eating half a huge burger or more before complaining that it was overcooked and requesting another burger. The couple who only came on cheap steak night, split a steak and requested extra lemons, extra crackers, extra butter, extra-everything-that's-free, then still complained that the steak wasn't tender enough, the bread was cold, the service was lacking and tipped $1 no matter what the cost of the meal. Lots more like that, kept coming back over and over but complained every time and tipped terribly.

But I would still kill them with kindness, comp the food that wasn't eaten, offer free desserts, apologize and thank them for their business. Not for their sake, but for the sake of all the decent customers sitting around them, those people who might've occasionally had good reason to complain but never did because they didn't want to be in the same company as lousy cheapskate scammers who walked into a restaurant knowing they were going to try to get something for free and shaft the server afterwards.

So I never treated people as if they were looking for something for free, even when it was blatantly obvious they were.

The truth is, most people with a legitimate complaint rarely speak up, as is the case with the OP. I would always look for signs that someone wasn't happy with the meal or the service. If I was clearing the table at the end of the meal and the food was only half eaten, I'd ask if something was wrong with the meal and I'd comp it. If a beverage was empty, I would apologize and give a free drink. If I was manager on duty and I noticed people looking around for their server, I would go to the table and ask what they needed. I took pride in my work as a server, bartender and manager and wanted customers to have a good experience.

But you're right about one thing--If I am unhappy then you should know it and know why. You can't fix problems if your customers are not letting you know that you have them. As I said, I would've complained in the OP's situation, and I think most people should complain in similar situations but at a point when management has a chance to make things right, if possible.

HOWEVER, OP said the food was fine, he ate some and took the rest with him. So as someone who's been on the other side of things, I personally would have paid and still tipped and then complained to the manager afterwards.

I keep going back to the fact that the waitress did not go back and apologize until late in the meal. An attentive waitress, from what I've read, would have been given a tip.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

Let me pose a question, then.

Who would you blame for the following error/situation?


A group of us were in a chain restaurant. There were 10 of us, we ordered appetizers for the table, and each of us ordered an entree.

Several of us ordered the surf and turf.this was a steak and lobster tail combo. The tail, when served, was cut into two pieces.

When the entrees were served, only 9 entrees were brought to the table. The missing entree was a surf and turf combo. When the manager was notified, the entree was replaced. However, it was clear that the two pieces of lobster tail came from two different lobsters. One piece of lobster was fine, but the other piece was inedible.

Another steak, ordered medium rare, was so well done as to be almost burnt., and had to be replaced.

FYI the manager comped the two meals and we tipped on the price of 10 meals.


So what went wrong and who was at fault?