Restaurant pet peeves

[JennaDeeDooDah]

My pet peeve is pretty trivial, but I HATE it when wait staff pull out a chair and sit down at the table to take the order, rather than standing up as usual.

It always feels really forced and unnatural to me.

Okay story time. When I was on my first date with my husband, we went to a rather well known Italian restaurant. The waitress cracked us up. So clueless. We had various issues with her (forgetting our appetizer, taking our order to a different table), but what really cracked us up was when she asked us how long we had been dating. We told her it was our first date and she gets really excited, sits down next to me in the booth and goes, "So how is it going so far? Will there be a second date?" We still laugh about that to this day.

 

[DarthKTrava]

I have the all-time table-bused-too-quick story:

My parents took our kids out to TGIFriday's years ago, when they were around 12 and 8. They sit down, order their drinks. The waitress comes back with the drinks and then takes their food orders. Our habit was to go and wash everyone's hands after that, before the food arrives. When they get back to their table, EVERYTHING was gone. Now, wouldn't you think that a bus-person would see FULL glasses and no food plates, and think, "Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn't bus this table yet . . . " But no . . .

Another of my pet peeves is when a restaurant is out of something. Please, do not go through, in great detail, the items on the menu IF YOU ARE OUT OF IT! I hate ordering something and having the waitperson come back 10 minutes later and tell me they are out of it!

I had the busboy clear my table EVERY time I got up to get a new plate from a breakfast buffet bar. Then had to chase down the manager to complain about it. Got a free meal out of it.

I try not to sweep near people, preferring to leave an empty table between me and the customer.

I'd rather have the check early, AS LONG AS THEY ARE STILL SERVING ME UNTIL I LEAVE, as opposed to having to sit there, twiddling thumbs while I wait on them to bring it.

 

[bigredbill]

I hate seeing customers on their cell phones at the tables. I understand that sometimes there is a need to use the phone during dinner. Get up and go to the lobby. Very tacky.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

My pet peeve is pretty trivial, but I HATE it when wait staff pull out a chair and sit down at the table to take the order, rather than standing up as usual.

It always feels really forced and unnatural to me.

Does this happen often? I can't say I've ever experienced this, but if I did I'd be a little put off too

 

[ronandannette]

The response, "No problem", when I say thanks for something. I'm so ready for that phrase to go away.

Even though it cracks us up when the Chick-fil-a people say "My pleasure" over and over, I am so glad they train their employees to say that instead of "No problem". The son of one of my friends always tries to say things that make the employee have to say "Thank you" to him so that he can reply "My pleasure" to them .

Just gotta say that I thought this was an American thing; here at home the response to "thank you" is simply "you're welcome". I don't think I've ever heard it while traveling stateside.

 

[supercarrie]

Does this happen often? I can't say I've ever experienced this, but if I did I'd be a little put off too

Maybe it is a CA thing. It doesn't happen often, but enough for me to notice it isn't just a "weird server" thing.

 

[POOHsie]

I had the busboy clear my table EVERY time I got up to get a new plate from a breakfast buffet bar. Then had to chase down the manager to complain about it. Got a free meal out of it.

I try not to sweep near people, preferring to leave an empty table between me and the customer.

I'd rather have the check early, AS LONG AS THEY ARE STILL SERVING ME UNTIL I LEAVE, as opposed to having to sit there, twiddling thumbs while I wait on them to bring it.

I took my DD to a restaurant on Mother's Day. She was 10 at the time. I ordered a nice steak and DD just wanted the salad bar. Together we got DD a salad, then we sat down. I had just received my steak when DD wanted some more from the salad bar. She was too young to handle it herself, so I took her there. When I got back to the table, my entree was gone! I called the server over, and she said she thought I was done. (I had 1-2 bites of steak and hadn't touched anything else on the plate!) Then she tried to accuse me of trying to get two meals for the price of one. I almost lost my temper, but caught it. I asked for the manager, who got me a replacement plate. But I could hear the servers in the background talking about me, and looking at me, and discussing what I had just "gotten away with."

I finished, but it was a bummer Mother's Day meal. Of course, I never went there again.

 

[hellokitty86]

When the server/food runner hands me my food, instead of placing it on the table. I've had people staring at me, like they are wondering why I'm not taking the food. Sorry dude, but that plate is probably hot, and I don't want to burn my hands.

 

[smidgy]

HUGE for me, don't ask me if I want change with that!! OF COURSE I WANT MY CHANGE, THEN YOU'LL GET YOUR TIP, is what I want to say. Why do they say that?? I was a breakfast waitress many moons ago, and never ever asked that.
Servers out there, take our money, give us our change and leave it at that. If you were excellent, you'll get an excellent tip, don't worry about it.

I also hate the do you want change? One time the waitress got a resounding "YES" with the "duh" tone from both my DH and myself when he paid with a $50 for a $23 check, and the waitress opened the little "folder" and looked at the cash before she asked!!!

I also hate when they don't "break up" your change into smaller bills, like I'm gonna leave you a $20 tip on a $30 check??? My hairdresser does this all the time too!!!

I am a server, and understand the time it takes to go get the change, only to have it left in the folder anyway.

what I do, however, is take the folder and state" I'll be right back with your change."
(this is when they often say, "oh no, it's all yours" or say "ok" or nothing at all.)
see how changing the sentance from a question to a statement sounds so much nicer and less presumptious?

 

[goofyintoronto]

I am a server, and understand the time it takes to go get the change, only to have it left in the folder anyway.

what I do, however, is take the folder and state" I'll be right back with your change."
(this is when they often say, "oh no, it's all yours" or say "ok" or nothing at all.)
see how changing the sentance from a question to a statement sounds so much nicer and less presumptious?

this is exactly what i use to say when i was serving. sounds much better.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2 using DISBoards App

 

[MIGrandma]

I am a server, and understand the time it takes to go get the change, only to have it left in the folder anyway.

what I do, however, is take the folder and state" I'll be right back with your change."
(this is when they often say, "oh no, it's all yours" or say "ok" or nothing at all.)
see how changing the sentance from a question to a statement sounds so much nicer and less presumptious?

That's the way I always worded it too when I worked as a server.

As a customer I do hate it when the server asks, "do you need change?" A server shouldn't assume the change is theirs unless the customer says "it's all set" or something to that effect, or leaves the $$ on the table or hands it to them in person.

 

[Heidict]

I just Googled her...blooming hell, she needs to stop eating out if she gets so furious over everything.

I was always amazed that she somehow managed to find a guy that was not only willing to go out to restaurants with her, but marry her. Can you imagine being with her in public? I'm sure she doesn't keep her mouth shut while she is sitting at the table critiquing and trashing every waitress that has been unlucky enough to get her table.

I can't help but wonder how much body fluid she has eaten with her food. I normally don't advocate spitting in someone's burger, but with her I would make an exception.

 

[rgf207]

My biggest pet peeve is servers who don't write down your order and then mess it up.

 

[mjkacmom]

I took my DD to a restaurant on Mother's Day. She was 10 at the time. I ordered a nice steak and DD just wanted the salad bar. Together we got DD a salad, then we sat down. I had just received my steak when DD wanted some more from the salad bar. She was too young to handle it herself, so I took her there.

Okay, maybe it's because I have too many kids, but my family has been getting their own items from the buffet for years now! I'm sorry they took your steak, but I think a 10 year old can manage to put items on a plate (if not cook her own meal).

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I know of many buffets that do not allow children to get there own food. I was actually yelled by a server because I allow a couple of my children to go to the dessert section by themselves. The manager came over and told me that the rule was twelve and up. This was Golden Corral a couple of years ago.

 

[DeaverTex]

Does this happen often? I can't say I've ever experienced this, but if I did I'd be a little put off too

I've seen it at places that go out of their way to present an informal atmosphere, like Logan's Roadhouse. It's one of those chains that encourages you to throw your peanut shells on the floor. (Why not? They're sterile, and they do sweep 'em if they start to build up.)

 

[cluvsdisney]

My biggest pet peeve is servers who don't write down your order and then mess it up.

THIS! Or when they come back to ask what you ordered again? Write it down!

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Peanut shells are sterile?

 

[powellrj]

I got one of my tags from springs-1!

 

[mad madam mim78]

Peanut shells are sterile?

"Cause it's sterile! And I like he taste". -patches o'hoolihan on the subject of urine. "Dodgeball"
Hahahahahaha