Something that bugs me.....

[Spence]

Something I've noticed getting worse and worse - We went out to eat tonight. Not a high end place, but a table service restaurant. I ordered an appetizer (The had fried green tomatoes) and we ordered drinks. I had iced tea with lemon. The waitress brought back drinks, my tea had no lemon. No big deal, I asked her to bring it after she put our order in and we ordered. I had an entree, two side veggies, and a salad. About fifteen minutes later she brought the our salads. No lemon. I asked again and without acknowledging me asking once already said "oh Ok, I'll bring it right over. Two minutes after our salads we served, we got our dinners. My wife got mine, I got hers, and the kids got what each had ordered. She also said "and I didn't forget your lemon and gave me a small dish with a slice of lemon on it. My tea at this point was gone, but she got me another and I had my lemon. My wife and I switched plates and we all have our dinners and they are right. She said "is every thing right" and I said that it was but we hadn't gotten our appetizer. She said let me see why it didn't come. And she wen't over to the kitchen (with earshot) and said "I need a rush order of fried green tomatoes". So we got our appetizer ten minutes after our dinner was served. From there everything went OK. We ate and she brought our check. I paid and gave her a 20% tip. I always give 20% unless the service is exceptional.

I have noticed this is becoming normal when we go out to eat. This girl didn't apologize for messing up and she wasn't busy. She had us and one other couple in her section. I don't mind tipping for service and I also don't tip based on food quality, only service. I don't like to short the wait staff because the kitchen wasn't up to the task. I don't like tipping for really bad service - and I know it is my option whether or not and how much to tip - My question is what do you guys do for bad service. I realize there isn't a lot of money made in this level of restaurant and I don't expect these people to be as good as a more high end restaurant, but I do think they should get things right. Especially when they aren't rushed at all. Anyway, when the service isn't good what do you guys do and do you notice that service at restaurants is getting worse and that no matter what a tip is expected?

[Eric]

Hmmm, I'm not sure. My guess is that a lot of times you get newbie waiters/waitresses and they don't know how to handle the load of pressure of being in a service industry. I know I was like that when I started (as a bag room employee of a golf club and I hate golf ).

I probably would tip less, but I would still tip. It depends on how egregiously bad the service is.

[Dossenator]

You were generous to leave 20% with that service. I would have left nothing more than 10%....if even that. My grandpa was hard core. If the service was bad he would leave a shiny penny on the table. If the service was good he was very generous. I only leave 20% if the service is excellent....my normal tip is 15%.

My worse experience was at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios, in CA. Waiter came over took our drink order, after waiting 20 minutes for our drinks and no waiter in site I approached the manager who was standing at the door, he said he would find the waiter and get our drinks, 15 minutes later the waiter showed up with our drinks (at this point we should have left), then we ordered our food, about 40 minutes later there was no sign of our waiter, so I stopped another another employee and asked about our food, she said she would check on it, 10 minutes later she came back and said our order had not been put in, I said we don't want it just get our check for the drinks, she left and never came back, we waited about 20 minutes (I did not see the manager), then our original waiter came out with our food, of course there were things wrong, we told him we did not want it and to just bring our checks for the drinks (we were not going to wait for them to get the order correct), he was furious that we would not want the food (some sob story that he would have to pay for the food), I asked to speak to the manager, the manager came to our table about 20 minutes later, we did not touch the food on the table during this time, I told him what had happened and I said I was not paying for the food, he apologized and had new food made (the right food), he gave us the meal for free, after the food was brought to our table we had to ask another waiter to refill our drinks, there was no check since the waiter said we did not have to pay for the food....I did not leave a tip....and I have never gone back to the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios.

[Spence]

I thought about the "shiny penny" idea at the time, because if you leave nothing they won't no that it was something they did or you are just cheap. I don't know, it isn't the amount that bothers me and I don't mind paying for service. I just have noticed a trend of restaurant servers not working for their money. I don't know why. I know my wife said when she was in college she had a wait job and no matter how hard she worked the tips rarely matched the service (I don't know if she was a good server or not - she says yes and I have learned not to question her)

I have noticed a trend in restaurant workers, my service is consistently bad here. I did not experience this on a recent trip to Boston. Have you guys noticed worse service then normal where you live?

[Derek]

I'm gonna be politically incorrect and probably a little cold when I say....That's why she's working at a restaurant.

But you're right....Customer Service is gone. Everyone is too busy worrying about what someone said about them on Facebook.

[Spence]

I'm gonna be politically incorrect and probably a little cold when I say....That's why she's working at a restaurant.

But you're right....Customer Service is gone. Everyone is too busy worrying about what someone said about them on Facebook.

I dated a girl, some years ago even, that made $1100 a week as a waitress. If you are good and move up the ladder into a good restaurant, you can make money. She put herself through college working as a waitress. No the waitresses at the place I was in weren't going to make that much, but that is no excuse to be bad at your job.

If you take a job, whatever the job, you should give it your best effort. You decided that you were willing to sell your time to that employer for work. The money being paid wasn't a secret. You should do your job to the best of your ability until you can find a better situation. If you get a good recommendation from them when moving on to another job it would be worth it. Besides I think people who screw around for eight bucks an hour would screw around for thirty bucks an hour. I don't think it is a matter of how much you are getting paid.

[Dossenator]

You know my sister-in-law worked as a waitress all through college. She worked at 3 different locations and the way they did tips were terrible. Every tip received went into one community jar. At the end of the day the tip money was counted and divided equally amongst everyone....the wait staff, the greeters, the dish washers, cooks....everyone. So, she would get frustrated because she would work her butt off and get big tips and other girls/guys would not work hard and get very little tip money going into the jar. But at the end of the day everyone got the same amount no matter what kind of a job they did. It's that whole socialistic idea. No reason to work hard if someone else was going to work hard for you.

I think another reason is most of these kids are just plain lazy and probably never made to work growing up (not all but some).

My wife and I do frequent a Mexican restaurant in Anaheim, CA and they have great service....always. The kind of service that you are never asking for anything and your glass is always full (sometimes you do not even notice them filling it). We are always very generous with our tips....they earn it though. I would like to add that none of them are kids....mostly adults I would say in their 40's.

[Spence]

It is just sad that lots of kids don't put any importance on a job.

[Derek]

Yeah...the tip sharing is really scary. I can't believe people put up with it.

And just to clarify, I was not slamming working in a restaurant. Mainly ambition, or lack of it, that keeps people there.

[WoVeU]

Man, I feel bad if Derek apologized ahead of time.

OK Spence, you have to realize that people who do what you do, leave 20% even for that kind of service create the problem. Many people do this...so you get what you pay for alright...you pay well for bad service as others now it is everywhere. Yeah, they grew up lazy, as they are rewarded for it (not being punished is a reward too, but there are more versions as well...I'm guilty of some of this too) so when thye can get 20% for screwing off, talking, making phone calls and such or get 30, 45, even 40% for doing a good job...meaning working many, many times harder...they take the easy money and run.

And I am sick and tired of everyone having their hand out. Every business is taking advantage of this...we go to the Chinese Buffett quite often and they conveniently put dollar value for tip percentages of 10, 15, and 20%. And all they bring is a drink...now why is there not a soda machine where you can serve your self. So they can get you to guilt a tip over and they can pay less on the hour. I readily note the girl who is getting my soda is prepping silverware and napkins and cleaning up. And get this, I'd rather someone who is cleaning up not get my drink but it is like this most places. And who do you think is cleaning the bathrooms. Many places it is the wait staff.

We are talking about rather simple work and we have people making more money doing this and lying on their taxes than skilled people who work in our plant, notably more in some cases (2-fold error there), and I am tired of the whole dang thing.

[Spence]

I don't tip at all if I don't get table service. If we go for pizza, I don't tip or I tip a couple dollars. I don't tip if someone hands me food over a counter. I do tip for table service, generally 20%, but I have generally been very disappointed over the service I have gotten the last couple years. I am almost to the point where I am going to stick a quarter in the middle of my plate and walk out. I don't get this kind of service at the high end places, but even there the level of service has gone down. I just think that everyone should take pride in their job, even if they don't like their job. I believe you should tip waitresses well if you get good service, but I also believe that you should never expect it.

[WoVeU]

Service has suffered everywhere. It is a sad thing, I have even commented on at restaurants, when I feel like I won something when they get my drink right. One general rule I have made, if they serve draft beer and wine you can generally get pretty good service. I do think the way many prices have ran lately if you go to buffets, diners, o rsimple places...you'll find that going to Olive Garden, Outback, Longhorn Steakhouse, or Red Lobster level places is a much better experience for just a few dollars more and sometimes not enough to even note.

And it isn't just eating out, getting your car seviced, work on electrical, plumbing, even painting and things around the house...you get a whole bunch of half-alpha-fifty-five work...and many times, these people could only aspire to that level. You have guys braking things and wanting paid now! I often say, I just don't recognize the world anymore?????

Oh, I was at a Steakhouse in Greenville, NC a couple of months ago. And this waitress who had done alright came around near the end of the meal (I was with one colleague only) it was late, and she began chatting and soon startied talking about bad-tippers...her tip went from 20% to 10% and I left feeling bad that I even gave that. If not for he keeping the Blue Moon coming right on time and cold...she'd have gotten 5%. People have also lost style and cooth. (And that is coming from a guy who aspires to be "trailer park!"

[Spence]

My favorite server is one that, after I order, I don't notice them and I also have everything without asking. If that happens, I tip well.

[Dossenator]

My favorite server is one that, after I order, I don't notice them and I also have everything without asking. If that happens, I tip well.

Exactly...the Mexican place my wife and I frequent is always like that. I often ask my wife when did they fill my drink? They always seem to be one step ahead of me....and this place is always packed...very busy. They work hard and we tip them well.

[Derek]

Man, I feel bad if Derek apologized ahead of time.

I was not apologizing, I was "clarifying".