Eating in a Restaurant - from a Waitress
_Crazy_Mary_
Posts: 1,299
This is just a quick rant that I have to get off my chest and maybe it'll enlighten those of you who do this:
When you go out to eat and you're not satisfied with your meal, speak up when the waiter asks you how your meal is! You're paying for this dish and it better be exactly how you like it!
On Friday night, I talked this young mother into ordering the flatiron. Then when I asked her how her steak was, she just looked at me, did a little shrug and nod and said, "it's ok." I could tell from her body language that it wasn't "ok." This response pisses me off like nothing else! Tell me if you have a problem with your fucking meal! This is your chance to fix it, that's why I'm asking!
So, I pushed and finally got it out of her that it was underdone, but she didn't want to send it back, she said she'd just eat around the rare parts and take the rest home. Whatever. She still tipped me 20% and I am there to make money, so it all worked out.
When you go out to eat and you're not satisfied with your meal, speak up when the waiter asks you how your meal is! You're paying for this dish and it better be exactly how you like it!
On Friday night, I talked this young mother into ordering the flatiron. Then when I asked her how her steak was, she just looked at me, did a little shrug and nod and said, "it's ok." I could tell from her body language that it wasn't "ok." This response pisses me off like nothing else! Tell me if you have a problem with your fucking meal! This is your chance to fix it, that's why I'm asking!
So, I pushed and finally got it out of her that it was underdone, but she didn't want to send it back, she said she'd just eat around the rare parts and take the rest home. Whatever. She still tipped me 20% and I am there to make money, so it all worked out.
I really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
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_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:This is just a quick rant that I have to get off my chest and maybe it'll enlighten those of you who do this:
When you go out to eat and you're not satisfied with your meal, speak up when the waiter asks you how your meal is! You're paying for this dish and it better be exactly how you like it!
On Friday night, I talked this young mother into ordering the flatiron. Then when I asked her how her steak was, she just looked at me, did a little shrug and nod and said, "it's ok." I could tell from her body language that it wasn't "ok." This response pisses me off like nothing else! Tell me if you have a problem with your fucking meal! This is your chance to fix it, that's why I'm asking!
So, I pushed and finally got it out of her that it was underdone, but she didn't want to send it back, she said she'd just eat around the rare parts and take the rest home. Whatever. She still tipped me 20% and I am there to make money, so it all worked out.
Maybe it is because in a lot of places people think if you send something back, the cook is going to do something bad to your food.0 -
my favorite is when you check on them, they say it's fine, eat half or most of it, and then as you're clearing the plates, they say "ya know, this steak was fatty/undercooked/overcooked, etc".
my response, with a smile is usually "oh, you should have told me when i asked! i would have been glad to fix it for you!"
"Oh, well i didn't want to wait"
ok, well you still should have told me so i could send a manager over, who would have gladly taken it off the bill. at this point, with 2 oz of steak left on your plate, it's gonna be a bitch to convince my boss that you shouldn't have to pay for it! DUH!
ah, nice rant. thank you, Mary."Find myself singing the same songs every day....
ones that make me feel good when things behind the smile ain't ok...." -Hoon0 -
Kel Varnsen wrote:
Maybe it is because in a lot of places people think if you send something back, the cook is going to do something bad to your food.
that doesn't really happen in real life, not in my 15+ years experience in restaurants. Maybe at McD's or something. Or maybe if you're really nasty. But a simple "Would you have this steak cooked up for me please?" will NOT result in that."Find myself singing the same songs every day....
ones that make me feel good when things behind the smile ain't ok...." -Hoon0 -
Yeah, I've been working in restaurants for 17 years and have never witnessed a chef do something bad because food was sent back.I really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.0
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I first off applaud you for being a waitress, haha. people act like they have a sense of entitlement, and i can only imagine it's so much worse with food.Happiness is only real when shared0
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_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:Yeah, I've been working in restaurants for 17 years and have never witnessed a chef do something bad because food was sent back.
ha, I'm a waitress too, and this pisses me off also. i've never seen a chef take out their anger on someone's food if something was sent back. and i've worked from denny's to fine dining. people, don't be afraid to speak up!! we servers WANT you to enjoy your meal!
end rant.0 -
If it is okay, i rather just deal with it and not make a fuss about it. It is just easier that way. Instead of everyone else in my party having to wait for me to get my food again etc.
Plus if it is something minor about the way it was cooked everyoen has a bad day myself included so I'm not going to bust someone's balls for something minor.
If it is bad though as in not just a little over cooked or a little off then I'll say something.Charlotte 00 | Charlotte 03 | Asheville 04 | Atlanta 12 | Greenville 16 | Columbia 16 |Seattle 18 | Nashville 22 | Ohana Festival 24 x2 | Atlanta 25 x20 -
I do understand not wanting to wait for your meal while everyone already has theirs, but probably when the waiter asks you how your meal is you don't just nod and shrug and say a wimpy "it's ok..." That's the part that really pisses me off!
And on the other end like Joint in a Tree said, don't tell me it's ok, eat 80% of your meal and then at the end of your visit tell me it was terrible!I really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.0 -
I pretty much refuse to send anything back, though. I think there's a high probability someone in the kitchen or wait staff will do something to it. Maybe she feels the same way.The only people we should try to get even with...
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.0 -
know1 wrote:I pretty much refuse to send anything back, though. I think there's a high probability someone in the kitchen or wait staff will do something to it. Maybe she feels the same way.
You're one of the most mild-mannered people on here. You're not an asshole. Why would you think somebody would do something to your food? Are you eating in sleazy places???I really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.0 -
This is why we never send our meal back. Or complain or anything. Just nod and smile.Coogee Bay Hotel in Sydney 'served human faeces in ice cream'
]SYDNEY eastern suburbs drinking hole the Coogee Bay Hotel is at the centre of a scandal involving the serving of human faecal matter in a bowl of ice cream, The Sunday Telegraph reports.
Queens Park builder Steve Whyte has conducted an independent laboratory test on a dessert spoon-sized amount of brown substance that was served in a bowl of ice cream to his wife and three children at the Coogee Bay's brasserie during a grand-final lunch on Sunday, October 5.
The family alleges hotel staff served them a large bowl of ice cream covering what looked like "compacted chocolate".
The laboratory report by the Federal Government's National Measurement Institute confirms that the matter served to the Whyte family - and partly consumed by Mr Whyte's wife, Jessica - "has an offensive odour and physical properties similar to human excreta ... and to contain fragments of a variety of plant matter typical of excreta".
NEWS.com.au, 2 Nov 2008 Hotel owner Chris Cheung and general manager Tony Williams have offered the Whytes $5000 without admitting liability, but the family has rejected the offer.
Mrs Whyte said the whole episode would have a lasting effect on her. She said she now struggled when wiping her youngest son's bottom and was anxious about eating out.
"The minute I put the spoon to my lips, the stench went through my nostrils. I retched and spat it into the napkin," she said.
"My friend thought I was over-reacting, but when she smelt it, she started screaming: 'Oh my god, they've served us s---."'
The family told the staff what had happened and immediately went to the Waverley police station, where they were advised it was a Health Department matter.
The Whytes took their boys Tom, eight, Thomas, seven, and Ben, three, to the hotel with another family after it was advertised as a family-friendly venue to watch the NRL grand final.
Mr Whyte has now employed law firm Slater&Gordon in a legal action against the management of the hotel who, he says, have demonstrated "arrogance and a complete lack of contrition" and, worse, accused the family of only being after money.
The Whytes say they are outraged that someone would serve human waste to children.
They allege the incident was deliberate and followed a trivial altercation with the hotel's management when Mr Whyte complained about not being able to properly watch the grand final as advertised - because the television screen was in another room - and bought ice creams for his children from another business.
"I don't care about money, although it's obvious to anyone the damage to a business from this sort of thing would be a significant amount," Mr Whyte told The Sunday Telegraph, which has inspected the remains and can confirm it to be consistent with human faecal matter.
The penalty for knowingly breaching NSW food laws include prosecutions with fines of up to $110,000 for individuals or imprisonment for two years or both, and $550,000 for corporations.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Williams accused the Whytes of making suspicious allegations.
"We are aware of the allegation that has been made, and are treating it as extremely suspicious," he said.
"The couple making the suspicious allegation have made a demand for up to $1 million from The Coogee Bay Hotel, which we believe borders on extortion."
The Whytes deny they are trying to extort money from the hotel.
"I just don't think they should be allowed to get away with it by trying to give us money," Mr Whyte said.
In a letter from the hotel to the Whytes, Mr Williams acknowledges that they "have made a serious complaint about being served with a gelato dessert contaminated with faecal matter".
Mr Williams also raises the possibility of "industrial sabotage" - with the hotel itself as much of a victim.
Mr Williams has met with the family several times, and on one occasion inspected the sample of waste for confirmation.
The Coogee Bay Hotel has long been marred in controversy for alcohol-related violence.
It has recently spent a large amount of money trying to change its image, including getting rid of the notorious Bra Boys and encouraging a more family-oriented atmosphere.
A spokeswoman for Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the family should contact the NSW Food Authority without delay so Mr McDonald could launch an investigation.
"This is an absolute disgrace. Food safety is our priority. Consumers deserve to get what they pay for, and that includes clean, safe food," she said.Sydney 11/02/2003
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that is disgusting. the hotel should be fined, employees fired, and the hotel should be subject to an IN DEPTH board of health inspection.
BUT, it doesn't say they complained or sent food back. it could have just been a prank from some dumb kid employee.
i once worked at a supermarket where a kid on a dare peed in the pickle jug in the deli department. it wasn't targeted at anyone, just a dumb kid thing.
At that same job, some kids used to do whip hits in the back before whipped cream was stocked. then it would hit the shelves and be sold. (Always check the seal on your whipped cream!)
hey, we were 15 yrs old and making minimum wage!
but again, I've never seen anything like that in a restaurant.Post edited by joint in a tree on"Find myself singing the same songs every day....
ones that make me feel good when things behind the smile ain't ok...." -Hoon0 -
pjfan31 wrote:
The Whytes took their boys Tom, eight, Thomas, seven, and Ben, three, to the hotel ....
Really? Tom and Thomas? One year apart and you couldn't come up with another name?"Find myself singing the same songs every day....
ones that make me feel good when things behind the smile ain't ok...." -Hoon0 -
hmmmm..... I've done exactly what you describe...I was just trying not to be a pain in the ass... I seldom complain about anything (I know, I'm on the wrong board). So even though the food might not be perfect, I'm still not unhappy eating it... I real like your attitude in having your customer enjoy their dinner. Unfortunately, I do not believe that all waitstaffs share your sentiment. I also believe there is a fine line between politefully sending something back and been a pain in the ass... And I think if everyone sent their food back, this post would be "why can't people quit bitching and eat their food"...I don't know, I'm babbling_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:This is just a quick rant that I have to get off my chest and maybe it'll enlighten those of you who do this:
When you go out to eat and you're not satisfied with your meal, speak up when the waiter asks you how your meal is! You're paying for this dish and it better be exactly how you like it!
On Friday night, I talked this young mother into ordering the flatiron. Then when I asked her how her steak was, she just looked at me, did a little shrug and nod and said, "it's ok." I could tell from her body language that it wasn't "ok." This response pisses me off like nothing else! Tell me if you have a problem with your fucking meal! This is your chance to fix it, that's why I'm asking!
So, I pushed and finally got it out of her that it was underdone, but she didn't want to send it back, she said she'd just eat around the rare parts and take the rest home. Whatever. She still tipped me 20% and I am there to make money, so it all worked out.0 -
Sometimes I don't feel like saying anything. Sometimes making a complaint is more stressful than not doing it.R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 20080 -
-Post edited by DinghyDog on0
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i've been told about 1894 times on this forum that if i dont tip then the chef will spit into my food next time and all that shit..
that's one reason i wouldnt complain.
the other is that some waitresses/waiters usually have the facial expression of a warthog licking piss off a cactus... so i feel like i'm inconveniencing them... which is why i dont tip them.
:Poh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.0 -
DinghyDog wrote:
no offence, but if they bitched about their undercooked steak, would you have come on here complaining about the whining bitch you had to serve today?
There's a big difference between bitching & just being honest when I ask you how your meal is. And yes, if she had been a whining bitch I probably would've complained about her! hahahaI really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.0 -
dunkman wrote:i've been told about 1894 times on this forum that if i dont tip then the chef will spit into my food next time and all that shit..
that's one reason i wouldnt complain.
the other is that some waitresses/waiters usually have the facial expression of a warthog licking piss off a cactus... so i feel like i'm inconveniencing them... which is why i dont tip them.
:P
it's customary for you not to tip. We know that. I waited on some foreigners on Sunday night and I knew as soon as they spoke that I'd be lucky to get 10%. I must've really wooed them because they gave me $10 on $90. woo-hoo!I really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.0 -
as a diner, i am not picky. if i ask for medium and it comes back otherwise, i really don't care. as long as everything is edible, i have no complaints.
one thing i notice though, sometimes servers come to the table to ask how things are WAY to early. so maybe the waiters/waitresses in this thread that are saying "speak up about your food" might be jumping the gun on asking how things are?
honestly, i am amazed that the servers in this thread have never seen anything happen to anyones food after it was sent back. i guess i watch too many of those "shocking video" shows and even though it may not happen at the places you work at, it does still happen and that is what sticks in the back of everyones mind when they think about complaining.0
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