You didn't really say "pay effing attention" to your daughter... :eek: ;)

She is, shall we say, comfortable in the many "stylistic usages" of the the term "effing".

And she was asked back by the owner for the coming summer...they effing loved her:cool:

lol

One sure way to get me not to tip a waitress/waiter is to deliver the bill while there are dirty dishes in front of me....

A server should always be around but never seen, in and out like the wind. You feel it, but have no idea where it came from. Something is on your table before you expect it.

The waitstaff should be able to intelligently describe the food, especially the "specials", which means they have tasted each dish and can tell you something about each one...

The biggest server faux pas in my book are:
1) Not bringing me what I requested (extra butter, more coffee...) and
2) Disappearing. If I have to hunt for you for 5-10 minutes to fix my order or request something you've blown it since at that point even if it is fixed, the rest of my food is cold. I've embarrassed my server by getting up and asking someone to go get what I need I'm sure the boss hears about it.
Side Notes: I don't penalize a server if the order is wrong. That was the kitchen's fault. If the mistake is big enough, a good server will get the boss's OK to offer a free dessert or some other peace offering. If on the other hand they don't apologize and act as if they don't care then I remember when tip time comes.
Also, when the server doesn't come back with the bill I will stand up like we are about to leave and they come running. If they don't I go ask the manager for the bill.
If the service is good, I tip big. If the service is bad, I'm not afraid to do what it takes to make it better for my table.

I don't think I care enough anymore to fight the bad service we get everywhere in all aspects. Reading your post reminds me of when I would get up in a modest restaurant (not a nice dinner house with white tablecloths and waiters in tuxes) and walk over to the server station and help myself to water or coffee, whatever I needed. I bet I've walked to the cash register w/o a check a 1000 times. They tend to get it there fairly quickly. I then hand the tip to the cashier. Whatever happened after that I didn't worry about. It's their fight, not mine.

Seriously, we try to go out but we never can agree on where. And the reason is either one of us didn't like the last time, or both of us were disappointed in something and something big enough to not want to go back. There are over 2000 restaurants within a few mile radius of my house. I try them as I can by recommendation, etc. But few that I visit get a 2nd visit within a year. Some never again.

Simple........ big tits and low cut shirt.
Other than that who cares what else says, does, or even how good the food is.

Milt you have the luxury of just going someplace else. In my part of the world the choices are fewer. None-the-less, my wife and I have an expression "only once" and it can be telegraphed by looking at each other and quietly pointing the index finger up in the air (no not the middle finger, the index finger). I will grant you that my rebellious moments are usually in the mid-level places but lets face it, you are paying for the service and convenience as much as the food.
Honestly, in the fine china, tuxedoed wait-staff level I can honestly say that I don't usually see a problem.

There is definitely an art and science to it -- being there when I want them there, and not being there when I don't.

I travel quite a lot for work (at least prior to this year) and one thing I appreciate is when they are astute enough to pick up the pace for solo diners. When I am there to EAT and not relax and chit-chat with others, I want to order, eat, pay and leave without undue delay.

Bingo. And having worked in restaurants (granted it was years ago, but it's not like it's changed that much) and having a good personal friend who is a server by profession, I can say with absolute certainty that these "games" happen. Servers absolutely will go out of their way just to amuse themselves and their peers by doing these sorts of things. The "ask how they're doing right as they shovel food in their mouths" thing irritates me to no end because I know it's deliberate and I know that somewhere off behind me there's another server snickering to themselves because their co-worker "got another one".

That one breaks out the tip hatchet. I've literally left no tip a few times because of that one - and a note on the "restaurant copy" of the receipt/charges list (which I suspect the manager/auditor sees because it gets turned in with their bank by the server) saying why.

The other one that gets me is being made to feel (as a customer) like I'm imposing on staff's social time by interrupting their oh-so-necessary conversations with co-workers about how drunk they got last night or who likes so-and-so or how much their life sucks. You're there to do a job - pretend like you care for 30 seconds and that I - the customer - am the most important thing in your world right now - for 30 seconds. I'm paying you a $5 or $10 tip for about 30 seconds worth of work - maybe 5 minutes aggregate over the course of an entire meal. That comes to about $60 an hour. So act like you give a damn and you appreciate it even if you don't, will ya?

"Attitude" is a big turn-off too. I literally walked out of a restaurant halfway through the meal once because I got sick of our "server's" 'tude.

And for male servers - be friendly and normal but don't try to be smarmy or a suck-up. I don't like pretentious pseudo-flirting on the part of female wait staff. From a guy it's just ridiculous. Just do the job, do it well, take care of me/my party and I'll tip you. And I tend to tip pretty well knowing how much the job/shifts can suck and how little the base pay is. That is if you don't f*ck it up by being an idiot.

See the chest thread...

We get a lot of Swedish girls here on a working holiday for a year, and they often work as waiting staff. They are so nice, lovely manners, and gennerally REALLY good looking.

We also have a lot of girls who are first year at uni and do this as an evening job. We don't always tip as waiting staff are well paid by the hour here in New Zealand. But I always tip some young person who is working nights to make their uni thing happen.

I hate having a gay guy waiter who has this crazy aloof thing that they seem to like doing. Good god man you are just a ferkin' waiter.

One thing I always notice when I go the California is that every time the server has to tell me that "this isn't what I do, I'm a ...". Interesting....but I really don't care unless I ask "so, have you always wanted to wait tables?"

Servers there feel like they have to explain why they are waiting tables and not starring in a sitcom or soap opera! I have not seen that in other parts of the country.

A good waiter is one that seems attentive to my needs.

At one place we sat for 10 minutes and the waiter never showed up. I went into the kitchen and saw several people standing around. I walked up to the oldest person there and asked what their function was at this establishment. He said he was the manager. I said great I have a job for you to manage. I need someone to manage to wait on my table.

I am a good tipper if the service is decent. If the service is poor the tip will be a penny.

A friend wsa at a resturant and the staff were too busy to come to his table inspite of his numerous "excuse me..." "excuse me..." So he rang them on his mobile and asked if they served wine. They answered with "we certainly do sir." He said "great, another two glasses to table three please."

A co-worker is full of these stories, as he waited tables while living in LA trying to be an actor. He talks about spitting in drinks and such, and every time is because of the patron's "attitude," apparently demonstrated by their crazy expectation that he do his job well. :rolleyes:

I hate going out to eat...


KT

What Makes a Great Waitress?

boobage.