Restaurant Pet Peeves

[FearM9]

A server that doesn't refill your drink.

Busboys that don't bus the tables in a timely manner.

Small glasses with way too much ice in there.

[amerifolklegend]

Demanding customers that think that all restaurants will bend over and take one up the ass by giving away everything under the sun if they just complain a little tiny bit - like they get away with at corporate chain restaurants.

[Aimer, Northend Diva]

you want some pet peeves...check out my rants about my night job....it's a two-way street. Those are mine on the employee side. www.livejournal.com/users/aimercat


On the patron side...I hate being overquoted on a wait time (example: being told the wait is an hour, so you go for a walk, come back 30 minutes later and they're pissed that they've been paging you for 10 minutes)

[bungadiri]

good meal followed by pisswater coffee

[Aimer, Northend Diva]

When the servers bring all the food at once or try to rush you by bringing things quickly (like salad 5 seconds after you get your appetizer) so they can turn their tables faster. I know servers hate people who "camp" at their tables, but if I "camp" and have a long lunch/dinner, I usually add a few bucks more to the tip to make up for the fact they couldn't turn my table for a bit.

[dearprudence]

Cougar Jim & I went to a Red Lobster before a movie on Saturday night. We were told that we had an hour and a half wait!!!!

We thought about catching the show, then coming back, but we ended up at a different restaurant. I don't care which restaurant it is, if they don't take reservations, there should not be that much of a wait!!


I guess I don't have to mention that finding inscets, hair, or other body parts in my food will turn me off forever. blech.

[Barbara]

Nothing makes me crazier than having to wait longer than a few minutes to get my check.

[melbrown]

Originally posted by FearM9
A server that doesn't refill your drink.


This alone will cost the server a large portion of their tip if it happens to me. I don't mind if it is empty for a little while, but if they walk past me more than once and don't come back with more drink, they'll be lucky to get anything.

[Chicago1871]

When the waiters come by and use that little crumb-scraping thing to scrape away all the crumbs without asking if you want them.

[Bonnie Lass]

For real restaurants:


Not planning ahead for the time it takes to eat the appaetizer ... Then the salad .... Before bringing out the main course. Cramming them all together I guess.

Getting the orders completely wrong.

Not remembering/bringing out requested condiments ESPECIALLY when it means you won't eat your food until you get it (dressing, cream, sugar etc.)

When you're busy, I can see this. I will even sympathize with you and will do my best not to be quite so picky. BUT I do expect that if you can't get our drinks on the first or second run by of our table that you at least fess up and say something to us to let us know you've not forgotten about us.

When my food is cold because you've been running your mouth to someone you know for the past 15 minutes.

When you've been horrible all night long, you've not apologized for forgetting our drinks or dessert, and then you have the damn nerve to make us wait 15 minutes for our ticket. Not only will you get no tip at all, I will have a word with your manager and make sure the Lifestyles/Living editor does a nasty little piece on your place of business.

==

Greasy spoon (Waffle House) peeves:

Please do not refill my coffee while it's still half full. It takes me a good 5 minutes to create the perfect equilibrium of cream-sugar-coffee.

Please do not burn my hashbrowns.

Please make sure my sweet tea is not sour.

I think that's about it.

[Bonnie Lass]

On a good note though:

I went to this little diner place in Chapel Hill this past Tuesday. Our waitress was absolutely horrid -- forgetting simple things like mustard and butter -- not refilling our drinks and being invisible the entire night.

Well, while she was horrible, another waiter seemed to be picking up her slack. He was right there if he saw us looking around for her and he was energetic and very pleasant.

What really sold me on him (and this place) was when I stepped outside for a smoke. My zippo was out of fluid, and they had already locked the doors for the night. My friends were just getting up to pay the check when he saw me locked outside, trying to smoke, with a useless zippo. He walked to the door, let me back in, and then found me a lighter someone had in the back and then told me to have a seat at the little diner bar and I could smoke there.

That's the kind of thing that I love. He made my entire perception of this place change in about 2 minutes.

[bungadiri]

Originally posted by Chicago1871
When the waiters come by and use that little crumb-scraping thing to scrape away all the crumbs without asking if you want them.
especially when I'm the only one at the table that needs it

[nicodemus]

Servers that think tips are their birthright no matter how crappy their service is or how rude they are.

[ross from st paul]

CELL F***ING PHONES!!!!

[RichardL]

Ignorant people at other tables who talk loudly about subjects they clearly don't know about. They never seem to appreciate it when you correct them either. :)

[angus_hooligan]

Originally posted by FearM9
A server that doesn't refill your drink.


Or the server walks away after bringing your drinks and taking your order and is not seen for another 45 minutes of which he returns with your order very very cold. Leaving a nickel for a tip at this point is probably a little too much but I did not have a penny.

[Cannonfodder]

Originally posted by melbrown
This alone will cost the server a large portion of their tip if it happens to me. I don't mind if it is empty for a little while, but if they walk past me more than once and don't come back with more drink, they'll be lucky to get anything.

I swear to god that melbrown is my dad..........and my dad drinks about 4-6 glasses or water/coffee/tea/etc., while at dinner.

[cachundo]

Noisy & obnoxious patrons.

[FearM9]

Originally posted by Cannonfodder
I swear to god that melbrown is my dad..........and my dad drinks about 4-6 glasses or water/coffee/tea/etc., while at dinner. melbrown is a chick.
:D

[nicodemus]

Originally posted by FearM9
melbrown is a chick.
:D that makes things really interesting then :p