And if you've spent money lately or needed to return something or wanted to add something to the food order your server decided was closed, then you know what he means.
My wife tells me I'm impatient - and I am, but when there are six employees at the counter, a line of potential customers and only one serving their needs ... Well, that's reason to complain.
Perhaps or level of tolerance depends on our level of financial involvement. You know, we complain about poor cell phone service but will wait 20 minutes for a pre-cooked patty of something while the counter crew talks about their plans for the evening.
Our most recent episode came at the Bob Evans Restaurant on Hamilton Road near the Port Columbus (Ohio) Airport.
It started while the mousey little hostess was bogged down with trying to make change and we were waiting - and waiting - to be seated. When someone finally emerged from behind the counter, she asked the hostess where to seat us?
"Whatever's clean, I guess," she squeaked with an annoying little laugh.
As we crossed the dining room, she asked a server if booth such-and-such was okay. "I guess," was the curt reply as we walked past Mousey's room full of dirty tables.
After placing the order, my wife noted that the manager had just given the wait staff 10 minutes to get the tables cleaned. And other than customer movement, it had to have been the fastest that staff had moved since clocking out on their previous shift!
In the meantime, our food came. "Want anything else?", our server asked. "not right now." we responded, expecting to be asked about dessert as the meal progressed.
Wrong.
Never saw her again.
At the register, The hostess asked if everything was okay? "No," my wife responded. "the server never came back to see if wanted dessert."
"Oh, sorry," was the reply. "Did you want to order any?"Jeez! Why mention it otherwise?
In the meantime, I wanted the manager. "I told her," my wife said, referring to mousey. I told her that was fine, but she wouldn't say anything to the manager. Mousey grinned.
"Anything else?" she asked as she added my wife's dessert order.
"Yes," I said, I want to speak with the manager.
She called him, describing me as "some customer" and when he arrived, he listened intently, asked the identity of the server and apologized, adding that he would take care of it.
We waited several more minutes for the $3.99 slice of pie we almost had to beg for with Mousey getting in one more no-brainer question ... "Wanna bag?"
In the meantime, I did two of the three things I had control over - I complained and the server got the tip she deserved.
Number three? I won't go back.
Extreme? Perhaps, but I work too hard for my money to be stressed over crappy service when I choose to spend it!
I am hoping "the tip she deserved" meant ....zero tip!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing worse than poor, or no, service....is rude service.