Table Talk

By Nikki

September 29, 2008 2:56 PM | Link to this

After we sat waiting for over 25 minutes, I got up and took the menus back to the hostess. Then I proceeded to tell them they had LOUSY service and I’d be making a call to their district/corporate office. Haven’t been back since.

By kar

September 29, 2008 3:45 PM | Link to this

It depends. If it’s a casual place and genuinely busy, I’ll do things myself. I’ll get place settings, wipe the table, etc just to make a point.

I’ve even gone into kitchens and behind the counter for coffee, and offered to warm up other people’s cups.

Often if it’s a charge slip, I’ll write on there why I didn’t leave a good tip. Like ‘next time ask if we need refills, never brought the ketchup, etc.’

If it’s a nicer place I’ll be more diplomatic and ask for more rolls or drinks “while we wait and wait and wait.” Or we’ll ask. “Was it the vegetable fricassee that’s taking forever?”

I heard in NYC once a woman got fed up at a nice restaurant and ordered pizza to her table while they were waiting.

By Critic

September 30, 2008 1:30 PM | Link to this

I’ve left. I can think of 2 situations where my party had placed orders for food and drink, and then observed other patrons that had been seated afterwards receive drinks, bread, salads, etc before my party had been served anything, and we just got up and left, announcing to other waiting customers that we were leaving and that the service was very poor.

By Rodney

September 30, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this

If the server (or better yet, manager or chef) comes out frequently enough and apologizes and explains what’s going on, then I may wait a little while. Maybe 20-25 minutes.

But after 25 minutes or so I’m done. I always make sure to let the server know that we’re leaving and MOST times, if they have been attentive and helpful I’ll leave a small tip.

But were I just ignored for more than 10-15 minutes, I’m out. Period. No notice, no tip.

By Stacey

October 1, 2008 3:23 PM | Link to this

I can think of a couple of times that this happened. Several years ago my husband and I met some friends for dinner one Sunday afternoon (I think it was about 10-12 people in our party). Our server came over fairly quickly after we were seated and took our drink & appetizer orders. After about 15 minutes or so he brought over the tray of drinks, left it at the end of the table, and walked away without distributing them. We assumed that he had gone to get bread or our appetizers so we just passed them out ourselves and kept talking. Another 15 minutes passed and he still hadn’t returned with our appetizers nor had he taken our dinner orders. We tried to flag down another server only for her to say “Not my station” and keep walking without even looking at us. My husband walked up and asked the hostess to send the manager to our table and she did. The manager barely apologized and said all he could do is offer us free dessert….ON OUR NEXT VISIT! We paid for our drinks & left and we never returned. My friends and I told every all our coworkers since it was close to our job and they sometimes stopped there for dinner after work.

The other time was about a year or so ago at a little bar & grill type place near my house that I stopped at on a whim. They had a sign posted above the bar saying “Place takeout orders here” so that’s were I stood. The bartender looked at me a couple of times but never acknowledged me. I man that was having a drink at the bar handed me a paper menu and I looked at it & made my decision while still waiting to be acknowledged by the bartender. During that time two different groups came in, were greeted by name by the bartender, and she took their orders. After about 10 minutes I turned to walk away and only then did the bartender say “Hon, do you need to order?” I just said “No thanks. I just came in to admire the scenery”. And walked out. They may have the best food in town but I will never know because I don’t plan to ever return.