To suck, or not to suck????

[ditchdj]

We went to the local eatery yesterday that has really awesome hickory wood-chipped pork and burgers. We noticed that it taking longer than usual for the server to get to us to take our drink orders. So anyway I notice there was another table before us with a man, woman and two kids and I thought they were waiting a pretty long time for their food, different server doing that area. When I finally saw the server come to their table I heard some of the old man's rant at the server saying, "......don't want anything. We've been sitting here 20 minutes and you never even came!" and they all got up and walked out with the server standing there speechless. Normally I slip a couple dollars in a server's table if they get stiffed by an SC but I chose not to this time. I dont really get how a restaurant could be so busy that they can't even get a customer's drink order in a timely fashion, given that the place wasn't even packed.

[Bright_Star]

a 20 minute wait time isn't that long if the restaurant is busy & it depends on if it was a weekend. I live near a Cafe that is always super busy on the weekends & 20 minutes to wait isn't unusual. It's worth the wait cause the food is so good. NOBODY has ever complained about waiting & if they don't want to wait then they go someplace else less crowded.
Why sit there when you don't want to wait & then have the nerve to wait UNTIL the server comes over to tell them that you're gonna leave cause you don't want to wait? Just leave! Why make the server feel uncomfortable?

[Pedersen]

a 20 minute wait time isn't that long if the restaurant is busy & it depends on if it was a weekend. I live near a Cafe that is always super busy on the weekends & 20 minutes to wait isn't unusual. It's worth the wait cause the food is so good. NOBODY has ever complained about waiting & if they don't want to wait then they go someplace else less crowded.

Actually, there are various points where 20 minute wait is easily expected. Have you just arrived at a busy restaurant during dinner rush and are waiting to be seated? 20 minutes is pretty good. Have you placed your food order, skipped on any appetizers, and just going for a main course? Again, 20 minutes without your server wouldn't be unusual.

Have you just been seated by the host(ess), and started looking at the menu, and are waiting to place a drinks order? 20 minutes for this phase of the process is pretty heinous, and I could see myself walking out. And, judging from this comment in the OP, that's exactly what happened:

some of the old man's rant at the server saying, "......don't want anything. We've been sitting here 20 minutes and you never even came!"

Bit of a jerk about it, maybe, but (to me, at least) understandably so. At least, given this set of circumstances.

[draftermatt]

I gotta say, that old man is my hero.

He didn't scream, he didn't make a scene, he just waited calmly until someone noticed he was there, voiced his displeasure and left.

No skin off the waitstaffs nose, they get more people to sit down now, but maybe it makes the waitperson more attentive when it comes to how long people have been sitting there waiting to give a drink order.

Because 20 minutes without even a "I'm sorry I'm really swamped I'll be with you as soon as possible" or trying to send someone else to take the order is way too long.

[wagegoth]

One night my first husband and I stopped for dinner at a Persian restaurant in Berkeley. It wasn't that big, but the service was taking forever. Then we realized that only one waiter was having to cover the whole restaurant. So we chilled, took as long as we wanted over our food, and had a good time.

[Gawdzillers]

*title*

That's what she said.


ONTOPIC: 20 minutes seems long to me, but the guy didn't have to embarrass the server before leaving.