For the first time EVER I wanted to leave a bad tip.

[draggar]

Seriously.

We have this establishment we go to, my wife and I go 1-2 times a year and we always go when my parents are in town. The food is always great and so is the service. I'm sure if I said the name the locals would know where i was talking about.

Well, tonight was completely different. It is a Monday evening and it is not busy at all. I could count the other tables being used on one hand.

My wife and I got an appetizer and a lobster dinner.

The appetizer was good. That was about it.

The lobsters were over cooked so the meat was rubbery and the "soft" part of the shells (swimmeretts etc..) were black. No, this wasn't the reason for the bad tip. I know poorly prepared food isn't the wait staff's fault.

One pet peeve I have is I hate asking for refills. I understand if it is busy this might be overlooked but the number of times the waitress stopped by she didn't once offer a refill, I had to ask each time.

Our food did come out quickly but that was it. She checked several times and didn't once offer a refill - to me or anyone else on the table.

Then, while my wife and I were still eating (my parents were done) she brought over the bill and said she'd take it up any time. Um.. two of us are still eating and she didn't even ask us about desserts?? At this point we felt like we were being rushed out. (Remember - it was not busy)

Then, the bill and the card sat on the table for over 10 minutes. Two of us used the rest room and she was up front talking with the hostess.

She finally took the bill and card and it seemed another 10 minutes before she brought it back.

I half jokingly told my mother if she wanted me to just put a $5 bill on the table as her tip ($120 bill). I don't know what she left for a tip, though, she put it on her card.

She didn't seem distracted nor did she seem new, it just seemed that she wasn't a very good waitress.

[Jester]

Long time server, server trainer, bartender, and food service dude here.

Your waitress sucked. Not Sucked, just sucked. Personally, I think a 10% tip ($12) would have been thoroughly justified. $5 would be a bit harsh. Part of the problem was, frankly, you. If the food was not up to snuff, as it obviously wasn't, you really should have said something. If the establishment is as good as you say, they would have bent over backwards to fix it for you, and get you good food. I know, it sucks to send food back, and I hate to do it myself, but bad food is bad food, and I hate eating bad food more than I hate sending food back. Her flaw comes down to not paying attention to her customers, making socializing a higher priority than giving her patrons good service. I don't mind asking for refills per se--I just hate not getting them. Whether it's beer, wine, cocktails, or soda, I tend to go through liquids quickly at dinner (less so with wine), and I NEED a beverage with my meal. Lack of refills pisses me off more than most other things. But worse than you having to ask for refills is a server that just leaves your glass empty and you thirsty.

As I said, she was bad, but not sucktastic. She got you the refills you asked for, apparently, and was just subpar. As I said....10%. Perhaps a small comment to management, especially about the food--though as I said, you should have commented on it once you realized they had butchered the lobsters.

Just my 3.5 cents.

[Red_Dazes]

I agree with Jester. While asking for re-fills is super annoying, she just seemed really distracted to me... not so much sucky. 10-12% would have been acceptable... but it really comes down to your experience... cause we all know it is impossible to convey EXACTLY what went on in person over the interwebs. ^_^

[RestaurantDude]

I'll chime in here and say that you should have spoken to the manager of that particular restaurant. It seems your server was more intent on chatting w/ the hostess than actually doing her job. And she didn't even offer you dessert! She just brought the check out while you were still eating. Where i work, that'd get her fired.

That's just shit service, man.

[draggar]

Long time server, server trainer, bartender, and food service dude here.

Your waitress sucked. Not Sucked, just sucked. Personally, I think a 10% tip ($12) would have been thoroughly justified. $5 would be a bit harsh. Part of the problem was, frankly, you. If the food was not up to snuff, as it obviously wasn't, you really should have said something.

The $5 comment was half-serious but knowing my parents they still left her a good tip (they were paying).

True - we should have said something but it was late, we still had some grocery shopping to do and Zorro, who had been my wife's loyal service dog all day, was getting antsy. We just wanted to get out and go home.

Also, my parents are even more non-confrontational than I am (and it takes a lot for me to complain). I'm sure they would have hated for me to talk to the management and since they were paying, I left it up to them.

With a place that's been this good in the past, one bad visit won't deter us from going there again. I'm sure even the best establishments have their bad days, we just happened to be there.

Just as a note - we were there a little over a month ago and the meal and service were great, absolutely no complaints other than the fact that we were completely over-stuffed afterwords.

[Greenday]

From what I've noticed over my so many years of dining out, most places that charge for refills don't have their waitstaff ask if you want refills. Not sure if that is the case, but just what I've noticed over the years.

[Jester]

From what I've noticed over my so many years of dining out, most places that charge for refills don't have their waitstaff ask if you want refills.

And from what I've noticed over the years, free refills on sodas and such are pretty much the norm these days, and places that charge for each refill fall into one of two categories: they serve their sodas from cans or bottles, so it's a whole new product, or they're just fucking cheap. Just my opinion.

[LillFilly]

I really hate servers that never offer you refills and, like you said, bring the check while you're eating before having asked if you wanted dessert! It really does feel like they're pushing you.

[draggar]

And from what I've noticed over the years, free refills on sodas and such are pretty much the norm these days, and places that charge for each refill fall into one of two categories: they serve their sodas from cans or bottles, so it's a whole new product, or they're just fucking cheap. Just my opinion.

This place always gives free refills on the basics (soda, iced tea, etc..). Even places that use cans will usually ask (heck, it's an extra sale for them).

This was just one bad visit. I'm sure sometime in January or Feb we'll be back there.

[elsporko]

And from what I've noticed over the years, free refills on sodas and such are pretty much the norm these days, and places that charge for each refill fall into one of two categories: they serve their sodas from cans or bottles, so it's a whole new product, or they're just fucking cheap. Just my opinion.

I live near a resturaunt that not only charges for soda but serves then in these tiny cocktail glasses. Its one of the reasons I've never gone back there. I likes me my free pop.

[jjllbb]

The funny thing is i recently got PO'ed at a place because we were being asked TOO MUCH if we wanted refills. It sounds like a ridiculous problem but there were three different waitresses who were not communicating and they would come up to our table back to back asking us. And what angered me most was that I couldn't finish a sentence while i was having a conversation. One waitress kept coming up and repeatedly cut me off while i was talking to my friend to ask me for the third time in a 1 minute window if i wanted a frigging drink. I was about to lose it.

[smileyeagle1021]

She just brought the check out while you were still eating.

That's just shit service, man.

ditto'd.
if it was a really busy night and they needed the table that would be one thing to try to make sure there is no wasted time between eating and paying, but on a slow night there is no reason they can't just have the check ready and bring it out as soon as they notice you are finished and not make it feel like you are a nuisance to them (which really is the message I get when they bring the check before I'm finished, that they want me gone because I'm a nuisance and eating into their free time)..

[Teskeria]

Went to a restaurant with my daughter and her boyfriend. She brought our drinks and I laughingly told the waitress that the BF drank like he had been lost in the desert for 6 weeks without a drink (pretty true). She laughed sort of hesitantly. But instead of bringing 1 refill she brought 3!. We all laughed and when he was almost done with the 3rd, she brought 2 more. Besides being just the right level of attentiveness (and this was at about 2 am. We wanted breakfast before we headed home). She got a GOOD tip!

[rageaholic]

I actually like it when they bring the check early. If there is anything I hate in restaurants, it's waiting forever to pay and get out after I'm finished. Usually, I just ask if I want dessert (though I rarely get dessert in restaurants).

[Andara Bledin]

I actually like it when they bring the check early. If there is anything I hate in restaurants, it's waiting forever to pay and get out after I'm finished. Usually, I just ask if I want dessert (though I rarely get dessert in restaurants).

But they should never just bring the check up while you're still eating your main meal without at least coming by and asking if you will or won't be having dessert or anything else that would have to be added.

And if you really want the check before you've finished, then just request it. I've yet to see a place with remotely decent service that wasn't happy to do that for a person.

^-.-^