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I was out with my daughter running some errands after a playdate, and decided to stop at Applebee's for lunch. I just didn't feel like making anything. So, I asked for a seat by the window if they had one available- the hostess happily obliged.
Then the waitress came over. Now, I don't know who pissed in her wheaties, but she gave off bad vibes all over the place. I told her we were ready to order immediately- when dealing with a toddler or preschooler, it's really best if you get their order moving along. This was the absolute slowest waitress I've ever encountered, and she looked about mid-20's without any noticeable disabilities that I could discern. I gave her the benefit of the doubt- maybe she just had a crap load of SC's to deal with. So, I'm all smiling and joyful when ordering.
I ordered iced tea. She plopped down my glass kind of harshly and she put the spoon in it. (I always thought you put the lemon on the side of the glass and put the spoon to the side- but who the hell am I?). You never put the lemon in the glass, why should I have to dig into my own drink just to squeeze the lemon wedge? (I didn't complain) She forgot the straw. Tried to flag her down twice as she walked by, and she kept on going. Finally snagged another waitress to get me a straw. So, the food comes- and this isn't her fault at all, but it annoyed me nonetheless. They brought out the kid's meal in a paper lined basket. To me, serving food that way to a small child is a recipe for disaster, so I asked for a small plate for my daughter. She took FOREVER to get back with it. I'm here with a hungry kid, by all means take the scenic route. By that time my iced tea is almost gone, I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt one last time so I waited to see if she would notice..........nope. So I flag her down- actually had to stick my arm in the aisle- and asked for more iced tea. Had to ask for EVERYTHING. Even ketchup. Ketchup! We both had orders of fries, and it didn't occur to the rocket scientist to bring ketchup. I asked for some extra napkins. She brought one napkin. One. Napkin.
As soon as she served us our food, she brought out the check. How stupid is that? What if we ordered something else? And no, it wasn't the end of her shift.
Then.....the icing on the cake- I put out a $20 with the bill. She came by (funny how fast she came by when there was money on the table and yet she was going at a snail's pace when I wanted a tea refill) and she said she'd be back with our change. I said, thank you (indicating that yes, I do want change, no I'm not going to give you a $10 tip). She took so long coming back with our change, I seriously was starting to think she was trying to stall to see if we'd give up and just leave her with a 100% tip. Get real woman.
So she finally came back and gave me the change. Her tip was reflective of the service we received (about 12%- when the service is good, I usually tip at least 20%).
On the way out, the manager asked how our visit was, so I was very nice but honest. I said that perhaps she needed a mentor to show her how to waitress, she was slow and oblivious. The manager apologized and that was fine, I wasn't going to throw a fit or demand a free meal- I just thought she might want to know.
The one thing I just do not get- if the service is slow, tables take longer to turn over and there are less tips, didn't she want more tips??
Then the waitress came over. Now, I don't know who pissed in her wheaties, but she gave off bad vibes all over the place. I told her we were ready to order immediately- when dealing with a toddler or preschooler, it's really best if you get their order moving along. This was the absolute slowest waitress I've ever encountered, and she looked about mid-20's without any noticeable disabilities that I could discern. I gave her the benefit of the doubt- maybe she just had a crap load of SC's to deal with. So, I'm all smiling and joyful when ordering.
I ordered iced tea. She plopped down my glass kind of harshly and she put the spoon in it. (I always thought you put the lemon on the side of the glass and put the spoon to the side- but who the hell am I?). You never put the lemon in the glass, why should I have to dig into my own drink just to squeeze the lemon wedge? (I didn't complain) She forgot the straw. Tried to flag her down twice as she walked by, and she kept on going. Finally snagged another waitress to get me a straw. So, the food comes- and this isn't her fault at all, but it annoyed me nonetheless. They brought out the kid's meal in a paper lined basket. To me, serving food that way to a small child is a recipe for disaster, so I asked for a small plate for my daughter. She took FOREVER to get back with it. I'm here with a hungry kid, by all means take the scenic route. By that time my iced tea is almost gone, I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt one last time so I waited to see if she would notice..........nope. So I flag her down- actually had to stick my arm in the aisle- and asked for more iced tea. Had to ask for EVERYTHING. Even ketchup. Ketchup! We both had orders of fries, and it didn't occur to the rocket scientist to bring ketchup. I asked for some extra napkins. She brought one napkin. One. Napkin.
As soon as she served us our food, she brought out the check. How stupid is that? What if we ordered something else? And no, it wasn't the end of her shift.
Then.....the icing on the cake- I put out a $20 with the bill. She came by (funny how fast she came by when there was money on the table and yet she was going at a snail's pace when I wanted a tea refill) and she said she'd be back with our change. I said, thank you (indicating that yes, I do want change, no I'm not going to give you a $10 tip). She took so long coming back with our change, I seriously was starting to think she was trying to stall to see if we'd give up and just leave her with a 100% tip. Get real woman.
So she finally came back and gave me the change. Her tip was reflective of the service we received (about 12%- when the service is good, I usually tip at least 20%).
On the way out, the manager asked how our visit was, so I was very nice but honest. I said that perhaps she needed a mentor to show her how to waitress, she was slow and oblivious. The manager apologized and that was fine, I wasn't going to throw a fit or demand a free meal- I just thought she might want to know.
The one thing I just do not get- if the service is slow, tables take longer to turn over and there are less tips, didn't she want more tips??
I just know I won't go back there again.
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