If you would just listen... (long post)

[Racket_Man]

Honestly, I do -not- like the new-ish trend of waiters sitting at the table with you.

When I got to a restaurant, I'm there to have dinner with friends or family; I'm not there to have a meal with the staff.

What he did was extremely inappropriate (not to mention aggravating - I hate having to explain MTG on the fly to people; I'm a lousy teacher and it's a complicated game).

.

I've never heard of waiters sitting at the table as a trend. Where is that happening?

I do have to say that if I ever attended a restaurant where that happened, I would complain to corporate. I'd also never go there again (unlike most SCs who only say that.) If I knew that was the way the restaurant ran, I wouldn't go in the first place.

unfortuneately it is nearing a trend in some of the places I have gone including my own workplace. it is seen as "identifiying with the customer" at their level or the sever will be REQUIRED to almost kneel down (yes they require a sever to almost kneel) to eye level inorder to interact with a table during the order taking process. and yes this is a REQUIREMENT of the job

I first encountered this about 10 years ago when I was on a business trip in the San Fran area. I went to an Outback next to my hotel. the waiter literally did sit down accross from me (I was seated in a booth) to give me the me the openning spiel, specials and take my order. freaked me out a bit.

I do nto know if they still do that but it iw a little freaky

[poofy_puff]

You would never see servers kneeling at you in a classy restaurant.

Cue: "Waiter Rant"

This is a trend reserved only for places frequented by ranch-dressing-sucking white-zinfandel-drinking screaming-kid-diaper-changing-on-the-table trash places such as Applebee's or Chili's.

[MoxisPilot]

unfortuneately it is nearing a trend in some of the places I have gone including my own workplace. it is seen as "identifiying with the customer" at their level or the sever will be REQUIRED to almost kneel down (yes they require a sever to almost kneel) to eye level inorder to interact with a table during the order taking process. and yes this is a REQUIREMENT of the job

I first encountered this about 10 years ago when I was on a business trip in the San Fran area. I went to an Outback next to my hotel. the waiter literally did sit down accross from me (I was seated in a booth) to give me the me the openning spiel, specials and take my order. freaked me out a bit.

I do nto know if they still do that but it iw a little freaky

Oh, I understand the logic behind it.

However, I'm a pretty sucky customer in that I don't care to have my server or waiter identify with me. I'm socially awkward enough to want them to professionally take my order and go away. (Mind you, I tip waiters very well who maintain this professional attitude - and keep my drink refilled.)

Nevermind that most times I'm out to dinner, I'm with my husband on a date. Our waiter is not invited.

I also agree with another comment - I've only seen this in lower-middle-end restaurants like Chili's and Applebees. I've never had it happen at Olive Garden, Steak and Ale, Bucca di Peppo's, or even Don Pablo's.

[Chanlin]

"What you two are talking about sounds interesting, care to tell me about it?"

Would you agree with my opinion, Chanlin?

Maybe, It's hard to say. Again it wasn't so much what he said, but the manner in which he inserted himself into the conversation combined with what he said. I think I still would respond to the above question with, "Oh, just a card game."

I think maybe I would have been a lot less put off by the above, but that would also be provided if he was standing at the table rather than suddenly just sitting down with us.

[poofy_puff]

I would have said "I'm sorry, have we met somewhere before? I'm pretty good with faces, and I just can't seem to remember yours".

[Stormraven]

I'm grateful that the Chili's and Applebee's out here - in fact, none of the restaurants I've ever gone to (most of which are the lower-middle-end) do that. Maybe in SF things are different. Just means I'm more careful about which SF restaurants I go to on the rare occasions I go into the city.

[jais]

IMO, you were the SC's in the second story.

I agree, if only for the fact that you missed an opp to turn someone on to your game. Maybe the server heard something that piqued his/her interest.

My husband is a HUGE gamer. He would relish any opp to snag an outsider.

[Geek King]

I don't mind the sitting-down-with-you-waiter bit too much. I've worked in jobs that required an entire shift--or longer!--standing on bare concrete floors. I don't begrudge the server a chance to get off their feet for a few, precious moments while taking the order.

[Andara Bledin]

I wouldn't be able to handle having my server sit down with me at the table. That is just way too familiar for someone who I don't know at all, and I'm almost positive it would irritate the heck out of me.

It just strikes me as far too unprefessional to be acceptable.

^-.-^

[Dreamstalker]

the sever will be REQUIRED to almost kneel down (yes they require a sever to almost kneel) to eye level inorder to interact with a table during the order taking process. and yes this is a REQUIREMENT of the job

My dad and I were at a noodle restaurant outside Portland OR where the servers did that. I found it very odd and mildly offputting.

[friendofjimmyk]

Hmm...

I waited tables and tended bar for a long time. I never sat at a table unless I knew them or they were regulars and then it was still very rare.

I am a fairly sociable person but I would be put off by a server that sat down to talk to me just out of the blue. If he were a gamer and interested in the conversation...he should've approached it much differently...such as excusing himself for interuppting but he couldn't help but hear you talking about gaming, something he is interested in himself. But just to plop down and try to jump in the conversation is a bit awkward.

You were not the SC in that case. If the restaurant encourages their servers to sit down and chat up the table...they need to teach the servers an appropriate approach with such a practice.

[aurelemsrealm]

Just reading this post, I was kind of surprised by the waiter just sitting down at the table without being invited like described in the original post. I don't think it was sucky of you to point out that he was butting in on a private conversation. I probably would have been more surprised than put off, though.

I've only had a similar experience as a customer once. My wife, brother-in-law, and I went out to eat. My brother-in-law can be somewhat socially awkward, and he was trying to flirt with the waitress. She was flirting back, and my wife and I found it amusing. We invited the waitress to sit with us just for what I thought would only be a moment or two because their flirtation was amusing, but she stayed longer than I would have expected.

I've never waited tables, but I've worked customer service long enough to sense when customers get unhappy. I started getting that awareness of other customers as someone who works in customer service. I kept trying to politely mention that her other customers might need her without sounding like I was running her off. I was concerned that she'd get in trouble even though I could have just as easily said that was her problem. She finally started to realize what I was saying after I noticed a few surrounding tables staring at her. I just kind of cringed thinking that she might have gotten in trouble because of us.

I don't know if she got in trouble or had any complaints, but I felt bad for her just the same.

[mikoyan29]

I've never heard of waiters sitting at the table as a trend. Where is that happening?

I do have to say that if I ever attended a restaurant where that happened, I would complain to corporate. I'd also never go there again (unlike most SCs who only say that.) If I knew that was the way the restaurant ran, I wouldn't go in the first place.

Lone Star used to do that where the waiter or waitress would sit down as they were taking your order.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

My opinion: As a long-time cardflopper (I've been playing since Beta came out...), I would have just told the waiter the 'bullet points' of the game... just in case the waiter was actually a player/collector/trader... but by sitting at the table without being invited I feel he's invading your personal space.

This new policy sounds a little silly to me. Thank goodness that none of the restaurants around where I live to this.

[Imogene]

Somewhat similar in my mind is the recent explosion of restaurants where, every single time a customer enters, everyone (and I do mean, 'EVERYONE') who works there chimes in "Welcome to 'restaurant'!"
Hell, I walked into a Cici's once, the only person in the line, and the guy didn't even let me get fully in the door before blurting out some extra happy, oh my gods, you're going to have diabetes tonight, spiel. I nearly turned around and left. But I was hungry...