360 replies to this topic

[G-Man]

I always brought change. Of course it was inconvenient change.

Bill 48 bucks so you give me 60? You get a 10 and a twonnie back.

[piltdownman]

Personally I prefer the "Let me get you your change", which allows the customer to say "I don't need any" without the server asking.

[VicHockeyFan]

"You guys" bugs me, when it's a mixed group. If it's three guys, fair enough. But if there is a female in the group, I hate it. Young people, it'll fly I suppose, an older group, that makes me cringe. "You folks" or just "you" usually works just fine.

[Holden West]

"You guys" bugs me too.

I once witnessed a female server casually squat down and rest her chin on the table as she wrote down the orders.

We went to Il Terrazzo and Mrs. West's wine glass wasn't regularly topped up, although neighbouring tables had theirs refilled. Now this is a fancier place so expectations of service are higher than you'd expect. I confess this didn't bother me as I don't need anyone pouring wine for me--in fact, I agree with the great Christopher Hitchens who says servers topping up wine glasses is a barbaric act:

The vile practice of butting in and pouring wine without being asked is the very height of the second kind of bad manners. Not only is it a breathtaking act of rudeness in itself, but it conveys a none-too-subtle and mercenary message: Hurry up and order another bottle. Indeed, so dulled have we become to the shame and disgrace of all this that I have actually seen waiters, having broken into the private conversation and emptied the flagon, ask insolently whether they should now bring another one. Again, imagine this same tactic being applied to the food.

[VicHockeyFan]

The vile practice of butting in and pouring wine without being asked is the very height of the second kind of bad manners. Not only is it a breathtaking act of rudeness in itself, but it conveys a none-too-subtle and mercenary message: Hurry up and order another bottle. Indeed, so dulled have we become to the shame and disgrace of all this that I have actually seen waiters, having broken into the private conversation and emptied the flagon, ask insolently whether they should now bring another one. Again, imagine this same tactic being applied to the food.

That's a bit over the top. I'm all in favour of getting stuff off the table as fast as you can help manage the clutter. If we can get that wine bottle moved off, all the better. The last sentence seems a bit silly. .5%* of diners order more food after their entree is done, I'm sure more than 25%* have more beverage(s).

* I make up these averages out of thin air, 95% of the time.

[Holden West]

If you're saying Hitchens can occasionally be a tad over the top I might agree. That's why I love him.

You know what really steams my lobster? Servers who can't use a tray. It's a simple thing. A cork-lined plastic disc 18 inches in diameter. It's a brilliant invention. It's easily balanced. You can load dishes and glasses on it, tilt it at an angle without anything sliding off and you still have one hand free to drop off that cheque or pick up a dropped fork.

Except no-one uses it anymore. It's inexplicably a lost art. I shake my head watching servers struggle to clear a table using only two hands. Or worse, a server taking four or five glasses away at a time by pinching the rims (Mrs. West calls this unhygienic practice "pearl diving"). Do you really think servers always wash their hands after doing this? Servers double their work load simply because they have a single used plate in each hand and are therefore helpless until they get to the dishwasher area to drop them off.

[VicHockeyFan]

You know what really steams my lobster? Servers who can't use a tray. It's a simple thing. A cork-lined plastic disc 18 inches in diameter. It's a brilliant invention. It's easily balanced. You can load dishes and glasses on it, tilt it at an angle without anything sliding off and you still have one hand free to drop off that cheque or pick up a dropped fork.

Except no-one uses it anymore. It's inexplicably a lost art. I shake my head watching servers struggle to clear a table using only two hands. Or worse, a server taking four or five glasses away at a time by pinching the rims (Mrs. West calls this unhygienic practice "pearl diving"). Do you really think servers always wash their hands after doing this? Servers double their work load simply because they have a single used plate in each hand and are therefore helpless until they get to the dishwasher area to drop them off.

I've seen the very good, and the very bad. I know one girl that is attached to that tray, and she can swing it at a 90-degree angle, while running in circles and going under a limbo bar. She was awesome, I miss her.

[Holden West]

You don't have the little icons above the reply box? The one with the globe and the chain link like this: ?

[VicHockeyFan]

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[VicHockeyFan]

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[VicHockeyFan]

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[Holden West]

70. Never deliver a hot plate without warning the guest. And never ask a guest to pass along that hot plate.

A related phenomenon: why can't we as guests resist grasping this hot plate away from the server instead of simply letting them place it down in front of us? "Careful, this plate is hot", the server warns. "Aaah! You're right!", the customer invariably wails. The hotter the plate, the longer we want it sizzling in our fingertips. Why do we do this? We don't do it with cold plates. Are our boring lives so devoid of danger we subconsciously seek such a masochistic experience?

[piltdownman]

I too hate the "pinching the rims", its just gross. I also think its a foodsafe violation if my memory isn't fail me. And yes I know many of those rules get broken, but when they are blatantly broken in front of customers there is something very wrong.

As the lack of trays, its shocking. Especially when you have a server that has to make two trips to bring four people drinks because they can only carry two at a time. I must admit my tray skills were never perfect, but I still take pride in being able to bring a tray of drinks ordered at the bar to my friends across the bar.

[hotdoglegz]

A related phenomenon: why can't we as guests resist grasping this hot plate away from the server instead of simply letting them place it down in front of us? "Careful, this plate is hot", the server warns. "Aaah! You're right!", the customer invariably wails. The hotter the plate, the longer we want it sizzling in our fingertips. Why do we do this? We don't do it with cold plates. Are our boring lives so devoid of danger we subconsciously seek such a masochistic experience?

you can tell somebody that there are a million stars in the universe and they will believe you. Tell them that their plate is hot, they have to touch it for themselves.

[VicHockeyFan]

My date and I, after being delivered a set of hot wings and a set of salt and pepper wings at Smith's Pub, along with 4 napkins tonight.

Us: "Could we get a finger bowl by any chance?"

Waitress/bartender: "No, we don't do finger bowls."

OK, so they have a no finger bowl policy. Hard to imagine why, we were among three sets of poeple there, and the bowl (of soup) my date had earlier would be perfect for a finger bowl. I mean the same container style, if they had more than one.

A finger bowl usually consists of 1) hot water, 2) a lemon wedge, and 3) nothing else.

Hard to see why they would have a policy. Easy to see why I think they are lame.

[Holden West]

You should have tried ordering a cup of hot water with lemon instead.

I'm gobsmacked at why they wouldn't provide one after being asked. I worked in a restaurant that had finger bowls. They were never a problem.

A lot of restaurants and hotels have a policy that any reasonable request is fulfilled. At least it was in the olden days.

[G-Man]

Perhaps someone sued them when they got a finger bowl full of hot water

[VicHockeyFan]

You should have tried ordering a cup of hot water with lemon instead.

I'm gobsmacked at why they wouldn't provide one after being asked. I worked in a restaurant that had finger bowls. They were never a problem.

A lot of restaurants and hotels have a policy that any reasonable request is fulfilled. At least it was in the olden days.

I understand if they decide that as policy, they don't do them with every order. But upon request?

9 out of 10 times, I would not have accepted her answer. I would have had a hearty discussion, in pleasant tones, on why the request was denied. Granted, by the end of it the waitress would not have liked me one bit. But it's not like me to leave that alone. For some reason I did.

[Holden West]

"The Buffalo (NY) Health Department has taken steps to rid the city of brass finger bowls. A recent investigation showed that such bows were in use in over half of the restaurants and in some of the hotels. Health Commissioner Fronczack said that the brass bowls were unsanitary and spread disease, because it was difficult to cleanse them thoroughly. The Health Commissioner did not object to the use of glass bowls if the waiter rinsed the bowl in boiling water after it had been used."

American Practitioner, April, 1913

[Bob Fugger]

Us: "Could we get a finger bowl by any chance?"

Waitress/bartender: "No, we don't do finger bowls."

OK, so they have a no finger bowl policy.

My response to stupid policies like that is a no tipping policy - which, if you know my general policy on tipping, says a lot.