A recent business blog on the New York Times Online has prompted this latest blog entry.
Recently, two friends and I went to a supposed upscale Nuevo Latino restaurant and the experience was abominable. The waiter kept using phrases that should never be used and ended the meal on a sour note. Here then is my list of waitstaff no-no's.
1. When I walk in as a single diner please do not say "just one?", go ahead and ask how many are in my party. And do not seat me at the crappiest table near the kitchen or clean-up corner or bathroom.
2. As a single diner I should be treated just the same as a table of four. I will be much less trouble to you than that four-top and I will tip better on average.
3. When I say "thank you" the correct response is "you're welcome", not "no problem". If it is a problem then you need to get into another line of work.
4. Please do not hand me my plate. Your job is to place the plate in front of me. If I wanted to help myself I'd be dining at a buffet.
5. I know that time means money for you but don't rush me. If I haven't finished my salad, please do not bring my entree. Most tables aren't big enough to hold salad plates, bread plates and the plate for the entree.
6. Do not call me honey or sugar or sweetie or dearie. Ma'am is okay (although it makes me feel older than I am) but don't over-use the word.
7. Please don't refer to a table of women as ladies more than once. You could say "would anyone like anything else?" or "how is everything this evening?" without interjecting the word "ladies".
8. Just because you are waiting on a table of women does not mean you can ignore us. Most of my female friends are fairly large tippers and treating us as second class citizens doesn't get you anywhere. If you are too busy to give my table the attention it deserves then management needs to hire more waiters.
9. Please make sure my beverage is replenished unless I say no. I don't care if it is water or coffee or wine, I want something to drink with my meal and I shouldn't have to wait until it is empty to get more.
10. Never ask if I need change when paying my bill. Never assume that whatever money is left over from paying my bill is for your tip. I will leave an appropriate tip for the service you have given me. If you're good my tip will be good, if you're lousy you'll get what you get.
I hope this sparks some comments from my readers. Happy Dining!
Showing posts with label dining out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dining out. Show all posts
November 1, 2009
February 26, 2008
It's Been a Long Time
It has been seven months since my last post. In that time I have turned 50, had my first period in a year, shortened my hair and gained weight. My accomplishments are mind boggling.
My 50th birthday was loads of fun! Ceci and I went to Tulsa where we met Marcy, Karen, Kim and Lynn at the Embassy Suites for an overnight pajama party. We got to the hotel a little before 3 PM (which is the official check-in time) and our suite was not ready. After being told that it would just be a few minutes we sat in the lobby and chatted. About 15 minutes later I went to the front desk to ask about our room and they said it still wasn't ready. By that time I was getting hungry and asked if they could load our stuff into our room once it was ready while we went to Utica Square to eat an early dinner and shop a bit. We then hit the road and parked our asses in "The Wild Fork" which was a nice place with an outdoor dining patio and ample dining areas inside. We chose to eat indoors and ate and drank and carried on for over an hour. We then walked around Utica Square and shopped a bit and then went back to the hotel.
Our suite was spacious with two bedrooms, a wet bar and a sleeper sofa in the common room. I think we must have had the floor to ourselves as it was very quiet, although we were anything but quiet. We played games and opened birthday gifts and ate more food and drank and laughed and had a fabulous time. The only sour note was that I started my period, which I haven't had since December 2006, and I bled like a stuck pig. Not being prepared for such an onslaught I didn't have enough tampons as I was having to change them about every two hours. Luckily the public restroom in the lobby supplied tampons at no charge so it was okay. I recall that the last time I had that bloody of a period was when I stayed at the hotel in Tucson. Isn't that bazaar?
The next morning we took our time and requested a later check out since we were so late in getting into our room the night before and played a few more games. We then checked out and hit the road for a bit of Sunday Brunch at "The Brasserie". This was a bit more pretentious than the previous restaurant and the food was okay (not great) but the service was impeccable. After that we shopped at Wild Oats Market and then headed our separate ways back home. I was exhausted for the next week. I guess that's what happens when you hit the half century mark!
All-in-all my birthday was a great success and I'm proud to join the fabulous fifties club.
My 50th birthday was loads of fun! Ceci and I went to Tulsa where we met Marcy, Karen, Kim and Lynn at the Embassy Suites for an overnight pajama party. We got to the hotel a little before 3 PM (which is the official check-in time) and our suite was not ready. After being told that it would just be a few minutes we sat in the lobby and chatted. About 15 minutes later I went to the front desk to ask about our room and they said it still wasn't ready. By that time I was getting hungry and asked if they could load our stuff into our room once it was ready while we went to Utica Square to eat an early dinner and shop a bit. We then hit the road and parked our asses in "The Wild Fork" which was a nice place with an outdoor dining patio and ample dining areas inside. We chose to eat indoors and ate and drank and carried on for over an hour. We then walked around Utica Square and shopped a bit and then went back to the hotel.
Our suite was spacious with two bedrooms, a wet bar and a sleeper sofa in the common room. I think we must have had the floor to ourselves as it was very quiet, although we were anything but quiet. We played games and opened birthday gifts and ate more food and drank and laughed and had a fabulous time. The only sour note was that I started my period, which I haven't had since December 2006, and I bled like a stuck pig. Not being prepared for such an onslaught I didn't have enough tampons as I was having to change them about every two hours. Luckily the public restroom in the lobby supplied tampons at no charge so it was okay. I recall that the last time I had that bloody of a period was when I stayed at the hotel in Tucson. Isn't that bazaar?
The next morning we took our time and requested a later check out since we were so late in getting into our room the night before and played a few more games. We then checked out and hit the road for a bit of Sunday Brunch at "The Brasserie". This was a bit more pretentious than the previous restaurant and the food was okay (not great) but the service was impeccable. After that we shopped at Wild Oats Market and then headed our separate ways back home. I was exhausted for the next week. I guess that's what happens when you hit the half century mark!
All-in-all my birthday was a great success and I'm proud to join the fabulous fifties club.
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