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What service blunders are you willing to forgive—and when is service at a restaurant so bad that it ruins the entire meal? "There are a few things to me that ruin a meal, regardless of the 'quality' of the restaurant," says CanadaGirl. "Don't let me be thirsty! I drink a lot (of water) and will ask for more to drink, but you have to come near me," she says. Another last straw would be a "completely botched order where one person has not even started while others are finished. Mistakes happen but nobody wants to eat all alone when out to dinner with others."
"What starts to ruin it for me is bad attitudes," says cleobeach. "A very good customer of my husband's company owned a high-end restaurant ($75 and up, per person before booze) that we visited frequently, at least once a month. One night, our server must have lost his mind. He acted like a total jerk the entire night and the final straw was that he threw my dessert at me. Picture tossing a plate like a Frisbee. It would have slid across the table and on to my lap if I hadn't put my hands up at the last minute. Needless to say, the manager comped us."
"I think it all depends on the context—the restaurant, the price level, the location—'dealbreaker' service limits would be considerably higher at a higher-end, white-tablecloth place in a nice location than at a mom-and-pop place in a suburb, for example," says sunshine842. "Also hinges on who my companions are, too—my tolerance for sloppy service would be much higher with friends than with clients, for example. I think there are just too many variables to say 'if x, then y.'"
Servers who leave the table mid-service and return, obviously high on drugs.
@locandaverde. Worst service in memory. I've only had this problem in NYC, actually.
More often than not, wait staff barge their way into dinner conversations to ask if someone needs anything, how the food is, do you want another drink, etc. The real problem is that American wait staff, in general, are poorly trained and usually on their way to another job anyway. I've dined in enough countries to remember clearly that the best wait staff constantly cruise around the tables they...+READ
More often than not, wait staff barge their way into dinner conversations to ask if someone needs anything, how the food is, do you want another drink, etc. The real problem is that American wait staff, in general, are poorly trained and usually on their way to another job anyway. I've dined in enough countries to remember clearly that the best wait staff constantly cruise around the tables they are covering and are always ready to catch a diner's eye to see if they are wanted. I respond to gracious service with a generous tip and a personal thank you.-COLLAPSE
Absolutely drives me mad when the server takes used utencils off the finished appetiser plate and tries to put them (dirty) on the table to save for the main course. The next items that gets me furious is the servers who start clearing plates of diners who finished while others at the table are clearly still eating. This is not done anywhere else in the world. Why are we so inconsiderate and...+READ
Absolutely drives me mad when the server takes used utencils off the finished appetiser plate and tries to put them (dirty) on the table to save for the main course. The next items that gets me furious is the servers who start clearing plates of diners who finished while others at the table are clearly still eating. This is not done anywhere else in the world. Why are we so inconsiderate and rude.-COLLAPSE
No matter the level of restaurant or how wonderful everything else has been, the worst thing a server can do is spoil the moment at the end of our meal by the inquiry, "Still workin' on it?" If a server wishes to know the moment to clear, how much more gracious to instead say: "would you like me to clear?" or "are you still enjoying dinner?" Even MORE perfect would be like European service where...+READ
No matter the level of restaurant or how wonderful everything else has been, the worst thing a server can do is spoil the moment at the end of our meal by the inquiry, "Still workin' on it?" If a server wishes to know the moment to clear, how much more gracious to instead say: "would you like me to clear?" or "are you still enjoying dinner?" Even MORE perfect would be like European service where the diner requests service when finished. But the WORST is when servers clear some of the plates before everyone is done, leaving those lagging behind to feel out of step.-COLLAPSE
I have a couple, the biggest being (no matter what type of establishment) is cold food. I cannot for the life of me get why any restaurant would serve a hot dish on a cold plate. 2nd annoyance is when your entree arrives at the same time or shortly after your appetizer. I am now in the habit of requesting that my appetizer be served first. Even then some restaurants miss the mark with the dish...+READ
I have a couple, the biggest being (no matter what type of establishment) is cold food. I cannot for the life of me get why any restaurant would serve a hot dish on a cold plate. 2nd annoyance is when your entree arrives at the same time or shortly after your appetizer. I am now in the habit of requesting that my appetizer be served first. Even then some restaurants miss the mark with the dish arriving within minutes of appetizer. Makes you feel like cattle being shipped through the doors. The last specifically regarding service is something I put down to experience, do not call me "hon" when I am old enough to be your mother and sorry ladies, lose the "Valley Girl". It may have been cute when you were 13 but if you are old enough to serve alcohol you are old enough to speak like an adult.-COLLAPSE
Thankfully, rudeness is seldom a problem. A waiter/waitress works for tips. But they can get negligent. Letting my coffee cup go empty is definitely a no-no.
My pet pieve is what an waiter or waitress interrupts a conversation and asks, "How is everything?"
We recently dined with my sister-in-law at an upscale restaurant. My sister-in-law is ten years older than my wife (mid-fifties). When we were being seated the hostess asked me where my wife's mother would like to be seated. Many other irritations. When one dish was served a long time after all the other dishes I commented that it was rather late in the meal to be serving the food. The Server...+READ
We recently dined with my sister-in-law at an upscale restaurant. My sister-in-law is ten years older than my wife (mid-fifties). When we were being seated the hostess asked me where my wife's mother would like to be seated. Many other irritations. When one dish was served a long time after all the other dishes I commented that it was rather late in the meal to be serving the food. The Server than asked: "Would you like me to wrap it to go?"-COLLAPSE
Bad attitude doe's it for me.That is one problem that cancels a good tip, to giving a dirty penny.
Rudeness and "attitude" would bother me at any restaurant, whether high end or mom-and-pop.
Another thing that would really annoy me is being served cold food (when it's
supposed to be hot).