C***s in restaurants

[Guest bernardblack]

People not knowing what to order.
If I know I'm going to a restaurant I'll take a look online and see what the menu is like.  Identify a few starters and mains that I like the look of and then see what I fancy on the day. Makes it a lot quicker and easier and means I can chat away with folk knowing I'm not holding anybody up.
Others though seem to forget that they are even going out for a meal and will then sit chatting away to the other people at the table and not reading the menu.  The waiter comes over and "oh can you give us a couple of minutes" is uttered.  Then I get the "oh I'm not sure what I should have" line as if I'm able to tell if my wife wants to have the salmon or the chicken.
Maybe this should be in the infuriating thing your partners do thread  

See one thing I love about going to a new place is not looking at the menu until I get there.

Also on the speed process, I’m taking my time in a restaurant. It isn’t a common occurrence so I’m making it a laid back experience with no rush

[throbber]

Derailing a toy train with a well aimed baked potato in a St Andrews eatery. What a w****r!

[Honest_Man#1]

32 minutes ago, throbber said:

Derailing a toy train with a well aimed baked potato in a St Andrews eatery. What a w****r!

Well he would be, if any of it had actually happened.

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

Studying the menu of a place prior to arriving so as to streamline the ordering process is utter oddball behavior. 

[Shotgun]

4 hours ago, bernardblack said:

Also on the speed process, I’m taking my time in a restaurant. It isn’t a common occurrence so I’m making it a laid back experience with no rush

 

This. Unless I'm going on somewhere else afterwards, the restaurant 'is' the night out and I resent feeling I'm being rushed through. It's different if there's a visible queue of people waiting for a table but otherwise, I'm paying for the experience of enjoying my meal and being waited on. If it's just food, I can get that at home.

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

This. Unless I'm going on somewhere else afterwards, the restaurant 'is' the night out and I resent feeling I'm being rushed through. It's different if there's a visible queue of people waiting for a table but otherwise, I'm paying for the experience of enjoying my meal and being waited on. If it's just food, I can get that at home.

Aye, it's quite nice to be able to sit and have a meal and some drinks over 2 or so hours.

[welshbairn]

30 minutes ago, Shotgun said:

This. Unless I'm going on somewhere else afterwards, the restaurant 'is' the night out and I resent feeling I'm being rushed through. It's different if there's a visible queue of people waiting for a table but otherwise, I'm paying for the experience of enjoying my meal and being waited on. If it's just food, I can get that at home.

I hate it when they bring the main just when you've finished the starter. Not even time to go outside for a smoke.

[Brother Blades]

A meal in a restaurant should be as relaxing & indulgent as possible. Obviously depending on how busy the place is... if I’ve had to book a table I usually ask if they have other guests requiring the table, if not, I’ll happily spend 3 or 4 hours dining. Nothing nicer than conversation & wine between courses.

[Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo]

8 hours ago, I'm Brian said:

The biggest c***s in restaurants are the waiters/waitresses who won't leave you alone during the meal.

For the umpteenth time my meal is fine thankyou very much.

I'm fairly sure they are told to do this because arseholes try to scam free meals by telling them it was shit after they've finished.

[Salvo Montalbano]

On tipping, one of the sad Americanisms that seems to be creeping over here (especially in London it has to be said) is the "a 10% [or more] gratuity will be automatically added to your bill" line on the menu. A few years back we were in a place in the Docklands just getting some burgers etc. and that was their policy. The staff were rude, they got our order wrong (twice, and it wasn't hard), sighed when one of our party asked where the toilets were and generally gave an impression of not giving a shit. The bill came with the 10% added and - and I might be called a c**t in a Restaurant for this - we decided between us to ask for the automatic tip to be removed from the bill. They did, and we had the last laugh (a scathing review on TripAdvisor, obviously).

[I'm Brian]

37 minutes ago, Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo said:

I'm fairly sure they are told to do this because arseholes try to scam free meals by telling them it was shit after they've finished.

You could be right, but once half way through the meal is adequate for this purpose, or to ask it when you bring the next course. No qualms with that

[Jacksgranda]

7 hours ago, The Minertaur said:

People not knowing what to order.

If I know I'm going to a restaurant I'll take a look online and see what the menu is like.  Identify a few starters and mains that I like the look of and then see what I fancy on the day. Makes it a lot quicker and easier and means I can chat away with folk knowing I'm not holding anybody up.

Others though seem to forget that they are even going out for a meal and will then sit chatting away to the other people at the table and not reading the menu.  The waiter comes over and "oh can you give us a couple of minutes" is uttered.  Then I get the "oh I'm not sure what I should have" line as if I'm able to tell if my wife wants to have the salmon or the chicken.

Maybe this should be in the infuriating thing your partners do thread  

The only time we do that if we are going out en masse. 20 or so of us landing all at once with high chairs required and childrens' meals necessary without having our starters and main courses pre ordered is a big ask for any restaurant.

However, if it's only myself and my wife and our daughter we'll just dander in and peruse the menu at our leisure, without the need for seeing what's on the menu beforehand.

[Honest_Man#1]

1 hour ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

On tipping, one of the sad Americanisms that seems to be creeping over here (especially in London it has to be said) is the "a 10% [or more] gratuity will be automatically added to your bill" line on the menu. A few years back we were in a place in the Docklands just getting some burgers etc. and that was their policy. The staff were rude, they got our order wrong (twice, and it wasn't hard), sighed when one of our party asked where the toilets were and generally gave an impression of not giving a shit. The bill came with the 10% added and - and I might be called a c**t in a Restaurant for this - we decided between us to ask for the automatic tip to be removed from the bill. They did, and we had the last laugh (a scathing review on TripAdvisor, obviously).

That’s par for the course in 99% of places in London. When I first moved down I made the mistake of double tipping a few times because of it until I learned.

[milton75]

19 hours ago, Adam101 said:

Worth remembering that most of them won't keep it all and its most likely spilt with the kitchen staff. 10% isn't out the way and in my experience between 70% and 80% of people would leave a tip and it is greatly appreciated.

Working in catering isn't really comparable with other lines of minimum wage work. I.e. its unlikely that a labourer would be providing you directly with a service so it odd for someone to tip them but you might tip a tour guide who has done a good job, both these jobs a likely to be minimum wage however when the employee has no direct contact then they are unlikely to be rewarded (tipped) for good work.

I think this is a fair point. The situation in general is not "right", because in truth there are plenty of people in low-paid jobs who simply deserve to be paid more, but it is what it is. People who don't tip are total c*nts imo.

[jimmy boo]

On 12/23/2018 at 19:17, WeAreElgin said:

Do folk tip regularly? I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I've left a tip in a restaurant in the last 10 years.

Yes.............Scrooge.

[Flybhoy]

I nearly always tip.....the only time I don't is if the service and/or food has been exceptionally bad, and I will refuse to do so on principle. 

If I am paying by card I will always tip in cash, I have many friends and family who work in the hospitality industry who confirm that non management staff don't see a penny of any tips paid by card, a girl I was chatting to whilst working in her house recently told me of a particular Indian restaurant in Stirling she worked in, I cant name it but ahem....it may be in Friar Street,  where the owner pocketed all tips, cash or card and the poor front of house staff, many students saw not a fucking penny of it and he was quite brazen about it she said... my restaurant so my money-tough if you don't like it.

I made a point to inform as many people I know who frequented it, the food was always delightful but i've never set foot in it since, utter c**t.

[Todd_is_God]

21 hours ago, velo army said:

The tipping thing... people honestly don't realise how physical a job this is, or how stressful. We work long hours (8 hour shifts a lot of the time, with no break) and do a lot of physical stuff (cleaning, taking bins out etc) that customers don't see.

Based on the above, do you tip fast food workers?

I tend not to leave a tip if the service is completed by multiple staff members on a seemingly random basis. To me that isn't what a tip is for.

I also hate delivery drivers who assume they automatically deserve a tip for doing their job. I could understand this if I lived in a flat, but it's less than a 10 yard walk from their car to my door. I've already paid their employer a delivery fee (and, in this particular exampe, a service charge as well) - it's up to them to keep their drivers happy.

I wouldn't tip an amazon delivery driver, why should the delivery being food change this?

[Moses Supposes]

14 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

Based on the above, do you tip fast food workers?

I tend not to leave a tip if the service is completed by multiple staff members on a seemingly random basis. To me that isn't what a tip is for.

I also hate delivery drivers who assume they automatically deserve a tip for doing their job. I could understand this if I lived in a flat, but it's less than a 10 yard walk from their car to my door. I've already paid their employer a delivery fee (and, in this particular exampe, a service charge as well) - it's up to them to keep their drivers happy.

I wouldn't tip an amazon delivery driver, why should the delivery being food change this?

That'll be coco.

[101]

4 hours ago, milton75 said:

I think this is a fair point. The situation in general is not "right", because in truth there are plenty of people in low-paid jobs who simply deserve to be paid more, but it is what it is. People who don't tip are total c*nts imo.

Correct I would love to be in the situation were we didn’t need to tip because we all have more than enough money and time away from work, until we are there I will and it sounds like you will tip as well. 

[milton75]

58 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

I tend not to leave a tip if the service is completed by multiple staff members on a seemingly random basis. To me that isn't what a tip is for.

Forget about what it is "to you". You are wrong.