hey servers/waitstaff.. whats your biggest guest peeve ?

Question

mostly for me its the guest that sits in your section for hours on the buisiest nite of the week, and then tips less than 10%
GRRRR.......
but a new one cropped up tonite.... a lady wanted a glass of water with a bowl of lemons, I am not kidding, the woman made lemonade (which we have on the menu!)
I brought her like 4 wedges at first and she got ticked off at me..... she wanted at least double that when I came back the next time. seriously I think I gave her 3 whole lemons!

Answer 1

I once made limonade on a restaurant table too. But I only did it for fun. Plus, I think restaurants do charge a fortune on beverages. Some make their profits out of such practice.

Answer 2

I worked for many years in the business and don't think the lemonade thing is too uncommon. What really got me one time was at the end of the meal a lady asked for the extra lemons to be boxed up. I actually asked her "Are you kidding me?". Amazing!

When it came to campers, clear EVERYTHING from the table and if it is a busy night, place the rolls of silverware or bread plates on the edge of the table. They usually get the hint. At PF Chang's the managers encouraged us to do this as they understood the restaurant was losing money too.

As for the biggest peeves I use to have, here are a couple:

1) when you get sat 4+ tables at once, all within clear view of one another and after you have gone table-by-table doing a quick greet, give specials, and get a drink order, having the first table look at you and say with disdain "We're still waiting on our drinks!!!". Some people would be understanding when you let them know you just got 4 (or more) tables at once, while others weren't as nice. Guess who got their drinks, and inevitably their food, last.

2) a loud mouth man (always a man) would say to be sure to take care of him because he was a good tipper. These types NEVER were good tippers and you figured that out quickly. By the end of my time in the business (14 years), I would usually heckle them when they tried to use that line and generally would slow everything down.

3) anyone who either snapped their fingers to get your attention. I usually became hard of hearing when I saw this type of behavior

4) anyone who ever tried to grab you...DO NOT TOUCH YOUR SERVER!!!!

I'm sure there are others but those are the ones that stick out over the years.

Answer 3

I find it more than irritating when I have a table that needs an interpreter to order! If they want to live in this country, then they need to learn to speak AND read English. I'm not inclined to track down my busboy to translate their order, because he barely speaks English himself. These people also don't TIP for the service and don't seem to appreciate it either. I work at an American establishment, and I don't speak Spanish...it's not my job! Also, to those out there that like to go out to restaurants, food servers are required by law to report their tips as part of their income. So, unless the sevice is really bad, don't piss off the waitress if you are a regular customer at a restaurant by UNDERTIPPING (can't even match the tax on the check) because they have to share their tips w/ their busboys, bartenders, cooks, etc., and we DO NOT want to have to pay to serve YOU! I shouldn't have to pay to work, I work to pay my bills. Been doin' it for 22 years and will not stand and wait for you to get off your f---in' cel phone, you can wait for me to come back when you're done, because I have other customers that want their food hot and want to order today! Also, don't let your kids run through the restaurant or skate on their shoes (shame on the parents for allowing this) because if I have a collision with them, and I am carrying a pot full of coffee, you can expect a call from MY attorney and you can kiss my *** if you think for a second that you will get away with sueing the restaurant or me!!!!! This is obviously NOT Chucky Cheese or a playground.

Answer 4

I really hate it when the idiots, oops, I mean customers ask for something that is already included, or is already on their table. I mean OPEN YOUR EYES and READ THE MENU! The flippin ketchup is right there and of course your chicken fingers is going to be served with ranch! ANd PLEASE don't automatically ask for extra salad dressing, napkins, etc unless you are going to use it. In the case of salad dressings and dipping sauces, etc, I have to prep the portions of that every day and don't appreciate having to make that much more because the customer asked for and didn't use it. And don't ask me what is good. I don't know what you like or think is good. Most people don't want my opinion anyway, as I ama vegetarian.

Answer 5

I just wanted to say life sucks!! I got Culinary Arts training and I'm so glad that I didn't get into the Hospitality business!! Thank god for servers, waitstaff, and greeters!! The women you describe sounds a lot like my mom sorry for the bad day!!

Answer 6

My biggest peeve are the patrons who allow their children to act as though they are on a playground.
One couples children kept bumping into another guests table and the guest pretty much yelled at the parents for not making their children behave. I slipped them a note thanking them, because I thought if I had said anything to the parents, it would have affected my tip.

Other peeves include:
-People who believe the menu is just a list of suggestions
Guest, "Do you have Clams Casino?"
Me (thinking), "Do you see Clams Casino on the menu?"
-Seniors griping about their senior discount.
-(Hosting) Guests who move themselves to another table without alerting anyone.
-Guests who get upset over a plating charge (when they bring their own desserts.) Bringing food to a restaurant? That's like taking your own liquor to a bar!!!
-Guests who don't tip on the cost before discounts.
-Guests who blatantly ask for a discount. (One woman actually said to me "Shouldn't I pay less for my drink since I asked for no ice?" I told her, "No, you should pay more because you are recieving more soda."
-Guests who say their alcoholic drinks aren't strong enough, or worse... TOO STRONG

Answer 7

I have never worked in food service other than a very short time in high school where I determined I do not have the temperment. However I do enjoy going out to eat. This is a customers perspective. I expect attentive service if I am eating at a restaurant. I expect you to make sure my coffee cup is filled with fresh (not last nights) coffee and if I ask for something, I expect you to bring it while my food is hot. What I am paying for that overpriced meal deserves at least common curtesy, something I find lacking in most servers. However, when you do your job with the attitude that you are there to serve me, and its not my issue that you "have" to work in food service, I tip well. I reward the effort with real money. I commonly tip 20% for the usual service. I will easily tip 25-50% for service that makes me believe you are glad to have my business. I refuse to leave a dime for bad service, I really don't care that the person you work for doesn't pay you a living wage. I will also make note of good service to your manager, the very same way I will advise your manager of poor service. I am not arrogant or impolite and I do not treat you like you are my slave. I simply expect you to do your job, because you choose the job you have, not me. I would love to know why people work at jobs they hate and aren't suited for.

I'm sorry for the boor's, our society is full of them, thank the internet for the ability to be a jerk and not be held accountable. Unfortunetly people have forgotten that real life isn't the internet and we are all paying the price of bad manners.

I have only had once that I can remember in the last 20 years that I did not leave a tip. It took 30minutes to place the order (not a busy time of day, she simply forgot our table), and when the food came it was wrong. However we ate it anyway as now we had been there an hour, only to wait for another 20mins for the bill and then she never came back to take the money. I had to take it to the manager. Our water/drinks were never refilled, and one of our party had to hunt down a fork as her's was dirty. I complained to the manager who simply shrugged his shoulders and said she must be having a bad day. I told him that she should have stayed at home then because that wasn't my problem at all. I refuse to be understanding when I am paying for something I am not getting.

BTW, my daughter, who is working on her Masters, works for Quizno's and people treat her like she is stupid. She's leaving the food service industry for just that reason.

Answer 8

I have NO idea where to begin.....everyone has great answers, I agree with them ALL!! I took a party once with another girl...there were 33 people...we SPLIT 14 dollars!!
We have nicknames for certain types of guests....I wonder if other servers do this too?? TIP YOUR SERVER KNOWING THEY MAKE 2.65 AN HOUR!!!!!!!!!! Can you pay your bills on that $

Answer 9

*OK so when I used to serve I hated it when a customer would order the most expensive meal- eat 3/4 of it and say " I didn't like it, I want to speak to the manager" !!! HELLO what are you going to show him, the empty lobster tail??? And of course the meal is comped and I get stiffed!!!

*Another time I had a party of 20 with 8 separate checks. They all paid me in cash- by the time I got done adding all the money and realizing they stiffed me $200. I went looking for them in the parking lot, can you believe it they were gone?
So what did I do? Took my 20% tip and told my manager they stiffed me and let the restaurant take the loss!!!
That's what they get for comping so many meals and making me lose money!

Answer 10

Ever have a customer call you " Yoo Hoo" and snap their fingers?? Well, I have and I said to one man " my names not yoo hoo" I ask my customers what they would like to drink and one lady said no, nothing to drink just water!!! Blew my mind. Then they tell me they're ready to order. They pick up the menu and start looking at it. I have no time for this. I tell them that ill be back when they are ready, and go about my merry way. THEN when I:M ready, I go take their order.Been doing this for 20 years!!!