Do you take "bad food" out on the waiter?

Question

I have waited tables for over 10 years and over the years I have noticed that when people dont enjoy their food they take it out on the server. No matter what I did, making sure their drinks were full, getting them anything they wanted to make them happy they would take it out on me with additude and with the tip... what's up with that? When I go out, I know that the server didn't make the food and screw it up, so why would take it out on the server?

Answer 1

ha, i just had this happen to me today. I'm a server and one of my steaks went out overcooked and by the time they made a new one the rest of the table was done eating. And i had done everything for this table, i even gave them free samples of things when they couldn't decide. It was dead today so i was counting on my very few tables to make something. But at the end of it all i got yelled at for an overcooked steak and they left no tip plus said they were never coming back. In a situation like this, I'm just happy that my manager doesn't take it out on me as well. I've worked for managers that get angry because the guests are angry, crap rolls downhill you know, and it ends up going right back to the server again.

plus you have to know, the food goes through alot of people before the server brings it out. If it is busy a server will have to think of numerous things, watch other tables and read their other ticket times as they quickly pull their order from the window that the expediter ensured was all there. When it is severely busy, it is more of a formulated process and your server will probably not know out of her 30 customers your exact order from the top of her head. All the server is told is the table that is up and if it is busy all she can do is grab it and run.

Answer 2

I've been a waitress for 20 years...every person in America should do this job for 3 months..they also should teach a class in high school about tipping, and how to behave in a restaurant. It amazes me how ignorant people are, how hard it is for seemingly normal, intelligent people to choose an item to eat, and how people would rather waste my time at the table than actually read the menu. Ordering an entree is not rocket science, folks. That being said...I also don't design the menu, set the prices or the "rules" of my corporate restaurant, nor do I care to wait on the same people who frequent my place of business on a regular basis, yet always find something to complain about. Don't come back if your not happy, and don't tell me how badly it sucked last time you came in, because I didn't wait on you and I really dont care. Oh, and don't let your 4 year old order for him/herself, I dont have the time to stand there while you pry the order out of your kid. Make a decision, or go thru the 10 minute ordeal on your own, by telling your server you are not ready. Trust me, there are100 other things I could be doing at that moment. You are, in all likelyhood not my only table. To answer the question, people are very ignorant, and should stay home and make their own damn food. I am now looking into other career options....I know there has to be a better way to make money than this...funny, I know i am a great waitress, I have a large percentage of "regulars", but it's the morons who push me out of this and have made me hate this job. There is a large amount of my job that I have absolutly no control over, yet the public acts like its all on me.

Answer 3

If the meal is not exactly what was ordered, it is the server's fault for not verifying that the order was correct. I always have to order my hamburgers "very well done" because if I order "well done" it is usually "medium well". I realize with something like that, the server usually can't tell and it is the cook's fault, because it is dark on the outside and red on the inside.

I don't think I would penalize the server for any minor mistakes, as long as he or she did his or her best to correct the situation as promptly and efficiently as possible.

I have more of a problem when the servers ignore the table. I shouldn't have to get up and find the server because I need water, a refill of my drink, napkins, etc., and they are nowhere in sight for 10 minutes. Before they clean tables or talk to their friends they should make sure that their customers have everything they need.

As I said I don't do this, but I think that customers who leave a lousy tip for lousy food are trying to send a message to management. The restaurant gets paid for the meal regardless, but if the tipping is lousy, the staff will quit and this sends a message to management.

Answer 4

I agree i have been serving tables for a while also. FL NC VA it is the same every where.. They order something new and don't like it then you get a bad tip.. It makes no since. If i see that they have not eaten anything i always ask was it OK was anything wrong they say NO then they still leave a bad tip. Man i could go on and on.. BTW i have a mess of regulars so i know i am a good server it is just the few idiots that i get annoyed at

Answer 5

I'm thankful to say that the place I work has a great policy as far as bad food goes. I can tell when someone is not happy with their food. (pushing it around on the plate or downright pushing the plate away) I will go straight to them and ask them if they would like to try something else..if not, I can go straight to management and say hey this person isn't happy with what they ordered. If its just that they didnt like what they ordered, that item is taken off the bill. If it's that we messed up the order somehow, it is taken off the bill and they are offered free desert. this of course is all done with a smile from server and management. our managers also have no problem at all visiting the table and doing ANYTHING necesary to make sure our guest leaves happy and willing to try again another time. I have never had a customer leave unhappy. ( unless you count the rare asshole who is just a miserable excuse for a human that wouldnt be happy even if you dropped a million dollars in their laps)

Answer 6

People are inconsiderate. They don't care, and a lot of people have never worked in that setting. They probably figure that you took the order wrong so they take it out on you. There isn't really anything that you can do about it. Because most people wont tip very well if there is a lot of things going wrong by the time they get to the restaurant. Even if the service isn't bad.. but everything else goes wrong.. then they wont tip well. That's what i've noticed.

Answer 7

Well what do you expect. If they didn't enjoy themselves, why would you expect them to pay more for something they already think wasn't worth the money already owed.
I do find it amusing how you think the quality of the food shouldn't change the amount of the tip. Out of curiosity how many times have you returned part of a large tip, because you felt you shouldn't take credit for the food.
Like it or not, a waiters job is not simply filling drinks, but an interface for the restaurant.

Answer 8

No I try not to take bad food out on the server. He/She doesnt prepare the food they just bring it to you. Now not filling drinks, generally rude behavior not coming by the table to check on you. That is all on the server

Answer 9

as a server you should know when the food is prepared and presented on the plates properly. if you chose to serve it in poor condition you are as guilty as the cooking staff.
It may not be right but as a paying customer, you will be the one that suffers by small or no tipping.
Good luck

Answer 10

Ahh, nope, I've only taken bad service out on the waiter.
I'm thinking its because they don't want to argue with the manager, and they know you really cant give them attitude back or you'll get fired.
I always feel so bad for waiters and waitresses, they have to deal with rude people all day.