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IMHO, how good wairstaff is has more to do with training and experience than anything else. There has always been a falacy in food service that singles, seniors and women don't tip well if at all. This is not true. People eat; they should be treated equally. Patrons in an upscale restaurant will tip more than the patron in the greasy spoon for the same service. It is obvious when waitstaff does not care. Not everyone is well suited o serve the public.
Restaurant patrons are fickle. They will forgive a bad meal if the service is good. The don't forgive bad service and a bad meal. They don't forgive bad sservice with an excellent meal. The problem is few complain to management when either is bad, and they should simply because management cannot be everywhere in a restaurant at the same time.
I personally think laptops are rude except in a self-service environment. However, that patron should receive the same level of service starting with, "Where would you like for me to put your food? Would you like anything else?" A polite patron should thank you.
What I see more and more is waitstaff that just doesn't listen. For instance, I took a friend to lunch last week. I specifically said I wanted all the food on one ticket. She brought two, but otherwise the service was very good. I left a $20 bill with the $13 dollar ticket. It is a tough economy.
IMHO, how good wairstaff is has more to do with training and experience than anything else. There has always been a falacy in food service that singles, seniors and women don't tip well if at all. This is not true. People eat; they should be treated equally. Patrons in an upscale restaurant will tip more than the patron in the greasy spoon for the same service. It is obvious when waitstaff does not care. Not everyone is well suited o serve the public.
Restaurant patrons are fickle. They will forgive a bad meal if the service is good. The don't forgive bad service and a bad meal. They don't forgive bad sservice with an excellent meal. The problem is few complain to management when either is bad, and they should simply because management cannot be everywhere in a restaurant at the same time.
I personally think laptops are rude except in a self-service environment. However, that patron should receive the same level of service starting with, "Where would you like for me to put your food? Would you like anything else?" A polite patron should thank you.
What I see more and more is waitstaff that just doesn't listen. For instance, I took a friend to lunch last week. I specifically said I wanted all the food on one ticket. She brought two, but otherwise the service was very good. I left a $20 bill with the $13 dollar ticket. It is a tough economy.
That is the thing. If I get a great server, but a bad meal, I will be mad at the cooks who made that meal, not the waitress. The waitress' job is to take the order, deliver the food, and to make sure the customer is taken care of. No where does it say the waitress needs to cook that meal. That is the cook's job and if the cook isn't doing his or her job, unless I ask for a meal prepared in a specific manner, I'm not holding the waitress to that problem. The cook will have a problem with me.
I tip based on the service I receive rather than the quality of the food. If I receive good service, the server is going to get a good tip. If the service is poor, the tip is going to reflect that.
I tip based on the service I receive rather than the quality of the food. If I receive good service, the server is going to get a good tip. If the service is poor, the tip is going to reflect that.
That is my motto. Considering the fact that I have tipped as high as 40% at one place, it baffled me why I got less than great service.
UPDATE: The place that I dined at has shut down as of last week. I stop going there for a short while. I went back and some waitresses I had not seen before gave me decent service. I tipped them well(around 25-35%). There was still one waitress I remember who I got lousy service from. She was also a bartender. I don't know if that made a difference, but it seemed like she had a problem with me. I don't know, but I have a hard time trusting people. I didn't know if she thought I was a pain. I didn't know if she had a problem with the fact that I say "pop" instead of "coke(I live in the western suburbs of Atlanta, so I'm in the South). I didn't know if race played a factor(I'm Black and male, and young). Personally, I didn't know what to do at the moment. I never know what goes through anyone's mind. Generally, the pizzeria/bar place went to, service could be good. At the same time, it could be hit or miss. What made me go back was the food. Good Italian food, better than what I found at other places. I started to learn which waitresses were wonderful and which waitresses weren't. I stopped eating at bar or anywhere near it for that reason. I learned the waitresses who worked the booths were better servers than those who worked near the bar, or on the porch(at least towards me).
It closed down because of rent issues. It was simply too expensive to rent.
As for the laptop, I started waiting until after I ordered the food.
Service to me is even more important than food in most cases...
I am a good cook, am exposed to great foods & came from a place where awesome fresh foods are very inexpensive... so I can forgive food & will be not very picky when it comes to taste (respect everyone's taste is different & thus will have different standards), I don't & would not like to waste someone else's efforts to feed me (all food is very precious to me), BUT... if it is inedible by standards (undercooked certain meats like chicken / turkey, snorts on the buns etc.) than the restaurant is better off "closed" than "open" IMHO.
My focus point at eating at any restaurant will have to be for the "service" part.
If I get bad service... I would not care if it is a 5 star restaurant, I will never go there again.
The way I see it... I would never abuse the family & guests who would eat my food... if I have to "pay" for the meal for someone else to profit off me, I better not be "abused" by anyone in that restaurant.
So no matter how delicious that restaurant's food is & no matter if I carved it...
If the service deemed it unworthy for a visit, I would rather just learn that recipe, cook it for my family & guests & myself to enjoy than have anyone be abused by the service just to eat that food.
Service is what makes the value of my money ticks.
We tip based on the service and the food, however I think the service plays a major role. If I am going to spend $$$ on dinner out I better get top notch service as well as tasty food. We are very good tippers DH & I. My dad taught me to tip well if the service is above and beyond your expectations. He's gone out with people who don' tip very well because they are cheap and my dad has dined in many 4 star establishments and he used to get embarrassed so without the OP noticing he will add more $$ to the tip.
We tip based on the service and the food, however I think the service plays a major role. If I am going to spend $$$ on dinner out I better get top notch service as well as tasty food. We are very good tippers DH & I. My dad taught me to tip well if the service is above and beyond your expectations. He's gone out with people who don' tip very well because they are cheap and my dad has dined in many 4 star establishments and he used to get embarrassed so without the OP noticing he will add more $$ to the tip.
This reminded me of MY Dad, the notoriously BAD tipper.
We used to do the same, follow behind him and leave more on the table, or hand a couple bucks to the valet.
We tip based on the service and the food, however I think the service plays a major role. If I am going to spend $$$ on dinner out I better get top notch service as well as tasty food. We are very good tippers DH & I. My dad taught me to tip well if the service is above and beyond your expectations. He's gone out with people who don' tip very well because they are cheap and my dad has dined in many 4 star establishments and he used to get embarrassed so without the OP noticing he will add more $$ to the tip.
Your server doesn't prepare the meal! Why would you punish the server if your food isn't tasty?
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