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My mom threw a fit and stomped out of a restaurant on my birthday last year because her steak was under-cooked and they brought her a new one instead of just cooking the one she had until it was done.
I worked retail while in college. Once a man was out of line, while his wife was in the dressing room. I went in the back office to avoid him, but he kept looking in the door whenever it opened. Finally, his wife came in the back and demanded I quit flirting with her husband. WTH? He was old, fat, and obnoxious. My manager told me to be careful who I smiled at. I found somewhere else to work.
This thread really resonates with me! My dear old dad has been dead for years but my siblings and I still laugh over how embarrassing it was to go to a restaurant with him in his old age. He was demanding and petty and very loud about his dislikes. Where's my drink? Turn up the air conditioning! Everyone around us knew if there was a problem. When we'd tone him down he'd act puzzled. He was quite a character all his life and could be quite charming when it suited him. But he was a product of his times, having come of age in the 1920s when the morally binding customs were quite different. We loved him but yeah he could be a pain in the butt at a restaurant!
I recently visited my mother in florida and ate dinner with some of her friends. one of the ladies considers herself a wine expert so she was helping another find wine. she sees the restaurant has 2 of some type of wine and orders the waiter (not so nicely) that he should bring both wines for her to taste. this was a Chinese restaurant and this guy barely speaks English and this isn't the right place for a fancy wine person's issues. ultimately, both wines were deemed "horrible" and after a little scene, she got a mixed drink.
are wine people typically obnoxious in restaurants? it seems like she places great importance on her wine expertise so she must be somewhat flagrant about her little wine dance that she does with the tasting and everything.
Only insecure ones trying to impress with their thimbleful of wine knowledge - and they know they really don't know much, so they are obnoxious.
My dad is the nicest, sweetest guy you would ever meet, but he is a dick at restaurants and is getting worse as he ages. He is 73. It is something I have noticed in the last decade.
Funny you mention this - he just went on a HUGE rant last night about how food quality and service everywhere totally sucks ass. He was really worked up about it. It was weird.
I had to agree with all his points, though. That's why I don't go out to eat anymore.
My mother had a habit of finding the pickiest fault with her food when we ate out, which was ironic since she was far from a good cook herself. Most of the time this resulted in her not tipping the waiter or waitress adequately because "my steak was too tough" (after she ordered it well-done!!), she didn't like the salad dressing, etc. When I was old enough to have my own money I often slipped more money into the cash tip she left at the table as we were leaving and her back was turned. It certainly doesn't hurt to inform a waitperson if there's a problem with the food, but it can be done nicely, and it should never affect their tip since it's not their fault the food was an issue. I tend not to complain about things in restaurants, unless there's something seriously wrong with the way the dish was prepared, such as being grossly under- or overcooked. If the food is that bad, I just don't give them my business again.
I feel like my dad is getting progressively worse when it comes to his behavior in dealing with waitstaff in restaurants.
if you ask my mom, my dad has always been a pain (they are divorced). as I remember it, for a long time he had a thing about hot French fries. whenever he got fries, first thing he did was check the temperature and I feel like 25% of the time it went back. today, its really any item or every item on the plate. he typically tells the waitress its "ice cold" and sends it back. I think we are talking about 50% of the time, could be worse. I have learned to ignore it, its a pretty simple transaction and he doesn't make a big deal of it.
however, the other day he ordered "coffee" at the end of the meal. the waitress asked "regular or decaf" to which he responds (not in the nicest voice) "coffee." she asks again "regular or decaf" and he repeats "coffee." it was awkward and I had no idea what he meant and neither did the waitress. but she said "okay so im getting a regular coffee" and he said yes. then he went on a rant about how he thinks that because he has gray hair that they assume he is old and wants decaf.
so im just wondering, do most people get more annoying as they get older? I said to him that I think eventually there will be places that ban him from coming in.
This is seriously one of my least favorite behaviors in the whole wide world.
I can understand why some people, as they get older, would get impatient with servers since they've been going to restaurants and stores forever, as has been mentioned here, and how hearing and vision deterioration can make you more nervous and/or impatient as you go out, like with my own mom.
But this ^^^ "coffee" thing is none of the above. It just sounds like jerky arrogance. There is NO excuse for bullsh*t like that, and he should have gotten a decaf spitter from her for sure.
Some people are just rude jerks who don't care about other people.
I have never sent anything back in my life, and don't plan on starting now.
As someone else said above - if the food is inferior, I will just make note and not go there again. I might write a negative review on Yelp too, but I would never cause a scene or be rude or surly to waitstaff.
It's just ill-mannered.
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