My tick off's this week

Japanese restaurant in Sydney area:

- Restaurant was hot as hell... AC wasn't turned on.
- Ordered my items to find out that one item they were out of (well, she waited 10 mins into my order being placed to tell me this)
- Drinks showed up 15 mins after ordering
- Asked to sit outside, was told "I need to pay now then"... I told her "What is the difference in paying now to eat outside???" I refused, she backed down
- The young lady was seating people and the only one taking orders (lunch time). There were 7 tables full at the time. She was really hap-hazard in serving people and seating them,
- Food was good, however the Miso soup was cold. Didn't complain, didn't touch it. She didn't even ask if it was OK.
- Paid up and left with no tip... This was a NEW restaurant

Bottom line is... If you provide service like this to customers, all you get is a bad rep... forget anyone actually recommending your establishment.

Cell phones

Chatty waitstaff that sit down or kneel at the table when they talk to you. I don't want you to take a break to be my friend, I want you to have sufficient engergy to go get my food.

Crappy Service! When we were young marrieds, went to Bookbinders at Philadelphia. Appetizers and entree arrived late and at the same time! Figured we were getting crappy treatment 'cause we were obviously young and poor!

Went back later as a guest of the VP for Engineering. Man with the big-deal "presence." Suits, bay window, imperious manner. Still got crappy service!

Dirty bathrooms and/or bathrooms missing soap, functional faucets, towels with which to dry hands.

wobbly tables.
waiting for an hour, even when I have a reservation
tables jammed too close together

People that blow their nose during dinner. Please, get up and go to the bathroom for that. I just hate it and it grosses me out.

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I thought I was the only one. I am amazed that so many of the above post discussed unfriendly management and other things I consider trivial. When there always seems to be some guy gurgling human mucas so loud that it can be heard from all over the restraunt into a dirty rag. I always end my meal at that point and I'm considering setting my plate on his table in the future since I don't want it anymore.

Glass-topped tables. It's really not the table that bothers me (unless the glass is chipped on the edges), but the window cleaner they feel compelled to use the clean the table. Nothing like a good hearty whiff of ammonia to accompany a mouthful of food!

1. Screaming babies or ill-behaved children running around, or spitting or drooling food in the case of toddlers. This is especially annoying when you go to a high-priced restaurant for a special occasion (like Valentine's Day) and some well-off but still reproductive age parents think it's just fine to have brought along their young offspring, of whom I am sure they are very proud and from whom they are obviously inseparable. I expect this at McDonalds or Denny's, but not at higher-priced places.

2. Dirty bathrooms, or bathrooms missing locks on the doors, missing soap, missing paper towels or other towels.

3. Seeing some of the disgusting things the low-level kitchen staff in the back are doing when they think you are not looking (like dropping food on the floor, picking it up, and putting it back on the plates)

4. Tables so close together in an expensive restaurant you get to listen to incredibly boring "and then he said" , "and then she said" type stories about trivial things discussed by the apparently overindulged socialites sitting next to you.

5. Lights down so low you can't easily read the menu

6. Waiting 45 minutes or more for your table even though you had a reservation (especially when there's no room at the bar)

7. The din of too-loud restaurants (especially popular in San Francisco) where you need to yell at your dining mate to hear anything

I have to agree with Sweet Willie on these points. My biggest irritation is when my water glass is empty. Chewing on ice cubes should be the first and last indicator that I WANT MY WATER REFILLED.

When this happens to me I am polite only once. If it happens again, I loudly call for the waitstaff to bring some more water. Something like "Can we get some service over here" usually brings water faster than a native rain dance. I don't worry about politeness after I've been ignored. If they are too busy to serve their customers, they should hire more staff or have fewer tables.
Edited to add: That said, if the wait staff is very busy and still makes an effort to serve each customer well, they deserve a BIG tip!

[This message has been edited by HigherFlyer (edited Dec 04, 2003).]

When you complain about one dish, undercooked for example, which neccessitates it being removed to the kitchen. I hate it if the waiter/waitress leaves the other diner(s) with the choice of either eating theirs or letting them go cold whilst waiting for the dish to be replaced.
The correct thing is to remove all dishes for the offending course and return fresh dishes when the compaint is dealt with. Atfer all if you are with company you go out to a restaurant to dine together, not to eat separately.

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Bazz
Still Flying

[This message has been edited by Bazz (edited Dec 06, 2003).]