You misunderstood me. My expectations are almost always met. I said I expect any decent restaurant that advertises brunch, to have either a buffet or a very special brunch menu. They almost always do, and that's why I expect it. The rare occasion that they have neither, is the pet peeve, and I leave.:)

Had she smiled, I'd have said she did a nice job fielding it. Since she wasn't smiling, revealing that she was probably tired of it, I'd probably have said, "If management could be bothered to update their beer list with a 'premium or specialty beers category,' you wouldn't be asked that question by everyone.

I would agree about the lower "mental limit". I tend to not want to spend a lot on breakfast/brunch, I think more because I'm not a morning person, and I'm not going to enjoy the meal as much as I would in the evening.

I missed the opportunity. When arriving at the medical clinic for my colonoscopy last year, I told the receptionist that the sign directing me to the "rear entrance" was amusing. She said she'd heard that previously but still had the grace to smile. :)

Interesting discussion about brunch. In contrast to the reports here, the only thing I expect when I see a brunch menu is higher prices!

I can see both sides of #2. The other side is that a restaurant that doesn't include "normal" items can lose the business of a group when one person can't find anything to eat. Just as a seafood restaurant will include one non-seafood item for someone who is allergic, it makes good business sense for an "eclectic" restaurant to include one "safe" dish for the less-adventurous eater of the party.

My own pet peeve (which seems to get worse as I get older :D ) is restaurants that are so dark that I can't read the menu. I try to remember to bring a mini flash light when I go out, but sometimes I forget. (Come to think about it, that's age-related, too!)

Are you really serious that you don't know it's ALWAYS YOUR SERVER'S FAULT even if another server brings out the food, because your server could bring the condiments out ahead of time or if it's your server, they have a written order HOPEFULLY written down that they can compare the order to *BEFORE* leaving the kitchen.

When they bring out your food, they LEFT the kitchen without the ranch, like DUH, so if it's your server, even more their fault than if it's another server. If it's another server, it's still your server's fault as well as this other server's fault(if it's another server, unless the ticket is wrong of course, because that other server won't know if the ticket is wrong, will they?). The reasons why: Your server could have brought the condiments out ahead of time earning their own tip since that other server isn't getting part of the tip. If it's another server, they most likely didn't compare the ticket to the food. Thirdly, your server may have put in the order wrong, so if another server ran the food, you couldn't fault this other server in that case.

My point is, you can NEVER fault the kitchen staff, EVER, because they DO NOT LEAVE THE KITCHEN TO BRING YOU YOUR FOOD!! LIKE DUHHH!!! Think with some COMMON SENSE PLEASE!!

Are you that dumb, for real? I am not trying to be mean here, but even at your own house, if you leave a side of ranch in the kitchen and you go eat your food in another room, how can you blame anyone else, think about it?

I have the forgotten condiments issue A BILLION, TRILLION TIMES!! The best advice I can give to you that I have found that has helped most of the time, is to ask if your server could possibly bring it out ahead of time. MOST will comply to get a good tip. The ones that are lazy and forgetful won't.

I sometimes do and sometimes don't ask if my server could bring the condiments out ahead of time, because at times, it gets aggravating that I am sort of helping them out that really they should be earning their OWN tip.

I have had some servers at times OFFER to bring out the condiments ahead of time. Some said they didn't want to forget.

Usually if it's another server, you can bet most of the time, something is obviously wrong with the food such as missing condiments, missing side dishes, obviously wrong food, etc.

I want my server to ask me for permission first. I may switch up and have MANY of times, so has my husband. I don't want someone ordering for me. If my drink is low, don't bring me more, ASK ME if it's OK with ME to bring me more. If you don't want to be asked, may I suggest you tell your server that you would like refills automatically without being asked throughout your service. That way, you won't be asked each time.

No customer should have to tell their server don't order for them.

Do you realize how many times YOUR OWN server has DUH mistakes that you can see without touching anything that they bring to the table or another server as well when the order was put in correctly, but this other server just serve-n-ran that they didn't compare the ticket to the food?

MANY, MANY, MANY of times.

If your server can see nuts on the food and still serve it to you anyway, how can you fault the kitchen staff, huh? Especially, in a lot of restaurants, the servers make desserts or they make the side salads, NOT the kitchen staff. Even if they don't make the food at all, if you can clearly see it without touching or moving any food items when they took your order, it's their fault for CHOOSING to serve it to you obviously wrong.

I don't have much advice about this honestly, except you can lie that you are having some tests done in a few days that you can't eat nuts or you are allergic. I don't know any other way to make them get it right. I have never lied like that, but maybe I should consider it since my food comes out a lot with obvious, DUH mistakes.

Did you stiff her? I sure would have, because she tried to STEAL from you, so you should have done the same to her. It's only fair and morally right just as she had done onto you.

That's because she had ENTITLEMENT issues that she was ENTITLED to a tip and that's because she was TOO LAZY to get change from the bar, because apparently she didn't have much change on her.

You have to understand, most servers are LAZY in today's restaurants. Servers don't actually have a "REGISTER", just the computer to put orders in. They bring them a change bank of like $20 on them and they get change throughout the day from the bar and/or manager. Most don't want to get change, especially coins.

It's all about saving steps and entitlement. If the servers would just do their FULL JOB, this wouldn't be an issue.

My husband and I don't normally hardly ever pay with cash, so it's not an issue with us. Honestly, I don't care if I would be owed ONE penny, I want my penny and decide the tip accordingly. I want MY MONEY to decide the tip with. It's just the principle of it. I don't care about the penny, it's just a way of letting ME decide as it is SUPPOSED to be that the customer gets to decide the tip, NOT the server tipping themselves part of the money.

Ever since once we paid with (2) $20 gift certificates(this was in 2004), which the bill was $34.69, only received a $5 bill back, when we were truly owed $5.31, we stiffed the waiter for stealing and if we ever pay with cash or gift certificates again, we will make sure we get every penny to see if we have another thief on our hands to decide what the tip will be or not. Luckily, we don't pay with cash or gift certificates normally, nor since then, so we haven't had that issue since. It's not the 31 cents I wanted, it was that he STOLE and TIPPED himself, that was the issue. The issue was that he didn't let US decide what the tip will be.

You need to read Anthony Bourdain's first book, in it he explains that a lot of the "special" brunch offerings are clearing out the kitchen all that did not sell during the previous week's dinner service.
:p

Cute. Yes, at least she still smiled about it.
I'm not talking just about condiments, but things like tomatoes on sandwiches, all sorts of mistakes that yes, are caused by the kitchen. I don't know about you, but I'd really rather prefer that my server NOT go digging through my sandwich to check to make sure that the KITCHEN STAFF did not place tomatoes on the sandwich when assembling it. I'd really rather prefer that the server enter it into the computer, and/or tell the kitchen staff, but I DON'T want them pawing through my sandwich to be sure the kitchen staff prepared it correctly. Also, I don't want the server cutting into my steak to determine if it's cooked how I ordered it. I wouldn't think the server cooked my steak, I would think the kitchen handled that. So, how is it still the server's fault that my medium-rare steak was cooked to medium-well? Or, is the server just suppposed to cut into my steak to be sure the kitchen didn't overcook it?
Again, it's not just leaving the ranch in the kitchen. It's all sorts of things, like no tomatoes, no almonds, no onions, whatever. There are some restaurants that work on a "team" or "partner" system--they assign two servers to each section, and while each one is responsible for certain tables, the other is supposed to follow up if the first server is busy. So, in those cases, while they don't split tips, it is expected that they still provide decent service to those other tables in their section. Therefore, yes, I expect them to check the ticket.
So, the kitchen staff is NEVER at fault?!? Really? Must be great to have a job with no responsibility. Thanks for calling me dumb! I really needed to be insulted today. If you weren't trying to be mean, I'd hate to see what you must say when you are trying to be mean.
Why don't you just suggest to me how to properly conduct myself when dining out, since apparently, I've just been doing everything wrong! I've been blaming the kitchen for things that seem to be obviously their mistake, I'm expecting my server to provide refills of soft drinks or water without being asked, I mean, next you'll be telling me that expecting to have food prepared without nuts is a pipe dream.
I am deathly allergic to nuts. Often, you can't see them until you start eating, or until I start mixing the dressing into the salad. Or, they're covered by ice cream/whipped cream/topping on a dessert, and I don't notice it until "crunch" I eat one. Again, I guess the kitchen staff is completely without blame in any orders ever being incorrect? There are restaurants where the kitchen is responsible for preparing desserts or salads, and there are hot dishes out there that use almonds or other nuts as toppings. I guess there, the servers cook and prepare the hot dishes and the kitchen staff just stands there, completely free of any and all blame for any mistakes?

I don't even need to read the book. I did service work in restaurant kitchens in another life. I have seen many things. I try to not think about it or I would never eat out.

We're going to let our food cool for awhile.

cblaisd
Moderator, Dining Buzz

Alright. Food is cool. Good-natured and civil discussion welcome :)

cblaisd
Moderator, Dining Buzz

Servers who without asking, top off my coffee. Thus destroying my perfect balance of cream and coffee.

Bartenders who insist on shaking hands and introducing themselves.

Restaurants that have the "selected item of the day" instead of the "special of the day". It's an item on the menu, at the listed price.

Having to butter my own toast, with frozen butter no less.