Consolidated "Restaurant Pet Peeves" thread
Feb 21, 2011 | 3:05 pm
#211
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: ORD
Programs: AA Plat / HH Diamond
Posts: 192
That's what the cream on the table is for, rebalancing
Feb 24, 2011 | 3:46 am
#212
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 11,968
+1 Frozen butter
Not having the wine bucket placed by me and allowing me to pour my own wine. Why is it that the moment I touch the wine bottle it's grabbed out of my hand? I also love pouring my wife's wine ... and so does she. And with cold white wine ... I like to pour a little at a time so it's alkways very cold. They come along and pour a great big slug in .... and it get's warm. And then by way of punishment it's moved away into a corner. So I get up and walk over to it and retrieve it ......
Cold plates.
Not having the wine bucket placed by me and allowing me to pour my own wine. Why is it that the moment I touch the wine bottle it's grabbed out of my hand? I also love pouring my wife's wine ... and so does she. And with cold white wine ... I like to pour a little at a time so it's alkways very cold. They come along and pour a great big slug in .... and it get's warm. And then by way of punishment it's moved away into a corner. So I get up and walk over to it and retrieve it ......
Cold plates.
Feb 24, 2011 | 4:37 pm
#213
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA PLT, AA 1MM, Marriott GLD
Posts: 473
In Kauai last summer at Brick Oven Pizza, the server brought extra lemons when she refilled my tea, without my even asking. She got a great tip.
Feb 24, 2011 | 11:53 pm
#214
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: deep within the Eskimo lair
Programs: TubWorld, Bar Alliance, Borratxo Legendarium
Posts: 16,970
I dislike the top off of iced tea, since it messes up my perfectly lemoned (is that a verb?) drink. Lemons aren't generally available the way cream and sugar are on the table.
In Kauai last summer at Brick Oven Pizza, the server brought extra lemons when she refilled my tea, without my even asking. She got a great tip.
In Kauai last summer at Brick Oven Pizza, the server brought extra lemons when she refilled my tea, without my even asking. She got a great tip.
Feb 25, 2011 | 12:40 am
#215
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Western Mass
Programs: AA, HH, Hyatt Gold, Marriott Platinum, UA, DL, US
Posts: 424
+ another one on frozen butter, especially when the bill will surely reach over $150.
As for other pet peeves:
When I mention that I hope my cocktail never get's empty before a new one is brought to the table, I really mean it. Especially when I help out by asking for a refill 5 minutes in advance of the inevitable.
Asking in advance to be seated in a quiet corner and then being seated, upon arrival, next to the front door or the door to the kitchen/waitstaff galley. (If this goes unchecked we leave)
After telling the server that we are in no rush whatsoever (again, $150+ evening) having the bread, app, salad and soup all arrive within 3 minutes of each other.
As mentioned above, ordering a $32 fillet mignon and then having to order a $7 potato and $11 worth of asparagus to round out the meal.
Stop putting fruit in my Bourbon!
Servers pretending to 'Totally understand' what Celiac Disease is only to bring out that Ceaser Salad full of croutons.
OK, I'm done.
As for other pet peeves:
When I mention that I hope my cocktail never get's empty before a new one is brought to the table, I really mean it. Especially when I help out by asking for a refill 5 minutes in advance of the inevitable.
Asking in advance to be seated in a quiet corner and then being seated, upon arrival, next to the front door or the door to the kitchen/waitstaff galley. (If this goes unchecked we leave)
After telling the server that we are in no rush whatsoever (again, $150+ evening) having the bread, app, salad and soup all arrive within 3 minutes of each other.
As mentioned above, ordering a $32 fillet mignon and then having to order a $7 potato and $11 worth of asparagus to round out the meal.
Stop putting fruit in my Bourbon!
Servers pretending to 'Totally understand' what Celiac Disease is only to bring out that Ceaser Salad full of croutons.
OK, I'm done.
Feb 25, 2011 | 1:25 am
#217
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: IAD, and sometimes OMNI/PR. Currently: not far from IAD, but home will always be SAN (not far from the "touch my junk and I'll have you arrested" Memorial TSA Check Point) even if I'm not there so much these days.
Programs: UA, CO, Calcifer Award for Mad Haiku Skillz
Posts: 5,076
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.
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.
Feb 25, 2011 | 7:41 am
#218
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Times Square
Programs: SPG Gold, AAdvantage
Posts: 1,397
We had a combo of the wine issues discussed earlier happen to us on Saturday.
We were at an NYC steakhouse and although my husband ordered a hunk of meat, I felt like eating seafood + pasta so I picked out a New Zealand white wine. The waiter comes back and tells me that he has to substitute the wine. I've never had that happen to me so I let it go, but now after reading this thread, I should've been more careful and just ordered something else. Then when the wine does come, he pours us our glasses and disappears with the bottle to store it elsewhere. We've ordered white wine in NYC in cramped restaurants before and never had this happen either. Even if they can't keep the bucket right next to us, they usually keep it somewhere visible. A small part of me felt like he was going to stiff me and not pour us the entire bottle. Why the need to hide it? I wanted to (politely) raise a fuss about the disappearance of the bottle but I already knew what his canned answer would be - "We have no room" seeing as we were elbow to elbow with the couples next to us. I should've just ordered red. Those who ordered red had their bottles left on the tables, allowing them to drink and pour as they please.
We were at an NYC steakhouse and although my husband ordered a hunk of meat, I felt like eating seafood + pasta so I picked out a New Zealand white wine. The waiter comes back and tells me that he has to substitute the wine. I've never had that happen to me so I let it go, but now after reading this thread, I should've been more careful and just ordered something else. Then when the wine does come, he pours us our glasses and disappears with the bottle to store it elsewhere. We've ordered white wine in NYC in cramped restaurants before and never had this happen either. Even if they can't keep the bucket right next to us, they usually keep it somewhere visible. A small part of me felt like he was going to stiff me and not pour us the entire bottle. Why the need to hide it? I wanted to (politely) raise a fuss about the disappearance of the bottle but I already knew what his canned answer would be - "We have no room" seeing as we were elbow to elbow with the couples next to us. I should've just ordered red. Those who ordered red had their bottles left on the tables, allowing them to drink and pour as they please.
Feb 25, 2011 | 8:48 am
#219
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: SEA/YVR/BLI
Programs: UA "Lifetime" Gold, AS Titanium, OW Emerald, HH Lifetime Diamond, IC Plat, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 9,583
Just yesterday we took a daughter out to lunch in British Columbia at an "upscale" restaurant near her house. Our daughter ordered a spaghetti Bolognese. She noticed immediately that it contained little pieces of... pork? Mrs. Fredd tasted it and found it reminiscent of corned beef.
Our daughter, to her credit, told the waitress, who checked with the chef. Oh, that's pancetta.
Okay, Mrs. Fredd knows what a good pancetta tastes like, and this wasn't of that quality. More important, while our daughter just dislikes the taste of pork, what if she held religious or other convictions that forbade her from eating it?
Still, she picked around it while I avoided the canned gravy that had been advertised as au jus accompanying my beef dip sandwich, we paid up, and left, vowing silently never to return but otherwise not complaining. I respect that others would be more assertive in such a situation but my general attitude is that I won't let it spoil my mood or my day unless it's truly terrible or the bill has been padded.
Obviously YMMV.
Feb 25, 2011 | 10:59 am
#220
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Join Date: Jan 2004
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we paid up, and left, vowing silently never to return but otherwise not complaining. I respect that others would be more assertive in such a situation but my general attitude is that I won't let it spoil my mood or my day unless it's truly terrible or the bill has been padded.
Obviously YMMV.
Obviously YMMV.
Feb 25, 2011 | 11:13 am
#221
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,595
I empathize. ^ There's a larger issue connected to that IMO. At what point does one ruin the mood of what you hope to be a pleasant dining experience by raising a fuss? That's been our dilemma more than once. Generally, unless there's something truly awful we keep our mouths shut and leave.
Just yesterday we took a daughter out to lunch in British Columbia at an "upscale" restaurant near her house. Our daughter ordered a spaghetti Bolognese. She noticed immediately that it contained little pieces of... pork? Mrs. Fredd tasted it and found it reminiscent of corned beef.
Our daughter, to her credit, told the waitress, who checked with the chef. Oh, that's pancetta.
Okay, Mrs. Fredd knows what a good pancetta tastes like, and this wasn't of that quality. More important, while our daughter just dislikes the taste of pork, what if she held religious or other convictions that forbade her from eating it?
Still, she picked around it while I avoided the canned gravy that had been advertised as au jus accompanying my beef dip sandwich, we paid up, and left, vowing silently never to return but otherwise not complaining. I respect that others would be more assertive in such a situation but my general attitude is that I won't let it spoil my mood or my day unless it's truly terrible or the bill has been padded.
Obviously YMMV.
Just yesterday we took a daughter out to lunch in British Columbia at an "upscale" restaurant near her house. Our daughter ordered a spaghetti Bolognese. She noticed immediately that it contained little pieces of... pork? Mrs. Fredd tasted it and found it reminiscent of corned beef.
Our daughter, to her credit, told the waitress, who checked with the chef. Oh, that's pancetta.
Okay, Mrs. Fredd knows what a good pancetta tastes like, and this wasn't of that quality. More important, while our daughter just dislikes the taste of pork, what if she held religious or other convictions that forbade her from eating it?
Still, she picked around it while I avoided the canned gravy that had been advertised as au jus accompanying my beef dip sandwich, we paid up, and left, vowing silently never to return but otherwise not complaining. I respect that others would be more assertive in such a situation but my general attitude is that I won't let it spoil my mood or my day unless it's truly terrible or the bill has been padded.
Obviously YMMV.
A good restaurant should perhaps have offered to make a substitution, even tho it was the diner's error.
Feb 25, 2011 | 11:19 am
#222
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: SEA/YVR/BLI
Programs: UA "Lifetime" Gold, AS Titanium, OW Emerald, HH Lifetime Diamond, IC Plat, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 9,583
A normal bolognese sauce does contain pancetta - although people often substitute bacon instead, and I think most people who don't eat pork for relgious reasons would know that, or at least, if they weren't sure, check with the restaurant. The pancetta adds flavour, and whilst it doesn't originate from Italy, it appears that Bologna's Chamber of Commerce registered the recipe back in the early 80s...
Just don't dare disillusion me by pointing out that the canned gravy I mentioned is the authentic au jus.
Feb 25, 2011 | 11:31 am
#223
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Programs: AA, UA, WN, HH, Marriott
Posts: 7,293
Adding hot spices without specifying on the menu. Neither my wife or I like, or can tolerate, hot dishes and avoid them when possible. It should not be necessary to have to ask about every item whether it is "hot".
Feb 25, 2011 | 11:39 am
#224
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Either at the shooting range or anywhere good beer can be found...
Posts: 52,790
I sympathize. Mrs BamaVol would never say a word and is mortified when I do. I try to limit complaints to major faults and know that I'm restricted to no more than one complaint per meal, and certainly not every time it's merited. It was very frustrating to receive a slice of cake that was days past fresh when I had already sent back a bottle of wine for the first time in my life knowing I had already used my one complaint. It was as if the server knew.
Feb 25, 2011 | 11:49 am
#225
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Join Date: Feb 2010
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