Top 11 Annoying Restaurant Trends
Annoying Restaurant Trends
We Could Do Without...
Hey, we're pretty easy customers to please. We don't get wacky with special order demands, and always tip pretty darned well. Still, we can't help wishing a few restaurants trends were permanently off the menu. Read on for our thoughts on daily specials, bottled water and the ubiquity of freshly ground black pepper.
Recitation of the Specials
Would it really be so hard to print it out or write it on a board? That way we'd actually remember if the beet 'n chive compote came with the lamb or the duck, and wouldn't have to feel like such a stingy nincompoop for asking the server to say the price out loud.
I'm Sorry, We Just Sold the Last One
Yet you taunted us with the five-minute description just now?
Bottled Water Up-selling
Putting aside the negative environmental impact of all that excess glass & plastic, are restaurateurs implying that the H20 they're using to cleanse the veggies and cook the pasta is some how sub-palatable, or are they just trying to dunk the customer? We'd rather splash our cash on desserts and apps than pour it out on something that should just flow freely from the tap.
Up-selling In General
While we're certainly sympathetic to waitstaff who, due to the untenable circumstance of sub-minimum wage base pay, rely on percentage-based tips, but really -- if we wanted to start with an appetizer, we would have ordered one.
Listing the Birthplace of Every Ingredient
"Organic Peruvian Tangelo Seared Aged Newark Wildebeest on a Bed of Wilted Gowanus Farms Pre-Natal Endive"
We're loco for locavorism and super-psyched for sustainable organic farming, but it doesn't taste any better just 'cause we know the name of our tenderloin's first cousin and where it went to summer camp.
The 'Tini Suffix
Flirtini. Chocotini. PB&Jtini. Just 'cause it's in the V-shaped glass does not a martini make it. Certainly we're huge fans of the mixological madmen shaking up Lavender Wonderbread Fizzes and Cranberry Clorox Collinses at our favorite gastro-boites, but if there's anything other than gin*, vermouth and an olive or a twist in the glass, it may be a drink, or even a cocktail, but it ain't a 'Tini. (We blame Sex and the City, but that's a whole 'nother story.)
*Vodka martinis are vodka martinis. A plain ol' martini is gin-based. Harrumph.
Would You Like Freshly Ground Black Pepper On That?
No. No we wouldn't. And you're scaring us with that Louisville Slugger of a spice grinder.
Trios & Duos
"Heirloom Pork Prepared Two Ways with a Roulette of Seasonal Carrots"
Is the chef hedging his bets? Did he or she run short of some critical ingredient and have to go halvsies? One of the bunch is bound to outshine the other, making you wish you'd gotten a stab at a full-sized portion of that instead.
Over-pouring
Attentive service is certainly something to be celebrated, but the slow 'n steady sippers among us are kinda getting corked when we're sharing a bottle of wine with someone who's quicker on the chug than us. If our servers would just give us a chance to catch up instead of topping off after every couple of sips, the whole party might stand a chance of staying sober through dessert.
Recent Comments
ellenjackb 03:55:23 PM Nov 05 2009
Waitresses and waiters don't like to be hit on, well neither do we. I have been out with my husband at a few restaurants and the waitresses wouldn't take their eyes off my husband and practically ignored me. One waitress kept touching him bending down like he was a little boy. My husband hated it. Is it because the waitress feels my husband is the one with the money? Let me tell you all this! When the woman's happy, the man's happy and that is where the big tip is.
dsaengr 02:01:01 AM Oct 18 2009
Coooooomon, the reason you are asking if we need change is because you want to keep the difference! How long does it take to look inside the book and see if there will be change coming! Look people, just take the money and bring back the change to the customer and let him decide if you desrve a tip or not!
robspanfl 12:26:35 AM Sep 23 2009
I live in Melbourne Fl. --- my wife and I ordered 2 dozen orsters at Red Lobster ---- well the waiter dropped them on the floor, about 10 feet from our table. 3 employees scrambled to pick up the mess. the waiter came over and said that they were already shucking more and that they would bring them right out,with no charge. well it was very obvious that they were the ones dropped on the floor---they had washed them (no orster juice) and they no longer clinged to the shell and he still charged me for them. I!m not going to argue, I just don!t go there anymore.
ifiwru 02:36:23 PM Sep 22 2009
Village Inn is really filthy. I frequented this establishment in the 80s and loved their pancakes. In the 90s,when I first married, my husband and I would go there every Sunday for breakfast. We enjoyed their breakfast. On one occasion, after we were seated, I noticed that the silverware had fingerprints embedded in what I believed to be grease/oil. I brought this to the attention to the waitress who immediately became defensive. After a while the food was served. My husband had ordered eggs with his breakfast. To my knowledge scrambled eggs are yellow. In the middle of his eggs was a spring-green colored mass. It had the texture of the eggs but we did not know what it was. We showed it to the waitress. She immediately notified the manager who approached our table and stated, "What is it now?" We showed him the eggs, with green mass and he stated that they were using a new dishwasher that used chlorophyll to clean dishes. So what was on my husband's plate was eggs that had been saturat
dpacechapman 01:41:26 PM Sep 22 2009
I noticed some comments about tipping. I grew-up in restaurants -- literally. My mother was one of the greatest waitresses I have ever known. Her philosophy is/was: Give good service, get good tip. If no tip, give better service. If no tip again, count your blessings and pray for their misfortune. Next time, when they have gain, perhaps they will remember you.
dpacechapman 01:40:26 PM Sep 22 2009
I noticed some comments about tipping. I grew-up in restaurants -- literally. My mother was one of the greatest waitresses I have ever known. Her philosophy is/was: Give good service, get good tip. If no tip, give better service. If no tip again, count your blessings and pray for their misfortune. Next time, when they have gain, perhaps they will remember you.
dpacechapman 01:30:01 PM Sep 22 2009
I live in Eureka CA. One day I went into Mickey-Dees. I ordered two regular hamburgers. As I was driving down the road ... on my way to Willow Creek ... I bit into the hamburger and pulled out a clump of hair. After further examination, I discovered that the clump of hair appeared to have been pulled out from a hair brush because not only was there hair, there was lint. FYI: there was no conflict at the time of the order; therefore, this was completely unexpected as some sort of vindictive prank. I have never been to a fast food since; I rarely attend a restaurant. I trust the cooking of my friends, family, and – of course – my own.
maurequ7 12:06:50 PM Sep 22 2009
Servers should be paid a living wage so they don't have to depend on tips to complete their wages. Restaurant owner gets all the money and the servers get dittly shit.What a rip off! The servers should get a portion of the total bill, say 25%. and the restaurant owner should get less. GO ON STRIKE!
ghstsktr691 11:05:51 AM Sep 22 2009
I used to work as a bus boy in a restaurant back home, bumped up to waiter a year later, and 2 years after became a sous chef there. During those years I learned a few things. First off, we always had regular and decaf, it's impossible not to tell the difference. In terms of fries, they were always fresh. However the deep fryer stories are true. We would make fries and calamari and fried spring rolls all in the same oil. If you were allergic to sea food stay away from the veggie spring rolls lol. The meat thing is not as common as you think. I do have to say though that we have kept slabs of meet for months on end, however they were in the walk in freezer for 2-3 months and were used up if they were getting close to their expiration date when we needed to make something well-well done ie: cremeated.
rpnels 09:32:53 PM Aug 16 2009
Being a food server, I realize the problems waiters/waitresses deal with on the job. When my group eats out, we do not like being ignored and wonder why all the servers are watching the game while our food gets cold. If you want us to stay and leave a big tip, ask us what we want to drink and bring it to the table. We will talk and wait for the food. My job there is no tipping. We get no respect and talked down to. Anyone being called by their first name is automatically looked upon as in a lesser class. Good Service Deserves Good Tips.
