by Janet Wilson
posted May 1, 2008
This isn’t regarding one specific restaurant, but has to do with our own pet peeve – timing. There are still restaurants that pride themselves in serving food at the appropriate time, as well as good customer service, but it seems that more and more are only interested in getting you in and out with no attention whatsoever.
In the last few months, I have taken notes regarding “common sense” items that can easily be corrected. All one has to do is pay attention. As I understand from an acquaintance well versed in the restaurant business, it’s an easy task to schedule appropriate delivery times.
Going to a restaurant and having everything served at once is NOT a good thing, especially after you have specifically asked that the courses be delivered one at a time, as they should be.
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, according to Dictionary.com, an Appetizer is described as “a small portion of a food or drink served before or at the beginning of a meal to stimulate the desire to eat.” To me that implies you get it before anything else, such as a salad or soup.
An example that comes immediately to mind is Red Lobster. Three times in a row, we received our appetizer and salad delivered on the very same tray! It’s really difficult to maneuver when you are at a small table for two. Those small tables are nice and cozy and are fine if you only have one thing in front of you. On one of the visits we weren’t even given the correct entree! The second time we mentioned spacing the items, but to no avail. The third time, we again mentioned it, but still they arrived as a “couple.” Our requests fell on deaf ears. Finally, on the fourth visit, a server was assigned to us that actually understood what we wanted. We told her we didn’t want everything at once, and she told us she knew exactly how we felt. Best server we’ve ever had there – worked out perfectly.
We really like the Prime Rib at Outback – or until recently. It seems they must have changed something because the last few we’ve gotten were like rubber, so last time we skipped it and ordered something else. However, the timing was a mess. We ordered the wings appetizer. Wayne ordered a salad, and I ordered soup as my entree.
It seemed we were never going to be served, so finally one of us stopped our server and asked about our food. She said, “Oh, I was waiting to bring it all out together”! When I asked why, she said, “that’s the way I thought you would want it.” Why? We ended up with a warm, wilted salad and cold soup.
A similar situation happened at Texas Roadhouse. About two bites into our Cactus Blossom, our entrees appeared! Not only that, instead of ordering a salad as my side, I decided on a cup of chili, but it NEVER arrived! When our server delivered our check, I asked if they could bring my chili in a to-go container.
At Flavors of Italy, our server even mentioned to us (without our asking) that she would space out our food. I’m not really sure what this might have meant since she arrived at our table with the appetizer in one hand and my soup in the other, then went back to get Wayne’s salad for immediate delivery. After she brought our entrees, she took Wayne’s glass for a refill and never returned. He finished the rest of his meal with no drink.
At Ruby Tuesday, we ordered spinach artichoke dip, salad bar and entree. Our server said to go ahead and get the salad because it would be a while on the dip. When we returned from the salad bar, the dip was on the table eagerly awaiting our arrival. It is really difficult to try to eat this much all at once – and we didn’t make it. We hadn’t even started on the dip when the entrees arrived.
Another thing about this is that they never apologize (other than Red Lobster). They usually laugh and say something like, “Well, you just got everything at once, didn’t you?”. Don’t they realize it’s actually their fault?
On our one and only visit to Ari’s Harbor Lights, EVERYTHING arrived at once. Our salad arrived with the appetizer, followed by the entrees in no more than a two-minute time span. Our server mumbled something about us not knowing where to start. I’ll start by not going back.
A couple of other items that I also wonder about – Does the person taking your order not listen, and where do they go?
On a recent visit for breakfast at Steak ‘n Shake, Wayne ordered a diet Coke but was served regular, so he sent it back. After delivering the correct one, she completely disappeared. Someone else brought our food, along with our bill. No one ever returned to our table.
I wanted to order hash browns, since I discovered they weren’t served with the breakfast I ordered, but didn’t get the opportunity. As we were getting up to leave, I glanced toward the back, and there was our server sitting at a table eating! I realize they have to eat, but if they are serving customers, that should be their first priority.
At City Cafe, I ordered grits with my breakfast but received home fries! I mentioned it to the server, who showed me the check where he had written grits. The mistake was made in the kitchen, but I feel the server should have looked to see if the order matched what was prepared.
We did call-ahead seating at Bonefish. Upon our arrival there were several empty tables and two booths that we could see, but we were given a pager and told it would be about twenty minutes. Twenty minutes later the beeper went off, and we were shown to one of the booths that had been sitting there empty the entire time. Why is that? Why couldn’t we have been seated when we arrived? Also, that other booth was still empty as well.
There is one place in the downtown area where, after numerous visits, we gave up. The last three times we specified to them, “Do not bring any courses together.” Each server advised they would comply. They did not.
The last time we even told the server, “Everyone says they will serve the courses one at a time, but so far none has and this is our last attempt.” Whaddaya think? We were served the salad, the entree, and then the appetizer (last), all within five minutes! We have not set foot in the place since and do not plan to. We’re paying and we should have the food we want, prepared the way we want and served in the order we want it.
And I won’t even get into someone showing up at my table with a pencil and paper to take my order but doesn’t have a clue as to what I am saying. They can’t even direct me to the restroom.
There – those are a few of our personal pet peeves. As I said in the beginning, there are many restaurants that cater to the customer because they know that is their business, but some just want to herd you in and out as fast and quick as possible. Those restaurants are the ones we frequent less and less.
READER PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK:
“My pet peeve is brown-tinged lettuce used in salads. I see this most often at salad bars. My latest experience was not only brown but slimy. When I inquired about fresh lettuce, I was informed that it had only been on the bar a short time. When I informed them that it was brown, I was told all their lettuce was like that. I would never serve lettuce like that at home and certainly not to guests. Unfortunately, I am beginning to see this more often, even at restaurants known for their salad bars.”
We appreciate any and all comments and look forward to receiving your restaurant pet peeves.
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