Dining Pet Peeves

[sparrowgrass]

Slicer, I am with you. I ate out last night at a very casual Chinese buffet. First, a girl old enough to know better (12?) was walking backwards, talking to someone at a table and almost dumped my plate all over me.

Then, there was a couple with a baby that they obviously thought was adorable. And it was adorable, except it began making these amazingly loud, high pitched squeally noises, WHICH THE PARENTS ENCOURAGED!

 

[FryBoy]

Add Slicer's complaint about uncontrolled kids to my list!

Also these:

Dirty restrooms!

Waiters who don't hurry back when you pay with cash and there's way more change than a decent (15 to 20%) tip.

Waiters who bring the check and never return for the credit card.

Waiters who bring the credit card thingy back to the table, but don't provide a pen.

Butter in foil wrappers (a lobbyist friend of mine once tried to get a bill through the California legislature outlawing this obscene practice).

Places that pour balsamic vinegar in the olive oil! I don't want no stinking vinegar on my bread!

Places that stick the over-chilled Chardonnay in an ice bucket.

Places that don't supply an ice bucket for the white wine.

Waiters who can't remove the cork from the wine bottle.

Perfume!!!!!!!!!!!!

Waiters who push yesterday's fish as "today's special."

Having to ask for the pepper grinder.

Having to ask for the Parmesan.

Stale bread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Owner's who wander by and ask "how's everything," then don't wait for an answer.

People who b*itch about everything!

 

[Robo410]

I can certainly say ditto to any of those listed above. However, I expect a different quality of food when going 4star than when I go to the diner. But what I expect anywhere I go to eat and often don't find is a waitperson who knows what the establishment is serving. I don't care if it is Le FrouFrou Chien or Crackerbarrell...know the difference in clam chowder types and know what you are serving TODAY! Know the difference between loin and tenderloin and don't get them mixed up!

Eating at a non-descript waterside place in small town mid-state California, the waitstaffer told us of the specials of the day, When I ordered off the regular menu, she kindly but firmly repeated, "the FRESH special is Pacific Oysters." When I inquired of the selection I had made she once again insisted, "Sir the FRESH selection today is the oysters." I had the oysters, They were spectacular. I don't know if the rest of the menu came from the freezer or the garbage scow, but I was directed by a knowing waitstaffer to wonderful fresh local seafood.

 

[BigDog]

Mrs. Big Dog and I don't dine out much, and when we do, we don't tend to frequent "finer" dining establishments. Our "fine dining out" is Olive Garden or similar, usually.

As for pet peeves, pretty much all that has been mentioned here. I can't think of anything else. My biggest are the closeness of courses, or on the other hand the length of time waiting between courses, and waiting for refills. There have been a few times I have actually gone myself to the server station to fill my water. I understand servers are busy, but if they can't stand the heat, get out of the dining room. Having been a server myself at a family restaurant, perhaps I critique a bit more heavily then others. I recall the best tip I got came after I decided to dump the pitcher of ice water (by accident of course) on one of the guests. Prior to apologizing (and providing napkins/towels), I said that the bath was on the house. I figured I blew the tip, and just assumed I wasn't getting one. Percentagewise, it was the largest tip I got.

Of course, the grand daddy of them all is improperly cooked food. I've been lucky and not really had this problem, but I recall the one time I did, the server impressed me. I ordered a NY Strip medium to medium well, and it came out well crusted but once I cut in to it, it was moo-ing at me. I didn't even have to point it out to the server, that's how bad it was. The server asked if I wanted to talk to a manager, and I said yes. She cleared my plate, brought it to the kitchen, and hollered out "Who the h*ll is responsible for this? I kinda laughed until the manager came and offered to take a buck or two off the bill. I ate the veggie and pilaf of a $12 some dollar plate, and it still cost me $10 bucks?!?!? While swearing I'd never eat there again, I said whatever. I then went to pay for the bill and the server rang me out. She asked what the manager said and I told her. She was appalled, and took another $5 or off. I got a total of $8 off the bill, which joined the server's tip for the efforts.

Another thing that drives me insane is multiple servers. I understand for large parties, but for a small party? TGI Friday's always seems to do this. Between drinks, appetizer, main course, and primary server, you often see 4 different people. Who the heck gets the tip? That really p*sses me off.

 

[FryBoy]

Our "fine dining out" is Olive Garden or similar, usually.

I shall light a candle for you.

Maybe two.

 

[Robo410]

sparrowgrass, you live in the St Louis Arch?

 

[Andy M.]

...Service that's too friendly ("Hi! I'm Twit, and I'll be your server tonight! How's the wife and kids? How 'bout them Dodgers?").

...Service that promptly removes the dishes from each diner as they finish rather than awaiting until everyone is done (makes the slow eaters feel rushed, embarrasses the fast eaters)...

SO and I were treated to dinner at one of the most elegant and expensive restaurats in Boston Saturday night. If you know the area, it's the Oak Room in the Copy Plaza hotel.

The service was in the overly friendly cagtegory. A 16 year-old boy was part of our party and the waiter spent the evening teasing the kid in a good natured way. At first it was fun but became tiresome after a while. He got a free dessert out of it so I guess that's OK.

What really bothered me was that someone swooped in and cleared each diner's plate as they finished.

On a positive note, the hostess replaced the white cloth napkins with black cloth napkins for those in the party who were wearing dark clothing.

Dinner was good but not great.

 

[FryBoy]

I thought of a couple of others that irk the h*ll out of me, most related to daily specials:

Waiters who don't tell you the specials.

Waiters who tell you the specials but with such a heavy accent that you have no idea what they're saying.

Waiters who tell you the specials in Italian, or Greek, or German, or Chinese, without translating into English, as if you should speak the language.

Waiters who tell you the specials, but then 20 minutes later you overhear another waiter telling another table about the specials, and he lists half a dozen that your waiter never mentioned.

Waiters who tell you about the specials but never mention the prices, and when the check comes, you learn that what's special about the halibut is that is costs more than the lobster.

Specials written on a blackboard in a strange script that requires a Rosetta stone to decipher.

Specials written on a blackboard that's 50 feet away and perpendicular to your table.

Specials inserted in my menu that differ from those inserted in my wife's menu.

Dirty tablecloths. Yuck!

Dirty silverware. Double yuck!

Dirty menus. BLEH!

At least if you go out to dinner with me, you have the joy of endless kvetching!

 

[pdswife]

lol...next time we should just let Fryboy write the list for us.

I think you came up with everything FB.

 

[licia]

We seem to have a knack for attracting noisy children or even grownups nearby. If I hear them as we are being seated, we ask for another area, but sometimes they come in afterward and really ruin what could be a nice time. Another thing that really gets me is if the waiter or waitress talks only to dh as though I weren't there (playing for a larger tip, I think) I try not to think about that if I'm doing the paying, but it does strike a nerve.

 

[DaCook]

This has infuriated me for ever. I believe it's because they want to get you in and out quickly and turn the table over for another paying customer.

I have gotten into the habit of not ordering the whole meal at once. We'll order drinks and when they come, we order apps. Later on we order the entrées. It's the only way I can be sure of controlling the tempo of the meal. I don't always do this as sometimes we skip apps or are OK with a quicker meal.

for us in the kitchen it never fails to amaze me that the server (usually the bar server) doesn't pick up the appies until they are almost cold, and the main is almost ready... Now THAT ticks me off.

 

[licia]

One thing that really helps us get served right away (if the waiter is male) is to have our grandaughter with us. She is 25 and a real looker. We get served before others usually, our needs are taken care of and when we went to Olive Garden they gave us a huge pile of chocolate mints, not the 2 apiece the girls usually give. That isn't right, but we didn't complain.

 

[Chopstix]

When the waiter returns after a long time, only to tell me they've run out of my order, especially if it's my main course. They should know what dishes are running low and should forewarn the customer and get back to the customer immediately before taking the order. Grrrr.

 

[sparrowgrass]

sparrowgrass, you live in the St Louis Arch?

Don't be silly, Robo. The Arch isn't even close to being the highest point in MO.

I am in Iron County. About 5 miles south and west of me is Taum Sauk Mountain, all 1772 feet of it.

The top of the arch is about 1100 feet above sea level.

 

[Andy M.]

for us in the kitchen it never fails to amaze me that the server (usually the bar server) doesn't pick up the appies until they are almost cold, and the main is almost ready... Now THAT ticks me off.

I hear you. That makes the kitchen look bad when it's not your doing.

 

[FryBoy]

Thought of a couple more during the night (I'm a bitter old man):

Waiters who obsessively pour the wine every time they walk by the table -- it's really a ploy to get you to drink it all before the meal is over so you'll order more. Plus my wife gets ticked off because I get more than she does because I eat and drink too fast.

Red wine that is warm.

Waiters who don't know what the soup of the day is.

Hot soup that isn't hot.

Iced butter that can't be spread until dessert arrives.

Food that arrives in shifts -- first mine, then my wife's 5 minutes later, especially if there's no apology or explanation from the waiter.

Tables or chairs that wobble.

Booths that are uncomfortably close to the table (I'm 6 feet, 210 pounds).

Booths that are too far away from the table, forcing you to choose between sitting on the edge of the seat or dropping food on your lap.

Tiny tables for two that are crowded with salt, pepper, sugar, fake sugar, flowers, wine glasses, water glasses, etc., leaving no room for the breadbasket once the food arrives.

Cockroaches on the floor, wall, or table; bugs in the food (my wife once found a gnat in her salad, sent it back, and got a new salad with -- that's right -- a new gnat).

Noticing the "Grade B" sign in the window as we leave, or worse, a "Grade C" (the county health department here rates restaurants on cleanliness).

People who are rude to the wait staff -- my wife's uncle, a very wealthy jackass of a man, delighted in abusing waiters, not just teasing them, but being downright mean to them for the pure fun of it.

Based on this thread, I'm thinking of starting a consulting business called "What's Wrong With This Dump."

 

[expatgirl]

If you were to ask my mother-in-law it was the time she was in a small, quaint hilltop restaurant in a small quaint country (which will go unmentioned) and a flock of 3 chickens came galloping out from under the kitchen's swinging door followed by a knife wielding chef. She lost all appetite.

 

[expatgirl]

We seem to have a knack for attracting noisy children or even grownups nearby. If I hear them as we are being seated, we ask for another area, but sometimes they come in afterward and really ruin what could be a nice time. Another thing that really gets me is if the waiter or waitress talks only to dh as though I weren't there (playing for a larger tip, I think) I try not to think about that if I'm doing the paying, but it does strike a nerve.

I totally agree with you, Licia,

Nothing amazes me more than parents who bring young children to a restaurant and have nothing to entertain them with. I had 2 active children when they were young (my son was ADD) and we never went to anywhere without having boatloads of stuff for them to do. If they did act up (which was rarely) out the door they went---we were too conscious of the people around us spending money to enjoy their evenings out to have it ruined by our children.

 

[college_cook]

I hate when they kitchen gets too sloppy to properly trim their meats of fat... or when I pay for a good steak, and 40% of it is fat... and then they try to tell me it is well marbled! I don't ever really order steak when I'm out anymore.

One other thing too, I like my silverware to be flawlessly shiny. I know they are only water spots, but they don't look nice...

 

[Dina]

Overcooked food and oversalted is my biggest pet peeve.