This is NOT about a lack of respect for the working class. You are not a bad guy for being respectful to any other person. You are also not a bad guy for wanting fair value for your money.
On the contrary, this is about a lack of respect for the customer. If the kitchen screws up my meal, I expect them to make it right. If the server is late delivering my food and it's cold, my finding that not acceptable is not a sign of disrespect for the server.
When you go into a restaurant, there is an implied contract. The restaurant agrees to deliver a well prepared meal made with wholesome ingredients in a timely manner, etc. In return, I agree to give them my money. The server, acting as an employee of the restaurant, is there to enhance, not degrade that exchange.
Showing my displeasure with poor service by modifying my tip is the only way of meaningfully expressing my displeasure.
And I am not arguing with that, I feel the same way. But I am saying there is a difference between asking to get what you paid for, and demanding something unreasonable. Some of the posts I have read imply they expect something unreasonable, I am not saying you are, and I don't think you are.
Taking your surgery example. We both expect to get what we paid for, for the implied contract to be fulfilled. In this case, for the surgeon to do it right. I think I would be pretty ticked off if he had messed it up cause he was more worried about his golf game. Well actually I probably wouldn't be around to be ticked off, so I guess DW would be for me.
But is it also reasonable and part of the implied contract to assume that when you wake up you will be assigned your own personal nurse? That said nurse will be there 24hrs a day until you are released? That she will sleep on a cot in your room and avail herself to you at all times, interrupting her sleeping, her eating, her doing anything to immediately take care of you?
Or reasonable to call the surgeon in and chew him out for a good 1/2 hour because the scar left by his incision was not perfectly straight?
I don't think so, but yes I do expect them to answer the call button in a timely manner, and I do expect the incision to be closed.
See, there is a difference. I think you see a difference too, and I think you are a reasonable person, but I also think some posters wouldn't see a difference, and would wonder what in the world I was talking about.
I have seen a lot of this else where as well. I have known several bar owners and restaurant owners over the years.
I have seen cases where they turned people away because too many employees called in sick, and even though they explained exactly why they couldn't wait on the person, that person still went around town claiming they were turned away for no good reason and insulted by being denied service and never came back. They also got others to go along with them and drop their patronage.
But when they seat and serve people even though they are short handed, they get complaints but the customers still come back. As a restaurant owner, which course of action would you choose?
I think it is great that you, while upset, would still at least understand and be OK with it. But you are in the minority, according to my and their personal experiences, and they can't bet on the minority. They have to go with the majority, and some opinions I have read indicate that while they would reduce the tip on the waitress for being too busy to properly care for them, they wouldn't necessarily stop going unless of course it happened every time they went.
And while it would be great if the waitress could just tell you she these reasons and save her tip, the tip just isn't worth her job and so she takes the heat and loss all to put food on the table for her family. Because if she does tell you, and you take it up with the management as that is the appropriate action, the management will of course know how you found out and she will soon be looking for a new job.
That I have seen first hand as well.
And
that is what I wanted people to see and understand...
And Ramsay's restaurant better have both good food and good service.
