poor service at restaurant

[Redribbon]

What do you do if you don't receive good quality table service when eating out?
We went to a place in another town not especially to eat but did as we were there.
My 2 older kids my toddler a d husband and I, asked for a table for 4 plus a high chair. First we were take to a Diddy little table in a corner, the table adjacent also had a child in high chair. It was too cramped and I could see the little the little ones chairs would be touching and in each others way, I declined the table and said we will wait for a better one. Few minutes later we were take to a table with 4 chairs , the stupid waiter out the high chair between 2 of the chairs on one side of the rectangle table. I got angry, wth! !! How could we eat with the high chair between two chairs our elbows would be touching the chair throughout the meal. I moved the high chair to the side, the waiter asked me to move it in so they can pass with food etc then I said how we supposed to eat . I didn't move it i changed it's angle to make room. The food came then ordered dessert, the stupid guy (different one ) dumped the dessert spoon on top of the cream next to my ice cream. There was a spoon rest on the serving plate so why gggrrrrr
I'm not going back there, these places once they are successful just see you as a £ and don't care where you sit how comfortable you are . Ok rant over how do you deal with such rubbish ness out?

 

[Trellum]

I don't tip them... tips are reserved for a good service and need to be deserved. If they don't offer a good service, then I don't tip them That sends a clear message! By the way, sorry to hear you had to stand such a bad service, fortunately I haven't had to put up with that... well, once I guess I kinda did. We went to eat seafood to a place we had been to before, the back of the chairs were made of metal, one of them was a bit pointy... long story short, that thing ripped my pants... LOL. Old jeans... the waitress laughed uncontrollably as if something really funny had just happened... all I could think was...''what a prick''.

 

[ACSAPA]

I've never had an experience that bad in a restaurant, but if I did, I would not tip. I would complain to the management and I would leave a bad review online on a site like Yelp.

 

[mommy42]

I've never had that experience either - and so sorry to hear you did! What a way to ruin dinner! I would have talked to management!! They probably would have comped your dinner or at least given you a hefty discount. That obviously doesn't help with how they made you feel - but they need to know too if their staff is rude.
I agree with reviewing it online! TripAdvisor also has a place to review restaurants. Oftentimes the staff - manager - will read them and respond personally.

 

[Tara]

I don't leave a tip when I have a bad experience at a restaurant. I was eating dinner with one of my closest friends. The waitress disappeared. We had to get assistance from a busboy. I didn't want to leave her a tip. My friend was nice and left her a tip. If I had been alone, she would have gotten nothing.

 

[Redribbon]

I would have talked to management but the guy who owns the place was there and guiding the waiters to seat diners but we have seen him before how he us....not bothered he was the one who probably directed the waiters to the stupid tables. I did leave a poor review on trip advisor and read others too. It's obvious this is not a family friendly place so we won't be giving them anymore business. ..shame as I liked their ice creams but there are other places to explore so bye bye rubbish diner !

 

[Dez97]

I normally just don't give them a tip if its the waiter or waitress. If its just horrible service from everyone and the restaurant in general then I complain to the manage, and I don't eat there anymore. My mom always likes to bring the law into it so she either write bad reviews or she makes a food compliant else where.

 

[Winterybella]

I've never had an experience that bad in a restaurant, but if I did, I would not tip. I would complain to the management and I would leave a bad review online on a site like Yelp.

You are one fortunate lady. You really don't want to get bad service. I think it affects the "taste" of the food. In a figurative way it leaves a "bad taste" in your mouth.

I experienced bad service in France more then 20 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday. We did have a communication problem as my french was very poor. In the end I was brought something looking like it was from "Bizarre Foods" and the waiter was so so so impolite. I paid for it and left without touching it. That was my biggest mistake really.

Sometimes I feel like I am the fairest person in the world but fast forward to 2014 and I would have said I didn't order it, apologize for the mistake and probably leave. All I am sure of is that I would not have paid and just left. There would have been some discussion in some language to let my feelings be known. I just HATE bad service.

 

[Redribbon]

Bad service doesn't generate business ever! Sometimes depending on the day of the week you eat out like on a busy Friday or Saturday night you kind of excuse them as they are busy and rushed off their feet.

Another restaurant I once went to, not a posh place but fairly decent. The table was not cleared or wiped from previous customers, I sat with my chair away from table and the table was cleared of plates but not wiped. After waiting a good 5/6 minutes I asked for it to be wiped the waiter said they would very soon. Another waiter started putting glasses cutlery and plates before it was wiped I told hm to stop as table was still dirty. Anyway long story short never went back their either. I'd rather eat at home where the table is clean !

 

[Dez97]

You are one fortunate lady. You really don't want to get bad service. I think it affects the "taste" of the food. In a figurative way it leaves a "bad taste" in your mouth.

I experienced bad service in France more then 20 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday. We did have a communication problem as my french was very poor. In the end I was brought something looking like it was from "Bizarre Foods" and the waiter was so so so impolite. I paid for it and left without touching it. That was my biggest mistake really.

Sometimes I feel like I am the fairest person in the world but fast forward to 2014 and I would have said I didn't order it, apologize for the mistake and probably leave. All I am sure of is that I would not have paid and just left. There would have been some discussion in some language to let my feelings be known. I just HATE bad service.

So true you are one very lucky woman. I have had too many times to count.

 

[Tina Nord]

If I have a horrible experience at a restaurant I will let the staff know about it and I will give the server a small tip. I do not get to ear out all that often and so I expect my experience to be a good one. For an entire family, the bill can be up at around $100 and I want the kind of service that makes that price worth it.

 

[Winterybella]

Bad service doesn't generate business ever! Sometimes depending on the day of the week you eat out like on a busy Friday or Saturday night you kind of excuse them as they are busy and rushed off their feet.

Another restaurant I once went to, not a posh place but fairly decent. The table was not cleared or wiped from previous customers, I sat with my chair away from table and the table was cleared of plates but not wiped. After waiting a good 5/6 minutes I asked for it to be wiped the waiter said they would very soon. Another waiter started putting glasses cutlery and plates before it was wiped I told hm to stop as table was still dirty. Anyway long story short never went back their either. I'd rather eat at home where the table is clean !

You get an amen to that. I am eating on a clean table at home and then I have to PAY for a dirty table when I got out? I am not having it. I can't say enough how turned off I am by bad service and it goes well beyond the kitchen.

 

[Mara]

I think if establishments paid a decent wage they would get staff who would work hard and care. I'm not excusing the poor service, but when you pay peanuts, you get peanuts. People can't be expected to live off tips, only in the cities can servers make a wage they can live off.

Generally if I get bad service it's in places where the staff and management don't care and they don't even care if you complain. You don't tip and you write a bad review. If I ask the service charge to be removed it usually indicates that I wasn't happy with the service and I will get asked why. I wouldn't cause a scene with company, as I tackle issues as and when they happen decide to leave as soon as possible and either say cancel the order or pay for what we have had and go abruptly.

 

[ally79]

Having been a waitress and a manager before I will still tip no matter how bad the service is. You just don't have anyway of knowing what is happening in the back of the house or anything like that. I still give a good tip, and maybe if nothing else it brightens the servers day just a little.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

We rarely experience bad services when we are eating in a restaurant. But when there are times we encounter things like that we are talking and complaining to the manager directly when we are going out of the place already. No need to argue which might be the start of misunderstandings. We just promise to ourselves that we will not return back and eat in that restaurant anymore.

 

[Winterybella]

We rarely experience bad services when we are eating in a restaurant. But when there are times we encounter things like that we are talking and complaining to the manager directly when we are going out of the place already. No need to argue which might be the start of misunderstandings. We just promise to ourselves that we will not return back and eat in that restaurant anymore.

Maybe that's the right approach. Sometimes I probably want to talk too much. Poor service just sets me off. It's only when there was a language barrier that "my tongue was tied and twisted". If ever I had to be in the food business, I suspect my service might be better than my food. I feel like the kind of service I would like to provide would compensate for any flaws in the cooking.

 

[Mara]

Maybe that's the right approach. Sometimes I probably want to talk too much. Poor service just sets me off. It's only when there was a language barrier that I "my tongue was tied and twisted". If ever I had to be in the food business, I suspect my service might be better than my food. I feel like the kind of service I would like to provide would compensate for any flaws in the cooking.

It really depends on who I am with, I usually don't complain and just vow not to go back, but if it's somewhere I have been before and the service is bad I will say something nicely.

I used to do many mystery visits for restaurants and you weren't allowed to complain and had to report it all back. One was so bad people were getting up and walking out and tables of strangers were bonding over how bad things were. One was in a hotel as well and people were offering things like their starters to other tables as they arrived at the same time as the desserts!

 

[Winterybella]

It really depends on who I am with, I usually don't complain and just vow not to go back, but if it's somewhere I have been before and the service is bad I will say something nicely.

I used to do many mystery visits for restaurants and you weren't allowed to complain and had to report it all back. One was so bad people were getting up and walking out and tables of strangers were bonding over how bad things were. One was in a hotel as well and people were offering things like their starters to other tables as they arrived at the same time as the desserts!

"Bonding over how bad things were" has the makings of movie. Isn't that something? I can just hear myself introducing my friends and family to my new friend I met while we were eating out at a bad restaurant. "The service was so poor we struck up a conversation and it turned out to be the best experience of evening". I am guessing some "good " can come out of "bad" service.

 

[PrideKidd]

If my expierience is slightly not to my standards I usually lower the amount of my tip. If I have to wait forever to get a refill, or napkins to even the check then the server is going to get less than expected.

If it is extremely horrible I ask to talk to the manager. I tell him or her I want them to make it right seeing as I am paying them, I expect to get what I am paying for. Most times I will get a refund or at least restaurant credit. I do not have to complain very often but when I do, I think they give me refunds or credit to shut me up. I am very skilled at complaining.

 

[Tina Nord]

I have found that you can layer laugh about poor experiences you have had while dining out. It is part of the restaurant experience. Some times you are going to have excellent experiences and other times your service will be horrible. I have found that too much customer service can also be a bad thing. I went to an upscale restaurant last year and the waiter was taking such good care of me that I could not enjoy the company I was with.