Are you an invisible diner?
By jackgym
@jackgym (274)
Australia
October 12, 2008 11:55pm CST
You and your partner grab a nice table at the restaurant and place your order. Your anticipation of a nice meal turns to bemusement, then frustration. After waiting 40 minutes you grab the waiter, "Excuse me, is our meal on it's way?" If this sounds familiar you're one of the dining forgotten, you're a transparent diner.
The problem is, you're unmemorable. You sit quietly, order politely, and wait patiently. But in today's dining environment this is not good enough. It's time to fight back. The secret is to make yourself memorable at the time of ordering.
WAITRESS: "May I take your order please?"
YOU: "Lovely. I'd like the (start barking) woof! woof! woof! woof! woof! risotto please". Now slap yourself across the face 3 times and start singing loudly, "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy, a Yanky Doodle Dandy all my life..."
WAITRESS: "Errr, OK, sir. And for you madam?"
YOUR PARTNER: "I think I'll have ...(make a fart noise with your hand under your armpit) the chicken breast" shouting "Geronimoooooooo!" and tip a glass of water over you head and yell, "Anyone got any shampoo?".
You can enlarge on this script as you expand your repertoire. Oh, I can hear your excuses: "But we'll be embarrassed", or "but I'm a Supreme Court Judge." Well, snap out of it. Cry-babies go to bed without dinner.
Let's hear your dining experiences, and would you behave in this manner, or worse?
2 responses
@wiccania (3360)
• United States
13 Oct 08
Well, I must say I've never gone that far to be remembered by the server. My habit used to be that whenever I went to a restaurant and the server said "hi my name is ______, and I'll be your server today." I'd hold out my hand and say "hi, my name is _______ and I'll be your customer today." That usually did the trick.
Now I just bring my son. He has Autism and the impatience and frustration from waiting for his food for more than 20 minutes makes him loud and unruly enough to get the servers attention. The one time that someone suggested I leave, I pointed out that I'd been waiting the better part of an hour for my food and that I advised the server that my son has Autism when I ordered and requested that his meal be brought out as soon as it was ready -- no need to hold it for mine to be done.
I'm kidding of course. I don't use my son deliberately for that purpose, but I have noticed it to be fairly effective. I do, however, always make the "bring his food as soon as you can" request because it makes for a better dining experience for us and those around us.
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
13 Oct 08
Yesterday it took a quarter of an hour for my wife to be served after all the table was served. We did not complain as the waiters were nice and the food was good but the service could be more a lot efficient.
