Why do some people think they are the only people in the restaurant?
By reinydawn
@reinydawn (11643)
United States
December 14, 2008 9:07pm CST
Tonight after the Trans-Siberian Concert, we went to Chinatown for dinner. We always go the the same place because we really like it there. The people are very nice, the service is good and the food is great. The price is right up our alley too!
Well, tonight they were very busy because they're right next to the arena and people were going there before the 2nd concert as well as after the first concert. They opened up the 2nd floor dining to help accomodate the extra people. Well, we knew that since they seated like 15 tables all at one time it might be a bit slower than normal. We didn't really care though because we had just gotten out of the concert and had plenty of time.
I'm not sure what the deal was with this one group, but they were not happy when their bill came. They kept telling the servers that they even had to get their own menus. I think they were mad because they had a large group and the gratuity was already added on to their check. They kept talking like they should have been treated as if they were the only patrons at the time. They apparently didn't see all the other people patiently waiting for their food. I mean, it's not as if they were ignored, they were given the quickest and most polite service possible.
I made sure to tell the waitstaff that they did a wonderful job taking care of everyone.
2 people like this
9 responses
@capirani (2840)
• United States
15 Dec 08
I don't like eating out at restaurants where the tip is automatically added to the bill. I do not believe in that kind of thing. In a perfect world, the restaurant owners would properly pay their staff and people would not have to tip the servers. However since we tip the servers, I believe they should be tipped according to how well they did their job. I believe that when the tip is automatically added it cuts the incentive for the staff to do a good job taking care of the customers. When the servers know that their tip is going to be based on how well they do their job, they will do a much better job and then they deserve the tip. Telling people what they should be tipping the staff is wrong. If they are going to do that, just raise the cost of the meals by that much and pay the staff out of the restaurant earnings just like every other business has to do. I do not believe it is the customer's job to pay the employees. But when they do a good job, I pay them well.
2 people like this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
15 Dec 08
I don't always agree with the gratuity being added in for larger parties (it's customary to do this for parties of 6 or more), but for a different reason. I've worked in the restaurant business and I know that it takes a lot more work to properly serve a large party. You have to get all the orders out together, keep all the drinks filled, plus wait on your other tables. Many times you will need the help of another server and you will usually split the tip with them. One thing that I have always noticed is that when the gratuity is added, that's all the server will get. And the gratuity is usually only 15% which is pretty low. I usually tip very well because I've waited tables before and know how thankless a job it is.
1 person likes this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
15 Dec 08
I do not like restaurants and very picky. In that situation I would have chose to either not eat there or accept the fact that they will get to me when they do. Therefore I would have not eaten there if there were other options. I always prefer to cook my own food. So it wouldn't have been a big deal for me and I would have been happy to cook.
As far as gratuity, that is a totally different subject. I pay my employees well and a restaurant owner should do the same. A gratuity is a gift above the selected amount for a payment. By adding extra to a bill, it is no longer a gratuity. How about the restaurant owners pay their employees enough to feed themselves and allowing a gratuity to become what it used to be.
I understand that there are automatic charges for larger parties because of the extra work involved. But from the perspective of the buyer maybe they didn't know that they would be charged extra? Were they informed prior to seating? From their behavior they probably do not get out much. But it is the owner's responsibility to pay the employees not the customer's.
By adding on extra because of the size of the group and not telling them is like buying a car and then charging you extra after signing the papers.
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
15 Dec 08
Every restaurant I have been in has a notice right on the menu - in plain sight, not hidden - that the gratuity will be added on at a certain % (it's always stated) with parties of a large number (also always stated). I know people do not think they should have to pay the waitstaff and that it's the employers responsibility, but I don't want to get into the reasoning behind that, other than if the waitstaff were paid minimum wage (which is a pittance in itself) then people could never afford to dine out.
I really do think it's a shame though that people feel they can treat waitstaff like slaves just because they think they are better than the other person.
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
17 Dec 08
Actually, once they ordered they agreed to the terms written right in front of them (the menu prices and "tipping" requirements). Beleive it or not, that's a written agreement, a contract if you will. By ordering, they were agreeing to place their order and pay for it - according to the terms set forth in the menu.
You are right, some people are just ignorant. I'm sure these people would have complained regardless.
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
16 Dec 08
By saying it was all stated... does it make it right not to inform a large party?
Lets face it, some people are ignorant. Some people don't read. I don't really care where it was stated. Unless a large party agrees to pay a certain percentage of the bill as a tip (notice I didn't use the word gratuity because it is not) they shouldn't have to. That is from a buyer's perspective and not pertaining to the incident you witnessed.
1 person likes this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
23 Dec 08
OMG I think I was sat next to those people a few weeks ago here in CA. My daughter and I went to the Gilroy outlets and my there was a Mimi's restaurant. It is home cooking but better. There was thee people sitting at a booth next to us and nothing was good enough for them. They kept calling the waiter over for one thing or another. Then then called the manager over and literally (b)itched him out.
The manager came up to us and asked us if everything was OK and we were fine and the service was great. I do not know what crawled up these peoples butts. But they ended up getting their meals comped which is wrong for the manger to do in my book. I can understand why he did it but wrong, wrong, wrong.
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
23 Dec 08
Some people do make it impossible for anyone to serve them. Sometimes they're doing it just for the free meal - which is totally wrong. When I worked in the restaurant business I really got irritated with this type of person and I absolutely hated the phrase - The customer is always right.
@ladynetz (968)
• Canada
15 Dec 08
Not all people are raised in the same manner - so, as a result, there will always be unpolite and unfriendly people around you, specially if you go out .
It is disturbing, and you can not "repair" their behaviour, unfortunately.
All you can do is speak to the manager and ask to sttle this out because i disturbs you.And if not, you'll look for another place to have dinner.
And good for you that you complimented the staff, they need good words...
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
16 Dec 08
Oh, I know they're out there, I just wish they'd stop following me around :)
@saichandtalluri (1486)
• India
15 Dec 08
I may be their feeling that they are alone in this world and it depends up on the ego which they had i feel shouting at the servers is not fair because he is also a human and he should also be treated like a human it indicates that they don't deserve to go to the restaurant
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
16 Dec 08
Yeah, I'm sure they have a big ego, but if I acted like that I'd be embarrassed!
@krfanlim (232)
• Malaysia
15 Dec 08
Back here in Malaysia, the gratuity is known as Service Charge (wait, do you have both Service Charge and Gratuity added to your bill?), and this charge is usually 10% of your entire bill.
And yes, this TEN PERCENT irks every part of me because it's seriously too much!! A bill of one dinner about RM60 would be charge another ridiculous RM6 into the total bill. The worse news is that this charge is imposed by most restaurants.
But, well, the worst has yet to come...
Not only these restaurants charge a service charge, but we've also got to pay for the ruddy government tax, which is capped at 5%.
So, technically speaking, for every meal you dine out, you've got to fork our a hefty 'fine' of 15% extra off your total bill. No negotiations.
(well, some people even feel rich enough to tip the restaurants after their meal.)
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
16 Dec 08
No, we don't have a service charge, just tax. In my state it's 6%, but it's higher in others.
@GardenGerty (160702)
• United States
15 Dec 08
I guess it makes them believe they are someone who really matters.
It sure does not make the waitstaff or those around them believe they are important. It makes them look like a donkey. I guess you did what you could, and reassured and complimented the staff. That is good, and it is the kind of thing I try to do if someone picks on the service people, like cashiers, waitstaff, gas station attendants, etc. Sheesh!!!
It sure does not make the waitstaff or those around them believe they are important. It makes them look like a donkey. I guess you did what you could, and reassured and complimented the staff. That is good, and it is the kind of thing I try to do if someone picks on the service people, like cashiers, waitstaff, gas station attendants, etc. Sheesh!!!1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
15 Dec 08
It's like they have this "better than thou" attitude and it's very irritating for me.
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
15 Dec 08
Hey reiny! You know that some people are just never happy!
If they had to pay more than they wanted to pay that might
have been the problem so they blamed the service! There will
always be people like that! The service is never good enough,
the price is never cheap enough, the food is never good enough!
You know what I mean! You wonder why they even bother going
out to eat at all! So what you did was the correct thing to
do! The wait staff has to work extra hard when the restaurant
is that crowded and it is difficult to please everyone! So
it is nice of you to compliment them and I am sure that they
appreciated that too!
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
15 Dec 08
They saw that is was busy, which usually means it's going to take a while to get served. They always had the option of walking out instead of getting the menus.
@anandatti (5)
• India
15 Dec 08
yes i also do think that some people think that they are the only people in the restaurant because i m also one of them.....i also dont ever understand why this is happening to we kind of people but then i yhink its due to over self conciousness that made our kind of people that they are the only people in the whole restaurant...njoy life
