What do you expect your waiters/waitresses to know?

Culture, Media, General Culture, Chains, General Discussions
41

cause you thought only you could?

42

No, but I am surprise that you can. Glad for you.

43

I know, you just said it.

44

Yes, I did, but it seems I had to repeat.

45

unseemly to me.

46

Nice to know that as well.

47

Sure they do. With the big-ass Sysco trucks delivering the food.

1 Like
48

Ugh! Now we have a real ā€˜peeing contestā€™! Not one of the best experiences since this site began. :o(

6 Likes
49

and we all thought only good things came from Sysco, ā€¦ shame ā€¦ shame ā€¦ shame ā€¦

50

enough already.

3 Likes
51

I will just ask everyone to keep in mind that please debate, but please donā€™t target participants.

In addition, please feel free to disagree with others, but please do not disparagingly label othersā€™ ideas that you do not agree with.

Forum rules here:
https://www.hungryonion.org/faq

3 Likes
52

Iā€™m with both of you- it drives me nuts when the server describes the special and doesnā€™t give the price!!

53

That is a management decision and a poor one at that. The customer has a right to ask about prices. I doā€¦

54

I agree- my ex boyfriend of 6 years was Chinese and it is not uncommon for them to inquire about the quality of various volatile food items. Although we would like to think most restaurants wouldnā€™t try to pass off inferior product on the customer, some will do it because otherwise it is profit lost. Pea shoots, although very tasty, donā€™t stay fresh long. Iā€™m sure lots of Chinese restaurants pass sub par ingredients off of less educated consumers, knowing how frugal a lot of them are.

Iā€™m not saying that they would use something completely bad but just maybe not at their prime.

If someone knows their pea shoots well, they wouldnā€™t accept them. Someone else might not be so picky.

In addition, lots of suppliers do it to restaurants-they will pass off less than prime items to junior kitchen staff who donā€™t know as well or arenā€™t as assertive as say the chef may be.

1 Like
55

It seems like the universal practice.

I would say less than 1% of the time that I have heard the servers introduce the specials along with the prices.

If it is just one special, then it isnā€™t so bad because I can ask. However, when there are numerous special items, then now am I going to ask all the prices and remember and compare in my mindā€¦etc?

56

I generally have a problem with the use of absolutes where people are concerned. I would no more conclude that NO restaurant owner would admit that an ingredient wasnā€™t good that day than I would conclude that ALL WOULD. I see the selfish reason for not admitting it, but building good customer relationships is important to many owners as much as is their bottom line.

3 Likes
57

I donā€™t have a trusting nature, I have never asked a restaurant if the food is fresh etc and I donā€™t expect to answer the question honestly. I always do my research before, and I think some restaurant will be humiliated if you ask if their product are good or not.

Back to what I expect waiters to knowā€¦I think it would be nice for them to know what they are serving in a dish. But more importantly, not to ignore a clientā€™s need. Sometimes I couldnā€™t figure out an ingredient on a dish and I asked the waiter or waitress, they said they would ask the chef and most of the time they would came back with an answer. Once or twice they never bothered to came back. It happened once at Roubuchon at Paris a few years agoā€¦

Another thing, once or twice I was with friends that couldnā€™t read the menu because they didnā€™t know the language. I was very grateful that the waitress came and translate the whole menu to them. (Their translation was more accurate than mine anyway).

3 Likes
58

The loaded question conundrum

Is it cold outside?

  • Yes.
  • You told me it was cold and weā€™re suffocating in here!
    or
  • No.
  • You told me it wasnā€™t cold and weā€™re freezing in here!
    or
  • What donā€™t you just sneak out and check for yourself?
  • Grrrā€¦ what are you good for anyway!

Whichever way it goes, ā€¦ you lose.

Is the fish fresh today?

  • Yes, straight from the sea!
  • And youā€™re calling that fresh?
    or
  • No, better get the chicken.
  • Well, Iā€™m really glad I asked, because if I didnā€™t, you wouldnā€™t have told me!
    or
  • I think you should really try the chicken.
  • But I really wanted the fish, isnā€™t it on the menu, isnā€™t it any good?

Back to where you started,
Whichever way it goes, ā€¦ you really-really lose.

59

Well, now, thatā€™s all a self-fulfilling prophecy isnā€™t it?

60

No, because context is key, and can be managed, while prophecies are ā€¦ well ā€¦ only for the faithful.