Why should i pay $14 to enter the US?

[Amaris]

What I find surprising in this thread is the level of care that is apparently expected in American diners. Things like coming to check if everything is ok multiple times, refilling glasses, and generally interacting with me without any good reason. I might expect that in moderately high-end restaurants (say, in the 100 euro range for a one-person dinner), but surely not in a normal pizzeria or a family restaurant.

No, it's the other way round, at least in this country and (in my relatively limited experience) in the USA too.

I have never ever been hassled by a waiter in a michelin-starred or even reasonable-quality restaurant. Things appear and disappear when they should, without prompting or significant delay, with a brief announcement of the dishes when they arrive, and the waiter only really engages in conversation if I start it and express interest in something about the food. Perhaps once over the course of the meal, the owner or maitre d' might check everything is fine, but even that is generally rare. This is how waiter service should be delivered.

It's in "family restaurants" where you sometimes get the waiters who tell you their name, act as if they want to be your friends and pester you with frequent checks and water top-ups. Partly it's down to their franchise's stupid policies, designed to cater for the terminally incompetent, and partly it's to try to engage you in order to get a better tip. This is marginally acceptable behaviour if you are a genuinely attractive waitress, possessing suitably dulcet tones, but otherwise it is a surefire way to annoy me and is but one among many reasons why I tend to avoid these kind of chain/family restaurants.

Exactly. The best thing about those, though, is that since I'm paying less for my meal, I can easily leave a larger tip. When I do get a waitress who has been so nice, has taken care of my needs, and hasn't constantly stepped over to interrupt me while I'm talking to my friends, I love to leave big tips.

 

[Kestra]

I hate when it's some dude who is way too jokey and keeps cracking horrible jokes and I just want him to leave. Or when they disappear when it's time to pay the bill. Especially if they leave the bill when they take away the plates, and then don't come back for like half an hour. I don't have any more food, how long do they think I'm going to be sitting there?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

This thread is making me hate waiters and waitresses.

Well, threads like this make hate ignorant non-tippers so it balances out. People who intend to only tip a dollar should tell their server before they get their meal. That way they can get a dollar's worth of service.

What I find surprising in this thread is the level of care that is apparently expected in American diners. Things like coming to check if everything is ok multiple times, refilling glasses, and generally interacting with me without any good reason. I might expect that in moderately high-end restaurants (say, in the 100 euro range for a one-person dinner), but surely not in a normal pizzeria or a family restaurant. There is more: I wouldn't want anyone buggering me as much during dinner. I want my dishes served correctly and fast, but that's it. I expect to see my waiter maybe 3 times during a meal: taking the orders, bringing my dishes, and coming for the check.

Actually, that's the scary thing. When I'm waiting tables, I'm constantly worried that I'm either not giving enough service or giving too much service and annoying them. It's a fine line. Some people want to be left alone. Others are upset that their drink is half empty and I should have replaced it.

It's hard to find a balance there, I agree. Some customers need something new every 30 seconds (Can I get more ranch? Can I get a refill? Can I get more napkins? This steak is cooked wrong. Can I get more ranch?). Other people you can ignore for 2 hours and they won't even notice that you're gone.

And, of course, the ones you're running back and forth for all night for one item at a time will usually give the worse tip.

 

[Scout101]

People who intend to only tip a dollar should tell their server before they get their meal. That way they can get a dollar's worth of service.

Sounds fair. As long as waiters and waitresses let customers know ahead of time when they'll be getting mediocre or piss-poor service, so they have the option of changing tables or restaurants before receiving the shitty service.

 

[Finn]

Tipping is something totally outside my frame of mind: in Italy, "service" is included in the bill (under "coperto e servizio", and the waiters are paid by their employers like everybody else. I might give a small tip (in the 10%-15% range, or up to the next 5 euros) if the service is extraordinary. However, I understand it's a cultural thing, so if I visit the US I will tip accordingly to custom: no biggies.

What I find surprising in this thread is the level of care that is apparently expected in American diners. Things like coming to check if everything is ok multiple times, refilling glasses, and generally interacting with me without any good reason. I might expect that in moderately high-end restaurants (say, in the 100 euro range for a one-person dinner), but surely not in a normal pizzeria or a family restaurant. There is more: I wouldn't want anyone buggering me as much during dinner. I want my dishes served correctly and fast, but that's it. I expect to see my waiter maybe 3 times during a meal: taking the orders, bringing my dishes, and coming for the check. Everything else seems superfluous to me. If I need something, I will be sure to tell you. In fact, there is only one unforgivable sin in waiting for me: ignoring me when I need you. It doesn't matter if you came by five times to check if everything is ok, but then ignore me when there is something that is not ok. I think of as a silent contract between waiter and customer: I won't pester you unnecessarily, but please be there if I need you.

Ok, I don't know why I wrote all that. It's probably the booze.

Yeah, though some places do it way over the top, stopping by every five minutes. Other places, they come by every twenty minutes.

 

[Trekker4747]

I tip $5 or about 20%, whichever one is higher. I tip a bit more if the waitress is cute or if service was exceptional. If the meal didn't breach the $5 mark (which, frankly, will never happen bu) then I double the tax (about a 15% tip in my area) or make a judgment so that the tip isn't higher than the cost of the meal. But, really, it's pretty much impossible to get a meal that costs less than $5 in a situation where tipping is expected.

$5/20% is my "baseline" tip. It's very rare for me to go below that and it'd honestly have to be really shitty service to do so and that threshold is pretty damn low, the server would probably have to be insulting towards me or have done something really bad for me to tip below $5.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

People who intend to only tip a dollar should tell their server before they get their meal. That way they can get a dollar's worth of service.

Sounds fair. As long as waiters and waitresses let customers know ahead of time when they'll be getting mediocre or piss-poor service, so they have the option of changing tables or restaurants before receiving the shitty service.

Honestly, that would make everybody happy. I'll tell you, you want to give me a dollar, I'll take your order and bring out your food, but I'll only refill drinks and bring you the check when I'm not busy. If they want to go to another table for the same thing, that's fine.

For example, when someone orders a salad bar. I'm perfectly fine with a dollar or two. I'll refill drinks and take away empty plates when I see them, but that's generally the extent of my involvement. I don't expect a huge tip for easy service. It's difficult tables that require more work.

 

[RoJoHen]

It's hard to find a balance there, I agree. Some customers need something new every 30 seconds (Can I get more ranch? Can I get a refill? Can I get more napkins? This steak is cooked wrong. Can I get more ranch?).

I'm sure there are people like that out there, but on the other hand they don't deserve to eat in a restaurant. Or to eat at all.

There are more of these people than you'd think. Honestly, you'd all probably be surprised at how annoying you are to wait on.

No, it's the other way round, at least in this country and (in my relatively limited experience) in the USA too.

I have never ever been hassled by a waiter in a michelin-starred or even reasonable-quality restaurant. Things appear and disappear when they should, without prompting or significant delay, with a brief announcement of the dishes when they arrive, and the waiter only really engages in conversation if I start it and express interest in something about the food. Perhaps once over the course of the meal, the owner or maitre d' might check everything is fine, but even that is generally rare. This is how waiter service should be delivered.

It's in "family restaurants" where you sometimes get the waiters who tell you their name, act as if they want to be your friends and pester you with frequent checks and water top-ups. Partly it's down to their franchise's stupid policies, designed to cater for the terminally incompetent, and partly it's to try to engage you in order to get a better tip. This is marginally acceptable behaviour if you are a genuinely attractive waitress, possessing suitably dulcet tones, but otherwise it is a surefire way to annoy me and is but one among many reasons why I tend to avoid these kind of chain/family restaurants.

Again, there is a balance that needs to be found between "waiting on someone" and "annoying the fuck out of them." When I first started waiting tables, I was annoying. I didn't know any better, and I didn't realize that I was interrupting people as often as I was. It took me a while to figure out that people actually prefer to be ignored.

There is something called "silent service" that all servers need to master. It's the ability to wait on people without them knowing you're waiting on them. It takes more skill than you would think is required.

And, of course, the ones you're running back and forth for all night for one item at a time will usually give the worse tip.

Absolutely.

I've also noticed that people who tell me, "I'm a great tipper" are some of the worst tippers on the planet.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Why don't we just put buzzers on tables and people can buzz when they need the waiter? If the waiter doesn't turn up promptly than the customers have a right to be annoyed.

 

[RoJoHen]

You should never need to get your server's attention that way. They should always be anticipating your needs and should always be in their section should something come up.

A lot of servers suck. I know. As a server that doesn't suck, I am very judgmental of the service I get whenever I go out to eat, and I honestly don't understand why so many servers are so bad at their job. I must have just been given extraordinary training or something.

 

[lurok]

Why don't we just put buzzers on tables and people can buzz when they need the waiter? If the waiter doesn't turn up promptly than the customers have a right to be annoyed.

The YoSushi chain in UK has that system. But then again, you pretty much serve yourself from conveyor (apart from drinks and special orders).

 

[Myasishchev]

I've always been a bit perplexed by the notion that some people will increase their tip for the attractiveness of their server. That's relevant for the tip at a strip club, not a restaurant.

It's actually for this reason I always prefer a male server. I do not like being sexually manipulated, which is something female servers far too often attempt to do. And as a former male server, it has always pissed me off that male diners substantially prefer female servers and tip extra for talents that have nothing to do with the job.

I'm with the people who don't go to a restaurant to meet their waiter, too. A little bit's fine, or maybe if I'm a regular, but usually I ain't there to pay somebody to be my friend. A lot of people like it, and I learned to be a pestering dork for folks who were into that, but as a diner myself I really just want my food and drinks and check (and personally they can bring me that check any time, I can't not think about money while I'm eating).

 

[Sean Aaron]

The YoSushi chain in UK has that system. But then again, you pretty much serve yourself from conveyor (apart from drinks and special orders).

Yeah I like that; should be a fixture at all mid-low end restaurants in the States so I can dispense with the friendly banter. I want that I can go to a truck stop.

 

[Amaris]

The YoSushi chain in UK has that system. But then again, you pretty much serve yourself from conveyor (apart from drinks and special orders).

Yeah I like that; should be a fixture at all mid-low end restaurants in the States so I can dispense with the friendly banter. I want that I can go to a truck stop.

Truck stop food is deadly and delicious!

 

[Myasishchev]

Also, E100 a plate is moderately high-end? Iguana, living the good life.

 

[Sean Aaron]

Truck stop food is deadly and delicious!

My next trip Stateside is likely to include my first road trip there for over a decade and I do indeed intend to stop at a truck stop. I hope Flo's still working...

 

[iguana_tonante]

Also, E100 a plate is moderately high-end? Iguana, living the good life.

Well, truth to be told, I said €100 a dinner, not a plate.

But truly, going to a restaurant is crazy expensive here. A standard dinner here at a family restaurant runs in the €30-50 range, so €100 a dinner is not unheard of.

 

[Amaris]

Truck stop food is deadly and delicious!

My next trip Stateside is likely to include my first road trip there for over a decade and I do indeed intend to stop at a truck stop. I hope Flo's still working...

You have to eat at a Flying J. I took a few trips with my friend who is a truck driver and we stopped at a Flying J and the food was great.

 

[Myasishchev]

Also, E100 a plate is moderately high-end? Iguana, living the good life.

Well, truth to be told, I said €100 a dinner, not a plate.

Is "dinner" a euphemism for "expensive drinking binge"?

Even reaching $150/diner would be hard to spend in this burgh, and I suspect outside of NYC/Chitown/LA, reasonably difficult to attain in most cities. (Unless, like I said, one were to get plastered; I could drop $150 a bar pretty readily, but then again, I have a drinking problem. )

But truly, going to a restaurant is crazy expensive here. A standard dinner here at a family restaurant runs in the €30-50 range, so €100 a dinner is not unheard of.

Granted, I live in the southern U.S., which is a quasi-developing country and hence rather cheap, so my perspective on how much things cost are often quite off--but $75/diner for a family dinner-type restaurant would keep me out of restaurants forever. Yikes. It's about $15-30 (~E10-20)/diner here.

 

[1001001]

Why don't we just put buzzers on tables and people can buzz when they need the waiter? If the waiter doesn't turn up promptly than the customers have a right to be annoyed.

The YoSushi chain in UK has that system. But then again, you pretty much serve yourself from conveyor (apart from drinks and special orders).

A conveyor belt???



Usually one only finds such high quality service at a hospital cafeteria or an airport....