Frogleg wrote:

On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 10:44:48 -0400, Nancy Young

What do we go to restaurants for? Uninterrupted conversation? A
genteel social occasion? Super food? Convenience? There are bezillions
of restaurants that feature meals on paper plates, or famously rude
personnel (some deli in NYC comes to mind) but superior pastrami, or
waiters on rollerskates as entertainment, or cheap family meal
specials, or uniformly reliable chain food, or the ultimate gourmet
experience with 'European' service (on a good night).

Years ago, I got really tired of restaurants with salad bars -- I
don't want to stand in line with a plate; I want someone to serve me a
salad.

I'm with you. Once I sit down, I want to stay that way until it's
time to leave. Having said that, there was this one restaurant that
had a nice salad bar and I'd order that for lunch once in a while.
I knew I'd have to go get it, but threading my way to the salad bar
wasn't really my idea of a good time.

When I go through a fast food drive-in lane, I want cheap,
*fast* food. When I pay $50 for a meal, I want food I can't/don't cook
at home, and a waiter who will retrieve a dropped napkin in under a
minute. If a 'soup nazi' offers a product I enjoy, I can decide
whether I want to stand in line for the soup.

We can read the reviews and get recommendations from friends. It'd be
nice if Burger King's 99-cent specials were served with perfect
gentility. Not likely to happen. (Can you say "minimum wage"?)

All I expect is some hustle and no attitude.

I don't want to grill my own steak, construct my own salad, have
waitstaff sing 'Happy Birthday', or play violins at my table. I
rarely, if ever, can afford celebrated 'fine dining' experiences, so I
go for pretty good food I don't have to prepare, at a reasonable
price.

Nothing wrong with that, though I just got an iffy lunch today. Eh,
I wasn't really hungry, I was there for the company. No, I
specifically do not wish for people to sing to me.

I have been to my share of 'fine dining' restaurants, but they are
not my style. I prefer pub type places, you know, with a bar and
tables, usually dark, casual. I vastly prefer to sit at the bar,
so you go find two seats and cop a squat. If I'm going to sit at
a table, I want someone to take me to my table or pick one out if
that's how it is. Then, I want the person assigned to that table
to come take my drink order, then my food order suitably later.

'Take a number' sounds fair to me.

I seriously don't want to go stand someplace and place my order and
be given a number. That doesn't fly with me. It's not a place
I would frequent.

nancy

On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 14:06:50 GMT, Rhonda Anderson
wrote:

Apparently, the system in place at this restaurant was that if you wanted
something you raised the statue upright - when the waiter had dealt with
you, it was laid on its side again. So, it seems that some places already
have the flag system, albeit in other forms g.

There are restaurant chains in the states (e.g., Panchos Mexican
Buffet) that have the flag system. Whenever you want something, you
raise the little flag on your table.

On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 14:02:23 -0400, Nancy Young
wrote:

Frogleg wrote:


'Take a number' sounds fair to me.

I seriously don't want to go stand someplace and place my order and
be given a number. That doesn't fly with me. It's not a place
I would frequent.

nancy

That type of restaurant is becoming more and more popular in my area.
One version is to stand in line, place your order, pay, then someone
brings your food out to you (or in some places, you go retrieve your
food).

Another version is to stand in line, place your order, get a slip with
your printed order on it for you to take to your table, then hand that
slip to a server, who then brings your food out to you (and handles
anything else you might order, like additional drinks, desserts,
etc.). When you're finished with your meal, the server brings you a
check, and you pay the server.

Mary

sf wrote:

FYI: I've eaten there exactly ONCE. It was in Santa
Barbara, so they should have been on their best behavior and
the food should have been at the top of the game, but I
absolutely HATED IT. I won't waste my money in any CPK
again. AFAIC, it's okay for teens and college aged people,
but if you're looking for prepared food or good service, you
can forget about it. Stick your with your local owner
operated pizzarias for better food and service.


I first tried California Pizza Kitchen when they opened in Fort
Lauderdale. We loved it. We went so often that the manager recognized
us, and the waitresses treated us like real people. They skipped their
scripts and didn't act like automatons. I was pleased with the food and
liked the way I could make a meal out of appetizers, order as little or
as much I wanted to eat.

I'm in New England now. I don't care for the CPK here and avoid going,
but it is the only restaurant in a mall, and there are some things we
buy in malls though I like to avoid them too. Come to think of it, we
were in the mall the other night for the express purpose of getting a
few items before the Xmas decorations and dreaded Xmas carols started.

--Lia

MareCat wrote:

On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 14:02:23 -0400, Nancy Young
wrote:

Frogleg wrote:


'Take a number' sounds fair to me.

I seriously don't want to go stand someplace and place my order and
be given a number. That doesn't fly with me. It's not a place
I would frequent.

nancy

That type of restaurant is becoming more and more popular in my area.
One version is to stand in line, place your order, pay, then someone
brings your food out to you (or in some places, you go retrieve your
food).

Another version is to stand in line, place your order, get a slip with
your printed order on it for you to take to your table, then hand that
slip to a server, who then brings your food out to you (and handles
anything else you might order, like additional drinks, desserts,
etc.). When you're finished with your meal, the server brings you a
check, and you pay the server.

All the fun of eating out taken away. Thanks, but no thanks.

nancy

sf wrote:
That's a practice called "up selling" if you didn't know the
term already. It's done in all retail situations... that's
why sales people push accessories when women buy shoes and
if you try to buy lipstick, they show you eye shadow and
blush - for men, that's why you don't end up with just the
basic car you set out to buy.


I was familiar with the practice, not the term. It is another one of my
peeves. They may make the extra sale to a number of people who fall for
it, but for someone like me, I get so annoyed that I don't go back.

The waitress comes to the table and asks if I'd like a beverage. I
answer that I just want water with no ice. She asks if I wouldn't like
some ice tea or some lemonade. I answer that no, I'd really like water
with no ice.

Returning with the water, she asks if I'd like to order. I tell her the
entree I'd like. She asks if I'd like appetizers. I say no; I'd like
the entree I ordered. It goes on like that. No matter what I say I'd
like, she contradicts me by asking if I wouldn't like something else. I
say I'm ready for the bill. She asks if I'd like dessert. Then I have
to say that no, I wouldn't like dessert; I'd like the bill. By the time
I leave, I feel like I've been in an argument with someone who insisted
that I repeat everything 3 times before she'll believe me.

Not in restaurants, but in other retail situations, upselling loses
sales. I'll tell the salesclerk what I'm looking for. If they try to
sell me something else, I'll explain again what I'm looking for once or
twice more, but then I get impatient and give up.

I realize it is a business situation, but imagine it socially. Your
friend asks if you'd like to see a movie. You answer no. He says "are
you sure?" You answer that yes, you're sure, you don't want to go. A
minute passes, and he asks if you'd like to see a different movie. You
say no. Again he asks if you're sure. Again you say that you're sure.
Then he asks again. And again. It may sound like he's merely asking
an innocent question, but he's arguing. That's the sort of thing that
makes me lose my temper.

--Lia

On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 10:09:43 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
wrote:

On topically:

{ Masterfully and Mystically Exported from MasterCook Mac }

Doubletree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe By: somebody named Todd Wilbur
Serving Size: 1
Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories: Cookies

Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 eggs
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine the
ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium
bowl.

Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice in
another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until
smooth.

Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add
the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until
ingredients are well incorporated.

Spoon rounded 1/4-cup portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the
scoops about 2 inches apart. You don't need to press the dough flat.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in
the middle.

Store in a sealed container when cool to keep soft.

For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator
before baking the cookies.

Oooooo...thanks for this recipe!! I LOVE Doubletree chocolate chip
cookies! (Used to work right across the street from the Galleria
Doubletree in Houston. We'd walk over and snatch some for an afternoon
pick-me-up.)

On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 06:17:52 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
wrote:

In article , Dog3
wrote:
(snip)
Now, what bothers me in some upscale restaurants here is the
suffocation of perfect service. A few months ago I went to an
acclaimed restaurant in St. Louis which my family has frequented for
years. I swear, if I even look like I'm pulling out a cigarette a
waiter shows up with a lighter to light it.

You smoke? I'll bet your cardiologist loves that. "-)
Story: Nice restaurant in Denver -- Le Profil -- waiters were standing
around (not physically hovering and it must have been a not very busy
evening), and every time I put my fork down, ours made a move to remove
my plate. It made me nervous.

I hate that. I hate being afraid to put my fork down, for fear the
server will snatch up my plate as soon as I do. (Yeah, the server
usually asks whether or not I'm done before removing the plate, but
it's just annoying. It's nice when the server waits a few minutes to
see whether or not I'm really done before asking/removing.)

On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 05:24:43 GMT, Dog3
wrote:

It's called a check back in some houses. After the main course is served,
waiters ordinarily check back within a few minutes to see if all is well.
If the wait staff did not check back, and you sat there with something you
did not order or something not cooked to your satisfaction, would you not
be just as irritated if the waiter did not check back if you could not
catch his/her eye? It is standard procedure.

Here is where we split hairs. If someone gets the wrong
order, I think they should say so when it's put in front of
them... WHY WAIT (???) until a waiter comes around to ask if
everything is "okay"?

Now, what bothers me in some upscale restaurants here is the suffocation of
perfect service. A few months ago I went to an acclaimed restaurant in St.
Louis which my family has frequented for years. I swear, if I even look
like I'm pulling out a cigarette a waiter shows up with a lighter to light
it.

That would suit me just fine... except no one I know smokes.
If fact, if I look like I'm going to sneeze - if they gave
me a tissue, they get a BIG tip.

Perhaps management gave them too many tables to be
responsible for and not enough back up staff to keep the
customers, like me, happy.

It is impossible to please every diner, all of the time. I am a firm
believer that when dining out, I can make it pleasant and enjoyable. If
the service is miserable, I complain to management and save on the 20-25%
tip I ordinarily leave.


I don't complain about less than stellar service (unless
it's absolutely abysmal), but my tip is only 15%... not the
usual 20% for normal service or 25% for excellent service.

I'm not rich enough to leave tips larger than the bill to
wait staff that make a good impression on me.

On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 09:00:57 -0400, Nancy Young
wrote:

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

Story: Nice restaurant in Denver -- Le Profil -- waiters were standing
around (not physically hovering and it must have been a not very busy
evening), and every time I put my fork down, ours made a move to remove
my plate. It made me nervous.

(laugh) I took my ex inlaws out to a fancy restaurant that had a
smorgasbord (sp) every Friday night. Well, you never saw the waiters,
but every time you went back up for more food, you'd come back to
a clean, perfectly set table, with your linen napkin folded into
some fancy shape. Finally my conservative mil pipes up, I think the
waiter has a napkin fetish. I almost fell off my chair laughing.

It was kinda weird like you were being stalked, like you were under
scrutiny. No, I am so not complaining, that's good service.

For a smorgasbord, that was first class service!

What I would espect is the normal Las Vegas/Reno style
"buffet" service of removing your "used" plate off the table
when you leave to get another helping of food. It's a big
"faux pas" to take your dirty plate back to the cafeteria
line to load it up.

On 07 Oct 2003 08:11:25 -0500, Richard Kaszeta
wrote:

I had a hotel experience like that once, in that the room service was
very fast, very good, and very opportunistic... you wouldn't see them,
and they wouldn't knock on your door, but if you stepped out for as
little as five minutes (literally, I went to go grab a newspaper over
in the lobby), you'd come back to a room with fresh linens, a clean
and dry bathroom, vacuumed carpet, etc. A perfectly clean room.
Indeed, the first time it happened, I thought I had come back to the
wrong room, but there was my stuff, exactly where I left it[1]. I'm
still not sure how they pulled that off. I was tempted one morning to
do a setup to watch them work, but had other obligations.

This was in a resort hotel in Jackson Hole, WY. They got a good tip.

Sounds like a good experience on ship! I'd be a good tipper
too if I had that experience.

Jackson Hole is a place I've literally passed through
once... saying "this is a place I want to visit again"
because it looked like a setting from an old Western Movie.
I don't know what it looks like now, but it had the raised
sidewalks.... really! They had to be at least 3 feet off
the ground.

Anyway... with the quaintness of Jackson HOLE and the beauty
of the Grand Tetons (big tits) - you get the one place on
earth that was made directly under God's supervision.

S

On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 10:09:43 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
wrote

Drifting sideways from the original post here, Rich: I stayed in a
hotel and when I returned to my cleaned room, I wasn't 100% sure it had
been cleaned. I asked at the desk and was told that if I'd left any
personal items (clothing) about, they would work around it and would not
touch my personal things. I think I'd left something on the bed.
Shoot, it was okay with me if they folded my clothes. :-)


Drifting your way... a few year ago, I was put up in a
sub-standard motel while I went through some training for a
non-public program a few years ago. There were no other
rooms available elsewhere because they had people
everywhere, so I didn't thing they were being cheap. The
service was wonderful - considering we were put up in the
armpit of motel row. However, one morning I was late
getting going, so I accidentally left my white nightgown on
the white bed sheets instead of hanging it up on the
bathroom door-hook, as was my practice.

I came back to a perfect room and - NO NIGHTGOWN!!!

Needless to say, I was upset. Not only was it VERY
expensive, it was an anniversary gift from my husband.

I registered my "problem" with the front desk.

Although no guarantees were made, it turned out that the
office staff went through the laundry BY HAND and found my
nightgown. They had it laundered, then packaged it up and
sent to me. I should have expressed my gratitude in
writing, but sadly... I didn't. Mea Culpa! Let everyone be
warned.... do that one little thing for people who actually
give you customer SERVICE. Someone screwed up? At the very
least, give the people who made it right some
acknowledgement.

I didn't and I'm eternally sorry.

There was a mistake, they took care of it and I didn't put
my gratitude in writing (which I should have done). I
called them and said "thanks", but a written message would
have been 100% better because it would have ultimately
contributed to a merit raise or better.

Good customer service needs to be acknowledged in writing!

Rant Off

On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 16:32:50 GMT,
(j*ni p.) wrote:


http://www.ruthschris.com/

I didn't get all that excited about the food (they cut their filets
too thick, IMHO),

NO WAY!!! Can you see my fingers in front of my face
forming a cross? Hasn't anyone told you that the best steak
is one where the cow has just stopped kicking?

but the wait staff was top notch. When they weren't
actively waiting a table, they were watching the dining area, looking
for someone who might need something. I loved having my water refilled
repeatedly without having to ask.

That is one thing that impresses me, but it has to be
INVISIBLE. If I'm talking, the glass is refilled and I'm
not interrupted.


Though I guess the "plate removal"
thing Barb mentioned would get annoying after a while. I'd probably
start teasing the waiter -- you know, almost put the fork down, but
not quite; put it down them pick it up as soon as he walked over. No
wonder Dad says I'm evil... ;-)

I don't call it evil. It's either a sign you're not engaged
in your conversation and purposefully annoying someone who
is making minimum wage on purpose or else the staff isn't
very well enough trained to serve you discretely.

On Wed, 08 Oct 2003 03:39:41 GMT, Julia Altshuler
wrote:

sf wrote:
That's a practice called "up selling" if you didn't know the
term already. It's done in all retail situations... that's
why sales people push accessories when women buy shoes and
if you try to buy lipstick, they show you eye shadow and
blush - for men, that's why you don't end up with just the
basic car you set out to buy.


I was familiar with the practice, not the term.

snip

I realize it is a business situation, but imagine it socially.

Unfortunately, that's what's expected from the staff that
annoys you... it's all in the "training". That sort of
thing isn't natural for most people and that's why it annoys
us instead of making us say "yes".

On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 05:35:38 GMT, Hahabogus
wrote:

sf wrote in
:


I like doing the dance especially the part where you yell WAITER or SERVICE
real loud. Ensures good service for the rest of the meal.

LOL! it SHOULD, if only by default.