Crazy people or things seen at restaurants
 

Seen in another thread:
Well, sounds interesting and since I don't own a restaurant of have any connection to any at the lake I would like to hear (see) some stories.

crazy happenings at Patio Gardening Resturaunt
 

Went there this past Saturday...We can deal with slow service, but when you order a drink and there is NO LIQUOR in it ( because they ran out of Vodka ) don't you think they should tell you ??? dah...Only after we complained they did fessed up to the act.. Sa-La-Ve.
BAD BUSSNESS PRACTICE

I went to a take out ice cream place Friday, no food just ice cream, that has about a dozen picnic tables for people to sit and enjoy their ice cream. We saw a family sitting at a table enjoying their picnic lunch they brought with them. I hope they at least bought an ice cream cone. :rolleye1:

McChinese
 

Went to a Chinese restaurant and parents brought in McDonald Happy Meals for kids because they didn't like Chinese food. Also got upset when owner told them they would not be welcomed back if they did it again.

I thought the easy solution would have been to get Chinese takeout and go to McD's for the kids!!!!! :D

I have seen people bring thier own soda into restaurants as well as their own silverware, I can understand the silverware to a point, but their own soda

by the way I was sitting at the table when this was done, very embarassing

A bunch of my co-workers took me out for lunch for my birthday one year. We ended up at a seafood place with a huge salad bar. Many of us opted for the salad bar for our lunch.

Just before we got to the salad bar, a group of elderly customers went up to the bar to get their salads. One gentleman - and I'll never forget this - started sampling everything at the bar from the serving spoons, serving forks, on tongs. I watched in horror as he slurped down spoonfuls of English peas, then strawberries, and gawd-knows-whatelse. Oh, and yes... he returned the serving spoons, etc., that had been in his mouth to the serving containers! YUK!

I tried to flag down the waitress to let her know - her response "I didn't see it; it didn't happen."

You won't believe this one!
 

SERIOUSLY..this happened yesterday at the Pier!

Customer- Can I get a chicken salad wrap?
Me -Sure-tomato or spinach wrap?
C- do you have multi grain?
Me- No, sorry, just tomato or spinach
C- do you have wheat wraps?
Me- No, sorry, just tomato or spinach
C- do you have wheat bread?
Me- Sure, do you want a sandwich instead of a wrap?
C- No, I want a wrap. Can't you use wheat bread to make the wrap?
Me- Sure, but it will be a sandwich, not a wrap.
C- But I want a wheat wrap.
Me- Ok (now I walk over and pick up the 2 packages of wraps and a loaf of wheat bread)..so do you want your WRAP on one of these tomato or spinach wraps or your sandwich on wheat bread?
C- I guess the wheat bread.
Me- great. Lettuce and tomato on your sandwich?
C- Is there alot of mayo in the chicken salad?
Me- Not too much...
C-can I try it first?
Me- sure (get out the chicken salad, get a plastic spoon and a small soup cup, and give them a taste).
C- can I get it without celery?
Me- no, sorry, it's all made with celery and dried cranberries
C- can't you make some up without celery?
Me- no, sorry, I made all the chicken into chicken salad this morning and it all has celery and dried cranberries
C- Ok...
Me- do you want lettuce and tomato on your sandwich?
C- yes, and can I have bacon?
Me- sure
C-and avacado?
Me- sure
C- and onion?
Me- sure
C- is it red or white onion?
Me- I have both, which do you prefer?
C- red...but sliced very thin
Me- ok..do you want fries or fresh fruit with your sandwich?
C- what is the fruit?
Me- fresh pineapple
C- do you have melon?
Me- no, sorry, the only fresh fruit I have is pineapple.
C- can I get a salad instead of the fries or fruit?
Me- sure-a mixed green salad with our own balsamic dressing?
C- can I get a chef's salad instead?
Me- sure, but that will up the price $2.00
C- why?
Me- because a chef's salad has turkey, ham, tomato, and assorted cheeses on it
C- oh..well...hmmm...I guess I will have the fries
Me- great...I'll get this started. That will be $8.00.
C- does it come with a drink?
Me- no, sorry..would you like to purchase a drink?
C-no
Me- okay, that will be $8.00 please

SO...he pays me the $8.00 and asks how long...I say less than 5 minutes. He says ok and stands at the window watching me. I drop the fries and start the sandwich.

C- (shouting from the window)...be sure to slice the onion thin!
Me- no problem..

SO...I make the sandwich, put it in the to go container, and turn to the fries.

C- is my sandwich ready?
Me-sure is...just waiting on the fries.
C-how long do they take?
Me- just a few more minutes, just want to get them golden brown
C-wow...this is taking a long time

SO...I pull the fries, put them in the container and hand it to the customer.

C-(opening box)...did you slice the onion thin?
Me- sure did. Have a nice afternoon.
C-you too

SO..That was the hardest $8.00 I ever made!!!

What NO tip !

Oh my gosh really??? Good job keeping your patience !!

Tamarack
 

I was at the Tamarack years back and I watched as two people, I assume man and wife, approached the picnic tables , each with their tray of food and drink in hand. The table they chose was on a slight incline/decline, depending on what side of the table you looked at. Well, the woman sat on one side and instead of the gentleman sitting on the other to balance it, he sat on the same side as her. No sooner than his butt hit the bench when the whole table tipped completely over, pouring food and drink all over themselves. Now don't anybody panic here, no one (including small animals) were hurt and the couple laughed it off, probably out of embarrassment. Its always best when we can laugh at ourselves.

ML that is crazy!! Wait til I show up next time

About a month ago we sat down to dinner at Lemon Grass. Incredible as it may seem, some little kid was playing a Kazoo at one of the dinner tables. The parents were oblivious. Thankfully they were about finished and on their way out...Otherwise I would have fired up my trumbone and joined the kid in disturbing the rest of the diners. :laugh:

Hey VB-if you show up and start to drive me crazy I will BOP you over the head...I KNOW you and I can and will get away with it! This guy was a real piece of work..

Great story, ML. ......Imagine on a busy day getting 3 or 4 people like that in one party......we especially love the moms, oblivious to what's going on around them, who let the 3 year old place their own order as they read them the whole menu. Meanwhile, the poor waitress has two or three new parties and food backed up waiting to be delivered.
I think we should have a thread of waitress stories......there are some good ones out there.

Hmmm.....
 

We went out to dinner this past Saturday night. The restaurant was a bit crowded and we were told that the wait was about 45 minutes. We sat at the bar and waited and waited. As the time passed, we noticed a table with three people and a bottle of wine. They were there milking the bottle of wine for about 1 1/2 hours (or more) on a busy Saturday night.

I can't believe that someone would tie up a table for 1 1/2 hours on a busy Saturday night. That prevents the table from turning over which means that the restaurant makes less money, the waitress makes less in tips and other patrons don't get in. Seriously rude.

Jetskier:cool:

Been those three...
 

... Actually five, which were my wife, her sister (up from FL for two days only), our nephew and his wife. We dined at a local restaurant and were in there for probably three hours. We did have a nice dinner complete with dessert, and probably drank coffee and talked for the last 45-50 minutes. This was all on our tab, and we tipped considerably more (nearly double) what we would normally had done. Waitress actually discretely asked if I "did the math right" and when I told her I did, she nicely thanked me and said it wasn't necessary. I told her we tied up one of her tables and potentially cost her money. She said thanks much and left with a big smile. Sooooooo, sometimes it may not be all that it seems. But then again....:rolleye1:

Hey Samiam
 

You and I combined have lots of years in the restaurant business (several of those years working together) so between us we have some great stories. I remember this one...A guy used to come in to a restaurant in Meredith and order a bowl of soup for $4.00 and a bottomless iced tea for $2.00. He would then ask for rolls and butter. Each time he came in he would have 5-6 glasses of tea and the roll count kept going up. and up. and up. So finally the owner told the waitress to charge him $2.00 for the 6 or 7 rolls he ate. The customer complained to the owner and he had the BEST response ever...Politely told him that when you buy a pair of shoes it doesn't come with socks. Heard this from the owner and I still laugh about it! Hope you and Sammie are well.

When I was in high school I worked at The Weathervane in Sanford, ME bar tending and in the fish market. (In Maine you can tend bar at 16 years old but can't drink it until you're 21. :coolsm:;))

I remember a small group of tourists from Japan came to the fish market one evening and asked for live lobsters to be packed up for them. They spoke a little English, and there was one that seemed be the man in charge of the group.

I prepared the box, ice, etc., and started pulling up chix lobsters for them. The group started wagging their heads "no" with each lobster I pulled up from the tank - although all were pretty lively. I was puzzled why the ones I was selecting weren't working for these guys. I kept up this routine for a bit but finally said, "Sorry, that's all I have here... What's wrong?"

Finally, the guy in charge says, "Where's the red ones?"

I explained they turn red when you cook 'em and he translated to the group, who smiled, nodded, and let me pack the dozen or so live GREEN lobsters for them to take home. :D

They were looking for the ripe ones AG.:laugh:

Upthesaukee.........We wish everyone was like you. Waitstaff works hard. They give up time that would be well spent with their family....weekends and nights in order to make a living. Many are single moms and they really appreciate a generous tip. You recognized that your waitress was losing a turnover and tipped her appropriately......good for you.

Howard Johnson's at the Weirs.
 

Hope somebody remembers that place. I'm dating myself!

I was taking off my busboy station to become a waiter. The waitstaff were returning to college. I waited on a young family with 10 kids, from babies to teen agers. The children were out of control with food everywhere, the babies even 'heaved' all over the table. Customers in surrounding tables were complaining about how rude the couple was to their children. When they finally left, the table was a disaster! It took a number of us to clean the mess! No lie, the couple did not leave a tip! :eek:

Sometimes I would go to a restuarant just to 'people watch'. It can be entertaining. :D

:offtopic: (Just slightly off topic....)

Argie's dad used to work there in the 1950's. He says that it was on the left, right after the bridge. Argie says he ate his first hot fudge sundae there and it cost like $1. He remembers it.... And asks if you remember Nashville North, home of the bar room fight? ;):D

Nashville North
 

And Teen Heaven! The home of bar room fight was really the 'Sportsmen Den', where Union Ave ends, and Weirs Blvd begins in Laconia!

MeridithLady, I'm pretty sure I used to serve that guy ... about a dozen times every summer. UGH, I sure do feel your pain!!!;)

YUP, That's Me...
 

Kind'a slipped in under the radar, as in before the child labor laws got into the picture, so to speak. I was washing dishes in some very prominent and established restaurants at 9 years old. Now, this gave me an inside view of what it takes, and a better understanding, if you will.

I can state that all of the many wonderful restaurants that I have enjoyed here in the lakes Region, sit down meal or take out, I always left a good tip. ' And Here's Why '.

Anyone that has to deal with the public, [ save politicians ], needs some perks too!

Yup, that's me, the way I feel!
Terry

Hey Meredith Lady .........
 

Hey, sounds to me like you are sitting on a goldmine....

Start to write a book about that stuff... good reading to me !!!

What could you title it ???? hmmm........

Not crazy but gross
 

When I was in college in Manchester back in the 80's, I worked at a semi-large hotel downtown with large banquet facilities. It was a decent enough job, the money was good for a banquet waiter.
The chef was an older military guy. He had got all his chef-type training in the mess halls back in the day. He could put together a good meal for the most part.
Well, the kitchen was kind of gross back then, not real clean. The chef was constantly smoking in the kitchen. It was gross. He would be standing there over the plates while the sous chefs were plating the meals. He always had a butt going. When the ash got long, it would hang off the end of the butt. Me and my buddy would place bets on which plate was going to get ashed on.

Oh, and for the record, I never saw the ash hit a plate. Not sure how he did it, but he always managed to avoid that.

Drive In Food
 

Warning for those with weak stomachs do not read!!...

Many years ago as a kid I worked at the Sky Ray Drive In in Hooksett. Some of the things that went on there were just disgusting. Here's just a few...

After the movie the owner would walk around and pick up all the used popcorn and french fry containers on the ground and re-use them.

Left over popcorn was thrown into a garbage bag and reheated the next night until sold.

When the hot dogs started going bad they became somewhat slimy, no problem at all, he would rinse them off in hot water and throw them on the rollers anyway.

Any and all left over food (burgers and dogs) which were in those foil type envelope containers were simply reheated the next night or the next until sold.

Left over french fries, shrimp rolls or any other deep fried food was reheated in the grease the next night or the next until they sold.

The fryaltor was left uncovered at night so the next day we would have to scoop all the bugs out of it before using.

Because the exhaust fan was directly over the fryalator, bugs would constantly be be whacked by the blades and fall into the oil while food was cooking in it. The grease was never changed all season...

I was scarred for life working there!

Dan

Today this is called Recycling, and is highly encouraged in all walks of life. "Waste Not..Want Not" my Mum used to say. :D NB

Really
 

I doubt that it was you that we saw as the table was occupied by 3 people (one man and two women). However, while you made the waitress happy... this clearly cost the restaurant money as the table did not turn over and (if we were at the same restaurant), you prevented other patrons from using the table on a busy Saturday night.

I have NEVER seen a time limit at a restaurant for the patrons to "drink, eat leave"

WHY are they "patrons" NOT aloud to sit and enjoy there company? There paying for the "service"

YOU Mister are as guilty as the owner!

Not quite... At 14 years old and working for an alcoholic boss you do what your told! He did the cooking, I was too young. I simply swept floors, filled drinks and replaced toilet tissue in the bathrooms.

I am inclined to agree with you here. It may be perceived as rude or inconsiderate by some, but I don't agree with that. When I was a restaurant manager, I couldn't stand when the servers would complain when people would "take too long" to enjoy their meal out. I used to just tell them to suck it up, you have to take the good with the bad.

A good server will milk a situation like that... "Can I get you more drinks? Or some coffee? How about dessert?" Chances are if folks are comfortable enough to stick around like that to chat on into the night, they'll also be back again. Repeat customers are best!

The general rule of thumb is to expect to give people a 2 hour limit, that is what I've always been told/heard. Maybe in places where it's a fast paced, cheaper meals type of place then of course you'd expect to turn tables over sooner than that. I used to be a server and I NEVER had a problem with people staying long, I think it's rude to try and rush people out of there.

I had a manager once ( recently ) who came up to me and told me to start bussing other servers tables and pointed one table out specifically. I then told him that I had noticed that the people looked finished but I wasnt sure since it wasnt my table and I didnt want to clear it yet. Well, he said "no just clear it, if you dont know, just clear it", and he asked me to come over and help him, with two of the people still sitting there. So I of course had to and as we started clearing it, what do you know, the people ( very irritated ) said, " Um, thats our kid's food, they are in the bathroom, can you put it back?" I was SO embarrased because I knew I was right, he tried to play it off like it wasnt a big deal and he was really right and they were "actually finished". I went right up to the people as soon as he was gone and told them that I was so sorry and I tried telling him that they werent finished, I really didnt care if I was throwing him under the bus, he was a jerk and should have listened :)

As with everything else we discuss on the forum, all that is necessary is a little common sense and courtesy.

If I am at the VK for Sunday breakfast and there are people lined up out the door, I finish my meal and leave in a reasonable period of time. I should state I never feel rushed by the staff at VK, so it is a good example of how a busy restaurant is supposed to work.

On the other hand, if I am at Lemon Grass or the Woodshed, I eat and drink at a leisurely pace and may linger a "reasonable" time after dinner over coffee.

No matter where I eat or what I spend, I expect to be treated courteously and I respond likewise.

Just because you pay the big bucks for a meal, you are not entitled to be abusive or sit for HOURS after your meal in pleasant conversation if there are clearly folks waiting for the table.

Just my opinion.

Common Courtesy
 

If it is a quiet night, there is nothing wrong with "lingering". On a busy night with a line out the door, it becomes a matter of common courtesy. There is so little of that at the lake these days, it is concerning. Restaurants can not predict the waiting time for patrons when tables are in linger mode. When you are at 2x the predicted wait time, it is difficult to not notice the lingering tables.

Just because you pay for a ramp fee, doesn't mean that you should mess around on a boat ramp and block other people. The same applies here. On a busy night, people want to typically get in, eat and move on. The restaurant wants to turn tables (that is how they make their money) especially with a seasonal business. On a quiet night, go for it.

We are mindful of not lingering on busy nights. Again, this all goes to common courtesy.

Jetskier:cool:

HoJo's
 

Howard Johnson's at the Weirs was no better in the 60's. Food cooked one day is used the next day. Someone says his/her steak is too rare, they would put the same steak under the broiler. Too done? They cook another steak and save the old steak for the next order. If an order comes back from a table, the food is reused in the next order! Makes me think twice about dining out!

If it's a quiet night then lingering and tipping to compensate is reasonable, but on a busy night one should move on and find somewhere else to chat. Once you have finished your food and beverages, it's time to move on. Go outside for a walk or go chat in the parking lot. Regardless of the tip, it is still rude to tie up a table while others are waiting!