Great service is rewarded by generous tips, genuine “thank yous” and smiles. Bad service can certainly ruin a dining experience. And most of the time, we hope, service is forgettable—you get our food in a timely fashion, you have a pleasurable experience, and that is that. But then there are times when there’s no designation for the kind of service you get. I had one such experience in the DC area.
I was with a group of friends, and our waitress, seemingly peppy and friendly, began a silent commentary on some of the items we were ordering. For example, I ordered sweet tea (forgetting they only served the regular brew), and she responded NOT by saying “I’m sorry, we don’t serve sweet tea, but we have natural and artificial sweeteners for your convenience.” Instead she nodded “no” in quick, nervous shakes. I, looking at her askance, said, “oookay, I’ll take regular.”
When she returned to take our orders, I inquired about the beet and potato soup they were offering as a special. I asked, “Is this a cream-based soup?”
She said, in a very hyper “Gilmore Girls” fast-talking kind of way: “Oh, well, usually we try the soup, but today we were afraid.”
Me: “Okay.” [Soup base aside, I’ve obviously already decided I’m not ordering the soup.]
Her: “I’m going to go ask the chef.”
So before taking any other orders, she dashed off to the kitchen to do some forensics on the soup. She came back and said “It’s kind of creamy, but kind of not. But, actually, it looks really good.”
Me [not falling for this obvious act of back-pedaling]: “Okay, thanks. But first I’d like to know why you were afraid to try the soup today.”
Her: “Oh, well, you see, yesterday, the chef made this soup from Peruvian potatoes, and it was purple! And, well, it was quite foul.”
Me: “Foul, okay.”
Her: “But today’s soup looks really good.”
Me: “I’ll skip the soup,” and I placed my order.
Later when we were ordering dessert, she reprised her nervous shaking syndrome when one of our friends ordered a particular dessert. “Oookay,” he said “I’ll have the pie instead.”
Laughing at the experience, we all agreed honesty is valued from a waiter, but that there’s a classier way of saying “quite foul” when you’re trying to steer guests toward something they might like better. Still, our meal was pleasant, and we enjoyed ourselves. And if nothing else, this case of bizarre service was fodder for good cocktail conversation. So, I suggest you pull up a chair, pour a glass, and tell us about a weird experience of your own.
—AK
I'm sorry if this comes off as ignorant, but is English her first language? Sometimes when someone doesn't know enough English, when that person tries to convey their thoughts they come out short and curt, or they overexplain to make sure you understand things. Could that have been it?
ReplyDeleteAt Jimmy's on K, my friend asked the waiter a question about one of the menu items. The waiter actually sat down in the booth next to my friend and started to explain each menu item beginning with the appetizers in a slow, deliberately enunciated tone one might use with a child. My friend's question was whether she could have the salad without walnuts.
ReplyDeleteShe politely asked him to stand up and address her as an adult. His response was to walk off in a huff. We called Jimmy over (he was at the front that night) to ask for a new waiter. I doubt seriously whether this waiter still works there.
Dee, yes English was definitely her first language. And thank you Kate for your story. Bizarre, indeed!
ReplyDeleteOne thing that strikes me as bizzare when I'm dining out is when the server knows *nothing* about the drink menu. Like the taste of a strange named liquor. This has happened to me twice lately.
ReplyDeleteAnother time I had a waiter, at a BAR, who happened to mention that he doesn't drink and it's against his religion. Ok... Way to try to make us feel bad for getting tipsy and loudish! He got a poor tip from me for being a bad sport!