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I'm wondering if I should've expected a little something for this lapse. Maybe a free coffee or a dessert. |
 | By Andy Tarnoff   Publisher E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Andy Tarnoff |
| Published Nov. 3, 2009 at 4:10 p.m. |
|
This weekend, my wife and I visited one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants for one its always excellent breakfasts. Though some have complained about this establishment's level of service, we've never had a problem, and in fact, I'm not sure Saturday was a problem, either.
Actually, the waiter was conversational, attentive and even brought crayons for our daughter to play with. I won't mention where I went, because my goal isn't inflict any wrath upon this restaurant. Instead, my reason for blogging this topic is to see if you readers agree that we had the right to be slightly perturbed.
A few minutes after I placed my order, our waiter returned to apologetically tell me that the bakery hadn't delivered the ingredients necessary to complete the dish. That's OK, I told him, and ordered another breakfast.
Our food arrived promptly, though the waiter delivered me the wrong meal. I told him that I ordered something else, and he politely offered to take it away and bring me the correct dish. Again, I told him that it was OK; I didn't want to waste the food. I'd had this dish before, and even though it wasn't my first or second choice, it would be fine.
After the meal, the waiter brought us the bill. Not only did he not take anything off for bringing the wrong food or for not having my original order in stock, the third dish was actually more expensive than my first or second choice. The waiter didn't apologize for the mistake, either, though he was just as nice at the end of the meal as he was throughout the process.
I'm wondering if I should've expected a little something for this lapse. Maybe a free coffee or a dessert. Or my dish for free, or at least at the price of either my first or second choice breakfasts. It's not a huge deal, but I think if the situation was reversed, I might do it a little differently.
Still, I plan on coming back to this restaurant many more times, and mistakes certainly do happen. But am I wrong to be just a tiny bit miffed? I'd love to hear what you think in the Talkbacks below.
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17 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by serverchic on Nov. 7, 2009 at 12:54 p.m. (report)
Having a lot of experience as both a server and FOH manager, I can agree with most of the people that you should have been charged for what you originally ordered. You did eat the dish, and would understand comping the item if something had been found in it, was stale, etc. However, the server should definitely have the let MOD know and some sort of gesture made to compensate for the mistakes. A free dessert or coffee, or a gift certificate for your next visit go a long way in having return business. It's also more economical. My guess is that the server probably didn't say anything in fear of being reprimanded. And they probably rang in the more expensive item that ended being ordered to possibly have a higher tab and thus a higher tip. Being a server right now is tough, as people are still going out to eat but some (certainly not all), feel they can skimp on the tip. Upselling has been key in trying to make as much money as possible, but unfortunately it seems some servers are being dishonest!
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Posted by manager on Nov. 5, 2009 at 9:14 a.m. (report)
As a restaurant manager, I can say with certainty that you need to alert the manager whenever you have a situation like this. A good manager would apologize, and in your case, removed the dish from your bill. Your dish was wrong and you were nice enough to eat it, but you shouldn't have to pay for the restaurant's mistake. Make sure that the manager comes over to talk to you. I had an experience where the server told me that the manager was too busy to speak to our table after we had a terrible experience - he was afraid to get in trouble. Upon leaving, I asked to see the manager at the hostess stand, and subsequently had my entire check refunded. The manager was shocked to hear that this had happened. You cannot rely upon your server to fix things, either. The server doesn't usually have the power to buy you dessert, comp your meal, buy your table a round, etc. Don't be afraid to assert yourself when the restaurant is clearly in the wrong, but don't take advantage either. The manager can usually smell bu$$sh&* from a mile away. And please, be polite, like the author of this column, and treat the server with respect.
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Posted by Nezrite on Nov. 4, 2009 at 5:47 p.m. (report)
Ah, the Bayside. I used to drink Cherry Bombs there in the late 70s...
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Posted by eito on Nov. 4, 2009 at 2:40 p.m. (report)
Andy, i bet you would never be miffed, stiffed, or even biffed, & in turn, have to validate expectations & what to do with them once they have not been satisfied after stepping into & spending an afternoon at the Bayside in Door County, WI, USA...........way too much service love in that joint for that to happen i think....
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Posted by devidia on Nov. 4, 2009 at 1:36 p.m. (report)
I'd be miffed, maybe even chafed, piqued, or vexed as well. Possibly even to the point of raising one eyebrow over this sorry state of affairs.
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