The Waiter Was Parked
In a previous post, I mentioned the lack of German beer at Oktoberfest. Well, that was nothing compared to the waiter we had that night. He was one of those people who thought he was doing us a favor by being there and that his job doesn’t include an ounce of customer service. I have worked in a customer service job for many years and yes, we all have bad days, but try not to take it out on undeserving people.
I really don’t think that his bad attitude was the result of a bad day or being “busy”. I think he is just a bad waiter with a chip on his shoulder.
OK, so what did he do?
He never smiled, even when greeting us;
Gave us quick, emotionless responses to our questions;
Made us wait for our drinks too long - we could see them sitting on the bar, waiting to be served - twice;
Everyone around us was served their entrees first, even if we arrived before them. When asked about it, this parked waiter said they were coming out now - no explanation or apology;
Here’s a tip that I’m sure most waiters are aware of - if the food is not coming out as quickly as expected, don’t make customers wait for drinks also. This keeps people happy!
Speaking of tips, the worst part after the bad service, was that the waiter had hand-written an 18% tip into the bill. When questioned about it, he said that yes he did that and no, it was not a required amount for a party of five. I usually tip at least 20%, even if the service is not exceptional, but when someone is rude without provocation, they will not get anywhere near that amount.
We later heard from another worker there that our waiter was just chatting away with someone in the back, so he was a slacker. She felt bad for our poor service and said she would mention it to the management. I also wrote an email to them. That guy was beyond parked and needs to learn customer service or get another job.
