Comments on: When the waitress asks how my meal is

By: Cimerax

Cimerax — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:17:18 +0000

Thank you.

By: Uncle Ruckus

Uncle Ruckus — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:13:06 +0000

I also like to write really big comments.

By: hblahh

hblahh — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:18:11 +0000

This is SO true!!

good job. (:

By: hilarity ensues

hilarity ensues — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:55:06 +0000

well it’s hard to catch people in between bites when the hungry cattle are constantly shoveling food into their mouths as if they haven’t eaten in days. and if i decide to let them finish their nom-fest in peace, most of the time they get pissed and start bawing that there was a problem even though they demolished their food in 5 min flat. SERVERS: THEY JUST CAN’T GET A BREAK.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:08:14 +0000

back to the kitchen women

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:53:00 +0000

Well, when you are a waitress and you have 10-15 tables in the middle of lunch rush, you do not really have time to observe the behavior of you customers to pick the exact right moment to ask them how the food is. Feel lucky that we talk to you at all for the dollar and change you will leave us at the end of the meal, if we are so lucky.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:08:09 +0000

Obviously photoshopped!!! lol

btw people, many restaraunts require the server return within 1 or 2 minutes of serving the food. Obviously you are still eating at this point so it is hard to time it. Especially when they have a few tables they have to get back to in that 2 minutes, and if one of them asks for something it screws the whole thing up for everyone. And I do mystery shops for some restaraunts, they REALLY want their servers there in 2 minutes or less or they get in BIG trouble.

By: Novoii

Novoii — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:02:07 +0000

lol First Fail ?

By: Morgan

Morgan — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:51:07 +0000

um excuse me, but i am a waitress and if we dont ask how your food is, you leave us a crappy tip because we weren’t checking on you enough. but you come to a restaurant to EAT. so you’re pretty much guaranteed to be asked how your food is while you’re eating. try waitressing before you label all of us.

By: Aidan

Aidan — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:17:37 +0000

It’s Murphy’s Law of Serving – no matter how well you think you’ve timed it, at least one person will have just taken a bite when you ask how everything is. It’s unavoidable. It ALWAYS happens. It did during my 3 years of serving, anyway. I made it into a joke…

By: Bev

Bev — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:20:47 +0000

Waitresses should get medical benefits, and sick days and personal days and holidays and overtime pay and an hourly wage. Then it would’nt be such a mindless bunch of people…..That’s what this graph says to me.

Why does my waitress seem so dumb, when she’s workng for free and all…

By: J

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:28:34 +0000

Touche

By: Emerald

Emerald — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:52:51 +0000

I’m a server and I try my best to catch people in between bites. It’s really hard to do, and sometimes people wont even give me their order if they are completely engrossed in whatever mundane subject is the topic of conversation. They’ll make me stand there for 10 minutes while they talk about their new BMW or the latest T.V. show they are following . Unlike a couple of the servers here, I really don’t like asking you while you’re mouth is full! I have to ask it. I’m sorry. My best solution is:

-Walk up to the table when I hope you don’t have your mouth full.
-Ask “How is everything, is the food good?”
-Get an “Mmmhhhmm.” response.
-(Here is the best part) “I’m sorry I had to ask you while your mouth is full!”

This last bit usually ensues in a smile and a bigger tip. Honest : ).

By: Party Pooper

Party Pooper — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:22:38 +0000

It’s been 2 1/2 years since my 4-year run as a server ended. I forgot all about that “sitting at a dirty table” thing because my last restaurant stopped letting people seat themselves a long time ago, but I totally know what you’re talking about.

What made it worse is when it’s relatively busy, there are like 4 clean tables, they sit at a dirty one, but no one sees this happen, and no one knows they haven’t been helped because they have used plates in front of them, and then they complain, “Hey! We’ve been here for 10 minutes and no one has helped us!”

I always tried to keep my “check-up” questions in a yes-or-no format so that nodding when I ask is a reasonable response.

By: Party Pooper

Party Pooper — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:25:05 +0000

Woah woah woah woah woah. Macaroni Grill is good. And a bit on the pricey side.

K2M, that’s some funny stuff. Sounds to me like the server might have had continuing problems with the cooking staff.

By: bopalo

bopalo — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:58:09 +0000

well no wonder it wasn’t that good. how far away do you live from civilization? macaroni grill… really?

By: Tammie

Tammie — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:47:54 +0000

I used to be a server and I did it sometimes, but not on purpose. I usually avoided interrupting those who looked to be in deep discussion, and just filled their drinks, assuming they’d tell me if something was wrong or they needed something.
Another thing that’s annoying is the fact that if there is ONE dirty table in the whole place, that’s where the party is going to want to sit, even if the place is emtpy and all the other tables are clean. One time I was the only person in the dining room and a group left, then these people sat at a table with food on it and complained that it was dirty when there were plenty of clean tables every where else. Ugh! I can go on and on. People kind of look down on servers (here, anyway) but they really have to be patient and put up with a lot of crap.

By: Amethyst

Amethyst — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:24:26 +0000

Agreeed! (former waitress, but still!)

By: the me, not the you.

the me, not the you. — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:59:25 +0000

* gorging

lousy keyboard.

By: the me, not the you.

the me, not the you. — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:58:21 +0000

Whenever that happens (quite often actually) I just signal the “server” with a thumbs-up, indicating a positive response while i cannot verbally express my thoughts without losing the delicious food I am currently gorgin myself on. I also give the thumbs-up signal because it translates (in certain regions) to “stick it up your arse and go away”.

One thumb up for non-verbal response.
Two thumbs up and eye contact for a very sarcastic non-verbal response.

Now refill my water.

By: this guy over here

this guy over here — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:58:10 +0000

. . . yeah. You’re probably right.

By: not an a**

not an a** — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:48:57 +0000

Who is being an ass?? The guy who wrote the thing before you or the person who created this graph??? Hmmm?? Because the one who created this graph is definitely not an ass!

By: Penguin

Penguin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:16:16 +0000

Whenever I see the waiter/waitress coming toward me, I just abandon whatever I have on my fork or quickly swallow so I don’t get into such situations.

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:40:22 +0000

What a waste of a flan. :S

By: This guy over here

This guy over here — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:58:26 +0000

Actually I just made that up. But it’s been fun getting you to rant about stuff that doesn’t matter. Have a good one!

By: Morgan

Morgan — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:17:11 +0000

i had a guy throw a flan at me once, Luckily i worked at a decent joint and was allowed to tell him what a pleasant gentleman i thought he was.

By: Morgan

Morgan — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:15:59 +0000

I’m a waitress. I do it on purpose. Tip better. <3

By: Anslee Mae

Anslee Mae — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:53:53 +0000

At my job I have now (Applebee’s) it’s actually part of our training that we approach the table when people have their mouths full. That way we won’t get stuck at the table talking, but we’re not neglecting the cutomer.

By: Scary Dream

Scary Dream — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:29:32 +0000

Then I need to move to Britain, because people in the States certainly don’t mind saying it.

It’s one thing to dislike the food and send it back to be fixed, that’s my job and I’ll happily do it. But it’s another thing entirely to actually yell, curse, call me names, and throw DISHES at me if something isn’t how they want it.

Yes, I’ve actually had that happen. People get really mean when they’re hungry, especially when they’re hungry and drunk.

By: CantSpeel

CantSpeel — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:18:18 +0000

I think it’s cruel to have an ’s’ in the word lisp

By: Flick

Flick — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:49:11 +0000

I find a bit of frantic nodding and enthusiastic fork waving usually gets the message across that I am, indeed, enjoying my meal.

Mind you there are probably not many Brits who would actually say “No, it’s bloody awful actually” anyway.

By: fubuki

fubuki — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:10:20 +0000

I don’t think I’m out of line in saying that this comment is the greatest piece of writing that has ever been written. I, for one, welcome our new Caps Lock overlords.

By: shalindria

shalindria — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:57:04 +0000

I think they really do wait for the most inopportune time to ask because they either have low self esteem and don’t want negative comments or because they are in a hurry and they know that you won’t waste their time with a long reply

By: brownies

brownies — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:30:59 +0000

Well if the graphs are so boring why are you bothering to still look at them?
And if the comments are even more boring and dull then don’t bother reading them. I would say that most people would just see your original post as you being one of those people who just likes to write in caps, not someone making fun of all the people who just write something generic and boring for a comment.

By: trickstertotem217

trickstertotem217 — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:37:50 +0000

I always used to joke with my tables that we did it so that, if they thought the food was awful, all we’d hear was “mmhmhmh” and we could pretend that it was praise rather than judgement.

By: Thud

Thud — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:33:03 +0000

I’ve been in food service for several years.. you know we do that on purpose, right?

By: Milo

Milo — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:09:58 +0000

Yeah, it needs more exclamation points.

By: Scary Dream

Scary Dream — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:52:43 +0000

Hear hear! I am a server, too, and have to do the same thing. I try to wait, but when there is an entire dining room to look after, sometimes the only chance you get is when they have a mouthful. Like you said, a nod or a thumbs up is all we need, and I always apologize if I catch someone in the middle of taking a bite.

By: chewer

chewer — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:51:53 +0000

If it annoys you, do this:

Look them in the eye and hold a finger up
while you chew your food
Continue to chew your food
until they decide they should go

If they ask again, do the same thing.

By: Diane

Diane — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:22:21 +0000

well, at least you’re not bitter…

By: Diane

Diane — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:20:50 +0000

That’s what tends to happen to me. I mean, I almost always am interrupted while I’m talking about some big story or important issues, but I talk a lot as a human being in general… so ya know, I understand the likelihood of interruption there. But more and more often lately, I find myself in the situation in which someone brings me my food, I happily accept and thank the person, I pick up my fork, and then the waiter/waitress/waiterress comes up and asks, “How is everything?” Uh…it looks fine, I guess… no obvious pubes or loogies on my food… o_O

By: Milty

Milty — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:20:24 +0000

Umm…guyth?

The PThee term now ith “Therver”…? Uth it…?

(Thexithtth)

By: Yuval

Yuval — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:10:08 +0000

WHAT??
I’M SORRY, I CAN’T HEAR YOU
PLEASE WRITE LOUDER

By: Kitty

Kitty — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:17:11 +0000

I’m a waitress, and speaking from my experience I personally try to catch people in between bites. Its difficult when you are trying to look after 6-10 tables with more than a couple of people on them. We HAVE to ask, because if we don’t and there was a problem with the meal we get our buts kicked. It’s called a 2 bite check.. we try to catch you not too long after you’ve started eating and if possible not too long before you finish, just to be sure that everything is okay.
If you have a mouth full or not, big deal. thumbs up or thumbs down is really all we need

By: K2M

K2M — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:51:00 +0000

Conversation at Macaroni Grill tonight:
“Do you want a box for that?”
“…Nah.”
“Was it not that good?”
“…”
“…”
“…Not really.”
“Do you want me to get the manager to talk to the cook?”
“No you don’t have to do that.”
“Well I know you don’t want me to, but I’m going to do it anyway.”

By: Fegli

Fegli — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:44:56 +0000

Nodding, trying to smile, and saying “mmhmm” is generally the best you can do, I find. However it happens surprisingly little from the other side of the coin, when you’re doing the asking!

By: meh

meh — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:45:52 +0000

Oh I believe you, but it’s still completely ridiculous when you could really just use logic to reach the conclusion that if you’re at a place to EAT you will, for a good majority of the time, be EATING. Also asking “how is everything?” wouldn’t make much sense at the END of a meal, so naturally there is a high chance that it will be asked in the middle while you’re still consuming it.
My point is more about, as you mentioned, the whole “only remembering the rare instances that graphs like this emphasize merely because they are out of the ordinary or inconvenient” thing. There are too many of these graphs, and while some are genuinely funny, others just play on things that RARELY occur but people laugh at and go “LOL SO TRUE” because it is extremely unlucky to the point of being slightly comical and sounds like something that MIGHT happen. Then they just throw in some arbitrarily made-up statistics into a graph and call it funny. It’s hard to explain, but you can practically make them up on the spot without thought. For example: “Chance of forgetting your room keys in your room: Regular Day=0%; Pouring rain, you’re late for class, you’re halfway there, you forgot your bag and your final assignment is due in 5 minutes=100%”.
LOLOL!!! OH MAN. SO TRUE, SO TRUE. They’re really getting dull.

By: Curious

Curious — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:38:46 +0000

Not sure ending on a negative note is needed here.
It’s possible to get into a discussion without wrapping one’s psyche around it.
This may take practice, but it can be done.

By: musashi1600

musashi1600 — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:36:15 +0000

Personally, whenever someone asks if I like the food I’m eating, the best response I can give is to, smile, nod, and keep eating.

By: Party Pooper

Party Pooper — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:01:31 +0000

Apple pie.