Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Where have all the servers gone?

My daughter and I eat lunch out way more often than we should. We were both also brought up going to better-than-average restaurants. Our family has friends in the restaurant business.




We are both spoiled brats. I was raised by my parents. My child spent most of her formative years with her paternal grandparents. We are both used to getting what we want. We are both willing to pay for this privilege. Yes, this is where you pray for Shorty.




This tale starts about a month ago. We had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. The waitress asked if I wanted dessert. I said that I would like a bowl of strawberries and some whipped cream. This is not on the menu but my husband has ordered this since the restaurant opened.




The waitress came back and said that they didn't have enough berries to do that and would I like anything else. I asked if they had strawberry shortcake and she said that, yes, they did. I asked for strawberry shortcake, hold the cake. She told me they couldn't do that. I said that of course they could.




The cook came out to tell me that they did not have enough berries for me to have just berries. I asked if they had enough berries for me to have strawberry shortcake. She said that they did. I said, fine, I would like strawberry shortcake, hold the cake. She huffed off and I got my bowl of berries.




Today, we had lunch at the same restaurant. Julie ordered chocolate meringue pie, no meringue. The waitress said, "We can't do that". Juls and I, simultaneously, said, "Of course you can". The waitress looked at us askance and I told her to just scrape the meringue off and throw it away. She went away, conferred with our regular waitress, and Julie got her meringueless pie.




We never ask to be charged less, or differently. We never ask them to go to a different restaurant to procur what we want although this was the norm when we were growing up. I just want to know when the customer ceased being right. When did it become the norm for a waitress to tell you that she "can't" do something? I understand some things are difficult. I understand that some things are outside her frame of reference. This does not make it impossible. Holding a piece of cake or scraping the meringue off of a piece of pie should not cause this much angst.

15 comments:

Junebug said...

Anymore the customer isn't always right and sometimes not even left.

Irish Coffeehouse said...

Stories like this make McDonald's seemingly a custom ordering restaurant huh? lol

Anonymous said...

If I can get McDonald's to hold the pickles on my burger, you should be able to hold the shortcake. For crying out loud!

Unknown said...

Julie's a gal after my own heart. I only like the filling, too.

Megnificent said...

Ok, you've gotta tell me where and i'll go ask for a bowl of strawberries, too. We'll start a whole berry conspiracy thing. :)

laurie said...

ah you and jack nicholson.

remember the scene in "five easy pieces"? when he tells the waitress to hold the toast between her knees?

one of my brothers once told me that he was in a restaurant and he heard someone order "ham and eggs without the ham."

Pamela said...

You must ask Karmyn about her Peanut Buster Parfait story

I'm afraid to argue with the server or the cook.. they might spit or worse in my food

Robocop said...

Thank you for making me so hungry. **LOL** Sorry I have not been around. Things have been busy.

Career Guy said...

The older I get, the more persnickity I get about restaurant ordering. I want what I want. Surely you can figure this out. I send things back now. I never used to. Probably getting a reputation as a crotchedy old man.

Debs said...

Good for you for standing up for what you want! :)

Anonymous said...

That's insane! How can they have enough berries for shortcake and not enough for berries and whipped cream alone?!! I love it that you ordered shortcake and asked them to hold the cake. What stupidity that they couldn't just serve what you ordered without all the fuss.

Angie @ Many Little Blessings said...

Isn't it just dumb what we have to do sometimes to get what we want? I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that! Yikes!

Anonymous said...

I love that you got you berries!

I am the queen of special orders. My hubs won't go through drive-thrus for me. he always goes in because as he says, "they screw you in the drive-thru."

And I've got to get it right. He loves me.

Irish Coffeehouse said...

I think the next question is... where have you gone? Where are you? We miss your posts and comments!

ChrisB said...

I'm afraid I vote with my feet I would not go back to a restaurant that wasn't prepared to to accommodate my needs without a fight~ or maybe it would have been a low tip in protest!

 
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