Speaking of wages, do waitresses get paid a fair wage?

'moot', please.

 

I agree, the percentage system is just odd. Two waitstaff doing the same exact job will get different tips due to the difference in cost of the meal. The one works at the expensive restaurant does not necessarily do better work than the one who works at the cheaper restaurant. And before I get attacked...again...I do tip.

 

Vocabulary...."nazi"

 

Where have I given the impression that I harass staff? I've simply said that I stay away from places that expect tips from customers. So really, you wouldn't have to kick me out because I'd never go in.

 

Over the past five years about 200 restaurants have tried going to the no tip policy only to find they lost business and within a year many went back to tipping system.

 

It's one of the reasons why the service isn't very good. The whole idea is you go to a restaurant to have some good food and enjoy the company of the person or people you go with. However, because servers rely on tips to pay the bills, they're going to interject themselves into the experience in order to stand out and get you ordering the most expensive things on the menu. They're looking at you with dollar signs, and they make absolutely no bones about that. kaching kaching kaching. It's like turning a corner with a pocket full of change jingling away, and there's a phalanx of bums all holding signs asking for money. I just want to walk to the end of the street without being spare changed to death.

Good service is unobtrusive. It's going to a place and the staff merely enhance the personal experience. Americans don't understand that, so they think good service is getting a lapdance with your burger.

 

What kinds of restaurants are you going to where the wait staff is interjecting themselves into your experience? You might want to find better places to go to. I have never experienced wait staff interjecting themselves other than to ask if I want another drink during the meal or at the end asking if we’d like coffee or dessert.

 

Just the asking if I want another drink or if I'd like coffee and dessert is a small part of it.

Okay, let me give you an example. I went to a fancy place in waikiki that's right on the beach. When we're seated and trying to order something, the server is standing there chitchatting with us, asking what kind of situation he's dealing with. Why are we in hawaii, what he recommends, would we like the band to come over and sing a song for the table, what his name is, and to let him know if he can help us.

 

So you’re put off by a waiter asking if you want another drink? Hahaha...I suggest you just stay home. Holy f, you must be absolutely miserable to be around at a restaurant.

 

Sorry, but I've been around the world and have had truly outstanding service, which Americans are incapable of. It's a cultural thing that Americans just don't get. Maybe one of these days, you'll end up in some yakitori restaurant in Japan, and after 30 or 40 minutes, realizing that your personal space has never once been violated, but you still managed to get exactly what you wanted. The cook is there on the other side of the bar scowling at his meat on sticks, another guy is busy greeting people who come in, but never once have you felt that you were interfering or interfered with. whatever is going on in the background is hidden from the customer.

You don't get it, which is why you are think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. It's the little things that separate good service from bad. As I said, unobtrusive service is good service. It's the difference between going to a store and having a sales dude right behind you asking if he can be of some help, or a sales dude across the store seeing me look around for help, and only then being in general hailing distance.

American service lacks... subtlety.

 

My personal space has never been violated in any restaurant I’ve ever been too. I’ve always had unobtrusive service here. You really are making a mountain out of a molehill. I don’t believe all these great places you’ve been to have been able to know whether or not you wanted another drink without asking. Unless you’re going to tell me they read minds.

 

Yeah well, I told you. You don't have the experience that I do, so it's a bit like asking a blind man to understand what green looks like. You really don't know because you've never seen green.

 

And I told you, I’ve never had obtrusive waiters...ever. We both know you’re full of it.

 

There's a reason Japan is known for having the best service in the world (and there is no tipping) and America is known for being right behind the French when it comes to bad service.

 

They still can’t know whether or not you need another drink without asking.

 

Yes, it's possible. There is body language such as a look towards a server, and they are going to notice that look. They can see your drink is low before you even look up from whatever you were doing, so it's anticipated. They return the eye contact and that's your cue to say "mo ippon onegaishimasu" (one more please).

 

So you DO have to interact. Same as me looking over a my waiter and pointing to my drink.

 

If that was it, I wouldn't have a problem. It's the shilling of drinks and desserts, and just a general sense of a lamb being led to a cash register slaughter that I don't like.

You said earlier you didn't have a problem with them asking you if you'd like another drink, or perhaps dessert and coffee. That's okay, and I understand the idea. They're trying to get a bit more added to the tab, and it's totally understood.

No, they can't read minds, but there is an attempt at subtlety. I really can't explain it better than I have, but it's jarring to the point that I really prefer to not eat at American restaurants. There's a particular Herb Tarlek aspect to Americans that rubs me ten ways wrong to sunday.

 

Imagine a waiter ASKING if you want desert!

The NERVE

Jesus

 

It's like a street walker walking up to a car waiting on a light to turn green and asking if they'd like a date.

Oh, the nerve!!!!

Whores think it's perfectly natural to do that, but the guy in the car might just be trying to get home after a hard day at work.

Lesh, I am even now imagining you in a polyester suit with an overly loud tie trying to sell me some insurance door-to-door.

The white shoes are a very nice and American touch.

p.s. You see ECA? Lesh owns some kinda establishment he wouldnt mind throwing me out of, but he sees absolutely nothing wrong with being a door-to-door salesman trying to sell encyclopedias.

If I wanted an encyclopedia, I'd point at the salesman, and then point to my lack of reading material. However, Lesh is an American, so there is something fundamentally wrong about his idea of "service". He doesn't get it, and I suspect it's at the genetic level.

 

What would be the reason? Link?

 

Lesh...how about answering my question please, I'm curious.

Since you are an owner, why isn't it your responsibility to pay your waitstaff in the correct manner instead of letting your customer to make up the difference. Maybe you do in which case, the discussion is a moot point.

 

The normal rate of attrition for U.S. businesses in a year is 27%. 200 restaurants a year in a country with 647k restaurants is pretty damn good!

 

Belch has a point though, I myself have never felt my personal space was being violated either (I think the point was it is more of a subtle violation), but I do feel like I have to pay extra attention to the servers, and it does take away from the experience. Because I'm expected to pay them like I'm their manager or something. Why can't the owners pay them fair wages like every other industry and if I happen to receive really great service somewhere I'll tip, otherwise I am not buying from the waiter, I'm buying from the establishment, why are the owners expecting ME to pay their employers for them. It's not just the owners either. There is a societal bias that almost forces restaurants to expect tips in the US and it needs to be killed.

 

Hahaha...they ask about another drink or coffee or dessert because people may want to have another drink with dinner and people often enjoy having a coffee or dessert after dinner. Do you really not understand this concept? Have you never heard of people wanting to have multiple drinks during their dinner? Have you never heard of the concept of people enjoying a coffee and/or dessert after dinner? What if a person wanted dessert but instead the waiter just brought the check? Ya think that person might be a little pissed off they didn’t have the opportunity to get a dessert? Like I said before, you must be a real joy to be with at a restaurant.