Perfect Service to Me in a Restaurant

1. Greeting and Drink Order: The server greets you within 3-5 minutes. The server writes down the drink order and RIGHT AFTER the server should go get the drinks, NOT checking on other tables until the request is fulfilled, unless another table's food order is ready that ordered BEFORE the current order that was just taken. In other words, when I or my guest order, it's OUR turn now, so don't go greet the next table until you are finished with getting the soft drinks that my guest and I have ordered. If someone's food is done that ordered BEFORE me and my guest, then by all means bring the people their food FIRST, but don't go to 2 tables to check on them before fulfilling my request.

2. Taking the Food Order: The server writes down the food order and IMMEDIATELY after goes put the order into the computer. The server should be going in order that requests come in. So, if Table F placed their order just now, then Table F's orders should be getting into the computer as SOON as the server gets to the computer terminal. The server should not be going to Table D to ask them if they need a refill and grab their finished plates. In other words, do things in order so Table F will be getting their food cooked that much sooner if the food is in the computer, which goes to the kitchen, where the cook can start cooking the food. If the server goes to Table D BEFORE putting Table F's order in, that server is DELAYING Table F's food for NO REASON. It's Table F's turn, so FINISH Table F's turn by getting the order sent to the kitchen, instead of a HALF-WAY TURN meaning, if the server goes to Table D BEFORE putting in Table F's food order, that's giving Table F a HALF-WAY TURN. Table F is NOT getting a FULL TURN, because the server went to another table, which is going OUT of ORDER. It's almost like the server let Table D cut in a line for a minute or so. If it's Table F's turn, then it's Table F's turn, meaning finish with the task being requested, which is taking the order as well as putting in the order. That would be a FULL TURN.

Example: Outback waiter got triple sat. We got seated at 5:00p.m. exactly. He took my husband and I's soft drink order at 5:03p.m.(which is average greeting time), then proceeded to go the second table and get their drink order. Then the third table. The second table had around 5 people. I don't know how many the third table had. Anyway, he gets ALL the drinks for ALL 3 tables. He actually had the GALL to hand a drink to a lady at the SECOND table, instead of us which we ordered FIRST. Anyway, we didn't get our drinks until 5:10p.m. and still didn't get to order at 5:10p.m., because he was distributing the 2 other table's drinks. My point is, we waited 7 minutes for ONLY 2 soft drinks from the time we ordered our soft drinks and 10 minutes from the time we were seated. That's just RIDICULOUS for ONLY 2 soft drinks. If he would have gone IN ORDER, our drinks would have arrived probably 5:06p.m. at the LATEST, probably sooner. If he would have gone in order, he would could have said "Ill be right back" as he was handing us the soft drinks and went to get the second table's drink order, then the third table's drink order. This way ONLY the THIRD table would have waited the whole 10 minutes, NOT ALL 3 tables. He got about a 15% tip, because the service was AVERAGE, because I accounted for EVERYTHING that happened that was good, like our orders being completely correct and he was pretty attentive. It pissed me off that he handed that lady at the second table hers, before ours when we got seated BEFORE they were and we ordered BEFORE they did. I say GO IN ORDER that request come in!

3. Clean Up Work: Bussing a table should be done AFTER a request, NOT EVER before a request. Example: One time at Chilis, my husband and I finished eating. The waitress asked "Did we want any dessert or anything else?" I ordered a margarita and a refill on my soft drink. My husband ordered a refill on his soft drink also. She grabbed our plates, but then proceed to put them on the table across which was empty, but had lots of dirty dishes on it. She proceeded to stack the plates on top of ours and bussed the entire table INSTEAD of going to put our order in. HOW RUDE! So, those dirty dishes and dirty table on the side of was going to give her a tip, I think NOT! I could have had my drinks faster if she didn't worry about clean up work. Cleaning should be LAST and requests should always be FIRST. Customer's time is WAY more important than a clean table across from me. For sure, we could have had our soft drink refills brought to us by the time she bussed the table and put all those dishes in the kitchen. The bartender could have already started making the margarita when the soft drinks were arriving. She could have bussed the table right after our soft drinks were brought, then proceeded back to the kitchen to deliver the dirty dishes, then to the bar to pick up the margarita, then back to our table again to bring the margarita. Instead, she didn't think of the "CUSTOMER'S TIME", ONLY HER OWN TIME! CUSTOMER'S ARE FIRST, CLEAN UP IS LAST!

4. Chit-Chatting With Server: Most people want to order their food and receive it in a TIMELY MANNER, NOT to make a friend. I don't like it when a server starts a conversation with me INSTEAD of just taking my order. I came there to EAT, DRINK, and socialize with the person or people that I am with, NOT the wait staff.

5. Correct Order: The order that is brought to my table has NOTHING missing and if there is something missing, the server should say their sorry for forgetting it. Example: A side of ranch dressing. If I ordered it with my meal, the server should reread the order BEFORE bringing it to the customer. If it is the completely wrong thing brought to the customer's table, that's a mistake in of itself. NEVER bring food to a table that is COMPLETELY wrong or is somewhat wrong! I have had my completely wrong food brought to me before. I ordered "Bar-b-que chicken nachos" and got "Quesadillas" brought to me from the SAME waiter and he wrote the order down. That's just PATHETIC! He admitted to pressing the wrong button and I only got a "Sorry", his tip was ZERO. He didn't even have the decency to give us the wrong food for free even, instead of throwing it away or whatever he did with it. He also didn't ask the manager what to do about his mistake or have anything taken off the bill for my delayed food. The customer should get a HUGE apology for a completey wrong entree. The server should ask the manager if he or she can take something off the bill for the CUSTOMER's INCONVENIENCE. That would be the RIGHT and CARING thing to do.

6. Check: When requesting the check, this should take 3 minutes or so, not 10 minutes.

7. Ringing up the check: This shouldn't be a 10 minute wait, this should be around 3 minutes or so, no more than 5 minutes.

8. Overcharging or Undercharging: This is the responsiblity of the SERVER 100%. A customer should NEVER have anything the customer didn't order on their bill. The customer also shouldn't be charged another customers table's bill on their credit card. My credit card was charged to another table twice. Both times I received no apology for my wait and that they were stealing from me. I also feel that the server should be responsible enough to "KNOW THE MENU PRICES." I have had an experience where I was in a restaurant for the first time and the waitress charged me for the salad without an entree price and I had ordered an entree. The overcharge amount was $1.51. I think it's PATHETIC when the CUSTOMER knows more than the wait staff about the prices. I have also had a couple of servers charge me $0.04 over the price it stated on the menu for an item. The server should tell the manager if the menu doesn't match the computer's price, NEVER, EVER, should it be the customer that has to bring the mistake up to the server. It's NOT the CUSTOMER'S fault that the menu states a certain price, it the server that is charging the customer the wrong price that is 100% at fault COMPLETELY!

9. Knowing the Menu: I have had times where I have ordered a dish and it stated it comes with "Bar-b-que sauce" or "Marinara sauce." The server didn't bring it to me when the food was brought out. I had to remind that server that "It's suppose to come with such-n-such." I think it's pretty lazy when a server can't "COMPARE THE MENU WITH THE PLATE OF FOOD." I also feel it makes the server look STUPID when THEY work there, so they SHOULD know MORE than the customer does, but the CUSTOMER knows MORE than they do, PATHETIC! I also feel just because a customer orders something extra that the server shouldn't assume they don't want what suppose to come with the food. A couple of times, I have had servers not bring the marinara sauce that was suppose to come with mozzarella cheese sticks(which was listed on the menu it came with marinara), just because I ordered a side of ranch dressing along with it. If the server had doubts, they should have ASKED me. They should NEVER ASSUME what a customer wants. Food runners should "REREAD the Menu" BEFORE taking the food to the customer, even though they actually didn't take the order. One time, a food runner brought out chicken tenders without the bar-b-que sauce that the MENU stated it came with. I had also ordered a side of honey mustard with the chicken tenders and of course that wasn't brought with the chicken tenders either. The waitress(not the food runner) brought the honey mustard, but I had to TELL HER that "The menu states it comes with bar-b-que sauce." That's just PATHETIC to me when a customer(which was me) only had been to this particular restaurant once before about a year or so ago, knew the menu BETTER than the wait staff did. Are wait staff just that dense that they don't know the food they are serving, that's SAD, REALLY?

10. Refills on Soft Drinks: I feel the server should ASK the customer if they would like a refill or a customer be able to ask the server for a refill, but NEVER a refill be brought to a table without it being ordered. There should NEVER be something brought to someone's table that was NEVER ordered. A CUSTOMER should be given the OPPORTUNITY to decide if they would like some more drink or even the same drink. I hate when servers make decisions for me, when it's the CUSTOMER'S DECISION if they want another refill or not, NOT the wait staff's. It's lazy when the server just brings a refill, instead of coming to your table to ASK if you want anymore drink. The customer should be able to order for THEMSELVES.