Funny Restaurant Bill

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

I just thought some of you in the food service business might want a
reason to shake your heads in amazement. Comped deserts, but not the
coffee. That's a good one.

Ken

Well they do have about 10¢ in materisl in there. Sounds like a place to
avoid in the future.

They would have do well to offer a fast substitute up front knowing you had
a deadline. Ruined evening out, IMO.

Quoted message said:

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

After quite a while, I told my friends we should leave and get a quick
snack somewhere close and get to the symphony because they're not going
to seat us until the intermission. My friends told me not to worry
because it's just a local symphony, no ushers, no doors to lock.

No offense meant to your friends, it's quite rude to disrupt the other
patrons by arriving late like that. Local symphony or no.

Quoted message said:

The staff was very aware we were headed
to the symphony and we needed to go. One of my friends even got up,
got the check before the food was served, and we paid in advance so we
could leave right after our meal.

I've had situations like that in places where not a single soul
knew me from a rock, and they understood the situation and
expedited the matter. No excuse good enough for what you
went through. Find something to eat and bring it, if you can't,
say so and let you go find food somewhere else.

Quoted message said:

The food finally arrived at 7:20, over an hour after we ordered.

I don't care if I didn't have someplace to be, that would irritate me.
An hour is a long time to wait for dinner in a restaurant.

Quoted message said:

Needless to say, I didn't enjoy a fairly pricey dinner which I had to
wolf down in ten minutes. We were charged full price, but the
waitress/owner was very apologetic, as were my friends to me, and said
we should come back after the symphony and dessert was on the house.

Big whoop. Concert's already ruined.

Quoted message said:

We came back and had dessert. This time, we had a waiter and he told
us how nice and understanding we were, and of course dessert is comped.
And then he put down the holder for the bill. I thought this a bit
odd since it was comped. I saw paper sticking out and thought maybe
there was a thank you note or something inside. So I look inside and
there's a bill for $4.40.

The desserts were comped, but not the two coffees. I couldn't believe
it.

(laugh) I know you didn't ask me; I don't own a restaurant, nor do I
work in one, but that is *the* lamest restaurant story I've heard in a
long time. Just ridiculous.

nancy

I usually give a restaurant 3 strikes before I stop going, (if they're
reasonably good, of course),

This one wouldn't get a second, and I'd tell everyone I know about the
poor service.
They should know better.

Nancy Young said:

(laugh) I know you didn't ask me; I don't own a restaurant, nor do I
work in one, but that is *the* lamest restaurant story I've heard in a
long time. Just ridiculous.

My nephew was the chef in a restaurant that was equally lame. The sad part
is that was the restaurant in an arts centre where the productions were being
staged. His kitchen was so understaffed that when things got busy he had to
get the waitresses or managers in to help. It was a shame because the guy is
a darned good cook. We had several meals there and the food was always
excellent.

The problem in that place was the management...... and a lot of it. They had
a manager for the kitchen and the bar, a manager for the theatre and a
manager for the centre, and all three of them would be on duty on the nights
they had plays or concerts. There was a new bartender every time we went. The
food services manager would be standing around while the new bartender was
overwhelmed with orders and trying to figure out the computerized cash
register.

One night we were there for just a play. There were four of us. We had two
glasses of wine and two beers between us. It took that poor girl 15 minutes
to get the drinks and deal with the money. There were several people waiting
to owner, and the manager was sitting there talking to someone, never offered
to help the poor girl.

They laid my nephew off for the winter, but then wanted him to come in and
work under the table for the odd lunch or dinner party, or to do painting.
Then they started expecting him to come in more and more and for longer hours
without paying him any more. He now works elsewhere.

I was there for a concert last summer. They have a new chef, new bartender,
and the same three managers schmoozing the customers. There is no doubt in
my mind about the reason for the high staff turnover. They would probably do
much better to replace the managers.

Quoted post said:

I usually give a restaurant 3 strikes before I stop going, (if they're
reasonably good, of course),

I would give a restaurant three strikes if it was the only place round. I
gave a local restaurant a second try after some locals raved about it. I
had walked out on my first visit because I was hungry, had been there 45
minutes, no menu and no offer of a drink, never mind a drink delivered.
When I did go back a year or two later it was hard to make a choice from
their menu. It's tough when there are on less than a dozen items on the
menu and all but two end in "ger".

Everybody,

The food was actually pretty good, but there's no excuse for the
quality, or lack of quality, of the service. The tickets were my
friend's season tickets, and were up the stairs to the balcony, and the
first set of seats on the railing. So we didn't have to disturb
anyone, and we managed to get there just as the conductor was finishing
his opening spiel. So we were lucky on that account. (Yes, I agree,
not the most polite thing to do.)

The conductor/director of the symphony had complained to an
acquaintance of mine about there not being much music featuring brass.
So my friend, a classical composer, spent a couple of years composing a
piece featuring brass, and that night was the first time it was played
in public. Many of us went just to hear Ken's piece, and walking
around at intermission, I ran into many other people I knew who were
there to hear it. And the last two pieces featured an outstanding
violinist. So the concert and evening weren't ruined at all. We
actually had a good time.

But it didn't matter how good the food was at dinner, and it was good,
my dinner was ruined. If a friend wanted to go to that restaurant, I
don't know if I'd go or not. But I do know I'm not going to suggest it
to anyone. I've told this story to a few people and they all can't
believe it. Everybody thinks the ten cents worth of coffee would have
been a good investment for the good will.

Ken

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Everybody,

The food was actually pretty good, but there's no excuse for the
quality, or lack of quality, of the service. The tickets were my
friend's season tickets, and were up the stairs to the balcony, and the
first set of seats on the railing.

Ken

Are you saying it was a symphony dinner -- sort of like the dinner shows in
Las Vegas or Tahoe-- but a more cerebrial level?
I can't get this scene in my mind -- never heard of this before. Help me
out (but only if you please.)
Dee Dee

\

Quoted message said:

I just thought some of you in the food service business might want a
reason to shake your heads in amazement. Comped deserts, but not the
coffee. That's a good one.

Ken

That's nuts for sure... WTF does coffee cost them? But just a little nag..
If it were me, I would allow 2 hours for dinner, (I hate to be rushed when
eating at a "nice" place, and even go as far as telling waiters up front not
to rush me/us) then 15, minutes to get to the theatre, which should be 15
minutes before the down beat. so 2 1/2 hours before the concert starts, you
should be at the resturant. I know that may not have been your scheduling,
but stuff like that makes me crazy, and I would have been very tense.

Resturant prices these days are out of site. I don't mind the price if the
product fits it. In your case it doesn't seem so.

My $.02 US

Larry T

Quoted message said:

LT said:

\

Quoted message said:

I just thought some of you in the food service business might want a
reason to shake your heads in amazement. Comped deserts, but not the
coffee. That's a good one.

Ken

That's nuts for sure... WTF does coffee cost them? But just a little nag..

It sure is nuts. They take so long to serve a dinner and then try to make up
for their screw up by offering a complimentary dessert, and then screw up the
conciliatory gesture by charging for the coffee.

Quoted message said:

Resturant prices these days are out of site. I don't mind the price if the
product fits it. In your case it doesn't seem so.

My $.02 US

You've noticed that too? I thought that maybe I was just being cheap. My wife
and I used to dine out frequently. It was one of our favourite weekend
activities. We were earning a heck of a lot less than. There wasn't that big a
difference between a cheap restaurant and a nice one. Now the nice restaurants
are getting ridiculously expensive. The last time I went to one of the local
winery restaurants was charging $14.95 for a bawl of soup, and that was almost
three years ago. The cheapest wine on their list was over $30, and they sold
only their own wines. It is not like they had an extensive wine cellar to
maintain.

All the best to them if they can find enough people willing to be ripped of for
their restaurant experience, but I can't afford that kind of meal any more. I
prefer to patronize the places that offer the foods I like at a price I can
afford.

On Mon 20 Feb 2006 02:05:10p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Ken?

Quoted message said:

Everyone,

I usually lurk here, but since I just posted, I figured I'd start a
thread. This is mostly for those of you who own a restaurant or work
in food service.

This was a perfectly horrible and undeserved experience. There's no way I
would ever go there again.

having said that, if I'm dining before any live performance I always allow at
least 2 hours at the restaurant, plus any additional travel time to the
performance. I hate being late, and hate even more being rushed.

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

Dee Randall said:

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Everybody,

The food was actually pretty good, but there's no excuse for the
quality, or lack of quality, of the service. The tickets were my
friend's season tickets, and were up the stairs to the balcony, and the
first set of seats on the railing.

Ken

Are you saying it was a symphony dinner -- sort of like the dinner shows in
Las Vegas or Tahoe-- but a more cerebrial level?
I can't get this scene in my mind -- never heard of this before. Help me
out (but only if you please.)
Dee Dee

Dee Dee,

No, we ate dinner about a half block from the theater, then went to the
symphony. Somebody replied, and rightly so, that it was rude to the
others at the performance to come in late. I was just saying that the
seats were right by the stairs, so we didn't have to bother anyone even
if we were late. (I was the one who wanted to leave and eat somewhere
else so we'd be on time.)

Ken

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 20 Feb 2006 02:05:10p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Ken?

having said that, if I'm dining before any live performance I always allow at
least 2 hours at the restaurant, plus any additional travel time to the
performance. I hate being late, and hate even more being rushed.

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

Wayne & LT,

That was another odd thing in a night of odd things. When I heard we
had reservations at 6:00, I thought it sounded like that was the
earliest reservation we could get. But when I got to the restaurant,
it was only about one-third full. I didn't bother to ask my friends
why we ended up with a 6:00 reservation, our choice or the
restaurant's? At that point, it didn't matter. I too hate being late
and was the first of our party at the restaurant.

By the way, why the Zarathustra reference?

Thanks,

Ken

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

symphony. Somebody replied, and rightly so, that it was rude to the
others at the performance to come in late. I was just saying that the
seats were right by the stairs, so we didn't have to bother anyone even
if we were late. (I was the one who wanted to leave and eat somewhere
else so we'd be on time.)

Ken, you had made it clear it wasn't your idea, I was talking
about your friend's cavalier attitude, hey they don't lock the door
we'll just walk in when we feel like it ... that's how it came across to
me. But not you, you said to be on time.

nancy

Nancy Young said:

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

symphony. Somebody replied, and rightly so, that it was rude to the
others at the performance to come in late. I was just saying that the
seats were right by the stairs, so we didn't have to bother anyone even
if we were late. (I was the one who wanted to leave and eat somewhere
else so we'd be on time.)

Ken, you had made it clear it wasn't your idea, I was talking
about your friend's cavalier attitude, hey they don't lock the door
we'll just walk in when we feel like it ... that's how it came across to
me. But not you, you said to be on time.

nancy

Nancy,

The friend who said it appreciates live performances. I too was a
little shocked by what she said.

Ken

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Nancy Young said:

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

symphony. Somebody replied, and rightly so, that it was rude to the
others at the performance to come in late. I was just saying that the
seats were right by the stairs, so we didn't have to bother anyone even
if we were late. (I was the one who wanted to leave and eat somewhere
else so we'd be on time.)

Ken, you had made it clear it wasn't your idea, I was talking
about your friend's cavalier attitude, hey they don't lock the door
we'll just walk in when we feel like it ... that's how it came across to
me. But not you, you said to be on time.

nancy

Nancy,

The friend who said it appreciates live performances. I too was a
little shocked by what she said.

Ken

It's been a long time since I've been to live performances, but used to go
to many. Perhaps times have changed because I can't recall ever being
disturbed by anyone coming in late - BECAUSE NO ONE DID! Even seeing
someone's entrance out of the corner of my eye is a disturbance -- yes,
that's the way I am. As I recall, one didn't get seated after a
performance. Not so anymore?

I can only relate in some small way as to a composer in an audience and the
thrill. After hearing a symphony in San Francisco, at the end, the composer
seated in a box took a bow. For the person to be your acquaintance/friend,
this must have heightened your concern.

Don't fret too much, you'll still have good memories.
Dee Dee

Dee Dee

On Mon 20 Feb 2006 06:40:11p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Ken?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 20 Feb 2006 02:05:10p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Ken?

having said that, if I'm dining before any live performance I always
allo w at least 2 hours at the restaurant, plus any additional travel
time to the performance. I hate being late, and hate even more being
rushed.

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o ____________________

BIOYA

Wayne & LT,

That was another odd thing in a night of odd things. When I heard we
had reservations at 6:00, I thought it sounded like that was the
earliest reservation we could get. But when I got to the restaurant,
it was only about one-third full. I didn't bother to ask my friends
why we ended up with a 6:00 reservation, our choice or the
restaurant's? At that point, it didn't matter. I too hate being late
and was the first of our party at the restaurant.

That didn't make a lot of sense, did it?

Quoted message said:

By the way, why the Zarathustra reference?

I just like the phrase, "Thus spake Zarathustra". :-)

Quoted message said:

Thanks,

Ken

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

Quoted message said:

That didn't make a lot of sense, did it?

Quoted message said:

By the way, why the Zarathustra reference?

I just like the phrase, "Thus spake Zarathustra". :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

Wayne

When I read the Zarathustra part, I was certainly feeling full of
myself. I don't know if I was ready to go off and start a religion,
but I certainly felt important. With your reply, I have been deflated
back down to size.

Thanks,

Ken

P.S. I'll have to wait to ask about the pleasing BIOYA sign-off.

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That didn't make a lot of sense, did it?

Quoted message said:

By the way, why the Zarathustra reference?

I just like the phrase, "Thus spake Zarathustra". :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

Wayne

When I read the Zarathustra part, I was certainly feeling full of
myself. I don't know if I was ready to go off and start a religion,
but I certainly felt important. With your reply, I have been deflated
back down to size.

Thanks,

Ken

P.S. I'll have to wait to ask about the pleasing BIOYA sign-off.

Blow it out your ass!
Dee Dee

Quoted message said:

P.S. I'll have to wait to ask about the pleasing BIOYA sign-off.

Blow it out your ass!
Dee Dee

Dee Dee,

I know what it means, that's the "pleasing" reference. I just don't
know why.

Good Night,

Ken