My father had told me something I will never forget when I was on my own and got my very first dog. Now I have always had a dog ever since I can remember, but this was my first dog on my own. My father, a man of very few words had told me, if you want to see how a woman will treat you watch how she treats your dog. I found that to be relatively true, as I got older.
Here is something I’ve learned on my own with unfortunately too much experience. How you treat a waiter tells a lot about you. I can tolerate a lot of things and some of which perhaps I should not tolerate. But nothing gets under my skin more than an arrogant person treating a waiter or waitress with disrespect. A person who is nice to you but not nice to a waiter is not a nice person. Your server can make or break your dining experience and you have almost total control over that. Please and thank you go a long way.
You know the saying; you get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar. Well you’ll also get more gnocchi being nice to your waiter too. Even though I can out talk a radio I also have learned to be extremely observant. I love people and so watching and listening is something I enjoy. However, nothing makes me want to get the check and get out of a restaurant more than a person I am with that treats a waiter with disrespect or is so demanding. I am sure we all have had a waiter from time to time that has been less than attentive, but aren’t we all. And if you were actually being social with the people you were with, typically you become less concerned with the service.
I have a friend who every time we dine, I know that my experience is going to be one in which I rather go through the drive-thru. For some reason he asks all sorts of questions about the food, most of which I can assure you he has no idea what he’s talking about, he just thinks he’s being funny. I find myself always apologizing for his behavior and if it were not for the fact we meet to discuss business, I rather meet at a coffee shop and avoid a restaurant. Even more funny is he always asks about the house wine and insists on tasting it first which is fine. That is if you can tell the difference between ripple and a fine Cabernet.
I have yet to figure out why people go to dinner and insist that the waiter/waitress is their personal slave for the next two hours. So the next time you’re on a date, watch how the person you’re with treats your waiter. If they are nice, great and if they are not you might excuse yourself and not come back because chances are they are not such a nice person. Treat your server well and you will have a much better experience.
Moral of the story…always treat your waiter or waitress with respect.
§ I totally agree with you on this; and I’ll go one step further on the flip side — I can tolerate a bad meal because of the chef, but I will never tolerate bad service/management. I will never take it out on the server, but I may never return. Beware of the Silent Majority!
That is so true Deacon and I have experienced that as well and as you, I have never returned. Me personally can tolerate an okay meal with great service vs. a great meal and bad service. After all, that is what wine is for. Cheers!!!
§ Happy to know I’m not the only one! … : )
You are not my friend, that is certain. ;~)
[…] – Michael Van Horn ‘The Social Chef’ […]
[…] for those of you who always dine with decency, Michael Van Horn, The Social Chef, suggests that “next time you’re on a date, watch how the person you’re with treats your […]