DanMargarita.com

That may be the first time that I’ve spent an entire paragraph writing about what I’m not going to write about.

Instead, I’ve decided to write about some gripes about some recent service (or lack thereof) I’ve recently received (or not) at certain restaurants.

Hey, why pay a therapist to listen to my gripes, when I can just publish them in the newspaper?

I’ve never worked as a waiter (or waitress, for that matter) but in my many years in and around show business, I’ve become friends or acquaintances with many men and women in the service industry. Thus, I have complete sympathy (empathy?) for what is a very physically demanding job. Serving multiple customers, all of whom want their stuff, when they want it, is surely no easy task.

Still, it was sitting in a restaurant for 30 minutes last night without someone coming to my table that drove me over the edge, not to mention driving me next door where I had a nice meal at an Italian restaurant. I was aware of the bad reputation for horrible service that this restaurant is known for, because I had read the scathing reviews that several people wrote on the Internet, before I ever went there. You may ask why would I go there, knowing it was bad, but I was performing there, so being there was necessary. Besides, I think it’s only fair to make your own judgment about something based on your own personal experience and not someone else’s. Hey, somebody can have a bad experience, but it doesn’t mean that I will as well; and anybody can have a bad day at work. We all have them, but when a place consistently has bad service and a bad reputation, wouldn’t it be prudent for them oh, say improve the service and thus their reputation? They lost money because I ate next door. Surely, they’re also losing a lot more money because who wants to go back to a place where they’ve had a miserable experience (well, maybe masochists).

There is a local restaurant where I’ve continued to experience similar problems with the service each time I’ve eaten there. Yes, it’s a fair question to ask why’d I return to a place where I have had repeatedly bad experiences. As the saying goes, only a fool continues to do the same thing over and over and expects to get a different result (or something like that). Well, I’m a masochist. No, actually the food is pretty good (when you finally get it) and I like to give people and places second and third….and fourteenth and fifteenth chances.

One annoying bit is when servers assume the extra change from a check. Let me explain (and you may want to stand clear as I am about to attempt math). Let’s say the bill comes to $14.72 and I give the server $20. I would expect to get (here goes) $5.28 back, no? Yet, an increasing amount of times I seem to just get back the $5. Servers, please don’t assume the extra 28 cents as part of your tip. I’m a good tipper (too good, according to one former girlfriend), so please let me make the determination of what I’ll tip you when I get my change back.

Oh, we the paying customers are not without our annoying habits either. Yes, I’m especially talking about the Nextel walkie-talkie phone users.

CRACKLE: “HI, Frank. I just sat down at the bar.”
BEEP and CRACKLE: Hey, did Charlie show up yet?”

It’s bad enough to have to listen to your end of the conversation as if I was listening Bob Newhart’s least funny routine, but now I have to listen to your friend’s end of the conversation too?

I’m having reservations (pardon the bad pun) about publishing this, hoping that servers who read this aren’t going to start putting things in my food that don’t belong there, but I’ll take my chances that they take it as constructive criticism.

Sorry, but I just felt the need to put in my one-cent worth (it was two cents, but like everyone else, I’ve had to make cutbacks).