Speak Up At The Restaurant!
Speak Up!
Whether you are going through the drive thru at Wendy’s or eating in a restaurant, there is a good chance the food will be served cold or you won’t get the food you ordered. However it was served to you, it was incorrect and should be corrected. As a waitress for more than 5 years I can admit this has happened to me naturally by accident, but I would do everything possible to correct it, and make sure the guest left satisfied. For the most part the mistake is made by the wait staff not remembering your order, but I feel that if a server does not write your order down they have mastered how to store it in their mind. If they do forgot when they are putting your order through the system or dropping it to the kitchen then they should politely go back to the table and apologize and ask the guest again. The waiting part for the food shouldn’t be too long, especially when you are really hungry, and if and when the food is delivered and does not look correct, SAY SOMETHING to the sever. Remember, you ordered it because you wanted it! If you don’t say anything how will the server know? Their servers not mind readers! If the restaurant is well run, the server should ask once the food is served is everything looks good. If the guest had ordered meat, the server should have the guest cut into it to make sure it was properly cooked to their liking. That goes without saying; the server should have a series of important questions when taking down the order. Such as, how would you like that cooked? , would you like butter for your baked potato? Or, would you like your salads before or with your meal? These questions can avoid the server running back and forth to the kitchen, and help you start enjoying your meal sooner rather than later.
We can’t always blame the server; the guest or the kitchen can mess up too. But, if the server expects you to leave a good tip and for you to want to return, then the server needs to go by the saying, “The customer is always right.” I know some guests I have had, did not speak soon enough, for instance when they say they are not happy with their meal after they have already eaten HALF OF IT! Come on now! In an incident like this, I would always notify the manager, whether the guest asked to speak with them or not!
I think every restaurants mission should be to make the guest feel 100% satisfied with their food and service. If you are not completely satisfied with the meal then the burden should be on the restaurant, as long as you bring it to their attention. If you continue to have the same problems at the same restaurant, don’t go back. You can warn other people not to go there as well, by posting your consumer review on DirectComplaint.com. On the Consumer poster board you can voice your opinion by rating the restaurant & and let others know what happened to you!
When you go out to dinner and your meal or even a drink is not perfect, be polite and explain to the server how they can fix the problem. Each restaurant trains their staff differently on how to properly correct the problem, so don’t expect them to be the same. If you feel the server is unaware of proper protocol, then ask to speak with a manager. Always remember everyone makes mistakes, and if you are patient good things will come your way. You never know, you might even get a free drink, or meal!
Peace n Love
Alicia
Treat Others they way you want to be treated.
Why is It, that once we are seated in many restaurants, it takes a long time for the Waite staff to introduce themselves, take our order, deliver our food or drinks, ask us if we need anything during our meal, clean the table, bring dessert, and give us the check. Could it be that the person is in another world, perhaps thinking about the boy friend or girl friend back home, or could it simply be that they don’t care about getting a good tip, or maybe the management of the restaurant doesn’t teach their staff how to treat the customers?
I don’t care if it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just a light snack, a greasy spoon, pizza shop, or fine dining, once I am seated, I expect the Waite staff to show up at my table with in five minutes. If they are busy, they should have the courtesy to let me know, and apologize in advance for any inconvenience it might cause me. I expect the person to offer me a drink, bring water to the table, and tell me about the specials of the day, and to be able to answer any questions I or anyone in my company may have about the menu.
I expect the person to bring the food out hot, and to stop by the table several times to see if there is anything we need. If there is a problem with the food, I expect the entire staff to do what ever it takes to rectify the problem to my satisfaction, not to give me a hard time if I am un-happy with my food. I expect the manager to remove item(s) from the bill if I am not satisfied with the service or the food. Lastly, I always appreciate it when the server and or a manager thanks me for my patronage and wishes me a good day or night.
In today’s world of so many choices for places to eat out, I would hope that all restaurants would adopt these standards as part of their every day policy, but that would be asking for to much. I guess that the ones who don’t offer great food, or excellent service, will just have to be crossed of my list of places to eat in the future.
If you have any problems with a restaurant, tell us about it at www.directcomplaint.com and go to the Consumer Poster Board, or submit a complaint to the restaurant from our Consumer Complaint Center. If you have questions, please call 877-969-3463
Choosing a restaurant isn’t always fun!
I don’t go out to eat very often, but it seams to me, that I spend to much time trying to
Figure out where to go. There is so much to think about.
Before I can even think about things like the atmosphere, pricing or location, I first need to think about the other people going out with me. What kinds of food do they like, their ages, their travel time, by car or by mass transit, are they drinkers, or not, early or late eaters etc… Some times, I feel like the planning is the beginning of the end, all of the texting, e-mailing, and calling back and forth, to hopefully get it write, and please everyone who is going out.
It doesn’t matter if it is for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with family or friends; the problems are still the same. Let’s begin by thinking about the food choices we need to make. Who likes sea food, beef, Italian, Chinese? Is anyone a vegetarian, or allergic to certain types of food, can every one handle spicy foods? The fun is just beginning, does this sound like you, trying to plan a meal out with family or friends? Once we have all figured out the type of food we want, then we need to think about the restaurant. Do we go with one that is familiar, recommended to us, chosen by name because it sounds good, or look on the internet for restaurants in a certain location. Location that is something we all have to agree on as well. Does every one going out have a car, or do they need to be picked up? How far is the drive is the restaurant easy to find? We also need to think about affordability, and this can easily be one of the biggest problems in choosing the write location. Not all of us always have money, or un-limited resources.
I can keep rambling on, but I think you get the picture. I love going out, spending time with friends, talking, socializing over a good leisurely breakfast, or relaxed dinner, but some times it seems it would be so much easier to just stay home, surrounded by pizza, chips, candy bar wrappers, and empty cans of soda or beer.
Tell us about your favorite restaurant story at and if you ever have a complaint about a restaurant, visit www.directcomplaint.com and use the restaurant complaint form in the Consumer Complaint Center or post a review on our poster board.
