Long Post: Restaurant experience Restaurant, experience, Post, Long

HJP

I’ve an experience I would like to share with all of you. It’s very unfortunate that my 1st post has to do with something bad that I’ve experienced today.

All my life, I’ve been taught to be a gentleman. Be polite to everyone. Being polite is very nature to me.

I lunch in an upscale HK style restaurant in Richmond today. The average lunch cost around $9.5 before tax and tips. When I enter the restaurant, the manager greets us warmly. Not bad! I sit down, read menu and signal the waitress come and take orders.

When the waitress came, I was surprised by the way she acts. She is very mechanically. My personally feeling is that she did not want to think? My parents got caught up a few times.

Waitress (W); Parent (P)

W: What do want for your order?
P: Onion Pork chop on Rice & Hot HK style milk tea
W: Rice, spaghetti or potatoes
P: Rice!?
W: What kind of soup?
P: OK. Cream soup…!?
W What kind of drinks?
P: Huh? Hot HK style milk tea

You probably know what I meant? But hay, I thought that’s ok! It’s just a minor thing. So we keep on ordering. Then she took away the menu. Oops, my wife is not here yet, we need the menu again. So I ask her to give us back 1 set of menu. The waitress is fine with that and gives us a set menu back.

I saw the NEW menu, I said to myself, WOW, this is a NEW menu that she didn’t give it to us before. I quickly changed my mind and proceed to order a new item. [NOTE: Believe me, this process only took 10 seconds from being given the menu and decided on my new item.]

I turn to the waitress [She is in the midst of entering the order for us], I politely ask her [I really have to stress on that, I really am polite],

“Would you please change the order for me?”

The first reaction I sense, very reluctant, her face turns dark. I’m not sure about you guys but you know what, I really have a strong feeling. It  then came with a few seconds of silent. I interrupt all these gestures as a BLUNT ignorance.

Remember it’s not a low end HK style restaurant. I can’t stand her reaction and I told her:

“Ok, if you don’t want to serve, I will find someone else.”

So I walk away and talk to the manager. I told the manager that I would like to change my order to this new item.

“OK”, said the manager.

Then I walk to my table and sit down. The waitress now starts talking here and there to the manager. I was too upset to pay attention to their conversations. At the end, the waitress come to me and asks me if the drink would stay the same or not.

I told her:

“I already told the manager what I want and PLEASE, I don’t want to talk to you (I stress again, I’m very clear, this is in a very polite way.)

I continue the conservation by saying: “Sorry, maybe it’s only my problem, not yours!”

You know what … BLOW … she blow up.

She starts saying something like:
“Do you want someone “RE-ENTER” the order for you?”
“What you want .. balabalabala”

It’s so loud that everything one can hear. I said to myself. WOW … am I wrong to ask for service? Is this really service? Is this fair to me?

Well … the Manager clam her down, and she didn’t serve us ever since.

Throughout the lunch, I keep saying to myself. Don’t go too far. Respect her, she needs to learn. Maybe she has a bad day or something. So I clam down again. I really want to have a win-win happy ending situation. So I still give them tips, it was more than 10% as the manager gave us a 10% discount because of what had happened.

So, after the bill, I walk to the waitress and said a politely crafted ending, “never mind, maybe I’m little over-reacted.” And I walk away with a sincere smile. I thought everything is fine. However, the moment I walk out the door I over heard she is saying:

“NOW YOU KNOW … YOU’RE OVER-REACTED, BALBALAHABALA”.

WOW … it absolutely blows my mind. To be honest, I’m not upset. I just feel sorry for her. Do you think you’re the center of the universe and only YOU ARE RIGHT? I can’t believe it. Waitress, you need to grow up or you will be waitress your whole life.

Any thoughts? Any similar experiences?

HJP

Sorry, I should clarify. I use a misleading word and it’s my fault. I just thought that an average $10 lunch in a HK style restaurant is not cheap. That’s what I meant.

HJP

Sorry ... I know you guys want to know the name. But I try to avoid it because I believe it's not fair to the owner of the restaurant. I don't want to kick them just because of just one bad waitress. In fact, how many "MID SCALE" HK style Cafe Restaurant in Richmond? It's so easy to guess it right!

HJP

原帖由 Hyde 於 2008-6-19 22:10 發表


so in your point of view, the news should not report the name of the company because it will hurt their business?

so instead of 板前、板長壽司店繼續爆出食物中毒事件。 to 某壽司店繼續爆出食物中毒事 ...

Hyde, you point is valid. I hear you ... but this is definitely not in the same boat. I believe I work in the Food Industry long enough to understand the urgency of Food safety. And This is not Food safety issue. It's all about service.

Thanks to my position and my job nature, I would be able to voice out our concerns to the Government in regard to Food safety! We customer should be able to access as much information as possible.

Like I said, I just don't want to kick the owner of the restaurant because of one bad waitress.