Free lunch! - plus two questions about good service
C&K*s Mommie wrote: The girls and I went to a pizza joint today for their buffet @ lunch. They were slamming busy, but that was still no excuse for the poor service we had. We, nor the tables surrounding us had the first pre-bus, nor did he come to check on us, or refill my drink even once. I overlook many things when it comes to servers, and especially if they are busy I will be lenient, and still overtip since I have btdt before too as a server. But this was just too much not to ask about.
I inquired to the server who was working the section next to his, to see if my server was new, thinking he just did not know how to what to do.  He must have had complaints before, because the other server immediately asked if there was anything I needed- since we were pretty much done I declined. He told me to come see him when we were ready to cash out. I went to pay not knowing the total since my server never gave me a bill  , two workers (the second server and another person) told me the tab would be taken care of, offered to-go cups and told us to come back. 
I never complain about service, even if the server is very slow. I was not complaining today, I was just trying to figure out why my table and others still had dirty dishes, and unrefilled drinks on their table. But I was grateful nonetheless about not having to pay.
This leads me to my questions:
Do you speak up when service is not adequate?
Do you usually avoid leaving a tip, or leave a penny when service is bad?
booey2 replied: Like you I am usually pretty laid back about service but there is a line and if it is crossed I do complain. We had just the kind of meal you complain about 2 years ago at TGIF in Niagara Falls. Well I emailed them and told them how bad it was. We got a phone call and a $50 certificate and tried them again but it was just as bad and as expensive as the first time. So needless to say we will never go to a TGIF again. I think that if you don't speak they will never now how to improve. I work in the service industry and appreciate when we get both positive and negative feedback. It all helps the company to grow.
If the service is exceptionally bad we won't tip at all but DH hates doing that so we usually leave the minimum if it was okay.
Terri
Boo&BugsMom replied:
1. If it is that bad, yes
2. You betcha. I do take into consideration certain things, but even if a person is new, it really doesn't take much to say sorry if something is wrong, slow, etc. As long as the waiter/waiteress is apologetic then I am patient. If someone is not sincerely apologetic then it shows me they don't care, and if they don't care about the service then they shouldn't care about a tip.
kimberley replied: there is one of those in every restaurant. usually the owners son or something 
yes, i definitely speak up when the service is bad. management can't change things they don't know about. tho i do avoid sending food back for fear of bodily fluids in my next order  i just try to get a discount at the end.
and for tip, you get what you deserve. i was a server for over 15yrs so maybe i expect more but my tip always reflects how well the server did their job. i have done the penny under the glass a few times but that is because the server was not just lax... but downright rude!
luvmykids replied: I've never had service so bad I complained or didn't tip. I've probably had bad enough service that someone else might have complained about it but I just never have.
redchief replied: Neat how the restaurant management perceived your dissatisfaction with the service by not even asking before eating your bill. If it were me, I'd give them another chance just because they were so perceptive.
C&K*s Mommie replied:  I would hate to think that he was. The other servers will be running their poor legs off trying to take care of all the people that do not want the one guy that cannot be terminated because he is the owners son or something.
Thanks everyone! 
CantWait replied:
Haha, you remind of dh. He always tells me not to send my food back or the next one will come back with some spit in it. Ick, apprently they use to do that and worse at Pizza Hut all the time. Thank goodness he's grown up a lot since those days.
I expect good service when I go out to eat. I figure if I'm going to go to a restaraunt and spend at least 80% more then if I made the meal myself then it better be good. I served for a while and bartended and I always tried my best to give exceptional and quality service. My tip always reflects the job I think you did. I think you did exceptional well, then be prepared to be paid well, otherwise it's either nothing, or if I thought you were really poor and your attitude sucked, I'll leave a couple pennies to reflect it.
Hillbilly Housewife replied: That depends. Usually I overtip if we're with the kids, because of the ecxtra mess and the crayons etc...
if the place is busy, obviously the staff can't be everywhere at once, so as long as they even just a glance in our direction to see if we need something is great... but if the place is busy, and we get seated, then another table gets seated, then another, and those tables get their drinks before the waitress even gets our drink order... i get annoyed and ask, next time they're at our table, WHY the other tables got served first even if they got here after us. Usually we get a discount for that, when it happens... if they're busy they're busy, we all get busy and can't take care of everything at once... but usually you can tell "preferential treatment" like if the table next to you gets checked on 3 times and yours doesn't get checked on even once... then bare minimum for tip.
But if the place is quiet, nobody around, and the service STILL sucks... then I'm quite vocal about it, and usually get a big discount too. I've never left a penny, I didn't even know it was to indicate bad service...?
Cece00 replied:
1) Yes, if it is very bad. I will also complain if the food has issues (cold, nasty, cooked wrong...)
2) I will leave a very small tip and a note stating why a small tip was left. I dont leave NO tip, because I dont want them to think I am just cheap or forgot or something.
Our Lil' Family replied:
I once apologized for a mess Thomas left and the waitress said, "it's ok, the bus boy cleans that, not me" and that truly is the case most times. Since then I don't tip extra if we leave a mess!!!
MommyToAshley replied: I think I am more likely to complain about the quality of the food than the service. I probably wouldn't hesitate to complain if the food was cold, burned, or just bad. But, I am less likely to complain about slow service. It does seem as though we have had more than our share of "new" servers lately. It can get frustrating. We usually still tip, but not as generously as we do when we get great service.
hawkshoe replied: I have had the rare instance when I have had to complain about the service. Like you, I got my bill taken care of.
As for tip, I can only recall once where the service was so bad I did not leave a tip. In that case I left a penny so she would know she got a bad tip on purpose and I did not just forget to tip her.
C&K*s Mommie replied: Thanks everyone! I have learned some things from this.
Yes Rocky, leaving a penny is by far worse vs leaving no tip at all-- the waiter may think it was accidental that no tip was left. Everyone that I have talked to when talk about tips/eating out has come up, has mentioned that by far having a penny for a tip is worse than getting stiffed for bad service. The penny under the glass is something new to me, too. I've never left a penny, but the first time I stiffed a lady I felt incredibly bad. I almost left a dollar just to override the guilt, but I did not-- she was just that bad.
amynicole21 replied: I'll usually say something, but always in a nice way. I get very uncomfortable when I go out with friends who are VERY vocal about their dissatisfaction 
I've never left a penny, but I've wanted to in the past. I usually feel too guilty, though  Like you said, it's always better to leave a penny than to not leave anything.
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