How many of you have ever been to a restaurant? No, not drive-thru, not even fast food, I am talking about a good ol' fashioned sit down restaurant. I am sure everyone has been to one at some point in their lives.
Anyway, I am going to type about a few things that just drive me bonkers at a restaurant. First thing you do, obviously, is walk in...and if you're lucky (which usually I am not) you don't have to wait to be seated. Don't get me wrong, I'd almost prefer to have to wait to be seated because then they know you're there. It only happened to me once, and I will never forget it, but I walked into a restaurant and it seemed like it was busy enough that I shouldn't have been able to seat myself, but the sign said, "Please seat yourself", so, I did.
I found a table and me and my friend sat down. We waited...talked for a bit, and waited... Waiters and waitresses kept passing our table and I was sure that one of them was going to stop, but they didn't. So after about 10 minutes of waiting, I stopped one of them. "Excuse me", I said, "Can we get some service?"
"OH MY GOODNESS! You haven't been waited on?!" he asked. "Um...no." I replied. (Does it look like we've been waited on??? The silverware is still rolled up in the napkin, we have no food, not even drinks on this table...duh genius!) "I am sorry! Let me...get your waiter."
REALLY?! I mean, I know they are assigned to tables and whatnot, but can't they help eachother out?? I mean, couldn't that person have at least gotten us a drink?!?
So we wait a few more minutes and finally our waiter shows up...now I am generally a calm and nice person, but if you make me wait 10 minutes before even acknowledging my existence and then you come over to my table and talk to me and treat me like I just ruined your ENTIRE LIFE, well, I am not going to be happy about it!! Don't get me wrong, I know and understand that in every single person's life they are bound to have a bad day here and there. Totally understandable...but what is NOT understandable or acceptable is taking your bad day out on the people who are there to provide YOUR paycheck!!!
We got horrible service that visit, so they got a tiny tip. That's how I work. I am a good tipper. I really understand and appreciate people in "customer service-like" positions. Treat me well and I'll return the favor. Not a "people-person"? You're in the wrong line of work, buddy!
Anyway, some classic annoyances in a sit down restaurant...
Let's say you're out with 3 buddies. You get seated and your server comes and takes your drink order. Two of you order DIET coke and the other two order regular coke. Your server brings your drinks and let me tell you, it is quite a shock to the taste buds when you go to take a nice big gulp of regular coke and they accidentally gave you your friends diet coke!!!
So, since we are friends, we just keep our straws and switch glasses. That problem solved.
So we wait, just sipping on our beverages and chatting and our server comes back to take our orders.
We order our meals, then continue chatting. After about 15 minutes, here comes our food. It looks delicious!! The server sets it down in front of us and asks if we're alright. At this point I am about to start drooling all over the table because I am hungry and the food looks so good. "We're fine" I say to him as I place my napkin in my lap and pick up my fork in preparation to dig in!
So he walks away and we all start eating. The food is great! But then something happens that I am sure has happened to EVERYONE...
I just stuck a forkful of food into my mouth and out of thin air, our server appears!!
"How is everything?!" he asks with a grin.
What the heck dude!!!???!!! Did you not just see me shove a bunch of food into my mouth?! And now you want to come and talk? Couldn't you have waited until you saw I wasn't chewing? Of course not!!
I swear they do this on purpose because it happens frequently!
So, you have a few options here...
1. You can hold up a finger, finish chewing, swallow, and say "Everything's fine". OR
2. You could do the "Everything is fine" nod, where you continue to chew, look up at them and give a little grin (you could even throw in a 'thumbs-up' gesture at this time) OR
3. You could forget all of your manners and, with food falling out of your face, say, "It's good". Thus spitting food all over the place! (serves them right for asking you in mid-chew to talk!)
If you want to avoid that uncomfortable situation altogether, you can do what I do. Yeah, it's kinda like spying, so you can make a game of it. It's called, "Where is the server?!" It is where you keep the server or at least attempt to keep the server in your eyesight at ALL TIMES! Then you eat comfortably as long as they are in your sight and are a safe distance from your table. Yep, I like to play it safe when I am eating in a restaurant.
But I am sure all of the servers stand there behind the wall..."OH! Guy at table 5 just took a huge bite! MOVING IN!!" Then "Tra-la-la-la" they come skipping out to your table and ask you the dreaded question.
Speaking of servers, there are two different kinds: The ones that are NEVER THERE and the ones you wish would GO AWAY!
The 'never there' ones never really come to your table except to take your order, give you your food, and take your payment. So you're outta luck if you are out of your beverage and are parched or just ate something spicy, cause little did you know, your server is a magician!!! Yep, he made himself disappear!
Well, then there's the extreme opposite server...he's the one that you wish would leave you alone to eat in peace. He's the one that practically sits down at your table with you and asks for a detailed play-by-play and description of each bite you take! He's the one that you learn the whole life story of. He's the one that could walk out of the restaurant with you when you leave and you'd think nothing of it because it felt like you just had a meal together.
I know that's all bad stuff, but at least you'll never be without a constant beverage and if you need extra napkins, no problem!...since your server is right there in your pocket!!!
I don't think I need to mention much about food being too hot, or too cold, or not done enough...we have all run into that a time or two I am sure. It's annoying!
A little off topic, but still sort of on topic, is something that takes place at the dentist office...
So, you get all seated in the chair and the hygienist comes in to check and clean your teeth before the dentist does. Something happened to me, and I will never forget it, I think I am scarred for life...but I was laying there and the lady had both of her hands in my mouth working on my teeth, but apparently she didn't notice (or didn't think it'd bother me) but while she was leaning over to reach into my mouth...her BOOB was resting on the side of my face!!!! NO JOKE! This is traumatizing for a young kid!! So, after that incredibly uncomfortable situation, in comes the dentist to look at my teeth. He doesn't say a word apart from, "How are you today?" and I respond, "I am alright."
Then he leans me back in the chair and begins looking at my teeth. After he has all of the tools that were laying on the little tray in my mouth along with his two hands, he decides he wants to have a conversation with me!!!! And no, he doesn't just ask simple "Yes" or "No" questions! He wants to learn all about my life!!! "How's your family doing?" he asks. "Oh, taoiehalkj, aogieaoig, goooo", I respond as clearly as I possibly can since I have the entire dentist office in my mouth!!! "Oh, really? That's good. What do you have planned for the summer?"
REALLY DUDE?!?! You can't just say, "So, your family is doing well?", then I could simply say, "Uh huh".
And why couldn't he ask these questions before he stuck the whole WORLD in my mouth?!?!?!
Geez...well...that's that for this blog. Take care all!! Blog you later!! :D
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