Dining Out - Pleasurable or Painful?

[underdown]

Actually, I could say more in a poll about the positive experiences of dining out.

In my experience, small portions and crowding are very common.
The overall experience in most Sydney restaurants, however, has been excellent.
We have some of the best food available in the world, and the waiters/waitresses are usually pretty good.
 

[Kelda]

Tables together. If I'm out at a restaurant I want to enjoy spending time with whoeverI'm with and be able to alk freely. And I don want to hear what he other table is talking about either!

[Lynne]

I chose over-attentive servers, tables too close together, and rude staff.

I dine out way too often, because that's just part of living alone and the walls close in if I spend too much time at home.  So, if I'm alone, I usually have a book with me, and the over-attentive staff get annoying.  I served during school, so I appreciate that table turnover is a factor in earnings and I tip to compensate for that, particularly if a restaurant is busy.

The tables too close together is annoying not just from the conversation point of view when you're dining with friends, but also it feels awkward and rude to negotiate yourself into your seat (and out again, maybe more than once) when it's crowded.

Rude staff I don't have much sympathy for...busy, harried staff OK - as I said, I've been there, but rudeness makes no sense when one's earnings are pretty directly dependent on a customer's goodwill and generosity.

[southendmd]

Kerry, you naughty boy, your description of an oyster gave me a fit of apoplexy!  (I happen to love oysters, ahem.  Excuse me, I have to blow my nose.  There, that's better.)


In the US, a service charge is only tacked on if it's a large party, and it's usually pretty clear when that happens.  I've never heard of charge for water, and there's no bread and cover charge. 

It's inattentive service that bugs me.  I expect to be greeted (with water, perhaps) and asked for my drink order as soon as I am seated.  I'm not too fond of the "My name is Jason and I'll be your server" routine, but I don't much care if Jason gets the job done. 

If there's bad service, I won't go back to a restaurant.  I was at one place known for its wine.  The wine I ordered was unavailable; many, many minutes later, I was told the second wine I ordered was unavailable.  And I was led to believe it was my fault!  "You seem to order all the ones we don't have!" Jason said.  Gee, Jason, how come you don't know what's available?  And why does it take twenty minutes to find out?  "Do you have this one?" I growled, pointing at a third.  When it arrived, the meal was half over.  I haven't been back.

Here in Boston, the restaurant scene is very competitive, so it pays to have good service. 

[Lynne]

It's inattentive service that bugs me.  I expect to be greeted (with water, perhaps) and asked for my drink order as soon as I am seated.  I'm not too fond of the "My name is Jason and I'll be your server" routine, but I don't much care if Jason gets the job done. 

Have you noticed this tendency for the server to seat him/herself across from you to take your order?  After they've introduced themselves, naturally.  Maybe I'm being snobby, but this seems overly familiar.  Though in sympathy, you know their feet hurt, but it's not enough of a break to make a difference.  Plus, in my day, I would have been fired! 

[southendmd]

Have you noticed this tendency for the server to seat him/herself across from you to take your order?  After they've introduced themselves, naturally.  Maybe I'm being snobby, but this seems overly familiar.  Though in sympathy, you know their feet hurt, but it's not enough of a break to make a difference.  Plus, in my day, I would have been fired! 

Lynne, you're far from snobby!  No, I've never encountered this.  Yes, that's way overly familiar.  If that happened to me, I'd probably ask, "Oh, are you joining us?  How lovely!" 

[Lynne]

Lynne, you're far from snobby!  No, I've never encountered this.  Yes, that's way overly familiar.  If that happened to me, I'd probably ask, "Oh, are you joining us?  How lovely!" 

 

I've noticed it at chains like O'Charleys, Longhorn, Applebee's, etc...I think it only happens to single diners.

[jstephens9]

Around here the problem isn't small portions. The portions are much too large. I always have to ask for a doggie bag and I end up bringing half of my dinner home with me. I suppose that really isn't a problem, but it mystifies me why they want to serve such massive amounts of food.

Hoovering waiters can be annoying too, unless they are cute... and single!

I agree David that the portions are much too large, but it is true that you can also end up with two meals. I don't understand why they do serve such massive amounts of food, but of course I would be mad if they were small portions. What I always find that is funny that places like Applebees, Chili's, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc., etc. are so down on the fast food places when in reality because of the big portions of food it seems that eating everything on your plate at those places would result in more weight gain than that cheeseburger at McDonalds, Burger King, etc. At one point in time I was going out to lunch pretty much every day with a group from work. We would go to the places like Applebees, etc. and I definitely gained weight. The portions were huge. I quit doing that a few years ago. It saved me a lot of money too since that was a good $12 a day or more for lunch usually.

[jstephens9]

I wonder if they are one and the same Lee?!

They have the same appetite at least, don't they?

Adam on the Travel Channel is a bit pudgy, but he looks very cuddly and huggable... like a teddy bear. I'd go for him. He has a cute personality too, which is very important.

Different Adam David. The Adam Lee is talking about is definitely not pudgy.

[jstephens9]

We have some of those restaurants around here too Kerry. Most of them are either located downtown or in the more ritzy areas of Indy such as Carmel, Zionsville and Broad Ripple. But I know what you mean about the "three bites and it's gone" deal.

Since Indianapolis is a Midwestern city, meat and potatoes tend to be the most popular types of fare around here and restaurants in this area often serve landlubber dishes, or surf and turf. We have lots of very high class steak restaurants, although there are other types of restaurants too. But the size of those steaks are unbelievable. I can't finish something that big!

I was watching a show on the Travel Channel called "Man vs Food" and Adam (the star of the show) sat down and ate a 72 oz steak, along with a baked potato, rolls and a salad in 29 minutes. I'll never understand how he did it. I have a difficult time finishing a 12 oz steak!

Adam is quite cute btw!

I like those shows on the Travel channel where they show different restaurants in different cities that specialize and are famous for something. I saw one last week about famous Cheeseburger places. I love Cheeseburgers by the way. When I was in Los Angeles I ate at the place that created the French Dip sandwich and the strange thing is that the dip is actually in the sandwich. You don't dip the sandwich. It is a very old place and it was very good. I ate at a famous cafeteria there too and the food was absolutely great. It's kind of funny that LA gets such a bad rap from many people when I found it to be a very interesting and historical city.