I have a serious complaint about allowing teenagers to run a restaurant, or any business that requires some speed and customer service. Like metaphors, you just shouldn’t mix the two. And if a restaurant hires such youthful folk, they should always have an adult ever-present and ever-watchful to actually run the business and supervise the children.
My son and I took my husband to his favorite restaurant for breakfast on Father’s Day. Despite the dusty plastic fern things hanging stiffly from the ceiling, the cracked linoleum, and other dubious cleanly issues--he loves it. The restaurant has been there for several decades (hence the layers of dust on the plastic fern things). I think the place reminds Sid of his younger days when he and his friends met for breakfast before heading out for fishing and other manly pursuits.
The décor and dust aside, when I first went to the restaurant many years ago, the waitresses were superb. There were two older ladies that were the epitome of what a good waitress should be…quick, efficient, and watchful for empty cups that need refilling.
Sadly, they have retired and were replaced by four teenage girls and one teenage boy.
On Sunday, it took two of these girls to work the front reservation area. They stood, they chatted, and did double duty as a waitress. For the lines of us waiting…and waiting…for a table, this did not bode well.
Everyone was told “30 minutes” for the wait. I began to get a bit suspicious of this answer when, after 45 minutes we were still waiting for a table, and the new response was “at least” 30 minutes because “people weren’t leaving as soon as they thought they would be”. The crowd was getting ugly at this point.
I watched the bus boy cleaning and resetting the tables. He reminded me of a bottle of ketsup—tall, long necked, and needed a couple of good thumps to make him work faster. He had that teenage look that we all know…and really hate. The one that says, “I’m so bored doing this stupid job. I should be home playing my video games.”
About an hour after checking in, we were finally seated by one of the reservation girls. She came back with our cups for the coffee, and then went to get the coffee pot. We didn’t get water. The people next to us got water. I guess we didn’t look like water types. She took our order and left. Forgot to bring sugar or cream for the coffee.
15 minutes later, we still hadn’t seen hide nor hair of our order, and we sure didn’t see any refills on our coffee.
I have a motto for waiters. Don’t ever make me get up to find you or the coffee pot. The tip will get smaller and smaller.
Bus boy stood in the back scanning the room. Same bored look on his face. Apparently his job, his only job, was to take dirty dishes off tables, wipe the table, and reset with silverware. As slowly as possible. Because he sure didn’t make any attempt to wander around with a coffee pot in his hand. No sirree. That wasn’t in the list of his job duties when he hired on to this miserable job.
We finally got our breakfast after 30 minutes of tiresome waiting. I should have ordered lunch.
My husband was a little embarrassed that I only left a $2 tip. I thought it was a bit excessive for the level of service.
Children. Only yours and mine are great. The rest need serious guidance.
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