Received from a friend.

Maybe all the hired help has fled in anticipation of the new law.

__________________
In memory of Labworm

Good for you. 30 minutes is way too long, especially at the counter. You should have done that after 10 minutes.

__________________
Choose truths over facts

That's beautiful, man.
It's what we've all wanted to do at one time or another, but didn't have the stones.

Man,
I've been there. In 1995 I was welding storage tanks for a living, and playing in a band, (drums), on the side. I had long hair and my beard came down to my navel. I was dirty from work and the people at the local hardware store mistook me for one of the Rainbow people who had descended upon our town. They just sat there and looked at me, then would look away. I had to go ask them if they would like to sell me $300.00 worth of triple wall stainless flu pipe. While I was paying, in cash, I told them who I was and where I worked. I think they were a little sorry because I was a home boy, but never apologized. Oh well.
Peace,
gordon

__________________
better have that checked

I went into a bar 30 years ago and they wouldn't serve me a beer.
I bet I wasn't there 30 seconds, I got threw out the front door!



I was 18.

GF

No Relish & Onion?

If the service was that bad, imagine what the food was like. Might be a good reason for why the help was preoccupied for more than a half hour.

I think you should have just left.

__________________
beaver

That gag does not work where I am from. The legal age is 18 in England. I think I got asked my age in a pub once after the age of 14.

To get back OT, I had something odd happen to me in the British equivalent of Denny's. I walked into this place about 830 PM wearing a button shirt, tidy jeans and a short haircut, the real average guy look. There were very few people in there and the closing time was 11PM. Soooo, I stood by the desk waiting to be seated. I waited some more while two of the staff who brought food out from back looked straight at me then disappeared again. A manager looking lady appeared, looked at me, then went out back again. More food came out, and this time the girl carrying looked at me a bit puzzled....and vanished out back again.

I took a deep breath, counted to ten, then found myself a seat facing directly at the cooking area and the door the girls had been using. After a couple of minutes, one of them appeared, did a kind of double take, went back up to the front desk and brought me a menu. I thanked her and passed some comment about her manager not wanting the business. She mumbled something I missed and blushed somewhat. Another more cheery girl brought me my meal and when I was about 3/4 done the front desk was finally manned again by the manager looking lady. She was still there when I went to pay and leave. To my delight, they had a comment book in which I wrote something like "Waited 10 plus minutes to be seated in an almost empty restaurant. Are you trying to get closed down?". Mrs Manager took my money without looking me in the eye, and when I suggested she read the comment the look i got made it was clear she thought I was a puppy kicking child molester for having an opinion.

To this day I have no clue what the deal was in that place, be it a serious staff problem out back, somebody getting hurt or sick or maybe an equipment issue. Whatever, you do not just bugger off and leave the front of the place empty then ignore new arrivals. If you are having an issue, tell them that there may be a delay due to a problem out back. No need for details, but do not leave folk hanging.

Having been a manger of anywhere from 2 to 14 employees over the years, some in retail/service at times, I cannot agree with this sentiment. Some people simply abhor any type of confrontation and I understand that, and the OP's method (which I thought was great) is more direct than some of those folks are comfortable with.

However, having found myself on both sides of the situation where managed employees were not fulfilling their assigned duties, I've always taken the attitude that if the management is not made aware of the problems then the problems are not likely to be fixed. Usually in a case such as this the area has been assigned to an employee that has gone on break or has been distracted by other duties and has failed to have someone else cover their station, or personal animosity from other employees with bad attitudes causes them to ignore covering the missing employee's area out of spite; either way - not good for business and it needed to be called to their attention.

The attitude of "it's not my job" seems to be more prevalent these days than in the past. I had it painfully explained to me early in my working career that "my job" was whatever I was asked to do (within reason) since it all paid the same, and that if I felt what I was asked to do was beneath my dignity to perform then I was free to leave and pursue other opportunities. It made me mad at the moment, but after I calmed down I had to admit the man who imparted that to me had been right - and I've carried that with me for the last 30 years.

Some may not agree with the writing of the note on the counter but simply leaving without comment is not the way to respond to the situation. I used to have some business card sized cards that I would leave on the table under a single penny that said "The Tip Would Have Been Bigger If The Service Had Been Better".

Maybe they had been robbed, everyone was locked in the walkin cooler.

An old WHP Sgt and I went into a local restaurant for lunch one day. The place wasn't busy, but we waited 20 minutes for service.

When none came the Sgt went and asked the manager if he could use the phone. The manager took him to his office and phone. The Sgt. said, "Thanks, I'm going to see if I can get a pizza delivered, since no one here seems to want to wait on us."

Never had better service anywhere we went after that.

What! No Tip...

These are great stories, and I'll add one: after drenching me with a pitcher full of ice water at a Denny's when I was 16, the waitress looks at me and says, "Oh don't worry Hon, there's no charge for the bath."

However, while this may not earn me any points with the OP, the original photo that started this thread has been on the Internet at least since May 9, 2009: demotivational posters - Commitment To Excellence - The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. commitment, excellence, restaurant, vincent lombardi 17581 (see photo attached).

What the hell, the some stories are so good that if they ain't exactly true, they sure 'nuff oughta be.


Bullseye

Attached Thumbnails

 

Well, this post is soured for me.
The original poster led everyone to believe he'd left the message. Now we find out it's an old Demotivational poster.
I've had my writing and photos stolen by others, who took credit for it, so perhaps I'm sensitive to such thievery. But then, I never take credit for what's not mine, or lead others to believe it came from my brain.
Every day, integrity and honesty are becoming foreign concepts to more and more.

They were busy trying to hold the rats down for the hash

They won't understand it.... you wrote it in ENGLISH.

Good for you, I have had many similar experiences, and there is no reason for it. They should at least acknowledge you as soon as you come through their door. From my experience there seems to be a real lack of pride in those that provide services these day's, particularly in Arizona. It seems nobody gives a cr*p anymore. If you think I'm kidding I bet that mess is still partially visible on the counter days later.

Tech23

The older you get the more you notice or see of this. Someone see,s something they thought was cute and they use it. They must think we dont get around or read in other places. But as my mom used to say, "Theres nothing new under the sun". I bet she got that from her grandmother.
Years ago I had a buddy that put himself in every wild story. We were guards together and he was retired military. One night he told me a wild war story with himself as hero of course. Later I dug a old magazine out of a pile somewhere and read the same story.
Another time I had a airplane crash that three of us walked away from. We needed a ride home etc. I called a close friend and he missed work at his plant to help. Sometime later I found out from others that he claimed to be flying with me. Guess he must have thought it romantic to have survived a plane crash. I let him have his fun. But then I heard secound hand that a test pilot I knew, had heard his lie and rightfully conclueded I was a idiot, as I would have been had bill been along as we would have been highly overgrossed. (I worked for lockheed). Another time I overheard some other guys talking about flying a citaberia. I mentioned I owned one. This was a catering truck owner that also serviced a plant 60 miles away where my buddy was assigned. The guy said, oh yeah? I know another guard in burbank that owns one too! (My buddy bill, of course.!)
The trouble with all this, is that when people get caught in lies, no one belives the truth in other storys of theirs. Both guys in these storys were/are my best friends years ago. We all were closer than brothers and well knew each others history and in some cases had even been in some touchy situations together. One mentioned was about the worlds biggest BSer, and the other buddy was probley runner up! Both were older than me, one 10 years older and the other about 20 years older. With frank, the older he use to tell storys about joining the horse cavery before they were disbanned in the late 1930s. Some of our other officers called him a liar over it. Yet, I knew for a fact frank was telling the truth as I had been over to his house many times and seen all the old yellow pictures of him sitting on his horse in uniform with his fellow troopers etc. The same with bill on other deals. Both were some of the roughest old has beens that I ever knew, yet both got a bad rep at work because younger disbeliveing co workers caught them in exagerations etc. With bill in particular, we had covered each others back for real several times on some "misadventures" that were we to tell them we probley would be thought liars. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!

Feral,
Ain't it the truth...Well it ought to be!


This really happen, or so I'm told!
One of my cop buddies tells of an officer that just didn't like those dang new tasers things.

Four officers sitting in a 'local diner' waitin' about 29 minutes for order...One of the guys, (not the sharpes knife in the draw), thinks it will be funnier that all get out to slip the cartridge off the muzzle of his taser and hold it under the table pointed at the officer that dislikes the things.

Well you guessed it, didn't pull cartridge - just cover. Officer Funny Stuff pulls trigger thinkin' snap, crackel, pop.

But oh no, shoots the second officer square in the straddle with the two barbs and a gazillion volts.

Hell of a deal to follow...

Glad I wasn't there!

Su Amigo,
Dave

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Personally, I don't see why anyone would get upset. I seriously doubt that anyone ever really left that message at a diner. Probably was written on the counter especially to be photographed. So, someone sees it and uses it in his joke. Y'all people really believed he wrote it? Wow.

I've seen this picture, in several jokes, on various boards. Sometimes the signs say Men and Women. And always the poster says, "This is the outhouse in my backyard".


Same thing. If you say it happened to you, it makes the joke better.

__________________
I always take precautions

Well handled. I love it.

__________________
Recoil; It's a beautiful thing

Like I say, some stories are so good that if they ain't true, they oughta be! And it is the first rule of humor to make yourself the butt of the joke.


Bullseye

As I have gotten older, I have learned to believe every thing that everyone tells me.

I believe some of it is the truth and some of it ain't, but I believe it!!

I believe that

I showed this thread to my wife. She pointed out that since unemployment around here topped 14%, service has improved quite markedly.

Yee-ouch!!!

Good point and true. Even drive thru fast food places,
have better service.

Lot more thank yous and polite people, a lot less rude
teenagers. People can give correct change, now.

I have a story for ya, and it's no urban legend with a cute picture. It actually happened to me and it is one of the many reasons I have my opinion about service (or lack of) providers here in AZ.

I was out on the Harley and happened to have a craving for a taco salad. I pull into the Old Pueblo Restaurant. I sit down and order a ground beef taco salad, and my food is promptly brought out. They got the order wrong and brought out a pulled beef taco salad. The waitress takes it back and in a few minutes brings out another taco salad (correct this time). Just as the waitress walks over and asks me if everything is OK, I feel something in my mouth that isn't right. While the waitess is looking right at me I pull out of my mouth what appears to be a piece of a coffee cup plastic lid, that was obviously in the food. She asks me "what is that?" I said it looks like garbage...she takes it and goes back to the kitchen. When she comes out it is like nothing ever happened and she went about taking care of her other tables. I call her over and I told her I think I'm done and push the food away from me. To my surprise she brings me a check! I take the check over to the register and there is this sweet little old lady and she politely asks me how everthing was. I set the money on the counter and slide it toward her hand and say...Once they got the order right, and after I found garbage in my food...it wasn't all that good. She gives me this horrified look, and there's a momentary pause and silence like she was wondering if she should charge me for eating their garbabe...LOL. She slides the money back over to me and applogizes. I said...I'm glad you did the right thing and I will never be back. True story.

Tech23

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I know I saw that pic somewhere else on the net.

To each their own. But I think it's little over the top. There are more mature ways to handle such things. Simply walk away and never go back. Hopefully there were no kids around. Really a bad example for them to see.

I think leaving such a message around here would have gotten you arrested.

Much better to leave it on a napkin left at the cash register as you leave.

Slow or poor service does not warrant an arrest record.

My dad once left a poem for the waitress. We were kids and I don't remember it all but it went something like:

For over an hour we waited at table
For a waitress who was willing and able
To bring us some food
But nary a one could be found in the mood...

I forgot the rest but it explained why she did not get a tip!

(And now you know who I inherited my weirdness from)

Three restaurant stories, one from a friend, two from me:

A friend from college and the Army was eating at the officer's club at Illesheim, FRG. He ordered the fried perch. After a little while his meal was served... which was flat and had both eyes on the same side of the head. He got the waitress's attention and said, "Excuse me, I ordered the perch." Puzzled, the waitress said, "Yes, that's the perch." Puzzled, my friend said, "No, that's flounder." The waitress then asked him, "Would you like me to ask the cook?" He replied, "Yes, that would be very good." A few moments later, the waitress returned with the flounder and said, "The cook says that's perch." My friend face palms just as the club manager comes by. The manager asks, "Well sir, how's your flounder?" My friend replies, "That's not flounder, it's perch." The club manager, confused, says, "Oh no sir, that's definitely flounder!" My friend then replies, "Then you'd better have a talk with the cook, because he says it's perch." The club manager face palms and apologizes. Apparently, it was a new (and not very well educated, ichthyologically) cook.

This same friend and I were eating dinner at the Ft. Knox officer's club. He orders fried perch (a glutton for punishment). After rather a long wait, his meal comes out. He immediately noted something odd about the fish. He asks me, "Do you see anything wrong with my perch?" I reply, "Other than it looking like it came out of the cooling pond at 3 Mile Island, it appears to be completely devoid of breading." Yes, they fried his perch without breading it in any way, which was certainly new to me. When we went to pay the bill, the female German dependent who was the head waitress asked us how our meals were. My friend, none too happy, told her. The head waitress, who looked like an extra from "Ilsa She-Wolf of the SS", seemed to take exception to his failure to reply, "Sehr gut, frau Hauptscharfuehrerin!"

After a successful security inspection by the Defense Investigative Service, as was my custom, I took the rest of the day off. There used to be a great restaurant in Berea, Ohio located near the library and police station. They had the best prime rib I've ever had, ANYWHERE. It was somewhere between 12:00 and 1:00pm. There was nobody at the entrance, but their posted hours said that they were open. I stood around for a while before a waitress came and said, "We're not open yet!" I replied, "The sign behind you says you are." She did a Pythonesque double-take and replied, "Oh, I guess we are!" She seated me at a table, and things immediately started to go off the rails. I waited, and waited, and waited, before somebody came to take my order. I ordered a glass of rose and my meal. I waited, and waited, and waited before a round robin of random waiters and waitresses brought me portions of my meal at odd intervals. When my "rose" came, I tasted it and immediately knew it wasn't rose, but something more akin to cough syrup. I managed to waylay a waitress to tell her that I'd ordered rose and gotten something VERY different. She asked, "Would you like me to check on that?" I replied, "That would be very good." Meanwhile various portions of my meal continued to come in a somewhat random order, and of a decidedly diminished quality. When the waitress returned, she informed me cheerfully, "That's sangria. It's the only red wine we had!", as though it was only the most natural thing in the world to expect the customer to drink anything vaguely "red" that they had lying around. Admittedly, at the time I did perceive that Clevelanders were willing to accept a level of customer service that would, in my hometown of Chicago, have provoked at best a torrent of obscene abuse, and at worst serious violence. Instead of a well earned meal, I'd gotten a "Monty Python" skit, and was none too happy about it. I debated not leaving a tip at all, but I was afraid that they'd think that I NEVER tipped, which was quite the opposite of the truth. At the same time, I certainly wasn't going to give them a REAL tip for horrendous service and equally bad food. I left them something on the order of $0.07 and never returned. Shortly thereafter the restaurant closed and is now the dining room of a nursing home.

What the hell, one more:

A co-worker and shooting buddy of mine and I were coming back from the range. He wanted to go to Olive Garden or some place for dinner. I'd driven past a place on Great Northern Boulevard in North Olmsted called Frankie's a bunch of times and suggested that we try them. The first thing they did was get my friend's order completely wrong. Then I got the lasagna that I'd ordered. If you were going to cheap out on lasagna, what would you scrimp on? Logic says "meat". Wrong. This "lasagna" was almost totally devoid of PASTA. It was quite literally "lasagna SOUP". It was bar none, the WORST Italian food I've EVER head. The PX snackbar in Seoul had better Italian food. By this time, my friend, ordinarily a placid and amiable type (ex-Canadian), was seething with rage. He paid his bill, left something less than $0.10 as a tip and stormed out. I paid my bill and left a similar tip. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I saw the waiter throw a (small) handful of change into the street. I've never eaten at Frankie's again, and never will. Unfortunately, they recently took over a marvelous little Italian restaurant called Bovalinos, where I will also no longer be eating due to their association with Frankie's.

I know this is a thread drift but too good not to tell. Many years ago I and my ex wife and daughter were on a drive about a 100 miles from home. We stopped someplace for pie and coffee. Got back in the truck and the waitress came out as I was fireing up and said, Sir, did you mean to leave a $100 tip? I had left her a 100 dollar bill thinking it was a one? I only had a couple bucks left in my wallet and needed gas! We couldnt have made it home if she hadnt caught my mistake!

You folks should have had to spend some time on an old ranch and experience bunk house cookin'.
On some ranches it was the custom that whomever was too old or crippled up to fork a broomtail is elected cook.

Now this ain't what you would call a respectable job for an old cowhand, and he would proceed immediately to do whatever was necessary to git replaced.

It is also the the custom that if you complain about the cookin' in a bunkhouse setting, you git to be the cook right quick.

I can tell you that many a terrible meal has been wolfed down without comment just because of that tradition.

One young feller that had bitched about the cookin' and drawed cookin' duties as a result, done ever thing he could think of to cause someone else to bitch, but them ol boys was not sayin' a word.

Finally in desperation that young colt made up a pie crust and went out in the corral and collected the filling from a recently deposited pie of another nature.

He took it in and baked it up all proper and when the time come, he cut it up and served it.

Well a young feller that was always at the head of the line when there was pie, took a bite, choked and sed, "Damn, this pie tastes just like sh*t!!"

Seeing the huge grin on the cook's face, he recovered quickly and sed, "But that's just the way I like it!!"










I hope by now all of you are familiar with the warning that Ol Iggy will tell you a story 3 differn't ways afore he'd tell you a lie!!!

Iggy,
Utah Phillips did it with a moose ****, but he was working on the railroad.

__________________
Pete.

Not where I live!

Down here in central FL I've noticed just the opposite. Service has gotten worse - and not just in the food industry.

It's gotten better here than when I worked for a NASA contractor in the '80s.

I worked in Middleburg Heights and used to go to the Wendy's on Bagley Rd. near Pearl Rd.

One day I went through the drive-through and ordered a triple cheese with everything. Arriving back at the office, I discovered that I'd gotten three pieces of meat and the buns, and NOTHING else.

Angry, now that I'm going to blow half of my lunch hour on travel time because of somebody else's stupidity, I drive back to Wendy's. I go through the drive-through again, and ask for the manager. I explain that instead of a triple cheese with everything, I got a triple nothing. She apologizes and tells the girl at the window to order up the right thing.

Then to my astonishment, the girl asks her, "Do you want me to put the sandwich back on the line?"

Equally astonished the manager says, "No, throw it away."

The girl then AGAIN says, "I can put it back on the line."

AGAIN, the manager tells her to throw it away.

The girl just won't let it go. "Did he take a bite out of it? I can put it back on the line."

Finally the manager loses it and yells at her, "Just throw the ********* thing away!!!"

Makes you wonder what you're eating at that fast food restaurant and what travels it's had before it got to you...

Plus 1 around here-- at least at the pizza joint my bride and I went to last Monday.

Sat down, waited 5 minutes for the waitress and were asked if we need more time with the menus -- I said we didn't have them--got the look.

Ordered three different menu items with a little bit a changes to each. (asked if they could minus the ricotta cheese) got the lecture that the reason the strombolli was called a strombolli was becuase it was to calzone without the ricotta) I know better but didn't say anything. My wife ordered a white pizza -garlic butter instead of red sauce without ricotta, add peperoni. Asked to have it read back to us--got the look.

50 minutes latter here comes the pizza without the peperoni and with the ricotta.
hear comes my stromboli with green peppers when I asked them to be omitted. ---got the huff when we sent them back.

20 minutes later we got the right order finally-- I asked for some silverware- got the huff and the look.

5 minutes later she brought over nasty silverware that have food still stuck to them from the washer not doing it's job - (I hope it wasn't from someone's mouth)

About then my "I had enough" meter went off it's dashboard.

Went to the counter and asked for the manager or the person in charge of the place. (sternly but not mean)

After I told him about not being happy with the meal, service, attitude, ect., the guy said what was the problem, I am short handed today, the dishwasher isn't working right, what did you order--- I stopped him and said " stop talking and think for a minute. Look around you. There are three tables in the damm joint that have people at them (out of 25-30) we don't need a lecture about the differences between calzones and Strombolis since I make them at home and have eaten them longer than they have been on this earth, I expect service with a smile--not a snarl, clean silverware, and above all professionalism. The twenty something said I needed to stop cussing, he would just comp to meal, go sit down, I don't have time for this now attitude.

I again stopped him and raised my voice this time and told him-- once again there seems to be a lack of understanding. Cussing? Not hardly- not yet!!!!

My wife was starting for the door when I let this guy and girl have a piece of my mind and my beliefs. After the lecture (5-6 minutes) all without "cussing"; the other customers clapped at me, the "manager" said he was sorry, the waitress was hiding, the cook was wide eyed and mouth open, the manager said that the job was a temp one and he couldn't wait to get out of there. I told him that until he did-- he needed to do the job as best he could. I told him if he was so far behind and can't give good service to the people inside the restaurant- to STOP ANSWERING THE PHONE FOR TWENTY MINUTES and you will be caught up- You would have thought I told him where to find the pot at the end of the rainbow. Well after all of that- we got to-go boxes and went to leave. I decided that the cook did work his butt off so I slapped a 20 in his hand and thanked him for his hard (correct) work and left. We will not go back to that place-- it's a shame, the food is good but the service- well you know.

p.s. The previous 7-8 times we went in there, the orders on 3 of those times were messed up--not as bad as last Monday though. That is just one story of many of late of how the service in my neck of the woods is not up to my standards.

Years ago I was traveling somewhere on the northern california coast and stopped at a small diner and got a burger. Bit into it and had that freezer burned taste. I called the woman over that was both cook, waitress and cashier and almost whispered to her that the meat was freezer burned because she had other customers at the counter. She come unglued and shouted it couldnt be and bit a hunk out of the burger right where I just had! The dummy caused a big scene where I was going to be polite in her resturant!

Just yesterday, a buddy and I went to Hooter's for lunch. It wasn't our first choice, but the place we wanted to eat at, had a line out the door, and we didn't want to wait. We sat down, and it took a little while before our waitress came by. We ordered beer and an appetizer and then ordered our meal. We finished our appetizer and our beers, and ordered another beer, we wait, we ask her again for our beer. We wait. Our food finally arrives, but no beer, we ask her again. She tells us that the bar isn't getting the order from the computer that she uses. (she isn't 21) I don't want to hear it, not my problem, but we keep cool. My buddy eats his food, with no drink. I wait. My buddy finishes his food, and then a guy brings our beers. My friend tells him to take his back, he doesn't need it now. I take mine and finish my meal and beer, although after all this, it's kind of bitter. I tell my friend, if they take this long to bring our checks, we'll be gone. The only tip we left was the .14 she short-changed me. They will never see our faces there again. I wish I had seen the ketchup trick before.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

I might expect this behavior out of ignorant teenagers thinking they're being funny. But if mature adults did it, thats just pathetic.

I'd wait 30 minutes for DixieGirl's fixin's

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In memory of Labworm

At least no one on this forum called 911 when somebody screwed up their order.

If I recall correctly, in one of those 911 incidents, they didn't get the order wrong, they took the money, INTENTIONALLY gave the person something different from what they ordered, then refused to give them what they DID order (they claimed they were out) OR to refund her money.

That's FRAUD. An FFL can't take your order and payment for a SIG P210, ship you a Hi Point C9, and then refuse to provide you what you ordered OR to give you a refund.

Obviously, what happened didn't merit a 911 call, but it certainly merits a non-emergency call if the manager made or won't override that "decision".

A mistake is one thing, fraud is something entirely different.

I agree, that did not merit 911. But, how many people know the phone number to the police department? I needed to call the cops one time and could not even find the number in the phone book. I finally called 911, told 'em it was NOT an emergency, but that I couldn't find another way to reach the police.

I now have both the police and sheriff office numbers in my cell's memory.

__________________
I always take precautions

What she did was foolish, but if she'd dealt with the problem one on one, as I've heard people advocate, she'd have been arrested for assault and been condemned for THAT. I'm not EVER taking something I didn't order instead of something I paid for. I wouldn't take something more expensive when I paid for something cheaper, nor would I let somebody take money from me for something I didn't want. The most rabid critics seem to either expect her to whip the cashier and or manager, or to just take whatever some drone throws at you, no matter what you ordered or paid for.

When I was in Korea, the guy at the PX snackbar tried something similar with one of my troops while I was standing there. I instantly contracted a case of hysterical blindness and was unable to see him chasing "ojissi" around the kitchen...