I know this post is a little off-topic, but I have to bring up something that's been bugging me lately. This article is just a continuation of the absurd complaints and expectations that the Post propagates. Lately (especially in the "Ask Tom" section in the Sunday Magazine) the trend has been to bash servers for failing to meet impossible expectations. No one seems to take human error into account. Whether a server makes a mistake on the bill, or doesn't do enough to quiet another customer or, god forbid, unwittingly serves a corked bottle of wine, it is an excuse to treat the server as a servant, instead of a human who (JUST like the customer) occaisonally makes a small mistake. I think that dining out should be a pleasant and - dare i say- unforgettable experience, but everyone needs to take it all a little less seriously. I love food. But at the risk of being tarred and feathered, its just food. My boyfriend and I are both servers/bartenders at wonderful fine dining restaurants. We have high expectations of ourselves, and when we dine out, we expect the same from whomever is waiting on us. I expect my server to know the menu and the wine list (and to not bullshit me) - but it's okay to have to double-check something in order to get it right. I expect the bill to be correct - but it's okay to make a mistake, even overcharge us, as long as it's fixed when I bring attention to it. The patrons who write complaining about servers' mistakes apparently expect perfection. They seem to think that every minute error is purposeful and is their waiter's fault and liability. I don't think its asking too much to expect quality service from a waiter (especially if you're paying over $50 per person for the meal), but absolute perfection 1,440 minutes a day? Can we all just relax a little? Cut each other some slack?
