Did I do the right thing walking out?

[Darin Smith]

Today my wife and I around noon walked into a small restaurant on the beach in Savannah Georgia. When we entered the place was about 1/3 full but quickly filled up with the lunch crowd. We put our order in which was a couple of diet cokes, an appetizer called asparagus and crab (we were curious), a 1/4 pound of sauted shrimp for her and a grilled veggie sandwich for me. After we got our drinks we did not hear back from the waitress for 30 minutes, when she came by and apologized since we were waiting so long because "we're so busy". We said it was OK and continued to wait. Another 30 minutes passed and we had not heard from her again. we saw people who came in after us get served. I finally got up asked for the check for our drinks and that we were not going to wait anymore. She charged us for the cokes and as I was signing the ATM card receipt another waitress came up with our food, appetizer together with everything else. I told her "No thank you. We've waited an hour." I left no tip on my $3.21 check and we walk out.

Does anyone think we made a mistake leaving?

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Does anyone think we made a mistake leaving?

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No! But they should have comped you the drinks, at the very least.

[K8memphis]

Me, I think it was ok to leave but you mighta shoulda spoken to the manager first. That was certainly not a good situation. We had a similar one recently. The manager made nice and we went back on another evening to check it out from a fresh perspective. It is officially off our list of places to go.

I mean two 30 minute periods of silence borders on permanently unforgivable. I think y'all got screwed.

I can NOT believe she charged you for the Cokes!

[JeanneCake]

I don't think you were wrong to leave.... I think you could have let someone in charge know what happened as you left. Maybe write them a note to let them know so it doesn't happen to anyone else - or at least they'll be more aware of it and can handle it far better the next time "they're busy".

[menon1971]

I agree it would be good to send them an email to let them know of your dissatisfaction. However, waiting one hour for lunch and having a MIA waitress is unacceptable, regardless of the type of restaurant.

[Rebecca263]

Yeah, but, gee, now we have a new place to recommend to the fans of those lacking in "bland friendliness" places, like Joe Beef! Seriously, you should have called the manager over after the first half hour wait. What, was there rum in those cokes, you were so distracted? Was your wife whispering in your ears, and you forgot the time? I can't imagine sitting at a table for an hour, with no service, being hungry.

edited by me to add:

PS: Name the place, seriously. We eGulleters have a right to know.

Edited March 25, 2007 by Rebecca263 (log)

[Miami Danny]

Yeah, but, gee, now we have a new place to recommend to the fans of those lacking in "bland friendliness" places, like Joe Beef! Seriously, you should have called the manager over after the first half hour wait. What, was there rum in those cokes, you were so distracted?   Was your wife whispering in your ears, and you forgot the time?   I can't imagine sitting at a table for an hour, with no service, being hungry.

edited by me to add:

PS: Name the place, seriously. We eGulleters have a right to know.

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Agree. Did you guys have a flask?

[divalasvegas]

You and your wife are obviously very nice, classy, patient people. I have to agree with Rebecca263 about no way could I just sit hungry for an hour, especially seeing people who came in after me being served.

Definitely, you were right about leaving and no, no way should they have charged you for the Diet Cokes. And what the Hell was up with coming out with your appetizers and mains simultaneously? Something tells me they were probably cold and inedible anyway.

While it would be interesting to contact the restaurant's management--let us know what they say if you do--I personally would never attempt to dine there again.

[Chris Amirault]

The server might also benefit from knowing that communicating with a customer that's not being served is a good thing, far better for everyone than hiding, which it appears she did. "I know you've been waiting a long time; I'll see what I can find out" can mean a lot in a situation like this.

[David Ross]

You absolutely did the right thing to walk out. In fact, I would have left after the first 30 minute delay. And in all due respect to those who recommended you might have spoken to the Manager, I disagree. If the place doesn't have their act together-whether it be lack of kitchen help, disorganization, lack of waitstaff, poor hiring, poor training, whatever-a complaint after the fact to the Manager won't help. The Manager who allows that delay to happen in the first place is part of the problem. Never go back, tell your family, friends and business associates. Word of mouth can be the greatest recommendation or the ultimate critique in this case. Maybe then restaurants with this lack of customer service will get the message!

[KatieLoeb]

This is an appalling service experience. There's no way you should have been charged one dime for being abused and having your time wasted in that manner. In fact, they should have insisted on packing up your meal for you so you could take it, not charging you a thing and asked for your address to send you a gift certificate for your next meal there on them. That might have begun to heal the damage, a least a little bit.

You absolutely MUST contact the management of this establishment and let them know about your experience. If it's the server's fault for hiding once she realized she'd ignored you for far too long then the management needs to know she's doing that. If it's management's fault for grossly understaffing the restaurant, then they need to know that too. Whatever the issue, it needs to be brought to their attention and addressed so no one else has to suffer through what you and your very patient wife did.

[David Ross]

Katie is in fact right-you should contact Management. I'll correct my last response that said not to contact Management. If it is a small family owned joint, let the Manager know before you leave. You can hope they'll take your constructive criticism to heart. If it is a chain or owned by a larger corporation, I have found taking time to write a letter detailing your poor service experience helps. I've written letters in the tone of not asking for compensation or the ubiquitous coupon for a free dinner but in the spirit of bringing a lapse in customer service to their attention in the hope that they will correct whatever the problem is.

Edited March 25, 2007 by David Ross (log)

[CaliPoutine]

The same thing happened to us last week while in Florida( Aventura Mall). We ran into The Cheesecake Factory for dinner( we were at the mall already and hungry, plus I like the BBQ chop salad). We waited 35min for a salad and a burrito. I called the Manager over and he went to check. The food came out and my spouse's burrito was cold. I called the manager back over and he took it back to rewarm. They scraped off all the guac and sour cream and when they brought it back it had new condiments on it. However, this time, Robin pulled out 3 bay leaves and the root end of an onion. My salad sucked too!! It was full of tomatoes( even though I asked for no tomatoes and because it sat for awhile, it was soggy).

The manager came back and offered us a piece of cheesecake( which I declined because I hate it, my spouse took the dessert). When it was time for the bill, there was none. The manager comped everything( as he should have). We did tip the waitress as it kind of wasnt her fault, but really she should have checked on us in that 35 minutes we were waiting. Needless to say, we wont eat there again.

Edited March 25, 2007 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Miami Danny]

You absolutely did the right thing to walk out.  In fact, I would have left after the first 30 minute delay.  And in all due respect to those who recommended you might have spoken to the Manager, I disagree.  If the place doesn't have their act together-whether it be lack of kitchen help, disorganization, lack of waitstaff, poor hiring, poor training, whatever-a complaint after the fact to the Manager won't help.  The Manager who allows that delay to happen in the first place is part of the problem.  Never go back, tell your family, friends and business associates.  Word of mouth can be the greatest recommendation or the ultimate critique in this case.  Maybe then restaurants with this lack of customer service will get the message!

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Whoa! Let's say a server called in sick, the busboy got in a car accident, the chef's mother died, etc. You can't start violently trashing a place on one bad experience before you know all the facts! Next time you're in the neighborhood, drop in and let the manager or owner know what happened, if you have a moment. I think the resolution will then be a lot more satisfying to you AND to the restaurant.

[piperdown]

Sometimes restaurants get slammed, sometimes ordered get misplaced, but there is no good excuse for being neglected for an hour. At the restaurant i work at sometimes things get way too crazy, but we always try to communicate with the wait staff so they can tell their customers. Most of the time everything turns out fine as long as the wait staff keep the customers informed. The problem is that most of the wait staff is so afraid of being chastised by the customer that they just ignore them and that makes everything worse. I find that people can handle most situations as long as they are updated (and buying they a drink, and bringing plenty of bread helps too).

You were totally right to walk out, and the fact that you did it without insulting anyone and causing a scene shows the amount of class you have. Normally I'm not a fan of stiffing the waitress, but in this case she was definitely part of the problem.

[Darin Smith]

this is the wife i do tend to be very patient and was planning on putting more coins into the meter in order to eat... i kept asking him to wait but after we saw the third table seated after us had received their food after our orders had been placed, i agreed he should say something... we were very disappointed since we've been telling ourselves to eat there for two years they had AMPLE employees in front of the house... enough that 4 were gathered around the bar the entire time... the back was the problem i assume.... we are planning, or at least i am, on sending them a letter... (even at the cheesecake factory ((which has happened before)) the wait was only about 20-30 min til they realized the waitress abandoned us... ) i just wanted my shrimp

[Pan]

Whoa!  Let's say a server called in sick, the busboy got in a car accident, the chef's mother died, etc.[...]

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Huh? How would that explain three tables that were seated later getting served before these folks?

Edited March 26, 2007 by Pan (log)

[divalasvegas]

this is the wife   i do tend to be very patient and was planning on putting more coins into the meter in order to eat...  i kept asking him to wait but after we saw the third table seated after us had received their food after our orders had been placed, i agreed he should say something...  we were very disappointed since we've been telling ourselves to eat there for two years they had AMPLE employees in front of the house... enough that 4 were gathered around the bar the entire time... the back was the problem i assume.... we are planning, or at least i am, on sending them a letter... (even at the cheesecake factory ((which has happened before)) the wait was only about 20-30 min til they realized the waitress abandoned us... ) i just wanted my shrimp

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Just curious, were one of the four gathered around the bar your waitress? That would make your wait even more unconscionable. Were waitstaff seating customers and bringing food to those in "their section" only and she was busy elsewhere? If so, still no excuse for your shoddy treatment. Instead of a problem with the BOH, sounds more like the waitress had a communication problem and forgot to place your order in a timely fashion especially since they were attempting to deliver your main courses and appetizer simultaneously. BTW, very kind and civil of you to even bother writing them a letter.

[johnsmith45678]

as I was signing the ATM card receipt another waitress came up with our food, appetizer together with everything else. I told her "No thank you. We've waited an hour." I left no tip on my $3.21 check and we walk out.

Does anyone think we made a mistake leaving?

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I do -- I would've eaten the food! Then complained about the wait.

[bluesman13]

I don't work in the restaurant business, but if I *was* the manager of a restaurant, I would want to be notified if anyone gets up and leaves before their food arrives. I would make it my business to approach them and try to rectify the situation in any way possible. Actaully, as a manager, I would want to know if any customers are leaving unsatisified. To me, to give a customer a free meal, or a coupon for a free meal is worth much more in good will and word of mouth than losing a customer or having them bad mouth the restaurant. It seems these days that many restaurants don't treat the customer this way, and the ones that do are the exception. When I do get treated that way, I remember it. This problem, I would surmise starts at the management and training level.

As a customer, I would always let the manager know if I was waiting that long and was leaving.

[Octaveman]

You were right in getting up to leave and I would've not paid for the drinks...just walk out. If you were abandoned nobody would've known a thing about what's going on. If the food showed up as I was getting up to leave I would've asked for the manager right then and told him the story. If he said sit down and eat the food and he'll comp it I would stay and eat if I didn't have anywhere else to be. The manager is told while the server is standing there and it's a good bet you're food would've been free so it would be a win win situation. If the manager didn't comp the food then you just say you've been there long enough and you're leaving.

I don't think the place should be verbally trashed based on one experience but I can see how you'd be soured by it. I say try again at a different time and see what happends. It was obviously a case of a bad server.

Edited March 26, 2007 by Octaveman (log)

[Busboy]

You were right in getting up to leave and I would've not paid for the drinks...just walk out.  If you were abandoned nobody would've known a thing about what's going on.  If the food showed up as I was getting up to leave I would've asked for the manager right then and told him the story.  If he said sit down and eat the food and he'll comp it I would stay and eat if I didn't have anywhere else to be.  The manager is told while the server is standing there and it's a good bet you're food would've been free so it would be a win win situation.  If the manager didn't comp the food then you just say you've been there long enough and you're leaving.

I don't think the place should be verbally trashed based on one experience but I can see how you'd be soured by it.  I say try again at a different time and see what happends.  It was obviously a case of a bad server.

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I think paying for the drinks was a good tactical move. For four bucks you keep firm hold on the smaller, less morally clear argument over whether or not you should pay for what you actually did consume and -- on a purely PR level -- you make yourself not look like a whiny cheapskate.

I'm always skeptical of the whole "tell a manager" thing after a meal has been utterly ruined. Sure, if there's a modest error that can be rectified, it may be worth the hassle of hunting up the manager (or ensuring that the server is at least mentally spitting in your soup by asking him or her to send the manager over). But once you get to the point that the meal is irredeamably ruined, screw it. It's just one more burden that that customer doesn't need.

As for trashing after one bad experience: I say count to 100 slow; don't post while drinking; admit up front that this was just one experience -- and trash away. I've seen people here and on other boards gush shamelessly before they've even stepped foot in the place they're tongue-kissing. (Just got my first rezzie at Chez Grenouille! CAn't wait!") I've seen people damn near perform oral sex on a place after a single meal. People who want to take a swing at a place after a bad experience should have the same right to respond passionatley and immediately (after counting to 100 slow, etc.).

And finally, I assume that the people who say "give it another chance" after a debacle like the one described upthread either have a lot more money or many fewer restaurant choices than most people have. Life is too short and dinners out too few. Walk out and walk on to another place.

[Octaveman]

People who want to take a swing at a place after a bad experience should have the same right to respond passionatley and immediately (after counting to 100 slow, etc.).

I agree but ya see, they didn't eat anything so the only thing they can say is "We never got our food and our server abandoned us so we left. ps the soda's were good". If the reader is going to think the whole place sucks based on the "debaucle" then that's being unreasonable IMHO. I take reviews of places with a grain of salt because it's based on personal opinion and what may be good/bad service/food/whatever may not be good/bad for the other. Moods at the time of visit can alter ones experience so if the reviewer just got in a fight with his/her spouse or they just got fired or they experienced road rage trying to find a parking spot could all drastically affect any review of any place at any time.

Darin and his wife had bad service resulting in never getting their food. Should it stop anyone from going because of one stupid server? Things have to be put into perspective. I'm not minimizing their experience I'm just saying the place should not be trashed. If you're going to trash a place do it in person to the manager and not behind a computer where the people involved can't talk back in defense or agreement. Specially if they were never given the chance to rectify.

And finally, I assume that the people who say "give it another chance" after a debacle like the one described upthread either have a lot more money or many fewer restaurant choices than most people have.  Life is too short and dinners out too few.  Walk out and walk on to another place.

They never ate nor paid for food so their money is intact. Since they never ate there it's most certainly still a choice to try. It's not like they got their food, it was prepared bad, returned it 4x for correction and they still never got it right. I see nothing wrong with trying again. They sat at the wrong table at the wrong time. Go back and try again. Life is short but how short is it that you can't visit the same restaurant twice?

[Darin Smith]

Personally I began to realize we were in trouble when I watched other peoples food come out and their appatizers were with the rest of their food. I don't think whoever was cooking that day was any good. I think at least half the restaurant had a long wait for their food.

[divalasvegas]

People who want to take a swing at a place after a bad experience should have the same right to respond passionatley and immediately (after counting to 100 slow, etc.).

I agree but ya see, they didn't eat anything so the only thing they can say is "We never got our food and our server abandoned us so we left. ps the soda's were good". If the reader is going to think the whole place sucks based on the "debaucle" then that's being unreasonable IMHO. I take reviews of places with a grain of salt because it's based on personal opinion and what may be good/bad service/food/whatever may not be good/bad for the other. Moods at the time of visit can alter ones experience so if the reviewer just got in a fight with his/her spouse or they just got fired or they experienced road rage trying to find a parking spot could all drastically affect any review of any place at any time.

Darin and his wife had bad service resulting in never getting their food. Should it stop anyone from going because of one stupid server? Things have to be put into perspective. I'm not minimizing their experience I'm just saying the place should not be trashed. If you're going to trash a place do it in person to the manager and not behind a computer where the people involved can't talk back in defense or agreement. Specially if they were never given the chance to rectify.

And finally, I assume that the people who say "give it another chance" after a debacle like the one described upthread either have a lot more money or many fewer restaurant choices than most people have.   Life is too short and dinners out too few.  Walk out and walk on to another place.

They never ate nor paid for food so their money is intact. Since they never ate there it's most certainly still a choice to try. It's not like they got their food, it was prepared bad, returned it 4x for correction and they still never got it right. I see nothing wrong with trying again. They sat at the wrong table at the wrong time. Go back and try again. Life is short but how short is it that you can't visit the same restaurant twice?

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Well technically they haven't really trashed the restaurant since if you noticed they never specifically identified the restaurant in question. I don't see their comments as a review really, just a report of their unsatisfactory experience and, because they do seem like decent, thoughtful folks, presented the situation to the people of this forum for feedback as to whether or not they made the correct decision walking out. I'm with Busboy on this one. It may not be fair, but for many diners restaurants often get one shot at creating a dining experience that will influence someone to be a repeat customer or, in this instance, one that will likely never return.