Culinary and Kitchen-Related Pet Peeves

[GordonCooks]

I hate it when people complain about the crappy service/food they always get whenever they frequent chain-type restaurants.

[awbrig]

I hate it when waiters add coffee to my unfinished cup, totally messing up my right proportioning of sugar and cream.

I hate to read the menu terms: "Shrimp Scampi" and "Coquille St. Jacques"

Thats usually common practice, as far as I know, about refilling your coffee..I believe they are warming it up for you as well...

Whats wrong with those 2 dishes on a menu?

[GordonCooks]

I hate having to 'settle up' with the barman when my table is ready.

Most of the places I frequent can start you a check with the bartender or the bartender can add your drinks to the dinner check. I do think it's proper to tip him out for his services and not deduct it from the dinner check. I think if have a large bar bill that get's carried over - then it may be proper to deduct from the dinner tip.

[ngatti]

I'm quite capable of leaving a 5 or 10 for the barman and will carry those denominations whenever I go out with the sole purpose in mind of tipping the bartender

would you then deduct that tip amount from your dinner tip amount, since you've already tipped it?

Probably not, Tommy. Though Mrs. Nick would. I don't keep track of a tip for a couple of drinks at the bar. What I leave at the bar is usually out of all proprtion to what I leave the waiter (percentagewise). Besides it boosts the waiters tip afew bucks. I don't see the big deal.

Nick

[tommy]

Besides it boosts the waiters tip afew bucks.  I don't see the big deal.

"money-bags" gatti over here ladies and gentlemen.

[Basildog]

My pet peeve this week? Bad tippers..

1) 40TH BIRTHDAY PARTY...booked for 6 turned up as 8 people. I got creative, got them squeezed in, looked after them well, delighted with the food etc £5 tip....thanks

2) 40th wedding anniversay 14 people, baners on the table, speacil food for i very picky child, personalised menus printed...£0.00 tip

3)18 people had the whole place...delightfull evening, very impressed with the service and food...£690 bill....£0.00 tip thanks alot, do call again

these all over the last 2 weeks

[tommy]

basil, i almost had to chuckle over that. out of control. those damn foreigners never tip well.

[=Mark]

It annoys me to no end when a member of a party takes it upon themselves to go through the check with a fine toothed comb a'la tax accountant to see which charges can be "deducted" from being tipped on. One girl told me "Oh, you should never tip on drinks..." When asked why, she confidently stated "Well, the wait staff doesn't make them, they just serve them." When it was mentioned that the waitstaff didn't actually prepare the food either she seemed rather nonplussed, yet still would not tip on the drink bill...

Smug pennypinching bitch...

[macrosan]

If it was anyone else posting, I would not have believed those numbers, BasDog Out of the three examples, the one I respect least is the one with the £5 tip !!!!! At least the others were willing to acknowledge their own position, but to pretend that you're tipping, then to leave £5, well that's just an insult to you and to themselves.

I wish I could explain away the zeroes by suggesting that they think of you as "the proprietor" who makes his profit out of the charge for the meal, but then that would be just my way of being embarrassed at the low-or-no-tip culture of the English. I sometimes even wish I was an American

[Basildog]

I'm just cranky after a long season, BUT for the 18 ,Dave turned out 16 lamb/beef dishes all cooked differently, from rare lamb to well done.The organiser made a little speech at the end of the meal thanking the staff, and commenting on Daves skill ...he just forgot to tip, the tight fisted wanker!

[ngatti]

My pet peeve this week?  Bad tippers..

1) 40TH BIRTHDAY PARTY...booked for 6 turned up as 8 people. I got creative, got them squeezed in, looked after them well, delighted with the food etc  £5 tip....thanks

2) 40th wedding anniversay  14 people, baners on the table, speacil food for i very picky child, personalised menus printed...£0.00 tip

3)18 people had the whole place...delightfull evening, very impressed with the service and food...£690 bill....£0.00 tip thanks alot, do call again

these all over the last 2 weeks

BD how about: " an 18% gratuity will automatically be added to parties of 6 or more" ???

When I was in the hotels, the waitstaff would draw straws over who got the europeans. They never seemed to realize that sevice was definitely not comprise.

Nick

[g.johnson]

Am I hallucinating or are fewer British restaurants adding a service charge now? A few years ago it was the common practice. (There were endless tedious discussions of whether the service charge should be added before or after VAT.) But the last time we were in Britain, it seemed rare.

[Liza]

Bugs me when I've ordered a cocktail to start with and the waiter wants to take away the wine list. I have to grip it tightly, and tell them I'm going to be ordering wine. Is it an assumption that women don't order wine?

[tommy]

Bugs me when I've ordered a cocktail to start with and the waiter wants to take away the wine list. I have to grip it tightly, and tell them I'm going to be ordering wine. Is it an assumption that women don't order wine?

i don't "hate" much, but i sure don't like it when the waiter cuts me off.

[Basildog]

I hate service charges automaticllay added...so i,ll stick with my "service at your discression" and bitch here when they don't ok?

[ngatti]

Serving the next course after forgetting to replenish the silver.

Then having to wait while they fetch it.

Nick

[macrosan]

Glyn, I think your observation is accurate. Service charge added to the bill is very rare now, except at "business" restaurants where it's probably a convenience.

Back to the main topic, one of my pet peeves is a awiter who won't get "out of my face" throughout a meal. He asks for the order before I'm ready, keeps interrupting to ask if I want my wine poured instead of just pouring it (or not), insists on asking questions when I'm in the middle of converstaion,....and then when I need him to bring the bill, he's nowhere to be seen

[Peter B Wolf]

I hate it when waiters add coffee to my unfinished cup, totally messing up my right proportioning of sugar and cream.

I hate to read the menu terms: "Shrimp Scampi" and "Coquille St. Jacques"

Thats usually common practice, as far as I know, about refilling your coffee..I believe they are warming it up for you as well...

Whats wrong with those 2 dishes on a menu?

About the coffe, that's just it, I don't want it "warmed up", I want 'hot' coffee. And the adding to my cup does not do that!!!

And "Shrimp Scampi" is redundant, as 'Scampi' are Shrimp in Italian, so where is the preparation method of that dish?

Same with "Coquille St. Jacques", which simply means 'Scallops' in French, again where is the preparation method listed when only these words appear on the menu??

[Peter B Wolf]

I hate it when waiters add coffee to my unfinished cup, totally messing up my right proportioning of sugar and cream.

I hate to read the menu terms: "Shrimp Scampi" and "Coquille St. Jacques"

Thats usually common practice, as far as I know, about refilling your coffee..I believe they are warming it up for you as well...

Whats wrong with those 2 dishes on a menu?

That's just it, I want my coffee hot and not "warmed up", and yes it does mess up the sugar and cream measures.

"Shrimp Scampi' is redundant, since "Scampi" means shrimp in Italian, so where is the preparation method listed?

Same with "Coquille St.Jacques", which translates into simply "Scallops" in French, again no prep method listed.

So, how do I get these items served? Hot, cold, seasoned, raw, cooked, in gravy, sauce or on a skewer??

[awbrig]

I think we are being a tad picky on the Shrimp Scampi...I don't see any problem with it nor does the rest of the world...Shrimp in Italian refers to "granchiolino" and scampi orginally refers to "a european lobster or large shrimp prepared with a garlic-flavored sauce"...sounds ok to me...

and as far as your coffee...is the waitress supposed to stand at your side until the precise moment when the last drop disappears into your mouth to refill?...when is the appropriate time for Peter to get his coffee refill? Let's be reasonable here...waitresses are busy and most will find your coffee point silly...

[ngatti]

I like the use of a double post to reinforce the point

Nick

[ollie]

I hate it when I ask what's on tap and the waiter says, "Do you like light beer or do you like dark beer?" as if it were that simple...

[cakewalk]

and as far as your coffee...is the waitress supposed to stand at your side until the precise moment when the last drop disappears into your mouth to refill?...

The waiter doesn't have to stand at my side to see when I'm finished. Waiters at plain old diners pay attention to the coffee cup, I don't see why they can't at other restaurants. Refilling a half-full cup leaves me with a cup of lukewarm coffee that I won't drink anyway, so what's the point? (I'm a novice at food, but I get very grumpy when people mess with my coffee. )

[=Mark]

As for the term "Shrimp Scampi," here in the states the meaning has been altered (some would feel "corrupted" is a more accurate term) to refer to the cooking method, not the ingredients. Scampi refers to cooking in butter and garlic, and can be used to describe cooking in theis manner even with different ingredients (Scallop Scampi). This is forever pissing off my brother, but the world exists solely to piss him off...

It may not sit well with some language purists, but they'll forever have a hard time with evolving US Spoken English.

[Wilfrid]

Indon't believe the creature designated "scampi" by the Italians is in fact shrimp. Perhaps someone can enlighten us. Even Dr Balic, whatever he thinks of Elvis Presley?