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Post by: Wrexasaur
Share your bad experiences here...
I tend to get stuff like burritos and sandwiches all the time when I am out and about. Not much of a restaurant person, especially in this economy.
Something I have encountered a lot recently is very poor service at some of the delis and small restaurants around here. I once got a sandwich, and the guy asked me if I wanted avocado so I said yes. After paying and leaving the store, I went to eat my sandwich and the avocado was freaking black.. I was so frustrated with the intentional mistake I have not gone back since.
Think about that for a second while you look at real avocado... which is absolutely delicious.
The problem now is that nearly everywhere I go they mess up ALL THE TIME. Small sandwiches and burritos are not kosher, and I can't imagine a better way to flick off your customers as they pay you. Earlier today I tried to get a burrito from a place that is almost always superb, but they have totally messed up stuff a few times. The lady making my burrito obviously mistook my direct comment "That looks very small, can you make it bigger... I am not going to buy it if you do not do what I am asking..." for " Please finish wrapping up that failure of a burrito... and expect me to not care either way."
Yet another place that I refuse to go back to because of their constant mismanagement and bad business sense. What kind of burrito place does not have buy 10 get one free? Frakking blasphemy enough until you commit the ultimate sacrilege by giving me a kids meal. I eat food... and I need a real frakking meal.
Is there anything more annoying than being hungry after eating? I find it funny when people say all americans overeat. I just have a poor diet pattern, where I usually skip breakfast for many reasons, then end up sometimes only snacking for lunch; this leaves me to eat a massive dinner, which is not good for you in general, but hardly a case defined by overeating. I know fat people that eat healthy and exercise, sometimes people are just big.
... BMI is a huge practical joke... so very funny.
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Post by: warpcrafter
I once got a burrito from a local diner, and it had PEAS in it. That was the only time that I left a retail eating establishment without paying.
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Post by: Horst
awesome thread title, btw. Innuendo high five?
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Post by: greenskin lynn
um, i stopped trusting burgerkings after i went to wash my hands at one and saw that someone has slung gak all over the walls and ceiling.
other then that, i really rarely have problems with restaurants, though this could be in part because i prefer to cook my own food, and generally do so.
oh wait, i had a pizza delivered once and they didn't bother to cut it, that was kinda annoying
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Post by: Cheese Elemental
Went to an Indian restaurant recently, a very good place and my favourite place to eat out.
When I recieved my usual order of beef vindaloo, some kids (must have been about 10) were farting around and chasing each other, and one of them got pushed and smacked into the back of my chair. I was just leaning fowards to have a spoonful of my delicious dinner when I slammed face-first into it.
Can you imagine that? Doing a faceplant in a bowl of spicy, steaming-hot vindaloo? It fething hurt. It got up my nose and in my eyes too, and it burned like hell. I had to rush into the bathroom and wash my face with icy water and blow chunks of curry out my nose. It was horrible, even worse than the time I got attacked by a nest of bullants.
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Post by: dogma
I went to this little place down south. Not much bigger than a refrigerator box. The food didn't taste very good, way too salty, and the establishment smelled of old fish. It started raining when I was inside. The roof was leaky, so it was all wet when I left. I still go back sometimes, so I guess it wasn't that bad.
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Post by: LunaHound
Went to Korean BBQ restaurant with friends , turns out it cost $200 for 4 people .
We have to stay behind as hostage while the guy goes to get money.
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Post by: Khornholio
In China, my wife and I went to the restaurant in the hotel and ordered from what characters we could understand on the menu and then remembered the numbers (i.e. #52, a #16, etc) in case we went back. Well, we went back and ordered some of the same dishes and everything was totally different. They also had Christmas decorations up and it was the end of February. Weird.
Another time, a long, long time ago in a city far away, I was with my brother at a Jack Astor's and the service sucked and the food was the wrong order, cold and a few of the fries already had ketchup on them. My brother who is a bigger nerd than me (Comics/70s sitcoms/Amusement Parks/who's faster Superman or the Flash?) FREAKED OUT! After he complained to the waiter and the waiter copped some attitude, my brother in one swoop of his arm cleared the table of everything right on to the floor. It was awesome.
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Post by: Kilkrazy
None of these are what you would call horror stories.
When I lived in Richmond (Surrey) a new Italian restaurant opened and we went there on their first night. The food was fine but we had to wait over 20 minutes to get the bill. I crossed out the suggested tip and substituted £0. There was a kerfuffle and the staff asked what the problem was, so I told them because they ignored me for over 20 minutes. They said we are busy because it’s the first night and I said they were just going to annoy all their customers and they should get more staff. Anyway, I’ve never been back there.
Another time, I was in a pizza restaurant in Tokyo with my wife, daughter, and mother-in-law. We had our meal and we were still hungry so we ordered another couple of pizzas. Anyway, they took an age to come and we were sitting there getting hungrier and angrier. When the waitress eventually arrive my M-i-L complained that we had been waiting too long. The waitress said they were very busy and short of staff. Well, I had never seen an explosion in a restaurant before but I did then. My M-i-L went insane and totally reamed out this girl’s arse, partly from the annoyance of the wait and more from the sheer cheek of it. That was actually quite fun to watch.
Once in South Beach Miami, we all went out to a seafood restaurant and my mother had Surf N Turf. The lobster was off. She didn’t send it back, she ate two mouthfuls and left the rest. Then she spent the entire night blowing chunks all over her hotel room. I had to pay the bill, and they wouldn’t accept my credit card. They said it was invalid -- most embarrassing -- my uncle paid. When I rang my bank they told me they had told the restaurant to ask to see my passport. I had anticipated that and was carrying it but the waiter never bothered to ask, he just said my card was invalid.
Another time in the US, it was in New York JFK airport, I had a Taco Bell. I wanted to try it because I had heard of them and I had never had one. It was rancid, cold, and served with a sneer, but I suppose you can’t expect much from a fast food place. I’ve never gone to Taco Bell again, though.
Another fish restaurant in Richmond. I love Whitebait and it was on the menu so I ordered it for my starter. When it came instead of being all golden, crispy and lovely it was a kind of soft dark brown. I sent it back. The waitress brought it back saying it was the chef’s version. I ought to have just declined it but it was supposed to be a special occasion so I didn't want to make a fuss. I played with it a bit and left it on the plate. I’ve never been back to that restaurant either. Moral: Don’t screw with a classic recipe; there’s a reason it is a classic!
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Post by: MeanGreenStompa
I was dating an indian girl a while back and we went to a Moroccan eatery in St Nick's market in Bristol, the fethwit arab guy ogled her from the moment we arrived, tried chatting her up and kept talking to her in a dodgy whispery voice in arabic, a language she doesn't speak. Then, towards the end of the meal, the guy walks past our table and reaches out and strokes her hair?!? At which point i got all kinds of loud and unpleasant and kicked the low table covered in dishes over, the older guy came over and said he'd call the police, when I suggested that was a good idea since my gf had just been assaulted, he turned on the other guy and started shouting at him, the younger guy argued back, the older guy started hitting him. My gf and I left without paying whilst most of St Nicks market had gathered to watch them slug it out.
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Post by: Wrexasaur
MeanGreenStompa wrote:...My gf and I left without paying whilst most of St Nicks market had gathered to watch them slug it out.
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Post by: Typeline
At Apple-bee's. I took a bite of chicken...
It was raw in the center...
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Post by: SilverMK2
My GF and I went to see a couple of my friends and ended up going out for someones birthday with a group of my friends, friends, friends. We went into this really grotty Etheopian/Cuban "fusion" place that looked like those places you see in the middle and far east down some little back street (which is not always a bad thing, some of the best food I have ever had was from places like this  ).
So, in this dingy little place (which I later learnt cleared out to become part of the nightclub downstairs on certain days/times) sitting on crappy plastic lawn chair things with a group of people in almost total darkness (I think they had 1 20W bulb in the kitchen or something). They brought out the 2 menus they had to go around our group of about 10-15 people and another couple of groups in the place, before taking them off us and declaring that they would just do a bufet.
It is at this point that my GF decided she was not going to eat there, since she didn't know what anything was and didn't really fancy eating there.
So about 15-20 minutes later, they bring out a couple of small bowls of misc meat in sloppy sauce, some kind of pancake bread stuff (which you apparently had to eat with rather than a knife and fork, yet there was nowhere for us to wash our hands) and bowls of veg in sloppy sauce etc.
So we line up to get a bit and more or less clear out all the food in the first past (I was almost last in line and had to settle with about half a plate full of food). By the time we got to the table everything was stone cold (to be honest I am not sure if it was ever hot).
Everyone was looking at each other through the gloom thinking " WTF is this?" apart from the one guy who suggested we eat there to start with and had made all the decisions as to what we were going to do in regards to the food.
So we tuck into this freezing cold, bland food, and quickly clean our plates. The people running the place seemed to be fairly angry we had eaten everything and were wanting more, and looked quite angry that my GF was not eating too.
So they bring out some more freezing cold food (some more pancake things and perhaps 1 more small plate of meat slop) which was quickly consumed (while watching to make sure my GF did not eat anything)
We all then promptly left after paying £10 a head (and feeling like our pockets had been raped, not to mention our stomachs), having not been given anything to wash our hands with.
I then went off with my GF to find her something to eat.
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Post by: FITZZ
My younger brother and myself,along with our (at that time girlfriends) had been out Christmas shopping and decided to stop at a local Chinese buffet for lunch.
We were seated,ordered drinks and then served ourselves.
After a few minutes eating,well more talking than eating,I noticed my brothers gf staring at me,or that's what I first thought,until she covered her mouth pointing at my fork.
I glanced at the fork full of fried rice,which I was holding about 6 inches from my mouth and was stunned to se a roach sitting atop the rice wiggling it's antenna at me.
Needless to say I became quiet angry and my brother and I engaged in a 15 minute argument with the waitress,bus boys,owner and several other random staff members,during wich we understood about half of what was being said to us.
The entire fiasco ended with our party walking out along with several other groups of diners who also refused to pay.
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Post by: MeanGreenStompa
Typeline wrote:At Apple-bee's. I took a bite of chicken...
It was raw in the center...
It's better than taking a bite and it's rai in the center...
/cymbals
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Post by: whatwhat
Most of mine involve waiting staff. Particularly in America, where I can get pestered to feth and that's supposed to warrant a tip, believe it or not when I eat out I want to enjoy it with the people I go out with, not have a conversation with a waiter/waitress.
Another one which I find is more of an American thing: what's with the sudden drop in enthusiasm once they get the tip as well, I'd rather be treated like crap than suffer your fakeness.
Also, recommended tip? Wtf? Who "recommended" it? I'll judge if your worth anything extra to what I've already paid for in the price of the meal.
And don't fething rush me either, got rushed at a fifty pound a head joint once, wasn't happy.
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Post by: dogma
If your real persona is anything like your online persona I'd rush you out too.
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Post by: whatwhat
Thanks. I'd say the same of you.
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Post by: dogma
So your proud of appearing as an anti-social dick?
I guess I need a picture for full credit.
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Post by: whatwhat
Yeh dead proud
Did my comment to you in that other thread hit a nerve then dogma?
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Post by: dogma
There was another thread?
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Post by: whatwhat
That's right play cocky. To be honest it's better than acting like a 12 year old and calling me a dick.
As for the accompanying adjective, being called antisocial by someone who's every other post exists simply to contradict what he has just quoted above comes across as fairly ironic.
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Post by: JD21290
Both of you are acting like dicks, just going to get the thread locked the way your both going.
either ignore each other or take it to PM's instead.
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Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
Never really had a bad experience food wise to be honest. Apart from that time in Belgium, where I never got my dinner. Everyone else did, just not me.
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Post by: whatwhat
JD21290 wrote:Both of you are acting like dicks
Nice bit of mediation. Ftr I was happily ignoring him before he sniped at me. And I have no interest of continuing anything via PM.
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Post by: Lord-Loss
I never understand while everyone cant be friends, you each have different political and religious views but there not need not to be nice.
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Post by: MeanGreenStompa
NOBODY STARTS A FIGHT ON DAKKA AND DOES NOT INVITE THE STOMPA!!!!1!!!
NOW ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!1!
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Post by: Morathi's Darkest Sin
No issues eating out, other than my wife's sister playing up as she wasn't getting all the attention that one time at a pub, did the same thing at our blinkin wedding as well.
Other than that the local takeaway is really hit or miss, although mostly its been grand. I've had spring rolls and prawn crackers that tasted of bleach before, and fried Chicken that tasted like it was yesterdays.
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Post by: theocd
I went to a Pub once for my Grandmothers birthday and the food took 4 and a half hours to come.
I thought feth that.
The OC-D
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Post by: Ketara
Apparantly this is a standard thing in America, adding the tip automatically. I have a rule, unless the service is exceptional, if the tip is added automatically, I refuse to leave any tip whatsoever. I don't have a problem with a restaurant telling me that their staff are worth that bit extra, but if they are found wanting in my eyes, you lose whatever tip I might have been prepared to grant.
Which is a shame, because I tip as generously as my budget affords for good service.
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Post by: whatwhat
From what I have heard (if anyone can confirm?) in America Waiting staff are taxed a fix rate on their tips regardless of what they actually get. Which just makes for wanting.
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Post by: Quintinus
So it turns out that my girlfriend was on her period...
Just kidding.
This one time when I was in Mexico, we waited what seemed like an hour and then the food was terrible.
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Post by: Valkyrie
Vladsimpaler wrote:This one time when I was in Mexico, we waited what seemed like an hour and then the food was terrible.
When I went to this resturant in the Isle of Wight, we arrived at 6:30 and waited for 5 hours for our food. They claimed that the kitchen only had one chef but no-one else in the whole resturant had their food either . We left at midnight after claiming back over twice what we originally paid, thanks to their bad accounting. Automatically Appended Next Post: Valkyrie wrote:Vladsimpaler wrote:This one time when I was in Mexico, we waited what seemed like an hour and then the food was terrible.
Think yourself lucky you actually got your food. When I went to this resturant in the Isle of Wight, we arrived at 6:30 and waited for 5 hours for our food. They claimed that the kitchen only had one chef but no-one else in the whole resturant had their food either . We left at midnight after claiming back over twice what we originally paid, thanks to their bad accounting. Automatically Appended Next Post: oh bugger ive double posted. Could a mod please delete the other post?
Thanks
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Post by: Kilkrazy
I’ve remembered a few more.
This one time my wife and I were in Florence. She being a Japanese fishitarian, she insisted we eat at what her guidebook said was the best fish restaurant in Florence. The first thing was there were a bunch of Japanese at the table next to us. My wife hates going abroad and running into Japanese people. This time it was a famous actor so it was OK. However when the first course arrived, a small black slug crawled out of her salad. I called over a waiter and asked, “What’s this?” and he said “pepe” meaning pepper, because there were peppercorns all over the plate. But the rest of them weren’t moving. Apart from that the meal was pretty good and we still laugh about it years later.
One Christmas the works do was held at The London Dungeon. I don’t know whose idea it was, but eating a tepid lamb stew buffet at a table for two crammed into a corridor next to an animatronic tableaux of someone being boiled alive, opposite another one of people dying of Black Death, was not my idea of a jolly festive time.
The next Christmas the works do was at the closed down Truman’s Brewery in Brick Lane. Two things stood out about this event. The first was that the food ran out before half the assembled staff had been fed. The second was that no beer was allowed to be served before 9 pm, when the CEO finished his speech congratulating us on how much beer we drank. This proved my company can’t organise a piss-up in a brewery.
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Post by: MeanGreenStompa
You guys can't eat out all that often in the UK, included service charges are fairly common here now as well. In fact, in Pennsylvania where I travel about 3/4 times a year, the service has never been included in any restaurant I've been to and we're talking a large amount of restaurants, I've never been charged an inclusive service charge.
The service in the US has been, with one exception that I can remember, amazingly good, far better to have a friendly waitress chatting than some sullen and obviously bored chavette like some of the crap service I've experienced in the UK. I have, on a few occasions, refused to pay a service charge here, I find it quite offensive an establishment would charge me extra for the waitress service, whats next? A table usage charge? We pay the extra when we dont order takeaway, that's why it's more expensive.
Sorry Whatwhat, but my experiences of US service have been, for the most part, far better than the UK, this extends into the supermarket checkouts, where I can get looked in the eye and engaged in speach instead of some gumchewing, soul dead little cretin talking across to her neighbour, about getting shagged in an alleyway last night by some baseball cap wearing little scrotumsack called Liam, when I'm trying to talk to her about my receipt, give me US service (almost) every time.
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Post by: dogma
whatwhat wrote:From what I have heard (if anyone can confirm?) in America Waiting staff are taxed a fix rate on their tips regardless of what they actually get. Which just makes for wanting.
Tips are usually taxed in the same manner as wages. When they're actually reported, anyway. Automatically Appended Next Post: MeanGreenStompa wrote:You guys can't eat out all that often in the UK, included service charges are fairly common here now as well. In fact, in Pennsylvania where I travel about 3/4 times a year, the service has never been included in any restaurant I've been to and we're talking a large amount of restaurants, I've never been charged an inclusive service charge.
There's usually a fine print clause at the bottom of any menu to the effect of "parties of 15 or more will be charged 15% gratuity". Otherwise its all discretionary.
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Post by: Kilkrazy
Japan is the place for top service and there's no tipping.
It goes over the top sometimes. Checking into a hotel can be a major drag. They go through everything and explain it all carefully to check you understand.
"Here's the lock, you put the key in and turn it just like that. Shall I demonstrate again?"
<Thinks> No, feth off, I've been on a plane for 13 hours and I want a beer, a shower and bed.
"Yes sir, yes sir. Bow Bow. Yes sir, Bow Bow Bow, etc."
Also it's embarrassing because the porters are often these darling petite girls and they get really flustered if you carry your own bag even though it's heavier than they are.
Sorry for the OT.
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Post by: Lord-Loss
MGS sick of the chav invasion of the UK?
Help us solve the problem at my latest thread!
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/255449.page
We need idea's on how to destroy the Chav menice! Automatically Appended Next Post: Kilkrazy wrote:Also it's embarrassing because the porters are often these darling petite girls and they get really flustered if you carry your own bag even though it's heavier than they are.
Are those the Girls you hired and brought back to the UK to make funny pictures with hot japanse girls?
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Post by: whatwhat
MeanGreenStompa wrote:Sorry Whatwhat, but my experiences of US service have been, for the most part, far better than the UK, this extends into the supermarket checkouts, where I can get looked in the eye and engaged in speach instead of some gumchewing, soul dead little cretin talking across to her neighbour, about getting shagged in an alleyway last night by some baseball cap wearing little scrotumsack called Liam, when I'm trying to talk to her about my receipt, give me US service (almost) every time.
Firstly, I wasn't purely denoting US service i have just noticed more of it over there. Plus it wasn't really the service I was getting at (with the exception of the pesterors which I do find annoying) more the tipping culture.
Anyway, looked into my earlier point about the tax and apparently they do lower wages in some states due to tipping. So it could be down to area as well.
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Post by: MeanGreenStompa
Kilkrazy wrote:
Also it's embarrassing because the porters are often these darling petite girls and they get really flustered if you carry your own bag even though it's heavier than they are.
Must be terrible...
Lord-Loss wrote:MGS sick of the chav invasion of the UK?
Help us solve the problem at my latest thread!
Meh, the stupider the general population of this country get, the more intelligent I get according to the mean. Soon I will rule you all with an iron fist...
Back to restaurants and yes, you're quite right on the US service charges, but only on big parties, me and the missus usually dine together or with a group of about 6 people.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh and if any of you are in Williamsport in Pennsylvania, I strongly recommend a Japanese restaurant called Ichiban, we go there every time and it's brilliant, Hibachi or sushi/sashimi.
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Post by: Kilkrazy
This thread needs fewer dicks and more bad restaurant stories.
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Post by: BrookM
We went to a local Italian restaurant for my birthday. The plates were still wet and soapy from the dish washer, the meat was black and very bad, the pizza tasted like cardboard with horrible cheese, the beer was luke warm piss and we had to wait twenty minutes for the bill. They did not receive a tip nor a favourable review on the local restaurant site.
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Post by: dogma
Let's see, bad restaurant stories...
Well, the Waffle House should be self-explanatory
Also, I once ate at a Deny's 30 minutes before football practice; putting me off that place for life. Didn't have much choice, we were in Colorado Springs and it was the only thing close to the hotel.
But the worst ever? Went to a pizza place in Sydney. Ordered a large cheese with a couple friends, and it came to the table...yellow and dripping. Not with olive oil, or anything delicious like that, but with some form of cheese product intermixed with Vegemite.
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Post by: Lord-Loss
Ive never realy had a bad resturant exprience but once In a chippy I had to wait 20 minutes for a burger.
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Post by: Lordhat
MeanGreenStompa wrote:You guys can't eat out all that often in the UK, included service charges are fairly common here now as well. In fact, in Pennsylvania where I travel about 3/4 times a year, the service has never been included in any restaurant I've been to and we're talking a large amount of restaurants, I've never been charged an inclusive service charge.
The service in the US has been, with one exception that I can remember, amazingly good, far better to have a friendly waitress chatting than some sullen and obviously bored chavette like some of the crap service I've experienced in the UK. I have, on a few occasions, refused to pay a service charge here, I find it quite offensive an establishment would charge me extra for the waitress service, whats next? A table usage charge? We pay the extra when we dont order takeaway, that's why it's more expensive.
Yeah the Local Papa John's (Pizza) has decided to add a delivery fee to their orders, and since we discovered that, the drivers don't get a tip. Which is too bad really, we'd tip the drivers a lot more than the $2.00 delivery fee, as we often order a LOT of pizza. But if you take away the choice of a tip, then you get exactly what you demand and no more.
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Post by: The_Chaplain
Apparantly this is a standard thing in America, adding the tip automatically. I have a rule, unless the service is exceptional, if the tip is added automatically, I refuse to leave any tip whatsoever. I don't have a problem with a restaurant telling me that their staff are worth that bit extra, but if they are found wanting in my eyes, you lose whatever tip I might have been prepared to grant.
Which is a shame, because I tip as generously as my budget affords for good service.
I agree, unless you are an exceptional waiter/waitress you shouldn't expect that handout. I am by no means a cheap ass either, I have been known to pay 100% of the meal's cost in tip, provided the evening was a good one.
As far as worst service goes...
there is a local restaurant that my aunt loves to take my family to during special occassions, and the place is completely unremarkable.
Well I had graduated from high school, and instead of celebrating with friends I got roped into going to this little shithole of an eating establishment.
The list of errors included:
> 15 minute wait when we were the only ones there
> appetizers arrived AFTER dinner.
> they screwed up almost all of our orders- crab soup didnt have crab in it, the appetizers were cold, they tried to serve my aunt straight gin and call it a martini, I could go on...
finally, my aunt has enough of this gak, and I felt inclined to chime in. She demands to see the manager, who takes the stance of "well usually we're better- but you took the risk of eating here so screw you" . It was at this point that I started berating the guy for lousy service, and wouldnt back down until he comped our meal. When he refused, my aunt spalshed the "martini" in his face.
I wound up writing a review about the experience and published it in the local paper- and I guess they lost all business because they had to close down. Coincidence? I don't fething think so.
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Post by: Frazzled
whatwhat wrote:JD21290 wrote:Both of you are acting like dicks
Nice bit of mediation. Ftr I was happily ignoring him before he sniped at me. And I have no interest of continuing anything via PM.
Modquisition on. Both cease and desist now please. Dogma that was a bit of an unwarranted original attack. Lets move on or this will have to get official.
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Post by: Peekay
I live in Korea, so... most of my dining experiences are fairly awful. Spicy, cold fish heads? Yum!
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Post by: dogma
My buddy taught English in SK for a while.
He came back 40 pounds lighter.
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Post by: LunaHound
You pay 10% tip ATLEAST for anything other than fast food.
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Post by: warpcrafter
Kilkrazy wrote:
This thread needs fewer dicks and more bad restaurant stories.
Oh No!! KK and Luna are teaming up on us! RUN!!!
I really hate it when the wait staff constantly come over to the table and check on you, especially if they mention their drink specials more than once and I ordered a cola. That is a guarantee of no tip, especially if it's obvious that they're treating the drunken fratboys at the next table better just to rub it in.
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Post by: Wrexasaur
When I was in France a number of years back, my family was driving in a group to a campsite and we decided to stop for some food as a group. Me and my dad decided that eating at Mcdonalds was not particularly to our liking so we went to a little hotel down the road. Worst... restaurant... ever.
Cheese... flies... lots of flies.
Service... french... VERY french.
Food... I blanked the rest of the experience out....
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Post by: Kilkrazy
Yes, despite its culinary reputation France can be a bit hit or miss especially if you're a foreigner. They look down on anyone who can't speak perfect French (I can't.)
Parisians in particular are famously rude.
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Post by: MeanGreenStompa
Wrexasaur wrote:When I was in France a number of years back....
Ah... French service is terrible, the Japanese have set up an evacuation service for poor polite Japanese folk finding themselves going into full culture shock on encountering the incredible rudeness of France.
Behold and dread...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6197921.stm
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Post by: Wrexasaur
BBC wrote:The experience can apparently be too stressful for some and they suffer a psychiatric breakdown.
Wait... you take the french that seriously? Seriously?
BBC wrote:However, the only permanent cure is to go back to Japan - never to return to Paris.
Seriously...
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Post by: Flachzange
Typeline wrote:At Apple-bee's. I took a bite of chicken...
It was raw in the center...
Went to Apple-bee´s and my mom took the all-you-can-eat ribs offer. Second basket of ribs or so, she digs in a bites on metal. Chips half a tooth of. Turns out it was lead shot.
Went to some steak house in El Paso once. The bill was sumthin around 50 bucks. The guy I went with decided to pay it all and hands the waiter a hundred bucks. He looks at the cash and asks: Would you like change? My friend asked him why the hell he would tip 50% lol That was a rather funny moment actually.
Ate a McNeds in Milano. I dont know what the hell it was that I got, but Im not going back there again lol
Went to some fast-food place in Paris. We were discussing what we would like in german. Appearently that kinda set the fella off and he refused to sell us food.
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Post by: LunaHound
This isnt exactly a bad experience , but its the last time my dad took my anywhere important to eat ( long ago when i was still little )
After picking bunch of unknown ingredients out from the various dishes i was still hungry. ( I only ate the things that i recognize )
So i asked if we can have some instant noodle instead . The host said the food cost *Edit what on earth , currency exchange says : $304 usd
I asked him price aside instant noodle tastes as good no? He laughed and said im really something .
The stupid restaurant with no good food:
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Post by: Ketara
MeanGreenStompa wrote:You guys can't eat out all that often in the UK, included service charges are fairly common here now as well. In fact, in Pennsylvania where I travel about 3/4 times a year, the service has never been included in any restaurant I've been to and we're talking a large amount of restaurants, I've never been charged an inclusive service charge.
The service in the US has been, with one exception that I can remember, amazingly good, far better to have a friendly waitress chatting than some sullen and obviously bored chavette like some of the crap service I've experienced in the UK. I have, on a few occasions, refused to pay a service charge here, I find it quite offensive an establishment would charge me extra for the waitress service, whats next? A table usage charge? We pay the extra when we dont order takeaway, that's why it's more expensive.
Sorry Whatwhat, but my experiences of US service have been, for the most part, far better than the UK, this extends into the supermarket checkouts, where I can get looked in the eye and engaged in speach instead of some gumchewing, soul dead little cretin talking across to her neighbour, about getting shagged in an alleyway last night by some baseball cap wearing little scrotumsack called Liam, when I'm trying to talk to her about my receipt, give me US service (almost) every time.
I eat out whenever I can afford it. I do not patronise 'naff caffs'(the ones with laminated tablecloths, cheap ketchup disguised in Heinz bottles, and run by dirty chavvy people, where you can get an all day breakfast for three quid). I enjoy eating in five star hotels where possible, as they tend to have good quality restaurants. I eat at Italian places, Asian food places(but only ones that look nice), and seafood restaurants. Eating out at a nice restaurant, followed by the theatre is a great way to have a first date, if expensive.
I usually get the tip added automatically to the bill in about 1 in every 4 places I visit. It's almost never done in the higher quality places though. The service cost is incorporated into the cost of the food on the menu.
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Post by: Shaman
the tipping system makes me cry, its like a trick.. 13 dollars PLUS tip its like a hidden charge.. someone carrys my bags two metres Im meant to tip lolwut?
But my worst eating experience has got to be maccas breakfast with a sausage patty like rock.
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Post by: OverbossGhurzubMoga
whatwhat wrote:From what I have heard (if anyone can confirm?) in America Waiting staff are taxed a fix rate on their tips regardless of what they actually get. Which just makes for wanting.
My wife has a friend who worked as a waitress for a little while, at the local Huddle House. Long story short, she made $2.50/hour and had her reported tips docked from her wages.
Longer story short, she doesn't work there anymore and the manager isn't quite to fond of her either.
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Post by: Velour_Fog
Valkyrie wrote:When I went to this resturant in the Isle of Wight, we arrived at 6:30 and waited for 5 hours for our food...
Five hours?! Two hours would be pushing it, but FIVE hours?!!! I would've got up and walked out
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Post by: Lordhat
Much like a really good Marijuana high, extreme hunger can cause perceived time-dilation.
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Post by: Wrexasaur
OverbossGhurzubMoga wrote:
My wife has a friend who worked as a waitress for a little while, at the local Huddle House. Long story short, she made $2.50/hour and had her reported tips docked from her wages.
Longer story short, she doesn't work there anymore and the manager isn't quite to fond of her either.
$2.50/hour?!? Tips docked?!? INSANITY!!!
How in the hell can you survive anywhere in the U.S. besides the 1970's on $2.50/hour?
How in the hell was her boss docking here tips from her wages? I am seriously perplexed at how someone could get away with that, how in the feth would it be legal to take peoples tips out of their wages? What kind of moronic manager would expect people to tell them? Wow... what a douchie manager.
Food out here is supposed to be cheap because most of it is so heavily subsidized in the agricultural process, that savings HAS to come back to the customers. What I have been noticing though, is that all the delivery places have a charge now, somewhere around 2$. This is not a huge charge, but in all honesty I feel like never tipping a pizza guy or what have you because of it. Delivery food is ridiculously expensive as it is, if these companies are running into that many problems, I can only imagine how they are running their business.
Would anyone tip if the charge was already there? I seriously fail to see how this could possibly improve their business. So you spend 30 or 40 bucks on a pizza and some snacks, then you are expected to dish out a tip... every time. I worry that my pizza will get messed with because I don't tip the pushy ones. That in itself is enough to make me not want to get food from the place ever again. Especially because most of these places are just getting worse in quality every time I order... which has become pretty much nonexistent.
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Post by: Peekay
Flachzange wrote:
Went to some steak house in El Paso once. The bill was sumthin around 50 bucks. The guy I went with decided to pay it all and hands the waiter a hundred bucks. He looks at the cash and asks: Would you like change? My friend asked him why the hell he would tip 50% lol That was a rather funny moment actually.
That would be a 100% tip. Just sayin'.
Flachzange wrote:Went to some fast-food place in Paris. We were discussing what we would like in german. Appearently that kinda set the fella off and he refused to sell us food.
I love the rudeness of the French. It's hilarious. I remember going on some camping holiday as a family in the 80s. I must have been about seven. We stopped at some dirty little roadside cafe. The stereotypical fat, sweating, unwashed Frenchman running the place brought out our food. He slammed my dad's steak down in front of him. "Your bloody steak" he said. (It was well-done.) Automatically Appended Next Post: dogma wrote:My buddy taught English in SK for a while.
He came back 40 pounds lighter.
So many westerners coming here lose weight... one fella I know has dropped four stone. It's not unusual for me to walk into the school cafeteria, see the lunch, and walk straight back out again. I generally just eat omelettes and broccoli outside school. This must be one of the only countries in the world where I recommend eating at home before you go out for dinner. On the other hand, service is generally very quick and friendly, and there's no tipping. Doesn't really compensate for the vile food, sadly.
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Post by: Kilkrazy
The reason why people tend to lose weight in Korea and Japan is the lower percentage of fat in the diet, and the smaller portions given in restaurants. I always lose weight when I go to Japan.
The French do the same thing. There was a study a few years ago to find out why the French are so slim compared to Americans and British, when they eat nothing but cheese fried in butter. The reason is small portion sizes.
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Post by: Shadowbrand
Well... each time my mother comes to visit me... We always eat at this restaurant.
It generally is OK, but once It took two hours for just an appetizer to get through.
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Post by: Fateweaver
Typically wait staff here in the US start at Fed. minimum wage which is I believe 7.50/hour now unless it's for some fancy $50+ plate establishment.
Depending on the waiter/waitress minimum wage may not seem like a whole lot but there tips can and usually do push them up into the ballpark of general manager wages when you factor those in.
I worked at Perkins back in 1995. Minimum wage was $4.25 but we had a couple of waitresses working there who made over $100 a day in tips so when you factor in an 8 hour shift, on saturday and sunday those ladies were making between $16 and $18/hour!!!
Not many horror stories eating out, did apparently have a Whopper with tainted mayo or something at a Burger King in some little hick town. Food poisoning is not fun and I won't get into gory detail but lets just say I spent more time on my knees in front of the toilet than I did sleeping. Was sick for 3 days. Though I did lose like 15 pounds. LOL
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Post by: JohnHwangDD
Horst wrote:awesome thread title, btw. Innuendo high five?
*Exactly*
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Post by: Kilkrazy
Anyone dislike crabs' brains?
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Post by: Ahtman
JohnHwangDD wrote:Horst wrote:awesome thread title, btw. Innuendo high five?
*Exactly*
I was kinda disappointed by the thread with it's misleading title myself.
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Post by: Wrexasaur
Kilkrazy wrote:Anyone dislike crabs' brains?
http://www.stippy.com/japan-eating-and-drinking/crab-brain-misconceptions/
The truth is far more horrific, the brain size of an average size crab is little more than that of a pea, and kani miso is whatever is left after all the white meat is taken out of the crab – a nasty looking concoction of internal organs such as livers and pancrease, intestines, their contents and just a little bit of the actual brain. Over tofu though it’s delicious!
*insert facepalm here*
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Post by: Peekay
Kilkrazy wrote:The reason why people tend to lose weight in Korea and Japan is the lower percentage of fat in the diet, and the smaller portions given in restaurants. I always lose weight when I go to Japan.
It's certainly true that portion sizes here are smaller, and vegetables and fruit make up a much larger part of people's diets. (I visited Japan in February and thought the same thing.) Also, the junk food here is generally so sub-par that I don't bother with it.
However, the main reason I've lost weight here comes down to the fact that I think most Korean food is absolutely disgusting.
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Post by: Polonius
Ahtman wrote:JohnHwangDD wrote:Horst wrote:awesome thread title, btw. Innuendo high five?
*Exactly*
I was kinda disappointed by the thread with it's misleading title myself.
Well, as a family site I guess we're not really allowed to share those stories.
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Post by: JohnHwangDD
So when I start going on and on about the one time I was alone with my girlfriend, my girlfriend was really enjoying the experience, but then I suddenly stopped in horror, having to pick a stray hair out of my teeth, and ruining the moment for the both of us, that's not a good story?
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Post by: Polonius
JohnHwangDD wrote:So when I start going on and on about the one time I was alone with my girlfriend, my girlfriend was really enjoying the experience, but then I suddenly stopped in horror, having to pick a stray hair out of my teeth, and ruining the moment for the both of us, that's not a good story? 
It's a better story when the hair found doesn't belong to either party.
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Post by: JohnHwangDD
True 'dat.
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Post by: Necros
I'm one of those guys that tips all the time, 20%. Except for one time in my whole life. Me and a friend were eating at Applebees on City Line in Philly, about 10 years ago.
It was around 7 pm on a week night. We got in and got seated right away. A totally disinterested waitress comes up and takes our order. Just 2 appetizers and 2 dinners, right off the menu, no substitutions or anything like that. We got our drinks right away, and then nothing. So we wait, an still nothing. 45 minutes later, someone asks if anyone has taken our order. We stay yes we've been waiting since 7. They say "oh, ok" and go back to what they were doing. Another half hour goes by, the manager comes and offers us a free appetizer and they bring it out right away. 20 minutes later our food comes, mine is right, my friends is completely wrong. He eats it anyway, and our original waitress who vanished for 2 hours comes back to give us our check. We leave exact change on the table and walk out.
Even nowadays anytime I go to applebees, something gets screwed up. Even different locations. Applebees sucks. It's just fast food with waiters.
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Post by: Gitkikka
Any IHOP, any time. Vile, greasy overpriced crap.
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Post by: Frazzled
Necros wrote:I'm one of those guys that tips all the time, 20%. Except for one time in my whole life. Me and a friend were eating at Applebees on City Line in Philly, about 10 years ago.
It was around 7 pm on a week night. We got in and got seated right away. A totally disinterested waitress comes up and takes our order. Just 2 appetizers and 2 dinners, right off the menu, no substitutions or anything like that. We got our drinks right away, and then nothing. So we wait, an still nothing. 45 minutes later, someone asks if anyone has taken our order. We stay yes we've been waiting since 7. They say "oh, ok" and go back to what they were doing. Another half hour goes by, the manager comes and offers us a free appetizer and they bring it out right away. 20 minutes later our food comes, mine is right, my friends is completely wrong. He eats it anyway, and our original waitress who vanished for 2 hours comes back to give us our check. We leave exact change on the table and walk out.
Even nowadays anytime I go to applebees, something gets screwed up. Even different locations. Applebees sucks. It's just fast food with waiters.
I've never heard of anyone who had a good experience at Applebees.
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Post by: gorgon
Necros wrote:I'm one of those guys that tips all the time, 20%. Except for one time in my whole life. Me and a friend were eating at Applebees on City Line in Philly, about 10 years ago.
Shoulda been at TGI Fridays...coulda caught a glimpse of A.I. Wasn't that his fave restaurant?
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Post by: Kilkrazy
I went to TGI Fridays once.
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Post by: Fateweaver
I always have good experiences at the Applebees I frequent in my hometown.
Guess that makes me Epic.
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Post by: BlueGiant
At this Italian restaurant in the suburbs of St. Louis, we found a thumbnail in our salad. Not a clipping, but an entire fething nail. Took a moment to check for the rest of the finger and then my family decided it'd be best to eat elsewhere.
The only other thing that has come close that I've found in my food was a 1/4" bolt in some chili I ordered in a diner. Friggin' hurts when you bite into that.
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Post by: JohnHwangDD
I found a bread tie in my food and sent it back.
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Post by: Frazzled
Fateweaver wrote:I always have good experiences at the Applebees I frequent in my hometown.
Guess that makes me Epic. 
EPic, or you're one of THOSE people...
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Post by: Fateweaver
Not sure what that implies but I'm a fussy eater; if my $11 meal tastes like gak I treat it as such... LOL. I'm sure I'll have one bad experience there in my lifetime as I have every other restaurant in town but I'll worry when it happens.
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Post by: LunaHound
Whats so good about TGI fridays or Applebees that you cant in other authentic restaurants?
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Post by: MagickalMemories
Fateweaver wrote:Typically wait staff here in the US start at Fed. minimum wage which is I believe 7.50/hour now unless it's for some fancy $50+ plate establishment.
Minimum wage for waitstaff is FAR less than that. It was around $2.50, last I checked... but the restaurant has to make up the difference if they don't earn enough tips to meet minimum ($7.50) wage with wage & tips combined.
Tips don't come out of the $2.50, but TAX on the tips (they're income, after all) does.
Eric
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Post by: grizgrin
Ketara wrote:Apparantly this is a standard thing in America, adding the tip automatically...
Uh, no. Not really. Sounds weird, seen a FEW places do it, but not even 10% of the restaurants I've ever been to. MeanGreenStompa wrote: There's usually a fine print clause at the bottom of any menu to the effect of "parties of 15 or more will be charged 15% gratuity". Otherwise its all discretionary.
Yeah, that's closer to what I've seen over here in the states for the last three decades or so. Frazzled wrote:whatwhat wrote:JD21290 wrote:Both of you are acting like dicks Nice bit of mediation. Ftr I was happily ignoring him before he sniped at me. And I have no interest of continuing anything via PM. Modquisition on. Both cease and desist now please. Dogma that was a bit of an unwarranted original attack. Lets move on or this will have to get official.
Honest, they'd chilled out by the time you waded in. Flachzange wrote:Typeline wrote:At Apple-bee's. I took a bite of chicken... It was raw in the center...
That sucks and is illegal. I'd a had a fething fit. Flachzange wrote: Went to some fast-food place in Paris. We were discussing what we would like in german. Appearently that kinda set the fella off and he refused to sell us food.
I could see it. I mean, we have a lot of Germans in my town and they are really fething cool. Evidently that donkey-cave can't get out of the fething first half of the twentieth century. Needs to grow up, it's been like 60 fething years. Shaman wrote:the tipping system makes me cry, its like a trick.. 13 dollars PLUS tip its like a hidden charge.. someone carrys my bags two metres Im meant to tip lolwut?
Stay the feth out of India, m'fren. You'll have an aneyurism. Every fething jerkoff wants a "compliment". I tell them their sister is fuckable. Gitkikka wrote:Any IHOP, any time. Vile, greasy overpriced crap.
You are completely misusing IHOPs. An IHOP serves the same purpose as a kebab shop in the UK, only with transvestites and other social pariahs for entertainment. Kilkrazy wrote:I went to TGI Fridays once.
We go there a fair bit and it's good. Great service, nice chests to look at right at eye level. Good food even. For the level of joint you are rollin into. I mean hey, you don't head into McD's and seriously expect filet, y'know? MODQUISITION ON: Lets ixnay on the swear word get arounds shall we?
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Post by: kronk
For the most part, my experiences at American restaurants have been good-to-excellent.
One of the worst experiences happened in the drive thru, oddly enough. It was raining cats and dogs, as they say. Also, it was rather late at night as I worked an evening shfit, and What-a-burger is one of the few places open that late. The drive-thru speaker wasn't covered, and I didn't want to get soaking wet, so I pulled up to the window to order. being late, there was no-one around, so I figured it wasn't a big deal.
I see a manager talking to her grill folks, and wave to her. She pretends she doesn't see me. I knock on the window. She pretends she doesn't hear me. I give a polite bump on the horn. She pretends she doesn't hear me. I honk loudly twice. She turns to me, rolls her eyes, and points back to where the drive-thru speaker is.
I drive off. I have never been back to a What-a-burger. That was 10 years ago. I hold a grudge.
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Post by: jamunition
I went to a tapas bar and sat down (as usual) and ordered my food. Then after an hour, just for 3 plates, the waiter comes and asks if I would like some bread and oil so i say yes. I quickly gobble down the bread and wait. After another half hour my food comes and it is nice, very nice, and then the bill comes... £50... that's right £50... then i notice that the man had placed the bread on as well! so i complained and he took it off the bill... I am never going there again just for spicy prawns, roast beef and a bowl of raw cod and tomato and to leave with £45 less than before.
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Post by: JohnHwangDD
Wow. Maybe you should check the prices before you order?
I'm a huge fan of fine dining, so a good meal may well be worth $75+, depending on the food and so forth.
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Post by: Kilkrazy
There's expensive and there's expensive and value for money.
8-9 years ago I went to The River Cafe with the wife, daughter and M-i-L. It cost about £170 but it was bloody well worth it. We absolutely stuffed ourselves with top quality Italian food and booze. Could barely walk afterwards. The daughter was only a toddler so she didn't eat much.
That kind of price seems cheap compared to London nowadays.
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Post by: JohnHwangDD
Man, I remember one New Year's Eve dinner in NYC - *fan-freakin-tastic* eating & drinking. We ate like kings. Totally worth it.
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Post by: Albatross
Is minimum wage seriously $2.50 in the States? Wow, that's pretty harsh... It's like £5.70 here and that seems like feth all.
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Post by: Fateweaver
Min. is $7.25 but depending on the State it could be less than that for tipped employees. Some States are still paying $2.13/hour to tipped workers. It varies from State to State as States are allowed to pay TIPPED employees whatever they want so long as it's at least the Fed. minimum of $2.13/hour.
Here is a table showing the States that pay ABOVE the $2.13 Federal minimum. States are allowed to pay tipped workers less than the Federal minimum so long as it is no less than $2.13 per hour. Most States it appears do pay at least the STATE minimum wage. Also, keep in mind that every State in the union MUST pay the new Fed. minimum of $7.25/hour to NON-tipped employees unless their State is higher than they must pay the higher of the 2 (like WA State which has $8.55/hour minimum).
http://nelp.3cdn.net/d8be187b699287ef05_ugm6b3pg8.pdf
So actually in most States waitresses get paid really well in relation to the other diners/restaurants employees. Wait staff in WA get paid the best, wait staff in Delaware really struggle.
I didn't see anything saying diners/eating establishments must pay the difference so I think another poster is confused. If a waitress in Delaware works for 8 hours she will make $17 + tips (let's say $30) for a total of $47. That is it. The diner does not have to pay her the difference to catch her up to what a burger flipper at BK is making per hour.
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Post by: Kilkrazy
It's a bit like CEO salaries where the basic salary is actually fairly low, and they rely on bonuses and pension payments to make it up.
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Post by: Jimi Nemesis
Stay the feth out of India, m'fren. You'll have an aneyurism. Every fething jerkoff wants a "compliment". I tell them their sister is fuckable.
I lol'd.
Here in Oz, tips are not an official thing. They are tax free. So on saturdays, I am making $16.50(about $14.34us) an hour, plus tips.
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