What do you like/dislike about restaurants?

[Janice]

I hate it when a restaurant is artic cold. This happens a lot in the summer, when people are wearing the least...shorts, short sleeve shirts, sandals.

I hate when the music is too loud.

The disappearing server drives me nuts -- when you have to send up a flare to find them. On the other hand, every now and then, I get an overly chatty server...or one who asks how everything is about 10 times.

It seems like many restaurants don't serve salads with their meals anymore. This doesn't bother me at inexpensive restaurants. My husband and I ate out last week at a high-end local chain restaurant last week, Legal Sea Foods. Our meals costs over $30 each -- after appetizers, drinks and dessert, the total bill with tip was $130. The meals didn't come with salads.

Outback Steakhouse still serves salads and ice water with their meals.

Of course, I like the food to be really good. :)

[theshark8777]

I've noticed in some places in Canada they don't serve salad with the meals either. They serve vegetable medley. I'd much rather have a Caesar salad.

[Janice]

The screaming baby at the next table is always a joy.

:crybaby:

[theshark8777]

The screaming baby at the next table is always a joy.

:crybaby:


Dont forget the person on the cell phone.

[Kay Scarpetta]

My husband and I ate out last week at a high-end local chain restaurant last week, Legal Sea Foods. Our meals costs over $30 each -- after appetizers, drinks and dessert, the total bill with tip was $130. The meals didn't come with salads.



I ate there back in May when I was in Boston and was not impressed. I remembered Legal's to be a lot better than what I experienced.

[Cactus Jack]

LOL for some reason I like when music's loud , especially when I pick a sogn in the jukebox and its not too loud I wanan hear it! I paid jukebox money for that SO I WNAT IT LOUD! :lol:

[Ireneparalegal]

LOL for some reason I like when music's loud , especially when I pick a sogn in the jukebox and its not too loud I wanan hear it! I paid jukebox money for that SO I WNAT IT LOUD! :lol:
Or when you put your money in and by the time you're ready to leave, that's when YOUR music starts playing...

[Janice]

I ate there back in May when I was in Boston and was not impressed. I remembered Legal's to be a lot better than what I experienced.
Actually the food was great. We went to the one in Kendall Square in Cambridge. What I didn't like was that we were seated in that 'row type' deal. People on each side of us. That's another thing I hate. I either want a booth or a table away from the others. I didn't appreciate the $11 for parking either.

[tdf4077]

I like having someone else do the dishes!

I don't like when it's too dark in there....

I agree with the salad thing...it's dumb! Just up your price like a dollar and throw in a salad! Texas Roadhouse gives you a choice of 2 sides, and one of those can be a salad, but then when you actually get you're food, there's only one other side and that's a little sad IMO.

[Cactus Jack]

Or when you put your money in and by the time you're ready to leave, that's when YOUR music starts playing...
Yeah that happened to me once

[Number 9 Dream]

Likes:

- I like free refills on sodas. I know a lot of diners don't provide free refills, and they only give you a small glass of soda to last you throughout your meal. I like it when I can get a decently sized soda or iced tea of my choice and have as many refills as I want. I try to go out to eat at places that provide free refills :)

- I like sitting in booths. It provides more comfort, IMO, and I love being able to sit close to my friends and talk.


Dislikes:

- When the waiter constantly asks how our food is, especially when it's mid-bite. I know they're just doing their job, but every few minutes becomes a little annoying.

- I hate loud music as well. It just needs to be good background music, soft enough so that I can still hear my friends across the booth.

- The screaming, bratty children are always annoying too.

- I hate when it takes forever to get our food or there's something wrong with it and it has to be sent back. I am usually pretty laid back and will just let it slide, but one time I got a chicken sandwich that was still raw and pink inside :mad: Definitely had to take that one back.

- I hate it when you pay $5+ for a dessert and end up getting this dinky little thing that is devoured in 2 bites.

[Cactus Jack]

- I hate loud music as well. It just needs to be good background music, soft enough so that I can still hear my friends across the booth.

.
Even if its JOHN LENNON??!!?!?!?!?!?

[Ireneparalegal]

Be very careful when sending food back...I realize when it's not cooked all the way through that can be a health hazard, but it can still be a health hazard if the person cooking gets pissed at someone sending back their food.

[phoebe7165]

I think my only complaint is when I'm giving my order to the server and he/she doesn't write it down. She's(it's mostly a she) trying to put the order in from memory. And guess what? She always forgets to put something on the order in, and I'm thinking, 'she should have written it down'.

[dawsongirl]

Hates:

Tables. They're always in the middle of the room and as close to other tables as possible. I HATE having people too close to me. It's a phobia of mine.

When food takes too long and the wait person disappears. Another mental disorder of mine...if I get too hungry, I get sick. Well, that freaks me out, so if I'm sitting there starving and the meal is taking 29485 years to come, I start panicing. I mean, I almost have to get up and go outside so I don't have a full blown panic attack right there. Tis why I like fast food sometimes.

Bad waiters and such. Like if they disappear ^^^

No free refills. Almost every restaurant I've seen has them, so if there isn't any, forget it. Carbonated water and syrup isn't $2.50 for 12 ounces or less.

Dirty tables.

Brown pieces of lettuce in the salad.

Undercooked meat even though you specified you wanted it well done.


Likes:

Restaurant ranch dressing.

[TVFactFan]

This is he most IRRITATING THING about restarunts

"When they put you at a TABLE in between Two other Tables instead of a BOOTH!!! I just don't like complete strangers hearing my conversation

[swedeace]

Likes:
-The socializing part with friends.

Dislikes:
-Music that's too loud. Some music is fine, but as long as it's not overpowering to prevent me from listening to others speak. I hate trying to push my ear towards them or ask "What was that?" every time just so I can capture glimpses of what they are trying to say.
-Inconsiderate waiters.
-The prices.
-I'm with Kristel on the waiters asking you every couple of minutes if the food is good. It's annoying, especially when they tend to ask this when you have just placed food in your mouth. The same goes when they ask for drink refills.

[Kay Scarpetta]

Actually the food was great. We went to the one in Kendall Square in Cambridge.

Ah... we went to the one smack in the middle of Boston. Should've taken your route. The food for me wasn't horrible, but it wasn't something to jump up and down about. I don't even eat seafood anymore :lol: but my aunt and uncle dragged me there. The service was just poor and the food took a century to come out.

[Chocoholic]

Likes

Not having to cook or clean up. :D
Socializing with friends.
Getting to eat meals I could never make at home.

Dislikes

Loud music.
Loud patrons.
Unruly children.
No free refills.
Expensive prices.
Having to sit at a table instead of a booth.
Rude servers, especially those who give you attitude for not ordering the more expensive things on the menu. Little do they know that this attitude not only decreases their tip, but the manager will be hearing from me.
I know I probably sound terrible for saying this, but I really dislike paying for an already expensive meal and then having to fork over some extra money as a tip to the server. IMHO, if anyone in the restaurant business deserves tips, it should be for the cooks.

[Czas na Zywiec]

Likes

Not having to cook or clean up. :D
Socializing with friends.
Getting to eat meals I could never make at home.

Dislikes

Loud music.
Loud patrons.
Unruly children.
No free refills.
Expensive prices.
Having to sit at a table instead of a booth.
Rude servers, especially those who give you attitude for not ordering the more expensive things on the menu. Little do they know that this attitude not only decreases their tip, but the manager will be hearing from me.
I know I probably sound terrible for saying this, but I really dislike paying for an already expensive meal and then having to fork over some extra money as a tip to the server. IMHO, if anyone in the restaurant business deserves tips, it should be for the cooks.

Servers get paid ****. We are paid minimum wage, but at other restaurants, servers only get 2 - 3 dollars and hour. 2 dollars and hour gets you nothing in today's day, so without tips our job would be pointless. Plus there is a thing called tipping out. We always tip out the cooks, dishwashers, bartenders who make our drinks, etc. whoever helps us do the job. And after that, I still manage to walk away with about $150 in tips every night. It's a draining job and many people don't realize how much work we really do (behind the scenes). We don't just bring out food.

[phoebe7165]

Servers get paid ****. We are paid minimum wage, but at other restaurants, servers only get 2 - 3 dollars and hour. 2 dollars and hour gets you nothing in today's day, so without tips our job would be pointless. Plus there is a thing called tipping out. We always tip out the cooks, dishwashers, bartenders who make our drinks, etc. whoever helps us do the job. And after that, I still manage to walk away with about $150 in tips every night. It's a draining job and many people don't realize how much work we really do (behind the scenes). We don't just bring out food.

Yeah, when I worked in a restaurant as a cook, I was making about 8.50 an hour. The servers were only paid 2.13 an hour and I remember they still had to tip out the bussers and the bar service!!! We didn't get any tips.

But, Czas na Zywiec, I give you so much credit for what you do. I don't think I could do your job. I wouldn't last a day. I'd probably dump somebody's food in their lap on purpose because they'd piss me off!!!!:p

[TVFactFan]

I think the booth is the new thing now when I go out and eat

[dlemond]

One thing I hate is when the specials are read to you instead of being an insert in the menu.

First, they rattle off the list that starts with appetizers, soups, salads, and entree specials. By the time they are done someone is going to ask the server to repeat something about one or more of the items.

If it was just on a sheet I could read it and think about it and refer back to it, instead of trying to remember each one in the matter of a minute.

Another thing with the reading of the specials is that rarely does anyone tell you the prices unless you ask. What is this a guessing game? Ok, let's see if i brought enough money when the check comes? That's a good game for all concerned. Not.

Again, a printed list would have all your answers and makes everything easier and convenient.

[Dr. Jazz]

I notice a lot of steakhouses have animal heads (real and fake) mounted all over the walls. I can't stand to look at those and usually try to avoid eating at restaurants where a huge boar's head is staring right at me while I eat lol I don't care how good the food is there - it's a turn off to me :crazy:

[Jonathan]

Major dislike: screaming babies. :rolleyes:

[Moonlight Lady]

Likes: Socializing with family/friends, Eating delicious food, maybe trying something new, friendly servers.

Dislikes:

Unruly children
Noisy patrons
Rude Servers
Food that's way too spicy

[bandito]

Be very careful when sending food back...I realize when it's not cooked all the way through that can be a health hazard, but it can still be a health hazard if the person cooking gets pissed at someone sending back their food.I never send back food for that very reason. :eek:

[cmcb06]

Likes: Socializing with family/friends. a friendly enviorment, great food.

Dislikes: Bad Food, Irritating Waitors/Waitresses, Low Quality Mentality in the Resturaunt, Pathetic Tastes in Music, And when the place is full of people over the age of 75 you know the food isn't the best around.

I had a rotten experience today went out to eat at a place called "jim's family restaurant" the food was simply bs. I've eaten their before and it was great but today it tasted like slop. It was not fresh, it was like cold hash I had a Clubhouse Sandwich that was the ultimate worst i've ever tasted, and their lemonade tasted like something the dog drug in and the cat abhalled but wouldn't drag out. Totally disgusting I won't be going back there anytime soon.

[Chocoholic]

Servers get paid ****. We are paid minimum wage, but at other restaurants, servers only get 2 - 3 dollars and hour. 2 dollars and hour gets you nothing in today's day, so without tips our job would be pointless.

The restaurant industry needs to start paying their employees much better. I agree about that. I do leave a decent tip when I get good service, but I don't feel guilty about not leaving a tip when service is lousy. I know how difficult working with customers can be, but that still doesn't mean you can treat me like horse poop just for being there in the first place.

What really bothers me about tipping is the entitlement attitude that more and more people seem to have these days. Just working there does not automatically entitle you to 20% of my bill. I've dealt with servers who gave me a nasty attitude for no reason. I've seen servers give a sigh or look of disgust when they realize a party isn't going to be a big bill and go on to ignore those people for the rest of their meal. (This happened to me and a friend just last week when we went out to dinner. We wound up speaking to the manager and leaving.)

Personally, I wish restaurants and other businesses would pay their staff better and do away with tipping altogether. I don't see that happening any time soon though.

[Czas na Zywiec]

I would prefer to keep it like it is, actually. I always end up with a different amount of cash everynight, sometimes a lot, sometimes less. But there's always those people who are really nice and tip above the 20% mark, which is why I try and make sure everyone gets the best service. Same for when I bartend, I talk and try and reccomend drinks to as many people as I can because the nicer and more personable I am, the more money I can make. (Although for bartending, it's usually $1 for every drink and 15% if you have a tab running) Though the bad part of depening on tips is that sometimes you can be as nice as you can be and the person can still have a stick in their ass for absolutely no reason, and then take it out on us when we had nothing to do with them.

But it isn't like this everywhere. In the UK, they usually don't tip and if they do, it's very little. Because when I serve people from Britain, I'll only get a dollar or two on a $30 meal when I should have gotten $5 - $6. Same with people from Austrailia, Germany, Russia, etc. It's pretty much considered very rude when you have a $100 bill dropped and only leave $5 and even my managers told me that after I showed them their bill. They're better at the bar though, which is why i prefer to do that some nights.

[theshark8777]

I agree with the tipping part. Since when is it my job to pay their employees. When I go get my oil changed I dont have to pay their salary, or anything else for that matter. I dont see why restaurants are any different.

[Mr. Stefani]

I hate it when a restaurant is artic cold. This happens a lot in the summer, when people are wearing the least...shorts, short sleeve shirts, sandals.

I hate when the music is too loud.

The disappearing server drives me nuts -- when you have to send up a flare to find them. On the other hand, every now and then, I get an overly chatty server...or one who asks how everything is about 10 times.

It seems like many restaurants don't serve salads with their meals anymore. This doesn't bother me at inexpensive restaurants. My husband and I ate out last week at a high-end local chain restaurant last week, Legal Sea Foods. Our meals costs over $30 each -- after appetizers, drinks and dessert, the total bill with tip was $130. The meals didn't come with salads.

Outback Steakhouse still serves salads and ice water with their meals.

Of course, I like the food to be really good. :)

I got the worst food posioning from that resturant.

[Janice]

I got the worst food posioning from that resturant.
That's too bad. I've never had a bad meal there. I got food poisoning twice in my life. Once from restaurant food and another from Wendy's. Talk about sick. I've never had Wendy's again.

[Kay Scarpetta]

That's too bad. I've never had a bad meal there. I got food poisoning twice in my life. Once from restaurant food and another from Wendy's. Talk about sick. I've never had Wendy's again.

Oh my God... I remember posting a thread about my food poisoning 2 years ago a few days before Christmas on Chit Chat. I threw up somthing like 14 times in 6 hours. Horrible. Wendy's is the anti-christ.

[TJL]

Some of my favorite restaurants here in New York City are very very tiny. Because of this, the people sitting at a table next to you are literally inches away from your table. It's kinda hard to carry on a conversation when the stranger next to you can obviously hear what you are saying.

[chillspike]

What I don't like about restaurants?

That would be strangers having access to my food. :D