Corkage Fee for Beer?

[rgontasz]

The only place I've been to that was BYOB was in Baltimore and it was $.50 a bottle for beer and $10 for wine. I think us beer drinkers make out in that situation!

 

[bigbeergeek]

False. Corkage is prefectly legal in WI but falsly represented incorrectly by some places. It is legal and a decent place who is serious with themselves will cork a bottle for you. That said, it isn't entirely common. Many places aren't willing to do it, or heard it is "illegal" from someone or another.

$16 is a ridiculous amount to charge for corkage. That is a joke. The only people who bring in bottles (in any decent drinking state like WI) are people who will be eating well and paying a bunch anyway. Plus you can always refuse corkage. If someone brings in a Franzia box, just say "we don't do that here". But if I bring in something special, that you don't carry, and you want to charge $16 to pull the cork, you are getting a ****ty ass tip. That $16 is coming right out of your tip. Sorry man.

Corkage is cool, and savy places will be cool with it. I have never rocked a beer, but it would be interesting to see hwo it was handled. I would call ahead, and just give them a heads up. To me, it likely won't be worth it unless the corkage fee is really small (<$5), but who knows.

OK. Cue the server's rebuttal.

I realize you changed your mind and said $16 dollars isn't "too bad" for a corkage fee.

But you did tip your hand and revealed a little bit about what kind of restaurant patron you are: the worst kind. You have clearly represented yourself as are the type of person who treats the service staff as though they are personally responsible for restaurant policy, and if you are displeased with any aspect of your dining experience (the steak was too salty, parking was a hassle, or you were charged a corkage fee) you feel justified punishing your waiter by shortchanging him/her on their tip. The tip is part of the social contract we Americans follow when we dine out in this country. It varies across the country with respect to tipping rate, but the foundation couldn't be more clear: you tip your waiter for serving you. You sit in a chair and they bring you everything you could possibly need to enjoy a meal. If you get a reasonable level of service, you tip your waiter whatever the going rate in your area demands. In central California, that means around 18% of your bill. Unless you feel your server went out of their way to insult you or intentionally make your evening unpleasant, you should never tip less that the going rate, period. Food talking a long time is not a server's fault. A kitchen running out of your favorite cut of pork is not a reason to ignore all the work they do for you and the diners around you. And openly admitting that you'd subtract your tip from an otherwise satisfactory server because of a corkage fee is insulting to me, a man who supports a wife and two children with "tips."

People who think the way you do about dining out need to be corrected, or at the very least you shouldn't eat out anymore. Stay home and pry open all the bottles of wine you want for free. But if you want to carry alcohol into an establishment that sells alcohol, you're going to have to pay up. And if the establishment is like mine, where pages and pages of bottles sell for well over $500 (at an approximate 100% markup from retail prices, if such rare vintages could actually be found in retail stores), bringing in equivalent wine and paying a $16 dollar fee is a bargain indeed. FYI, corkage fees are not voluntary -- you pay or you never come back.

To conclude: some people need to stop blaming their server for their own personal issues which are well beyond your server's control -- issues like being impatient, cheap, or ignorant. Your server is doing an unpleasant job and is being paid the legal minimum to perform it. If your dining experience isn't everything you hoped it would be, try to rationally decide what your server is (and isn't) responsible for -- just chill out, tip correctly and have a few homebrews when you get home. Don't hurt honest hard working people by taking income out of their pockets.

There's my server rant. Don't say you didn't ask for it -- because you did.

 

[scrambledegg81]

Moral of the story: someone needs to open a reverse-biergarten.

Move to CA now & let's get this puppy rolling. o_o



Edit @bigbeergeek: I haven't worked in anything that could be described as an "upscale dining establishment", but I completely agree on the point that servers deserve more respect than they receive. After working at an Applebee's for 2 years, I realized long ago that the people who bring your food are extremely under-appreciated, and the lengths they normally go to in order to appease their clients often goes completely un-noticed. Depending on the establishment, obviously, I hold no qualms about restaurants setting their own corkage fees. If people feel the need to bring their own beer/wine/whatever into an establishment that already provides similar drinks, then it's entirely on the customer's shoulders to pony up & just pay what is being asked, because it's practically a faux-pas to short-change the person bringing your food (who often depends on the tips they receive). Good rant, by the way.

 

[Bierliebhaber]

I agree with most of what you are saying. I generally use 20% as my default...you have to be fairly incompetent, neglectful, or rude for me to consider reducing that number. I may even pay more if the service was exceptional. I am always verbally grateful for the service I receive. But there is a significant percentage of servers who look at gratuity with a sense of entitlement. I understand there are a lot of difficult people out there but it's called "gratuity" for a reason...make me grateful.

Edit: that last statement was not meant with a "stick-up-my-butt" tone, btw...just saying

 

[bigbeergeek]

I agree with most of what you are saying. I generally use 20% as my default...you have to be fairly incompetent, neglectful, or rude for me to consider reducing that number. I may even pay more if the service was exceptional. I am always verbally grateful for the service I receive. But there is a significant percentage of servers who look at gratuity with a sense of entitlement. I understand there are a lot of difficult people out there but it's called "gratuity" for a reason...make me grateful.

Edit: that last statement was not meant with a "stick-up-my-butt" tone, btw...just saying

Agreed, gratuity isn't mandated in most situations... if only it were!!!

I personally believe there is a strong case for entitlement in the service industry. Servers are paid minimum wage. The restaurant is able to maintain a staff of professional, hard-working, intelligent servers paid for minimum wage. This translates to lower menu prices etc for the consumer. "Gratuity" is what keeps university-educated people like myself in the waiting game. In non-tipping countries, servers are well-paid individuals and menu prices must reflect that fact. So while tipping is technically voluntary, skimping on your server's tip is a violation of sorts -- especially when the majority of poor tips are beyond the control of the waiter.

I tip 20%, minimum, 100% of the time -- of course more if I was delighted with the server's performance. If I feel a server was distant or under-performing, I'll scribble a quick note saying "I wait tables for a living and I'm going to tip you appropriately, but a lot of people would have reduced this tip this tip because..."

I think the general public has no idea what waiting is all about. If everyone in America waited tables at some point in their lives for one month, ignorance about dining out etiquette would disappear completely.

 

[motobrewer]

False. Corkage is prefectly legal in WI but falsly represented incorrectly by some places. It is legal and a decent place who is serious with themselves will cork a bottle for you. That said, it isn't entirely common. Many places aren't willing to do it, or heard it is "illegal" from someone or another.

Tell that to Riversite in Mequon. They had to stop allowing it because they heard it was illegal.....but he heard it from the ATF.

from the owner himself:

Unfortunately, the Wisconsin ATF has informed us that the BYOB night is in violation of state statutes. That also includes corkage of any kind. No alcohol may be brought into any establishment that holds a liquor license. Some filed a complaint against us for the violation so we have had to cancel all such events. Sorry.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

If a restaurant billed itself as a BYOB/BYOB optional place and there were no signs and nothing on the menu that said a corkage fee was charged, I'd be pissed that the wait staff didn't tell me before opening the bottle. That would probably have a negative effect on my tip. Then again, we don't have that in Texas, so I wouldn't know to expect that in another state. If it was commonplace in Texas, I would probably have less of an issue not being told because I would likely already expect it.

Whether it's permitted in your state is going to be a question of your state's liquor laws. I don't believe it is permitted in Texas and I have never gone to a BYOB place and been charged a fee for either beer or wine. I think Texas specifically outlaws consuming alcohol at a serving establishment if the alcohol was not bought from the establishment.

I definitely understand the rationale for restaurants to charge corkage fees -- drinks are well marked up and very profitable. I'd probably take advantage of it. I've gone to a lot of restaurants, even those referring to themselves as a "wine bar" and had bottles of wine I could buy for $10-15 at a grocery store sold for $40-50 (or more). Even a $15 corkage fee makes the store-bought bottle cheaper than the restaurant. It makes me curious whether that option makes restaurants serve more high end wines, less likely to be found at stores, and fewer low end wines because it's cheaper to let people bring it in themselves and charge the corkage fee than to stock and store it themselves.

 

[motobrewer]

i read a great article about a month or so ago on corkage...wish I could find it now.

anyway the lady recommended proper corkage practice involves calling the restaurant before and tell them what you're bringing. When you get there, present to the sommelier or owner, and when they open it offer them a taste.

also, kabouter, the actual statue that bans people from bringing alcohol into a restaurant is State Statute 125.32 6a, in case you're wondering.

it might be tax-related, something my friend brought to my attention the other day. Liquor sold thru a restaurant or bar is taxed higher than liquor sold retail.

I made the comment to my friend who is a cook that he could get booze cheaper if he brought it off his restaurant and he said it's more expensive. He said it's illegal for the owner to run to a liquor store to buy a bottle and serve it, and that there are state employees that go around checking the bar codes to see if they were purchased thru legal channels.

 

[ozzy1038]

Quite a few restaurants have corkage fees. It's their way of making a little money since you are not buying their wine. This is typically the case with more upscale restaurants.

 

[ozzy1038]

Agreed, gratuity isn't mandated in most situations... if only it were!!!

I personally believe there is a strong case for entitlement in the service industry. Servers are paid minimum wage. The restaurant is able to maintain a staff of professional, hard-working, intelligent servers paid for minimum wage. This translates to lower menu prices etc for the consumer. "Gratuity" is what keeps university-educated people like myself in the waiting game. In non-tipping countries, servers are well-paid individuals and menu prices must reflect that fact. So while tipping is technically voluntary, skimping on your server's tip is a violation of sorts -- especially when the majority of poor tips are beyond the control of the waiter.

I tip 20%, minimum, 100% of the time -- of course more if I was delighted with the server's performance. If I feel a server was distant or under-performing, I'll scribble a quick note saying "I wait tables for a living and I'm going to tip you appropriately, but a lot of people would have reduced this tip this tip because..."

I think the general public has no idea what waiting is all about. If everyone in America waited tables at some point in their lives for one month, ignorance about dining out etiquette would disappear completely.

I used to chef it up until my carpal tunnel forced me out of the game. In the establishments I worked in, it was not uncommon for the servers to take home $200-$300 a night. A lot of that tip money comes/came from alcohol sales (mostly wine).

I tip 20% unless the service really sucked. IMO a mediocre meal is made good by great service. On the flip side, great food can be made bad by crappy service. Dining is about the experience and the food and service work in unison to create that experience. I have no problem leaving a penny as a sign of horrible service. IMO the server is not entitled to 20% if they have done little or nothing to deserve it.

That being said, I empathize with servers as some people don't realize that their living is based on tips.

What irks me however is the restaurants you go to where no service is given other than at the counter (our local Smash Burger) and there is a tip jar on the counter. WTF is that about!? I would almost equate that to panhandling.

 

[smokinghole]

Like NJ there are a limited number of liquor licenses in PA. There are alot of BYOB places in and around the Harrisburg Area. I bring homebrews to all of them when I know I'm going to a BYOB. My wife usually wants to bring wine so I can have wine or beer or both. I think the next place I head to I'll be bringing a Belgian Dark Strong. Of course there are BYOB Indian, Thai, and Lebonese restaurants that I think hoppy beers compliment some of their spicy dishes.

With that said none of these places charge a corkage fee or bottle opening fee. I believe in PA that if you have a liquor license that it is illegal to bring outside booze to the restaurant/event. I was just at a wedding where some doofus was sneaking in Natural Light and left the empty can in an ash bucket outside. There was a prompt "no outside alcohol or the reception is over" announcement. I think that stems from a responsibility of the venue to watch for drunks and over-serving people.

 

[Jsamp]

I get paid $2.13/hour so basically my entire income is based off of tips. I also have to pay out a tip share based on my sales. If I dont get a tip I have to pay to wait on you. Dont leave a penny thats not right. If I do a crappy job I expect a crappy tip. A penny is extremely insulting just dont leave anything at all if its that terrible. Remember this we remember. Leave a penny go back to the same place luck of the draw gets you the same server and its hard to tell what all you will be eating. Im a better person than that but are others?

 

[Airborneguy]

I think the general public has no idea what waiting is all about.

My wife was in service for a long time, so thankfully, I have her to tell me what really deserves a good tip and what doesn't. She and I both agree that while the server isn't directly responsible for food coming out slow, if they do nothing to explain the situation or mitigate it at all, especially at a high end restaurant, their tip will be reflective of the wait.

 

[Airborneguy]

He said it's illegal for the owner to run to a liquor store to buy a bottle and serve it, and that there are state employees that go around checking the bar codes to see if they were purchased thru legal channels.

Oddly enough, another thing I learned way later in the game, is that in NJ, they CAN sell liquor/beer to go at restaurants. In some towns, the local restaurant might be one of the only places to actually buy beer. I went to watch a football game at my cousin's once and we actually went to a steak house to go pick up six-packs. On the flip side, the places that don't have a liquor license sometimes have signs telling you where the nearest store to get a bottle is before you sit down at your table.

Just goes to show you how strange alcohol laws really can get.

 

[eastoak]

OK. Cue the server's rebuttal.

I realize you changed your mind and said $16 dollars isn't "too bad" for a corkage fee.

But you did tip your hand and revealed a little bit about what kind of restaurant patron you are: the worst kind. You have clearly represented yourself as are the type of person who treats the service staff as though they are personally responsible for restaurant policy, and if you are displeased with any aspect of your dining experience (the steak was too salty, parking was a hassle, or you were charged a corkage fee) you feel justified punishing your waiter by shortchanging him/her on their tip. The tip is part of the social contract we Americans follow when we dine out in this country. It varies across the country with respect to tipping rate, but the foundation couldn't be more clear: you tip your waiter for serving you. You sit in a chair and they bring you everything you could possibly need to enjoy a meal. If you get a reasonable level of service, you tip your waiter whatever the going rate in your area demands. In central California, that means around 18% of your bill. Unless you feel your server went out of their way to insult you or intentionally make your evening unpleasant, you should never tip less that the going rate, period. Food talking a long time is not a server's fault. A kitchen running out of your favorite cut of pork is not a reason to ignore all the work they do for you and the diners around you. And openly admitting that you'd subtract your tip from an otherwise satisfactory server because of a corkage fee is insulting to me, a man who supports a wife and two children with "tips."

People who think the way you do about dining out need to be corrected, or at the very least you shouldn't eat out anymore. Stay home and pry open all the bottles of wine you want for free. But if you want to carry alcohol into an establishment that sells alcohol, you're going to have to pay up. And if the establishment is like mine, where pages and pages of bottles sell for well over $500 (at an approximate 100% markup from retail prices, if such rare vintages could actually be found in retail stores), bringing in equivalent wine and paying a $16 dollar fee is a bargain indeed. FYI, corkage fees are not voluntary -- you pay or you never come back.

To conclude: some people need to stop blaming their server for their own personal issues which are well beyond your server's control -- issues like being impatient, cheap, or ignorant. Your server is doing an unpleasant job and is being paid the legal minimum to perform it. If your dining experience isn't everything you hoped it would be, try to rationally decide what your server is (and isn't) responsible for -- just chill out, tip correctly and have a few homebrews when you get home. Don't hurt honest hard working people by taking income out of their pockets.

There's my server rant. Don't say you didn't ask for it -- because you did.

you tip your hand as to the type of server you are with this rant, the worst kind. nobody is responsible for your income but yourself, regardless of where you work. if waitstaff don't like to work for minimum wage get another job or stand up for your rights as a worker and demand a living wage. demanding money from everyone you serve makes you look snotty and childish. there are people all over this country working for minimum wage who don't get any tips ever, waitstaff are not any more special.

there is my rant. don't say you didn't ask for it -- because you did.

 

[bigbeergeek]

you tip your hand as to the type of server you are with this rant, the worst kind. nobody is responsible for your income but yourself, regardless of where you work. if waitstaff don't like to work for minimum wage get another job or stand up for your rights as a worker and demand a living wage. demanding money from everyone you serve makes you look snotty and childish. there are people all over this country working for minimum wage who don't get any tips ever, waitstaff are not any more special.

there is my rant. don't say you didn't ask for it -- because you did.

Let's keep this kind of childishness off the posts, shall we?

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I get paid $2.13/hour so basically my entire income is based off of tips. I also have to pay out a tip share based on my sales. If I dont get a tip I have to pay to wait on you. Dont leave a penny thats not right. If I do a crappy job I expect a crappy tip. A penny is extremely insulting just dont leave anything at all if its that terrible. Remember this we remember. Leave a penny go back to the same place luck of the draw gets you the same server and its hard to tell what all you will be eating. Im a better person than that but are others?

If service was bad enough that I felt like I needed to craft a rude message like that for the server, I've probably talked to the manager and already decided I'm never coming back. At a minimum, if I came back I would make sure I was seated where I received a different server. I wouldn't want to put myself through the same nonsense.

The only time I have done something like that was when the manager wasn't available or after being asked to come over never showed up. It's probably been seven or eight years since that happened. I'd rather just talk to the manager and leave no tip.

 

[smokinghole]

How'd this turn into a waitstaff debate?

Back to corking...So if you bring in a special bottle do you get weird looks when you ask for the bottle back? You know so you can throw your own homebrew in there. I do it at the Belgian restaurant that I go to every now and then. The waiter was confused at first but then went and got me a bag.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Some people want to keep bottles to commemorate events etc. As a server I'd rinse it, cork it and bag it without any sideways glances.

What's Belgian food like, anyway?

 

[makomachine]

I corkage my server all the time. (I know that doesn't make sense but has as much direction as this thread does at the moment.)

Corkage fees for beer is not something I hear of at all in Oklahoma and now I have to look into it. Frankly, I've grown accustomed to having to choose - fine dining or fine drinking - when I go out given the current selection of craft beer in Oklahoma restaurants. I'd be open to a small fee which would include a comment to the manager that having the beer on tap or in bottle is what I want as a regular customer. No need to get hostile with them as I'm a minority as a beer enthusiast at this location...

 

[smokinghole]

Some people want to keep bottles to commemorate events etc. As a server I'd rinse it, cork it and bag it without any sideways glances.

What's Belgian food like, anyway?

Well the place I eat at does what is probably typical of Wallonian fare which is heavily by you guessed it French cuisine. I have not been to Belgium so I cannot comment as to how accurately they represent the food. All I know is everything I've had was delicious.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Well the place I eat at does what is probably typical of Wallonian fare which is heavily by you guessed it French cuisine. I have not been to Belgium so I cannot comment as to how accurately they represent the food. All I know is everything I've had was delicious.

Neato!

 

[Jsamp]

How'd this turn into a waitstaff debate?

Back to corking...So if you bring in a special bottle do you get weird looks when you ask for the bottle back? You know so you can throw your own homebrew in there. I do it at the Belgian restaurant that I go to every now and then. The waiter was confused at first but then went and got me a bag.

It depends on the local laws as well as establishment policy. For an open container such as wine to leave my place of work it has to have been opened as well as same of it consumed. This means you cant just buy a bottle and take it to go. We also have to break a wine cork top off and shove the bottom part in so you have to use a wine key to remove it. We package it in a clear bag with an adhesive to seal it. It then has to be put in a bag thats stapled shut with proof of purchase on it. With no proof of purchase you wont be taking even your own bottle out of our establishment because it becomes a liability do to open container laws.

you tip your hand as to the type of server you are with this rant, the worst kind. nobody is responsible for your income but yourself, regardless of where you work. if waitstaff don't like to work for minimum wage get another job or stand up for your rights as a worker and demand a living wage. demanding money from everyone you serve makes you look snotty and childish. there are people all over this country working for minimum wage who don't get any tips ever, waitstaff are not any more special.

there is my rant. don't say you didn't ask for it -- because you did.

This is ignorant if you ask me. I work for a restaurant because I make more than minimum wage doing it. I couldnt live off minimum wage. You not tipping is taking money away from us. How would you like it if your boss took part of your paycheck just because he didnt feel like giving it to you? We provide our time and provide a service. The service we give should be reflected accordingly to our performance. If we do good tip good/fair if we do absolute crap dont give us anything. Something your not thinking about with your "demand a living wage" is the cost of menu prices would have to go up and therefor you would be paying more to go out to eat anyway. I wouldnt do that job for anything less than $15/hr because people can be hard to deal with. Tips are an incentive for your servers to want to do a good job and want to take great care of you. At least for me it is. If pay was a standard set amount I would get paid the same even if I gave you terrible service.

 

[bigbeergeek]

This is ignorant if you ask me. I work for a restaurant because I make more than minimum wage doing it. I couldnt live off minimum wage. You not tipping is taking money away from us. How would you like it if your boss took part of your paycheck just because he didnt feel like giving it to you? We provide our time and provide a service. The service we give should be reflected accordingly to our performance. If we do good tip good/fair if we do absolute crap dont give us anything. Something your not thinking about with your "demand a living wage" is the cost of menu prices would have to go up and therefor you would be paying more to go out to eat anyway. I wouldnt do that job for anything less than $15/hr because people can be hard to deal with. Tips are an incentive for your servers to want to do a good job and want to take great care of you. At least for me it is. If pay was a standard set amount I would get paid the same even if I gave you terrible service.

Well said. We live/work in a country that has a tradition of tipping our servers rather than paying them hourly for their services. If I didn't make tips, I couldn't support my family. You didn't mention that some of us out there aren't above spitting in your food or rubbing it against the bottom of our shoes before serving it to you. We remember who the jerks are -- and we handle your food and drinks when no one can see us. Try to keep that in mind when out to eat.

 

[makomachine]

Well said. We live/work in a country that has a tradition of tipping our servers rather than paying them hourly for their services. If I didn't make tips, I couldn't support my family. You didn't mention that some of us out there aren't above spitting in your food or rubbing it against the bottom of our shoes before serving it to you. We remember who the jerks are -- and we handle your food and drinks when no one can see us. Try to keep that in mind when out to eat.

Where do you work again? Want to be sure and NOT frequent that establishment. That will get you an a$$ kicking in my neck of the woods, or worse. And, btw we are still .

 

[ozzy1038]

I get paid $2.13/hour so basically my entire income is based off of tips. I also have to pay out a tip share based on my sales. If I dont get a tip I have to pay to wait on you. Dont leave a penny thats not right. If I do a crappy job I expect a crappy tip. A penny is extremely insulting just dont leave anything at all if its that terrible. Remember this we remember. Leave a penny go back to the same place luck of the draw gets you the same server and its hard to tell what all you will be eating. Im a better person than that but are others?

Well if a server does a crappy job then IMO a penny is a crappy tip and sends a message. A good night out, turned into a s**tty experience because of bad service is incredibly insulting as well. I will speak to the manager if I receive bad service, but in no way will I give a full tip to a server if I do not feel decent service was given.

I am one of the good customers because I ask for little and typically tip heavy. Often if I am eating somewhere were the ticket price is low I will tip in the 30-40% range. I also am conscious of the need to make money and usually will not hang around forever talking after eating and sometimes will even feel akward if those in my party are doing so. Especially if the restaurant is busy. The more you turn the tables the more money there is to be made. Conversely, I don't like feeling like I am being pushed out so they can turn the tables.

Also, I will typically give a restaurant two chances. If they suck both times then I will not return. Rarely is this the case.

To the poster who said slow food is not the servers fault, sometimes it is. Often I have had food die in the window because servers were not getting it out quick enough. Of course the server can blame that on the kitchen and most patrons are none the wiser.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Where do you work again? Want to be sure and NOT frequent that establishment. That will get you an a$$ kicking in my neck of the woods, or worse. And, btw we are still .

You probably couldn't afford to "frequent" a fine dining establishment like the one I work in, as our regulars are all doctors/lawyers and the like. Servers don't get their "a$$es kicked" for messing with food because you never even know it happens. The moral is simple: don't be a jerk to those who handle your food and drinks when you can't see them. Duh. We servers make our living by acting nice to people we don't really care about -- we can mess with your food and act as sweet as pie to you afterword. Tip properly, don't blame your server for things beyond their control like corkage fees, and your food will be as clean as it is delicious.

 

[makomachine]

Found this quoted inline at winespectator.com.

"In Oklahoma, restaurants that wish to allow corkage can apply for a special &#8220;bottle club&#8221; license, but only in counties where by-the-glass service is illegal."

"Oklahoma requires each diner to have his or her own bottle. Residents of dry counties in any state are typically out of luck."

Interesting as I've never seen wine, much less beer, handled this way in Oklahoma. I'm going to ask the next time I'm out for a steak what the restaurants policy is on beer and will reply back. From reading the article - it's a mess of confusion...

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44507

 

[ozzy1038]

Well said. We live/work in a country that has a tradition of tipping our servers rather than paying them hourly for their services. If I didn't make tips, I couldn't support my family. You didn't mention that some of us out there aren't above spitting in your food or rubbing it against the bottom of our shoes before serving it to you. We remember who the jerks are -- and we handle your food and drinks when no one can see us. Try to keep that in mind when out to eat.

In all my years in foodservice as much as I may have wanted to mess with some A-hole's food my morals and ethics did not allow it. If that is the type of person you are, then you are in the wrong profession.

 

[bigbeergeek]

To the poster who said slow food is not the servers fault, sometimes it is. Often I have had food die in the window because servers were not getting it out quick enough. Of course the server can blame that on the kitchen and most patrons are none the wiser.

That was me.

Sometimes it is, to be sure.

Most of the time, however, the blame falls on the customers themselves. Look around you. You're sitting in a packed restaurant on a Saturday night. Hundreds of food orders are going through a tiny kitchen with a small handful of people preparing everything for you to order. Food takes time to make. Cold, old, "dead" food might not even be your servers fault. Most of the 5 restaurants that have employed me use "food servers" whose only job is to carry food to tables all night. It is their job to expedite hot food to your table, not the waiter. If you tipped me poorly because my food server failed me, I would be mad at the food server to be sure, but you would be punishing the wrong party... especially considering that I have to TIP OUT that same food server at the end of the night with the minimal funds you're giving me.

I'm glad to hear you're usually a good tipper as long as things run smoothly. But mistakes happen, and a lot of factors go into those mistakes beside your humble server. People need to mellow out more when they go out to eat. Relax. Don't be so high strung about not having the best experience possible. You're there to enjoy the company at your table at the end of the day. Many people have a distorted image about dining out with a lot of attention paid specifically to their waiter, who is but a single member of a very large restaurant staff who are all responsible for your mystical "dining experience." Cough up a few bucks and be a decent person when dining out.