I was at this Ihop the other day and to be honest was dreading going a little bit for a couple reasons: one, because the last time I went the experience wasn't that great, and two, because I was going to be dining by myself, and in my experience, dining alone isn't always the best in terms of being treated well by servers. However, I really wanted pancakes!
I enjoy going to sit down restaurants about once a week by myself. I use the time to just chill by myself and enjoy my meal. I am not someone who rushes through eating; I have some medical problems and am physically unable to eat quickly, so I usually have to take at least an hour to get through my food. Additionally, the medical problems often make food preparation difficult, which is why I like eating out. I usually eat out with coupons of some kind though because I don't have tons of money, although I ALWAYS tip based on what the meal would have cost. I also always tip based on the quality of service.
I generally get servers who either come to the table 20 times bugging me to hurry up (I suppose since I am a single person taking up a table for longer than they would like), or servers who clear my table when I get up to go use the restroom - even if I tell them I'm not leaving or make sure I leave my jacket and keys at the table (because let's be honest, with medical stuff, it's pretty much a given that I'm going to have to use the restroom at some point while there) - or servers who never show up once to check on me or refill my drink. I suspect some of this is that society still views it as a bit abnormal for people to dine alone, but also, servers may view solo diners as potentially lower tips since the bill is going to automatically be lower than the bill for serving a family of four. However, this is a bit misguided, because SINCE I am so accustomed to getting bad service or being rushed through restaurants, when I get a server who serves really well I tend to tip high. Sometimes REALLY high.
Ok, so my reason for going into all that: my server at Ihop this time was REALLY excellent. My tip on the bill was pretty high, but quite honestly, if I'd had cash on me I would have tipped him even more. He's the best server I've had recently in any restaurant. His name was Cody. I managed to get seated in the back of the restaurant in a booth (that's the other thing places tend to do with singles - restaurants often try to seat me right next to the kitchen or the bathroom in a tiny booth or worse, a table with those really painful hard back chairs...basically the noisiest and most uncomfortable places. I know they are trying to be practical about their space but it is really awkward for someone with medical issues; this time I managed to get seated in a place that was set back and more comfortable so I could relax and eat properly). Cody brought me fresh coffee and lots of little creamer packs. I ordered the blueberry pancakes, which I had a coupon for. They came out hot and were delicious. This is my favorite place for blueberry pancakes, so it made me SO happy to get these! Cody was friendly and checked on me a couple times and also brought me a to go cup for coffee and extra cream packs for the to go coffee (yes, I like a lot of creamer, lol). He didn't have tons of tables but he had several tables going and he managed to serve everyone with ease. It was pretty impressive. He had none of the attitude that I've sometimes seen with servers who want to rush people out. There was that perfect balance of letting people have their time to eat and also checking to make sure they had everything they needed. He took care of everyone's bill from the table instead of having us pay up front, which was an added convenience that I really appreciated. I'll definitely go back. I hope he's my server again because he was really fantastic at his job. read more