Shockingly (and I suspect intentionally) bad service this evening. I had some work to do on my laptop and was hungry. I was seated with about 10 minutes left of happy hour. It was a happy accident but naturally I wanted to utilize it. Waited a bit for the server to arrive, though I was right next to the host stand and heard the host tell her that she had 2 new tables and gesture to me right after I sat. The server also lingered, casually chatting with the host a mere 10 feet from me before coming over. No big deal, I didn't feel I waited too long. However I asked to order from the happy hour menu when she did come over and was told I was "2 minutes too late!" To which I hopefully replied that I had been seated before six. The server said nothing, just stared at me, then, without responding, just asked in a louder voice if I would like something to drink. Ok sure- maybe I'm too late and they have a strict policy (I worked for the Derschang group for years in multiple locations ...there's usually wiggle room) But I didn't expect special treatment, I would simply expect at least a response saying "sorry, strict policy" or something rather than just being flat out ignored.
But I didn't linger on the point. I said I'd have a seltzer to drink to start, asked to have a salad first and then steak frites from the regular menu. Salad and entree came out at the same time. Again, not a big deal and not something I would normally even feel bothered by. But as time went on, it fit into a pattern of the server intentionally rushing service to get me to leave.
Within mere moments of taking the last bites of my dinner she arrived again, whisked away my plates and dropped the check unceremoniously. No inquiry about how the meal was, no offer of anything more. I had intended to have a drink and dessert, and even at that point I thought I would still order something more . Then the server was suddenly ever present, swooping by very close to my table no less than 3 times in the span of 5 minutes while I was finishing my drink, clearly a tactic to get my attention to compel me to pay up and leave. Since she specifically marked my start time as 6:02, I took note that I had been there for about 45 minutes. Not extremely long, there was no one waiting for a table, no one mentioned that they had incoming reservations and needed this table. I finally looked up from what I was doing and she asked if I was ready.. when clearly I hadn't touched the receipt or put my payment down on the table. Just flabbergasted by the rudeness I said "no, I'm not" but at that point it was clear I wasn't welcome, so her dream came true and I was ready to leave.
Next time she came by I paid via card on the hand-held device and had a WAD of cash out on the table to leave a tip. I selected "no tip" on the screen and she turned it around, read it and said "COOL." Then walked away saying nothing else. WILD! She really seemed to expect that I wasn't going to tip in the first place by the way she was running the table. I hate to even say this but it felt kinda racial or weirdly classist or presumptive about what I would spend, at best. I felt like I was written off immediately because I wanted to order from the happy hour menu (?) EVERYONE wants to do that! I wanted to give the grace to think she was inexperienced at first, but there were just too many details to think this wasn't intentional.
And if you're wondering, I DID tip, even after all this, because service industry workers are the only people we can punish on a whim when we don't like their service. We don't think it's appropriate to take away wages from grocery workers, doctors or carpenters on a case by case basis when they're not on top of their game, so it wasn't within my personal ethic to be punitive.
But today was the first time in 28 years of hospitality work I ever considered not tipping.
TL;DR Food was good, host was nice, server with the dark bobbed hair and bangs was curt, passive aggressive, immature and rude to me. read more