🚀 go-pugleaf

> An old adage goes: watch your date's treatment of a waiter/waitress closely
> because, after a while, that's how they're going to treat you. 8-O
> 
Gosh, I've certainly started something here, didn't I? Well I asked for it.
At least there is some energy in the dc.dining newsgroup after all. 
I will say this: based on people's detailed descriptions of their 0% - 20% 
scale, it's obvious who has waited tables and who hasn't. I also have to
laugh at how DC diners seem to base quality of service on how many refills
they get for their ice tea. How many new postings do we need to describe
"cheap" in a 100 words or less? Eddy Rice, you are the most pathetic of
them all. I am convinced you have never waited tables in your life and am
sure you are HELL to wait on regardless of what you say of yourself,
kiddies, and darling wife. 
No one in their right might will defend a lousy waiter. Nor is any blatant
rudeness to a customer acceptable under any circumstances. However, since
most of you have written pages and pages of diatribes against "bad service"
and said very little, if anything, about good service, I am sure you are
what most waiters write off as lost causes (i.e. people who will look for
anything to complain about, so they can find a convenient excuse for their
cheapness and bad attitude). 
On the question of iced tea: Most restaurant managers tell their waiters
not to refill coffee or iced tea more than once. Nevertheless, since most
waiters are nice, they usually will refill coffee or iced tea as many times
as necessary to keep a customer happy. Cheap customers such as the likes of
Eddy et al. seem to expect something for nothing every time they go out.
All I can say is that people like this REEK of their cheapness and get what
they deserve. I am still baffled how anyone can rate a restaurant on the
number of ice tea refills they receive. I might be inclined to think that
such a person has a rather uncommon, unsophisticated background but I won't
be so presumptuous.
I would add that in most European countries, waiters make salaries, have
national health care, decent unemployment benefits, etc. The results on
service are thus obvious. However, most of my friends who are Europeans
remark that they find people in the service sector in the U.S. much more
friendly and attentive than those in Europe. It's called the personality
factor, which people like Eddy (who probably hits every TGI Fridays in
Europe when traveling with the kiddies) have no interest in. Also, any
waiter knows that a European customer is 90% likely to be demanding as hell
and not leave more than a couple of bucks regardless of the total bill.
There, I'm finished, but wish to thank you all for contributing such a
lively discussion about service. Now, who will be the first to commend a
waiter/restaurant for good service...? I'm sure it won't be Eddy.