Agree!!!:spoken:

Restaurants that play loud HipHop music. There was one in TV that did, and I asked them to change it to Classic Rock&Roll. And they did :-)

Server bringing entrée before soup or salad is finished and bringing check before dinner is finished and we have had time to think about coffee and or dessert after. Folks in large groups who think they must shout to be heard by their dinner companions and wind up being heard by everyone in restaurant. Folks who believe their cell phone conversation must be heard by everyone else sitting nearby. If it's that important, step outside and call them back.

You are so right Uptown Girl. I have taken to using my iPhone flashlight to read menus. Also some are printed in terrible color combinations like black print on dark blue background etc.

I also can't understand the total inefficiency that servers display like making several trips back and forth. For example when two tables are close to each other and the same server is assigned to both they will take the order of one table and leave to supposedly enter the order and then come back to take the next table order. Or, refilling iced tea glasses on one table and not doing the same for the nearby table. Drives me nuts to see all the trips made back and forth by some servers. Maybe they are wearing pedometers and get paid by the mile.:laugh:

How about getting seated and have every waitress in the establishment keep passing you without one of them looking at you or saying "I will be with you in a minute". It is like we are invisible.

I get this same treatment at the pharmacies sometimes.

Z

I may take some heat on this one but… when there is a line of people waiting to get in - People who sit and "chat" forever when they are clearly done dining.

I tried to bring my pet peeve into a restaurant and was told only service peeves were allowed.

Too cold
 

We were in Olive Garden about a year ago & it was so cold...when it was time for dessert I said no. I had to get outside in the warmth/heat. (Take your pick.) So there was a survey that I responded to & mentioned that it was so cold in there that I couldn't even stay for dessert. You know what....??? - next time I was there the temperature was comfortable. I hope that perhaps I made a difference.:undecided:

Loud rock music playing so loud you can't hear your conversation

Serving instant ice tea. For $2 a glass I want brewed.

Ooh! Another one. Actually my husband's. He hates it when the wait person sits down in the booth next to him to take your order. It would seem they only do it to him. (Hmmn!) I'm usually rolling my eyes & laughing inwardly, as I know he is not believing this is actually happening. What's up with that?

Agreed mikeV but on the flip side I don't like it when another table is seated after us (2) and they are a party of 4 or 6, the server takes our order (after we waited) and then they stop to take all the orders of the other table so now we have to wait even longer to get our drinks.

Restaurants Pet Peeve
 

Ok this will be my last one. When u ask for a refill on the water....the wait person takes your nearly empty glass...not good. Very often they get busy with other requests & you have no water for long time. :cus:
They should bring a pitcher to the table and refill your glass.

Ha ha! A little too informal for your husband?

We had a group that used to go out to a neighborhood hole-in-the-wall every Saturday for breakfast in West MI. Knew & loved the waitress; she was older. She'd come up to the table, count out that there were 8-10 of us, pull up a chair and sit down!

But a different situation, I'm sure.

I hate being told there is a 45 minute wait when I can see 5 empty tables. Then after waiting 55 minutes they sit you at one of those tables that was empty when I first arrived.

:agree: with everything all of you have said! The absolute worst for me, though, are unattended children. I may be getting old and cranky, remembering that when I was young if I didn't behave in a restaurant I had to go sit in the car. Then again, nowadays my parents would have been charged with child abuse for that!

For the most part, I do agree with you. I put my phone on soft ring and vibrate. Unfortunately, I have missed calls on vibrate only, but on the other side of that coin, the ones I have missed have not been important. That's why when he's not with me, I do the softest ring possible and the vibrate. If it is a call I have to take, I do go outside. I don't like to hear anyone else's conversation, much less their broadcast like you describe. I try my very best to be considerate

Sadly, all you can do these days, and with some children, that's like talking to a brick wall. If my Mom were alive and raising her kids, she'd be in the same boat as Adrian Peterson. We were spanked with a switch, and none of us turned out to be serial killers.

Thank you! Not only did we get the switch, but we had to go out and pick our own! We clearly understood that there were boundaries in our lives and there were consequences for crossing them. That being said, we could not have had more loving or caring parents, and I thank God that I was so blessed to have had them.

Somebody asked for complaints and we sure got 'em.

I know you do, dilly. I've read your posts before and quite understand. You need to be in constant reach. I think the original comment about cell phones was directed toward the more inconsiderate people who just want to get every phone call no matter what and don't care whose dining experience they ruin. That's not you.

Bread is a problem
 

Worse is 2 pieces for three people. lolI hate when you're out with a group and they put a bowl of bread near one person...you don't feel like it's your bread because the server put someone else in charge of it...and they never put out enough. Olive Garden doesn't even give you butter but I guess it's on the bread they serve...and OG always gives you more...you can tell I'm a breadie

Ha ha ha...
 

I'm enjoying imagining that scene with only the two of you. That is so funny. Olive Garden is noisy anyway and then you add "that table" and it's pretty rough. I'm still laughing ...please do it

Agree
 

I hate it when the server treats my husband like an adorable old man...Hey..this is my high school sweetheart not a pet. And please don't announce in a loud nasal twang "Oh you're shar-ing ...and that's two waters! Got it!" And of course everyone else got it too.:cus:

Huh
 

Me too Graciegirl...:shrug:

Always easy to get plenty of complaints on this board. But, to answer the question regarding my "restaurant peeves", I'll tell you.

Pets on the premises of a restaurant "peeve" me enough that it only happens once.

That's a good thing, because we wouldn't want you bothering our dogs on the patio!:evil6::evil6:

Never been a wait person, but if any are on here---To Insure Prompt/Professional Service. Tipping was never supposed to be "required" like it seems to be now. I am a good tipper, so no one needs to bring out the flames, but hate having to do it. I would much rather have the owner raise prices if he has to, and pay the employees a fair salary with insurance. I hate tipping for many reasons, but just 1 of them is the unfairness to the different shifts. You can take a server on the day shift who works just as hard-or harder than the servers on the evening shifts-but gets much, much less in tips because the meals and alcohol in the evening are more expensive than bacon and eggs. I do think the people who have to give up their evenings to work should ,however, get maybe a couple of dollars more/hour as compensation. All you have to do to get a tip from us is to check back once after we receive our meal. The server takes the order, but frequently a runner brings out the food. If the server can't check back within a reasonable time to make sure our food is correct, and to refill our drinks, I don't feel that person has earned a tip







I am a breadie too. Hate to bear bad news, but read online last night that Olive Garden was going to start bringing out 1 breadstick per person and 1 "for the table". You can request more and they will bring out 1 breadstick for you at a time. Yuk!

I think it's listening to loud idle chatter that bothers most people.
In your case that doesn't happen, and a short call shouldn't bother anyone.

I find it annoying when people have cell phones programmed to play loud music when they ring, and the owners appear helpless to find their phones. It's especially bothersome when it happens at church or during a movie.

I can't think of anything, but my wife would agree about rooms being kept too chilly. She won't go out to eat without a cardigan. I like it cool myself, so file under: Can't Please Everyone.

Oh! I guess I do wish the servers would box up leftovers the way they used to. Now they just bring some styrofoam containers to the tables and we have to maneuver around the tableware and dirty dishes to fill them ourselves. I often end up with a smear of something on my shirt cuff. I know others prefer not to have their food taken out of their sight and then returned. See: CPE.

germs
 

I have an issue with the persons who clean up after a table has finished. They take spray and spray the table (and surrounding areas) and use just the most-discusting rags to clean the tables. Many times dumping the crumbs on the chairs and floor. The chairs may or may not get cleaned. Sometimes they vacuum the area while I'm trying to eat. And I'm thinking of all the dust landing on my food - no to mention the loud noise of the vacuum.
I'm thinking about how many germs are on my table and have been "deposited" by the dirty rag that probably gets changed once a shift.

1. Not having my drink refilled (The time I wait with no drink is directly in proportion to the amount of tip I am deducting.)
2. Waiting for my check for too long after I am finished eating

I agree with many of the posts because they all ring so true. As far as a pet on a patio, why would a person go there to begin with if they considered that an annoyance. Just don't go, period!

Kids running around is the worst. One time two kids were so bad, I got up and told the mother it wasn't McDonald's and asked her to seat her kids. It was terrible. I guess the right thing would have been to tell the manager.

But here's the absolute worst: When you pay with cash and the wait person asks you if you "need" change! If that isn't the most rude thing, then I don't know what is.

I agree totally with this one. I get so mad and it ruins the rest of the meal.

Servers that seem bothered that you might need more water or they forget to bring item you asked for to begin your meal!

Customers that are rude to a server. If the service is bad, I do my talking with the tip. I always leave something, usually too much, but I've been known to leave a very small amount of loose change. Didn't want the server to think I'd forgotten to tip. However, there is absolutely no reason to berate the server and make everyone around you uncomfortable.

A lot of the complaints I've seen here are well beyond the control of the server. Servers put the orders in, the cook fixes the meal. If the main dish sits over a certain amount of time regardless if the customer is finished with their salad, the server is written up for leaving the food sitting. Some restaurants don't allow servers to bring pitchers of water out. And so on. Before chalking things up to bad service, look around and see if your server is hustling. If so, cut 'em some slack.

And I totally hate runners delivering the food. Think this is the worst practice ever devised but I blame the restaurants, not the servers.

8 pages of pet peeves for restaurants including mine
Makes one wonder why anyone would even bother to go out to dine

I agree. Sometimes the host(ess) over seats a server. Sometimes customers demand too much attention wanting to chat like they are best friends. We never tip based on food quality. That's just wrong. Don't punish them; they didn't cook it.

I guess the desire to go out and socialize coupled with the desire not to have to cook trumps poor service at restos. Plus... these are pet peeves. They don't apply to all of us or all restaurants combined and simultaneously.

Restaurant owners/managers are in business to make money. To help accomplish this goal they are prone to understaff the premises to keep salary expenses ( paltry as they are) to a minimum. They walk a thin line, maximizing income vs. annoying patrons.
So if service is slow, you can't get your water refilled, it takes too long for the check, etc., etc.,....don't blame the server. Take it up with management.
And if you can't get service that's to your liking, go somewhere else!

By the way, noise levels here seem much louder than I'm used too. Maybe it's because we're so old we can't hear. So we have to shout!!!