IHOP Informative - Do The Waitresses Need Training In Customer Service? - Restaurant

Posted by SoCalSteve on 2008-08-04:

"People are cutting back on eating out. Lousy service will not get people to come back"

I agree 10000000000000000000000000.9%

VH!

Posted by superbowl on 2008-08-04:

Customer service at IHOP? There is such a thing?

Posted by madconsumer on 2008-08-04:

"I asked her if she was busy."

if you asked me this, i to would give you attitude. do you not have any understanding and sympathy? remember a little honey goes a long way.

you could have said, "wow you are very busy, we will make our order as fast as possible."

Posted by JohnInSoCal on 2008-08-04:

Lousy service is never acceptable but I do have to agree with madconsumer on this one. Your statement to your server put her on the defensive. Doesn't make it right and the server should have let your comment roll off of her, but you set the tone.

Posted by justcuz3993 on 2008-08-04:

I have to agree with mad as well. You don't know what was keeping your waitress and the way you abruptly approached her put her on the defensive. Yes, she should have apologized for the wait time, but she didn't. Yes, she shouldn't have argued with a customer but then again, she shouldn't have to be treated less than either. Fact is she was probably really busy, a little kindness and understanding goes a long way. Besides, 10 minutes isn't really that long to wait - isn't the point of going out to eat to relax and enjoy yourself? If you're in a rush, maybe you should go through a FF joint.

Posted by presh on 2008-08-04:

Everyone should have to wait tables once in their lives, just once, on a Saturday, at Christmas, during peak shopping season, at dinnertime, in a really cheap restaurant, that's kid friendly. Then, feel free to judge the waitress. I'm not saying she was right, however, one time doing this job and you begin to see the other side of things. A lousy manager, nasty patrons, screaming kids, a no show co-worker, all of which can send a good waitress over the edge. I've done it myself and yes, I would have been disturbed by her delay, but I would have been sympathetic when I asked her. Everyone needs a chance to rethink their mistake.

Posted by heaven17 on 2008-08-05:

"I've been to this IHOP many times over the years..."

And what were all of those other experiences over all of those years like? Good ones apparently. Yet you get outraged over a single not-as-bad-as-you-make-it-out-to-be situation.
Okay.

Posted by JoeyBelle on 2008-08-05:

RULE 1- NEVER ARGUE WITH THE SERVER. We are all going to come across a rude or incompetent server every once a while even in our favorite restaurants. If there is a VALID complaint take it to the manager in which most cases he/she will make restitution. In the small percentage where the manager doesn't care or wont be accommodating OR IS RUDE than I think it is time to ban a restaurant. I am sure if you told the manager you had been waiting he/she would have told her and than maybe you would have gotten your apology you obviously think you deserved.

Posted by cherpep on 2008-08-05:

10 minutes? You got annoyed and put the waitress on the defensive for a 10 minute wait? I agree that she did not handle herself well, but I think you were out of line in getting so bent out of shape over 10 minutes.

Posted by LoisMustDie on 2008-08-05:

I couldn't care less if the place is busy or not or if the wait staff is overwhelmed... not my problem. When you pay good money for a sit down meal you expect good service, good attitude and good food. Excuses are fairly common -- I don't pay for excuses -- I pay for results.

TheLid53, You did the right thing leaving. Good review!

Posted by tnchuck100 on 2008-08-05:

I once had a "campaign button" that said "Give me good service and nobody gets hurt!"

Posted by cherpep on 2008-08-05:

A little patience and understanding can go a long way. I agree that the waitress was in the wrong with her attitude, but if she had been treated differently, the end result could have been very different. The poster was obviously extremely hungry since waiting 10 minutes was unbearable. They most likely didn't get their food any faster by going to another restaurant. I think a little kindness here would have been more beneficial to them.

Posted by LoisMustDie on 2008-08-05:

Unfortunately I've had the unpleasant experience of eating at the IHOP and if memory serves 'Attitude' wasn't on the menu but that certainly is what the OP got served. Who am I to set the expectations for another paying customer or judge that person? In my world ten minutes sitting at a table waiting for your order to be taken is too long. That's my expectation and I have a right to my expectation as does the OP. Like I've told people in the past when you start paying my bills then you can live my life.

Posted by sherdy on 2008-08-05:

I'm actually afraid to argue with a server-you never know what they will put in your food before you get it. Leaving and not going back is always best.

As for customer service...that is a concept we all need to get over because it's GONE...I say this sarcastically.

Posted by LoisMustDie on 2008-08-05:

Sherdy if customer service is indeed GONE then it's our own fault as consumers. We no longer hold those we do business with to high standards of excellence. If anything we become their apologists. We accept their excuses and at times the blame substituting the mantra 'the customer is always right' with 'blame the customer first' We are becoming a society of co-dependent consumers who not only enable but expect to be treated like crap. Well I'm not buying it. I don't want crap, I don't take CRAP and I certainly don't pay for CRAP. But hey that's just me.

Posted by Slimjim on 2008-08-05:

Let's be honest, asking her if she was busy (probably with a tone too) was unneeded and only going to put her on the defensive. While she could have gone a different way, you did open the door for an argument.

Posted by cherpep on 2008-08-05:

Stew - do you need to poop?

I agree with you about wanting good customer service, no argument here. But, if you cannot treat others with respect, you should not expect it back - no matter how much you are paying them. This waitress did not demonstrate good customer service, but I'm not sure that the poster demonstrated any respect. There are problems on both sides, IMHO.

Posted by LoisMustDie on 2008-08-05:

What disrespect? Since when is asking somebody if they are busy and informing them you've been waiting for 10 minutes disrespectful? That was an honest communication. I do not fault the OP for asserting themselves. In fact this OP is gentler than I.. .If it was me I'd said, "Hey FLO I'm timing you over here with a calendar come on sweetheart take my order while we're still young". When I hand over my money to support your business you better darn well appreciate it or you ain't getting it.. Got IT.. .GOOD.

Posted by JohnInSoCal on 2008-08-05:

I agree Slimjim. We are both on the same page.

Presh, I also agree with you...everyone should wait tables. Honestly I am not nice enough to do that job. I have seen the way customers treat their servers. They can be rude and obnoxious, and if I was waiting on them they would end up with a lap full of food or drinks. It does not matter to me how much a person pays for a meal, it doesnt give anyone the right to be rude or make inappropriate degrading comments. I agree that servers should be kind and work as quickly as possible but customers have to take responsibility for how they conduct themselves. This site is really helpful and a great place to relay our experiences, but I think that when we post complaints as consumers we forget that we are also responsible for how we handle ourselves and treat others. This will get me into a lot of trouble, but the customer is NOT always right.

Posted by cherpep on 2008-08-05:

I'd certainly sacrifice my tip to 'accidentally' give Stew some hot soup in the lap!

Posted by JohnInSoCal on 2008-08-05:

LOL cherpep. I will do it for you. I would enjoy it and there is no sense in both of us giving up a tip. :)

Posted by raven2002 on 2008-08-05:

It seems to me you baited the server, and she took the bait. Both were in the wrong.

Posted by LoisMustDie on 2008-08-05:

Oh now threats of scolding... literally. Once again on my3cents we ignore what the OP wrote or twist it so that "I asked her if she was busy" and told her "We have been waiting for over 10 minutes to place our order!'" becomes "rude and obnoxious" and "inappropriate degrading"... WOW. Trust me I know rude, inappropriate, degrading and obnoxious. Heck, I could get a PHD in it and what the OP posted was none of the above. Perhaps I'm confused.. I always thought at a restaurant I'm paying for service and food. Since I'm the one paying for it then I certainly have the right to ask questions or complain when what I'm paying for doesn't meet my expectations... and I might add without the fear of being assaulted by hot coffee.

Posted by hubbard53 on 2008-08-05:

I am surprised anytime I read a 'bad service' review on this site for a fast food joint. Yeah, IHOP is still fast food even though you have to 'wait' for it.

Service sucks everywhere. Grocery store checkout people chomp their gum, banter with their buddies, etc. all while scanning your groceries. Wait staff's entire goal is to get you out as soon as possible to turn over the table. Retail clerks have no interest in helping you - they just want to tag and bag your clothes. Hardware store clerks know nothing about hardware.

As someone else posted, with the decrease in consumer spending and the HUGE selection of retail and food establishments, service is going to be what makes or breaks companies.

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-08-05:

To all of you who think that this waitress was right, would you honestly want her to work for you in your own restaurant? Or would you prefer to hire someone who has the ability to control their emotions and turn a negative situation into a positive one? This waitress did not fall apart with prolonged irritation from the customer (I would be sympathetic to that) but went negative with just a single simple question. A professional response would have been "I apologize for the delay, we had someone call in sick today so we are trying hard to make up for that, may I suggest the blah blah blah...."

Posted by LoisMustDie on 2008-08-05:

Exactly DigitalCommando. Great comment.

Posted by cherpep on 2008-08-05:

Nobody has argued that waitress did nothing wrong. Her attitude was horrible, I think that is agreed all around. A little more patience on both ends could have made things a lot better.

Posted by justcuz3993 on 2008-08-05:

Spot on, cherpep.

10 minutes just isn't that long to wait to get all riled up about. I'm betting the OP was pretty nasty to the waitress and I for one don't blame her for getting defensive...and yea she should have remained professional, but she's human too. Why do cusotmers think they can treat servers like s**t and think nothing of it?? But if they get treated like s**t, their whole world falls apart??

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-08-05:

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-08-05:

"We were quickly seated and given coffee and menus at which point our waitresses disappeared for over 10 minutes."
"I asked the cashier to find her."
"A few minutes later she appears at our table, unapologetic and ANNOYED (my emphasis) that she was taken away from whatever task she was completing."
"I asked her if she was busy."
Anybody notice that the "Offending Question" came AFTER the waitresses bad attitude had already been expressed, and was not the cause of it?

Posted by LoisMustDie on 2008-08-05:

DC I learned a long time ago the 'Blame The Customer First' crowd doesn't much care about the facts because even though they weren't there they seem to always know the "real" story. I'm not clairvoyant so that probably puts me at a disadvantage for all I can do is answer to the story as presented by the OP. My bad.

Posted by bargod on 2008-08-05:

The waitress was rude and that was wrong. Having said that if waiting 10 minutes is too long for someone to wait to place an order then I guess they should be prepared to walk out of lots of restaurants.

Posted by JohnInSoCal on 2008-08-05:

To those who may think I thought the waitress was right, no. That is not what I said. I made an observation and BOTH sides must take a certain amount of responsibility for how this turned out. The OP should have taken the high road and left before she decided to lower herself to make a rude comment. Yes, it WAS a rude comment! Although it is not the OP's job to do so, they could have turned this whole thing around by simply saying something NICE when the server approached them. It may have earned them a few good karma points! As customers we have a responsibility to treat others with respect, after all isnt that what we want too? You get what you give and we should stop thinking "I can treat you badly and you will take and like it because it is your job to SERVE me" attitude! Try playing nicely with others and I would place a bet that you will get the same in return.

Posted by presh on 2008-08-05:

DC and lois, point taken, you are right, the "offending question" did come after the rudeness. And for the record, I don't agree that the customer was rude. I'm just saddened that this world has forgotten it's manners, and forgotten to try a little honey first. People are quick to assume the worst and criticize. I once went into a restaurant I frequent, usually getting excellent service, this time we waited quite a while to even get a menu, and the waitress was not friendly. The manager headed over to our table to greet us and we mentioned it. It turned out the staff had experienced a loss, a friend had been killed in Iraq. I was glad we'd acted with a calm response instead of being rude. Like I said, everyone deserves a chance to correct themselves, and our waitress did. We left a little extra in her tip, after all she'd worked on this tragic day just to bring us nachos!

Posted by bargod on 2008-08-05:

Spot on, John. Best answer.

Posted by Principissa on 2008-08-05:

My take on this situation.

1. Customer's enter restaurant and get seated.

2. Waitress disappears after getting their menus and coffees, maybe to take care of other tables, maybe got a personal phone call and got into a fight with family/spouse or just got news that a relative/child/spouse was ill or injured. (not trying to make excuses. Also could have had a problem with the kitchen staff or just gotten yelled at by boss. Now she is in a bad mood.

3. Customer's are seeing all around them being served and taken care of and are now understandably upset that they haven't even placed an order. They go find someone to get their waitress so they can get their food.

4. Waitress comes back to the table with an obviously poor attitude (regardless of what happened she should have composed herself and remained professional). The now cranky customer's are wondering what was going on and asked her a harmless question to which they are met with hostility.

5. If waitress received bad personal news or was just to upset and stressed to be at work, she should have left. End of story. If you cannot maintain a professional attitude when stressed out or upset, don't work with the public.

Posted by LoisMustDie on 2008-08-05:

I simple don't agree asking somebody if they are busy then honestly responding to their 'why do you ask' is rude. Again from reading some of these comments one would come to the conclusion that the OP cursed the waitress, got in her face or called her names. That simply didn't happen. Here's the exchange everybody is getting wrapped around the axle about:

customer: Are you busy?
Waitress: What makes you think that?
customer: We have been waiting for over 10 minutes to place our order!

What we have here is an honest question asked by the customer then an honest answer giving by the customer to the waitress's question. I must be missing something.

Posted by Ghost of Doc J on 2008-08-05:

This post never would have seen electrons, if the waitress would have simply apologized for the 10min delay. The customer had a reasonable expectation to be taken care of as promptly as the other diners. It didn't happen. It was the waitress who had the obligation to prevent the bad experience. She didn't. Instead she (according to the OP) argued. A simply, "I am so sorry...let me refill your drinks while I turn in your order" would have done wonders here. VH post.

Posted by Principissa on 2008-08-05:

I agree Doc. Instead of arguing, she should have just apologized for the wait, maybe even an "I'm sorry, I was held up in the kitchen because of an error, are you ready to order?" She could have diffused the entire situation with a simple apology.

Posted by SoCalSteve on 2008-08-05:

The waitress would have been sent home early if she was one of my employees.I won't have an employee with a bad attitude dealing with my customers.That is bad business.

Bad customers are part of the service industry,if you can't handle them in a professional manner....hit the bricks!

Posted by Ghost of Doc J on 2008-08-05:

Best answer, Steve! Some customers are dolts and are just part of the environment. Hungry customers are often dolts until they get their blood sugar elevated with some food. Afterward, they often turn into lambs. If a food server does not understand this, they should sell another product. Food service takes patience and tact...both lacking in this waitress.

Posted by sherdy on 2008-08-06:

I totally agree Steve. Bad customer service is everywhere...and I am afraid many people are getting used to it, ie, accepting it. I can count on three fingers the last time I was thanked for shopping anywhere. It's sad.

Posted by ladiinyc on 2008-08-20:

Wow i notice alot of you on here mentioning her having no "sympathy" and "understanding" for a 10 minute wait which is a long wait when you've ALREADY been seated! Ummm i don't know what world you guys are from but in the real world sympathy and understanding would be necessesary if this waitress were to atleast apoligize and said something like "my daughter's teacher called, she's sick, im sorry" or something like that. This waitress has nerve to have attitude and you think this woman has NO reason to say to her "are you busy"??! First off, that wasn't even giving attitude and it was not rude! I know people who would've reacted way worse and honestly I would've complained! Waiting 10 minutes to be seated is okay but having to wait 10 minutes AFTER you've already been seated is just rediculous! I would expect some form of apology,sympathy and understanding from the damn waitress! If im spending my money there then she sure as hell isn't going to be getting any understanding from me. Sorry but respect is respect.

Posted by Good2Know on 2009-05-17:

As a former server...

1. There is no excuse for waiting 10 minutes for your server

2. I'm pretty sure it wasn't 10 minutes and I'm pretty sure you had an attitude when asking if she was busy

3. If loosing a rude customer means loosing a 25 dollar check and a 2 dollar tip lol... its well worth it !