Let me eat my food!

I wonder if the risk of complaints, unnoticed at the time, going straight to social media might be encouraging over attentiveness? There certainly are some damming reviews that get through to Tripadvisor and the likes.

Crossstichfan: Twerp, what a lovely word. Haven't heard it in years. My mum often used it

Chardy

A few years ago, I went to a wedding at a well-known London hotel. (Don't get excited, I was the plus one) The waiter kept topping up the wine almost every time I took a sip. All the waiters were clearly told to. Very intrusive to conversation and very irritating. And difficult to keep tabs on how much you were drinking.

I rarely have problems with my glass being topped up but have had this happen when attending dinners at my old college. There was a different wine with every course and I was driving home afterwards. I decided just to have wine with one course and I gave the others away to fellow guests who were stying overnight! Fortunately I live near enough to go home afterwards as staying over is quite expensive. Surprisingly the waiters rarely ask how the food is on these occasions. I guess it's because it is a fixed menu and we aren't paying for it! Normally when dining out I expect to be asked once if the food is ok and would be irritated if asked more than that.

Our local pub The Anchor does lovely food and is very popular as it is 200yds from the beach. We live 4 doors away and are regulars. The staff always bring the cutlery to the table and a little metal anchor on a stand which is quite heavy. After we have been served they pop across and ask if everything is OK and they take the anchor away, that way no other staff will approach the table and ask twice so you are left in peace. Very few customers realise the meaning of the anchor or even see it disappear from the table. Brilliant idea I think and should be adopted elsewhere.

I have worked in a well known restaurant and once the order is taken and delivered to the table, we were asked to do a meal check after a few minutes just in case there was a problem. We then left that table alone until their meal was finished or they looked like they needed something. I now eat in that particular restaurant and the process is the same, although last time we had a miserable waitress who was most unhelpful. She was obviously not having a good day.

Easy, if it annoys you so much go somewhere else.....

Yep I agree and don’t get me started on ‘optional’ service charge automatically added to your bill

@Mojack - no it’s not easy because they do it in almost all restaurants

They don’t only do it in that one restaurant, they do in most restaurants

Faierynan

Crossstichfan: Twerp, what a lovely word. Haven't heard it in years. My mum often used it

Great, isn’t it? Sums it up nicely.My Nana used it so I must have got it from her, all those years ago. (She died in 1959!)

Don't find it a problem in the UK but in the US it's a real pain, umpteen times during a meal you get pestered by waiters asking if everything is OK and worse still trying to engage with you. I suppose they feel they have to do this as wages are so poor and they rely on good tips but I think they might get more if they let people get on with their meals and their company.

I think you are being unreasonable they have to ask and I would be most disappointed if they did not. It leaves them completely open to complaints and having to refund after you have probably eaten most of the meal. It happens a lot believe me. I have 40 years experience in the trade. When you ask it gives you a chance to put things right there and then and not having to refund. It hopefully also stops any negative comments on the media afterwards which is pretty common too. People tell their friends of a bad experience very seldom do they tell anyone they had an excellent experience

I don't mind in restaurants, I'm there eating & they ask how it is. Fair enough.
I do mind being pounced on as soon as I enter a shop "Can I help you?". I think it's technique to deter shoplifters & always feel as though I must look like a shoplifter. Particularly as it used to happen all the time on Kensington High Street, but not at all in my local M & S.

No one in wetherspoons has ever come over and asked me if I enjoyed my ham egg and chips.

I used to work as "customer care" at a well known fast food "restaurant ". Not my ideal job, but needs must. Apart from keeping the loos spotless and cleaning up after all the uncouth customers you would expect my job to be actual customer care. The only time I was required to ask someone if they were enjoying their meal was when they ordered certain items which sent the manager into a tizzy as the customer was obviously a secret shopper. I met some lovely people, all very innocently ordering what they wanted, never once were they spying on the store. Incidentally, you could almost eat off the floor, it was so clean, not like similar places nowadays.

I understood that it was because it made sure that you were happy with the food. Otherwise people could complain when they get the bill that something was wrong and they then refuse to pay. Asking during the meal does away with any doubt as to satisfaction

I don't mind being asked once and can't recall ever having had trouble with it.
Good waiting-on is a fine art..... being attentive without being intrusive....
They do a tough job often for a small reward so I try and cut them some slack.

It’s all in the training. Some places are brilliant others not so. I’m not happy if they ask within minutes of serving the food when one’s mouth is full and the taste buds haven’t decided yea or nay 😉
What annoys me on occasion is, having taken the order the server is unable to remember who is having what especially if there are just 2 diners.
Recently I was with 3 other adults and 5 year old twins. The adults were served then the waitress arrived and asked ‘who is having the children’s meals?’. Couldn’t resist suggesting that possibly it was the 2 little girls who were the only diners not with a plate in front of them 🤦‍♀️

Yogagran has hit the nail on the head. All of my older grandchildren have worked in bars and restaurants through sixth form or university and all tell me that they are required to ask because the number of diners who clean their plates and then refuse to pay because the meal was tasteless, overly spicy, contained a hair and many other untrue reasons, is increasingly becoming a problem.
Sign of the times sadly.

Exactly so LauraNorderr. Also the dreaded 'dine and dashers' are a blight.

It is correct to be asked and not be rushed for payment. Annoying as it is, it is correct. Please everyone stop being so rude to the staff it just shows you up to them for who you are.

I used to be a Registered Childminder, in my haste of texting I sent xxx to the father of one of the families who came to me, I was mortified, luckily I'd known them for years, they thought it was funny

Sorry that was a reply to kittylester

There is another way of doing it! Waiting staff need to keep their eyes open to keep an eye out for signs of dissatisfaction with body language, frowns etc. Then go and ask if all is well and sort it if not. Same goes when someone wants the bill. They tend to look around for someone so even if you can’t get to them, acknowledge them and go to them as soon as you can.

Ever wondered how bar staff usually know who’s next. You keep an eye on who’s coming to the bar, even if you’re serving someone else. Just an acknowledgment will do. Just meeting eyes lets you know you’ve been seen.

I don’t like being continually asked but I do like to be able to have the bill and pay when I’m ready. Badly trained staff is the fault of management.

Haha know what you mean but sometimes they may just be being alert to the fact that some folks are not regular customers and secret researchers instead?!