How Outspoken are You?

[Lo]

I was just reading through Raziel's "Amigo" thread and it got me riled about a restarant my family went into on Saturday just gone.

It was an in-store restaurant (Leekes to be precise). The queue was minimal but the seating was a bit limited so I went off to claim a table and dumped mine and Mum's coats on a few chairs before rejoining the queue.

I had eaten breakfast so wasn't up for a massive cooked meal but the sandwiches were plain...well uninventive and a small two sandwiches were about £4.75 and I was not going to let my brother pay that price so I opted for a cup of tea.

I returned to the table and 30 mins later there was no sign of my family so I regretably stormed up to the counter and said in a very loud voice 'What the hell is going on? What's the delay?'

Mum said in a whisper 'Oh I know the service is terrible.' Then my bro asked if i wanted a cooked meal to which i said 'God know, it'll likely take another bliddy hour at this rate'

The prices they were charging and the total lack of efficiency astounded me. Actually I said "regretably" above but thinking back, I am not at all regretful.

That place is going to receive an e-mail from me, make no mistake. It was a busy lunch hour, my brother reminded me - to which I replied 'All the more reason to get a lit fuse under it'!!

There were plenty of staff and every single one of them were walking around in a bliddy trance.

I really hate pretentious pricing when the food nor service is no better than that you might expect from a McDonalds drive-thru.

Rant. Over.

[One of Seven]

I have manners and treat people with decency, but I'm not afraid to tell others how I feel.

[jeremythebug]

The restaurant seems pretentious to me. my question is, is there even a fair amount of people present? and did you end up eating hours later, at mcdonalds? well, one thing's for sure... NEVER go back there again.

i also like to speak my mind depending on the situation but for this kind, i'm not entirely sure. i don't like to be involved in fights.

[Lo]

I'm not usually confrontational myself, Bugsy, but I had the safety of the counter and a few steak knives nearby

I always reward good service but there were absolutely NO excuses for this delay save the staff all being under 30 and no doubt totally hungover judging by the trances they were all seemingly under

Same sort of cr@p happens in O'Briens. Never will I go back there having been to two different O'Briens cafeterias in two seperate locations. There were plenty of tables but they were all clogged up with dirty crockery. One member of staff on the counter, a queue a mile long, no clean cutlery, nobody clearing the tables and the food was cold. Oh and no salt either - they had run out and hadn't bothered to replenish their stock - and this was 10.30am n a Saturday.

Ludicrous!

[Lo]

P.S. No, I ended up with a sandwich from the Tesco garage shop on the way home

McDonalds is no place to go on a Saturday lunch hour anyway - it's bursting to the brim with screaming babies and young toddlers running riot. Way too stressful for me! Oh and don't even get me started on those damn squeaky chairs. Get some new rubber bungs for crying out loud! The sound of lazy obese lorry drivers scraping their chairs back and forth transforms me into a psychotic maniac with murder in mind

[R Soul]

Originally Posted by Lo

That place is going to receive an e-mail from me,

I don't think they'll read an email that isn't from a supplier. I think a short letter would be more effective.

[Lo]

Good point. I'll have to check for a site, preferably one that represents Head Office, before I go into rant mode. I also need the proper address which I will undoubtedly find on a quick search.

Thanks for the input.

[batfan08]

I have respect for my elders,but I really can't stand old world thinking.All my life I've grown up around adults,and sometimes,I feel I communicate better with adults than with people my own age,and I tend to voice my opinion,and my grandma had a way of thinking that was "children should be seen,not heard."Every time I'd respond with "Welcome to the 21st Century".I am a respectful person,but I am very outspoken,though I do have a good amount of self-control,as I'll be 15 in a few months,I think everyone should practice having self control,but unfortunately,not everyone does.

End/Sporatic Rant

[dumah's wraith]

I'm not usually confrontational. If I dislike the service, I leave, and never return, but I don't confront the owners.

[theBlackman]

If I pay for a service. I want the service I paid for. That means an attentive waiter/waitress, a meal cooked the way I asked and delivered still hot to my table.

I have no qualms about telling the restauranteer and assistants that the meat was over/under cooked, over/under spiced, or otherwise not what I paid or am about to pay for.

If there are empty tables that don't say "Reserved" and the help is standing around daydreaming, I'll seat my self and call for service.

Having owned a restaurant or two, owned and operated a underwater salvage and repair company, and managed a couple of Espresso bars profitably, I have no patience with those that don't provide concienscious service.

[Raziel'sRevenge]

Wow, so I've just gone through and read the entire thread, and look at all the fuss I started by posting my "amigo" one!

Why Lo, I had no idea you could be so wrathful! I've always imagined you this sweet little flower, but I see that my assumptions only made rear end of one of us hehe. I'm glad to know you've got some kick!

Anyway as one who works in a store where I have to prepare food, stock shelves, clean, direct customers, man the register, and every other function of a small convenience store/ice cream shop/sandwich shop, sometimes by my lonesome, I've grown very acquainted with what is good service and what is bad, mainly because many people are quite vocal when they believe you're not doing everything you could be. And you know what it's taught me? They're right! They're the paying customer, if you can't move your rear fast enough then something is wrong with the joint! I'm doing them no favor by catering to their needs, they're doing me a favor by choosing my particular store.

I think that quite a bit of the world isn't nearly outspoken enough (though I'm quite sure that anyone here who's read more than 3 of my posts knows that I most certainly am) and should step up to the plate a little bit. If someone's in the wrong, if the service isn't good, if someone is being a bully, let them have it! My personal favorite way is with tipping. When I go out to eat, I make sure that I bring enough cash to cover whatever I'll eat twice over, if I can't afford to do so then obviously I don't have enough money for that luxury. If the service is amazing, I'll tip up to 50% (this has earned me a reputation at the few restaurants I go to, and believe me, you get good service). If the service is just average, I do 20%. I don't believe in that whole 12.5% nonsense, the world is expensive and if you can't tip well you shouldn't eat out. But if the service is sub par, I don't mess around with the tipping game. Some people don't leave a tip to show they're mad, but that doesn't do anything because some people just don't tip. I leave a single dime and a note with my reasoning.

I must say here, I'm with Lo and theBlackman when it comes to service (though I've never gone so far as to sit in an empty table if I see one and am not getting taken care of). As the paying customer, we're doing them a favor by coming. So far as speaking out in other parts of life go, I go with Batfan08, speak up or don't cry when you're walked on. We all have our opinions and we deserve to have them be heard!

/rant :P

[Lo]

Originally Posted by dumah's wraith

I'm not usually confrontational. If I dislike the service, I leave, and never return, but I don't confront the owners.

No disrespect but how are the patrons supposed to improve their service if nobody tells them they are at fault. It's all too easy to walk away and boycott the establishment but all too often we complain to everyone but the source of the grievance.

@ Raziel: Haha! You'd be surprised at my occasional impatience Like Dusty, I expect service that reflects the price and this eaterie was self-service and decidedly slovenly/slow. The staff were just totally oblivious to order and efficiency and if there's one thing I tolerate very badly it is being made to wait for an unreasonable amount of time.

I am a very punctual person and if I arrive at an appointment five minutes early I consider myself ten minutes late! It's the same frustration when a friend is coming to pick you up and they are always 15 minutes behind schedule and one is left pacing up and down looking out of the window for their car. Most annoying. If I am due to go anywhere the next day I have all my stuff together the night before and leave nothing to chance. But some folk leave everything until the last minute and forget half of their things like letters they had to post or purchases they wish to return if it's a shopping trip, for examples, because they are in a last minute rush.

It's madness!

[AssassinAgent47]

Originally Posted by Lo

I was just reading through Raziel's "Amigo" thread and it got me riled about a restaurant my family went into on Saturday just gone.

It was an in-store restaurant (Leekes to be precise). The queue was minimal but the seating was a bit limited so I went off to claim a table and dumped mine and Mum's coats on a few chairs before rejoining the queue.

I had eaten breakfast so wasn't up for a massive cooked meal but the sandwiches were plain...well un-inventive and a small two sandwiches were about £4.75 and I was not going to let my brother pay that price so I opted for a cup of tea.

I returned to the table and 30 mins later there was no sign of my family so I regrettably stormed up to the counter and said in a very loud voice 'What the hell is going on? What's the delay?'

Mum said in a whisper 'Oh I know the service is terrible.' Then my bro asked if i wanted a cooked meal to which i said 'God know, it'll likely take another bliddy hour at this rate'

The prices they were charging and the total lack of efficiency astounded me. Actually I said "regrettably" above but thinking back, I am not at all regretful.

That place is going to receive an e-mail from me, make no mistake. It was a busy lunch hour, my brother reminded me - to which I replied 'All the more reason to get a lit fuse under it'!!

There were plenty of staff and every single one of them were walking around in a bliddy trance.

I really hate pretentious pricing when the food nor service is no better than that you might expect from a McDonalds drive-thru.

Rant. Over.

You Broke the Cardinal Rule Man "Don't with people that handle your food"

Video is blocked from embedding

22 years I've seen this happen to unruly customers on a couple of occasions even 5 star hotels


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmzGaSQYznA&feature=fvw

[GoranAgar]

The other day my wife and I went to Subways to get sandwiches. We were picking the ingredient and the word vegetarian came up. Some guy at the check-out then said: "Can I have my pork vegetarian?" and was quite happy with himself.

With no delay I barked at him: "Are you making fun of us?". He then made sure to tell us in length that he has the utmost sympathy for vegetarians and that his wife in fact is one as well. .... riiiiight.



Yes, I am very outspoken.

Originally Posted by AssassinAgent47

"Don't with people that handle your food"

That is so true. If I have a complaint about my food I mention it, but I NEVER have them fix it or bring me something else in return. NEVER!!!!

[AssassinAgent47]

and then....




NO!!

'AND THEN'



>>ORIGINAL CLIP FROM THE MOVIE (NOT CARTOON)<<<LINK

Cartoon version with movie audio , I couldn't find a youtube original ,probably copyright law

[AssassinAgent47]

Originally Posted by GoranAgar

That is so true. If I have a complaint about my food I mention it, but I NEVER have them fix it or bring me something else in return. NEVER!!!!

In all honesty I've only seen it done twice in 22 years , you really have to push most people to go that far, the movie is definitely a dramatization , but people that tip well I always give extra dessert or food to take home or something extra .

I worked as Room Service for most of my career and have given out so much stuff to good tippers anything from Turkish bath robes to hotel t-shirts , drinks, bottles of wine, bottle of champagne, the list goes on and on. Not just the house stuff either

[Lo]

I never complain there on the spot. I wait until I have left the building then write in with my complaint because I too worry about people messing with my food

Some eateries would likely send you a voucher but then who'd want to return if they'd had a bad meal or rubbish service?

I am quite concerned about the hygiene standards behind the scenes, particularly having seen some rather worrying undercover documentaries. One of the worst habits is staff washing crockery in cold, black, greasy water that's been in the sink all day. Then there's mouldy food on the floor, rat droppings and all manner of undesirables and sadly, the shop front is no indication of the standards of the kitchen.

Oh and another gripe of mine is that of the bakery staff who do not wear gloves nor use tongs to handle bread and such - AFTER they have handled coins from the previous customer. There should be a seperate person handling the money and the food handlers should always be suitably attired in a hair net, apron and special gloves (or use tongs).

[Xcom]

Originally Posted by dumah's wraith

I'm not usually confrontational. If I dislike the service, I leave, and never return, but I don't confront the owners.

Me neither. At least not when it comes to restaurants and stuff. It's just a waste of energy.

[KoolKat]

If there's something I really feel strongly about, like the topic of blood 'sports', animal rights, personal political views etc, then I generally won't back down and things can get quite heated.

I find it difficult to complain though when it comes to shops or resteraunts and find it easier to moan about it, warn others of their terrible service and never go back there if I can help it. I think this is because a lot of the time I doubt that my complaint would be taken seriously or make any difference, whereas them losing customers will give them a clear message about their service.

I've also had the misfortune of rude, insulting or plain aggressive people and I tend to do the same with them as I do with the shops as I doubt a lot of the time that they'd actually care about what I thought and some of the groups of youths round here can be quite violent.

My fiancé on the other hand is great with speaking his mind. He seems to be able to come up with some really witty retorts or remarks to those rude or insulting people that seems to stop them in their tracks and at the same time, he's built in such a way that they'd think twice before starting on him and he doesn't think twice before making his complaints heard to shops.

[dumah's wraith]

Originally Posted by Lo

[B][I][COLOR="Navy"]No disrespect but how are the patrons supposed to improve their service if nobody tells them they are at fault. It's all too easy to walk away and boycott the establishment but all too often we complain to everyone but the source of the grievance.

If I'm not there, who cares? Confrontations seldom end well, but walking out mid meal definitely sends a message.

Delays don't bother me. I'd rather wait than get food poisoning.

[KoolKat]

lol, I think the patrons would know to improve their service when they stop getting customers.

Sadly, a lot of companies work on the principle that complaints don't matter if they're still getting lots of customers, and so walking away can be the best thing for them. Losing their customers forces them to change.

[Lo]

I don't mean all disgruntled customers should be confrontational or aggressive, Dumah's Wraith, but there are means to get the message across by writing to the company per se if it's a chain such as in my example.

If enough complaints are received then they will be able to determine why people are boycotting their establishment and make the necessary adjustments. Personally, if my business was slacking I'd appreciate the feedback so I could determine and rectify any problems.

Nobody likes being threatened with the Food Hygiene Standards Agency either if it's a case of poor hygiene....

[Helegad]

You all sound like a bunch of old women sitting around a table having tea and scones.

If the food is suitably hot or cold, and doesn't make me sick, I have no issues.

[LC is Me]

Originally Posted by Helegad

You all sound like a bunch of old women sitting around a table having tea and scones.

If the food is suitably hot or cold, and doesn't make me sick, I have no issues.

That's not even the point.
Prices and quality service and food go hand-in-hand.

You mean to tell me that if you were paying crazy prices for food and dealing with crappy service, you'd still have no issues? Not to mention that the food may not even be befitting of said prices. Even if it's a true fact, I find it hard to believe unless you just enjoy it.

[Lo]

Originally Posted by Helegad

You all sound like a bunch of old women sitting around a table having tea and scones.

Sounds good to me. Hey! Why is my tea cold and why am I still waiting for me £6.50 scone after 4 hours???