So. Waiter Rant. Kind of like customers_suck, except it's only one person posting ("Waiter"), and it's usually wank-free. Usually.

The waiter that writes the blog recently started working in a new restaurant, and has become . . . slightly bitter. As a result, he posted first "50 Signs You're Working in a Bad Restaurant," then "50 Signs You're an Asshole Customer." The first doesn't garner much attention, but the second . . .

Four hundred comments later, people are still wanking over:

-Whether it's acceptable to bring your own tea (look for Desert Princess, misspelled as Dessert Princess).
-Whether it's acceptable to leave a tip on a credit card that ends in a weird amount ($2.51 on a tab for $10.49).
-If you should tip on takeout.
-If asking about the music is okay.
-Why saying that you're allergic to an ingredient in order to get it taken out of your food is evil.
-How bitter "Waiter" has become.
-What is a 'normal' tip—fifteen or twenty percent.

Namecalling and accusations of elitism abound, and perhaps 1/4 of replies become non-wanky.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

gweniveeve
2007-03-26 04:04 am UTC (link)

I never had people bring their own of anything, but I would have seen it as weird. I mean, it's a restaurant. Sure, a six-pack of Coke is cheaper, but would you bring that to the restaurant instead of ordering the Coke they have there? Or your own beer? Or Lactaid milk? With tea, the server has to bring up the items you need to make the tea (or provide you with them, unless you came with your own glass, stirrer, ice if applicable, sugar). So the server / restaurant is "serving you" for something you're not paying for (and you probably won't be tipping extra in lieu of that drink either). Servers generally don't care if you order water, (I sure didn't) but most will think it's tacky to bring in your own beverage instead.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

squib
2007-03-26 05:09 am UTC (link)

All that my tea requires is a cup of hot water, which is free. I've never met a restaurant that carries high quality green tea (and not any of those wacky green tea + 99 other herbs teas), and that's what I need. It helps you digest food-- I'd assume they'd rather deal with bringing me a cup of hot water than me getting sick all over the table, yes? Can't for the life of me see how bringing tea bags makes someone an "asshole", and if they have to work that hard to find things to complain about, I'd recommend a job in a different field.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	mireille 2007-03-26 05:35 am UTC (link)
	The one commenter I saw said she didn't mind being charged for hot tea, though. So the restaurant isn't "serving her" for something she's not paying for--in fact, it's coming out a tiny bit ahead because she doesn't want their tea bag. (Reply to this)(Parent)

chibikaijuu
2007-03-26 06:31 pm UTC (link)

It really depends on what to server actually has to bring me, if I (hypothetically) order tea but bring my own tea bag. (I've never actually done this, as I rarely order tea unless I've gone out specifically to a place that has good tea, and bringing my own tea would require actually planning specifically to do so.) If all I ask for and get is a mug of hot water with a slice of lemon, I expect to be charged for a mug of hot water and a slice of lemon - that is, anywhere from nothing to 50 cents. If I'm actually getting a full tea service - cup, saucer, pot of hot water, sweetener that's not already on the table - then I expect to be charged as if I were actually ordering tea.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

(Read comments) -