Restaurant Experiences

Just want to share a few experiences we had in restaurants.

 

We went to a name brand Mexican Restaurant on Mother’s Day.  It was very crowded.  We waited for 45 minutes at the bar since they don’t take reservations.  Finally we were seated.  Ordered drinks.  Then ordered dinner.  I ordered enchilada with rice and beans.  My wife did the same.  Finally, after a long time, the food arrived.  It was enchilada with rice and a salad (instead of beans).  Asked the waiter where was the beans.  She said they ran out of beans and therefore substituted salad.  I asked “are you kidding? Mexican restaurant running out of beans?”  She said unfortunately yes.

 

It is like a Punjabi Dhaba running out of dhal.  Or a restaurant in Chennai running out of Idli during morning breakfast time. We declined to eat and left the restaurant to a nearby Italian. (We may have agreed for the substitution if the waiter had informed us about this before bringing the dinner.)  Did not pay for the drinks.  They did not ask either.

 

This happened in a restaurant on our visit to London.  This restaurant is near Victoria Station.  We (me, wife, and 2 kids) wanted to order pizza.  We were skeptical about the size of pizza in that restaurant.  Therefore, we asked the waiter to show us the size of a large pizza.  He brought a sample.  We were shocked.  It was a little less than the size of an oothappam.  In USA, if you order a large pizza, it will be enough for almost 3 people.

 

We ordered 6 large pizzas.

 

My wife and I were visiting Paris.  At that time, my brother was living in Paris and therefore did not have to stay in a hotel.  One evening we went to a restaurant for dinner.   That evening it was very windy and raining.  The service was poor.  What can we expect?  We all know French restaurants have the worst service in the world.  One guy wrote and I quote:

 

French person offering service, is not your friend. I've been served in California by people who seemed to be offering me their body when all I'd ordered was a glass of seaweed and echinacea juice. You won't get that in France.

 

“Sometimes getting good service in France can feel a bit like non-consensual sex.”

 

My brother was pissed off.  So his wife and my wife and me.  We were given a table near the door.  Whenever some one comes in or goes out, the door will open and the rain and wind will hit on us.  The food was mediocre.  Finally, when the bill came, my brother did not want to leave a tip.  I told him that if we don’t leave a tip the management will think Indians do not have manners to leave a tip.  I said in order to express our displeasure we should leave a tip of one cent.  He did that.

 

This is funny.  This happened in a restaurant in Chennai.  We went for dinner in a restaurant.  At the end, we gave a very generous tip to the waiter.  We usually tip American style, i.e. 10% to 15% of the bill.  By chance, we went to the same restaurant 3 days later for dinner.  The same waiter recognized us and started to wait on us.  He brought the dinner.  He wanted to pay extra attention and give excellent service. 

Therefore, while we were eating, he stood very close to our table.   We felt so uneasy.  After a few minutes, I told the waiter “if you move back 3 feet, I will put in an extra Rs.25 in your tip”. He moved back.

 

Love to hear from you any unusual experience in a restaurant.