Good waiters/waitresses, service people, and bartenders can either make me feel special by taking care of me (which I compensate well via good tips) or they can ruin my night.
At the Valentine's Scotch Doubles Tourney I wrote about, the owner and waitresses were the BEST ever. They not only were attentive, they also thanked every person for coming - they went out of their way to even introduce themselves, all the while providing exceptional customer service by being conscientious to all their patrons the whole night.
However.... this other pool room was a different story. I've been there three Mondays in about two months for a weekly tournament. Well, the third time I went, I finally had to say something to the manager on duty about the inconsiderate waitress.
I would be sitting at the tall tables, between the bar and the pool tables, and the waitress would never stop and ask me i I wanted anything. "Are you thirsty? Need a drink? Need to order some food?"
Nothing.
I almost got a complex, lol, til I noticed she just wasn't a good waitress to anyone.
And I don't get that. When I was a waitress for those six months in college, I busted my arse to make money. Does this over-bleached young lady not realize she could make more money if she was attentive to every patron she walked by?
After the third visit, I finally decided (as I stood at the bar too long (lol)), that I should say something to the manager about the lack of service.
I was very nice but expressed to him my concerns.
"Can I ask why the waitress doesn't ask me if I want to order anything? She walks by me all night."
He replied, "Really? Maybe she thinks you have a tab with the bar? But, even then, she still should have asked to make sure."
I added, "I have been here three times now, and every night she remains unattentive to the patrons at the tall tables. She just walks by like we aren't there."
He explained, "I will talk to her. She needs to realize taking orders from that area could mean an extra $40-$60 a night for her, too."
Exactly.
I then told him, "I don't mean to complain, but I like this place and I think you should know I'd rather talk to my friends about how great it is, not that the service is bad." I really did like the atmosphere and wanted to come back,and I didn't want him to lose patrons over this so I said something to try and help.
He thanked me for sharing my concerns with him, instead of just not coming back again. He obviously didn't want to lose customers and for that I appreciated his acceptance of my comments.
I felt bad I kinda complained about her as I don't want her to "get in trouble" but let's face it, she's not helping herself or his business by being a bad waitress.
I think it's important to not only share concerns, but to express when people provide exceptional service. It's sometimes rare, so those excellent waiters and waitresses I compliment and even talk to their bosses. I think we complain too much in this world and not give enough compliments. Let's not take good customer service for granted, folks!
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