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Regina Phalange
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 369,340
March 2008
Posts: 2,481
Layouts: 0
Loc: Steeler Country!
 |  Posted: 11/30/2012 11:25:43 PM
I'm just curious about how everyone would think in this situation.
DH and I went out to a fairly new restaurant. The food is really good, it was our second trip. It was almost 8:20pm when we got there and it was still pretty crowded. We were told a 20 minute wait but we were seated within five minutes.
We ordered an appetizer (boneless wings) and drinks the first time the waitress stopped at the table. When she brought us our drinks, we ordered our meals, that each came with a salad. After about five minutes our salads arrived (they were delicious and very generous for side salads) when we were half way through our salads she stopped to see if there was anything we needed. DH asked if our wings were coming. She mentioned they would be out soon, that the kitchen was a bit backed up because they had a large private party that they were cooking for and wanted to feed them all at once.
Right after she left to check on the wings, someone else brought them to the table. We ate those, and then we sat for another 15 minutes. Still no food. Waitress was great, brought us more refills, took our used plates, apologized again and mentioned the large party and that the kitchen was getting yelled at, and after another maybe 5 minutes after that they finally brought out our food. She again apologized profusely.
I'm going to guesstimate that the time the elapsed between us ordering our entrees to getting them was probably about 35-40 minutes. I figured that the restaurant would offer something...not charge us for drinks, discount the appetizer (I wouldn't expect it free, it was $10) because of the delay in getting our food, but they did not.
We will definitely go back again because their food is delicious, we will probably just avoid it on the weekend nights from now on.
Do you think the restaurant should have offered anything as an apology for the wait? We've been in this situation a time or two before, and it always seems that someone offers you something in return for the inconvenience. Part of me says that it shouldn't be a big deal because it was Friday night, and the other part of me says they shouldn't book large parties on busy nights if the kitchen can't handle it.
What do you all think? |
**Julie**
 
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
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GoBucks319
I PEA Scarlet and Gray!
PeaNut 262,367
May 2006
Posts: 10,497
Layouts: 8
Loc: Buckeye Nation
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katebroccoli
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 325,160
July 2007
Posts: 2,908
Layouts: 24
Loc: Well, I'm here, aren't I?
| Posted: 11/30/2012 11:32:15 PM
To be honest, that's about as long as it takes for us to get our meals anywhere around here (especially on weekend nights). I'd be really happy with the explanation and apology.  |
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scrapsuzy
ScraPEA Suzy the Purr-ple Pea
PeaNut 67,643
February 2003
Posts: 16,146
Layouts: 77
Loc: Peachtree City, GA
 | Posted: 11/30/2012 11:32:46 PM
Honestly? I don't think that was such a bad experience. In the 35-40 minutes you were waiting for your main meal, you had salads and an appetizer, AND the waitress apologized for your wait.
I wouldn't have expected anything at all, because that just doesn't seem like an unreasonable amount of time to me, unless you were sitting there with no salad, no appetizer, and no drink refills.
I really hope you didn't show your displeasure in your tip, as it doesn't sound like anything your waitress had any control over, and she was doing her job. |
*******
Suzanne
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a scrappin gal
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 208,960
June 2005
Posts: 2,474
Layouts: 12
Loc: Somewhere
 | Posted: 11/30/2012 11:33:53 PM
At least you got an apology, this is SOP around here on busy weekend nights. | |
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Regina Phalange
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 369,340
March 2008
Posts: 2,481
Layouts: 0
Loc: Steeler Country!
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Belia
PeaAddict
PeaNut 503,375
March 2011
Posts: 1,032
Layouts: 3
 | Posted: 11/30/2012 11:39:46 PM
I don't think the restaurant needed to do anything. Not hearing anything in your experience that would even come close to requiring compensation from the restaurant. | |
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JBeans
Tampons. Not just for Xmas ornaments anymore.
PeaNut 200,953
April 2005
Posts: 8,205
Layouts: 157
Loc: Between Diaperland and Snotsville
 | Posted: 11/30/2012 11:40:13 PM
They owe you nothing. I really don't believe your wait was all that bad considering you had appy's during your wait. |
Well Peas, I believe this thread has gone Thrusday.
"The Pot has not just met the Kettle, they are getting jiggy on the top of the stove." -Lanus | |
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jenp1024
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 51,697
October 2002
Posts: 5,991
Layouts: 9
Loc: Connecticut
| Posted: 11/30/2012 11:42:30 PM
That sounds like a perfectly normal restaurant experience on a busy weekend night. We experienced the same thing tonight and i never would think they "owe" me anything. | |
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Regina Phalange
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 369,340
March 2008
Posts: 2,481
Layouts: 0
Loc: Steeler Country!
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~SuburbanMom~
Wannabe FNPea!
PeaNut 82,318
April 2003
Posts: 8,995
Layouts: 35
Loc: In my garden
| Posted: 11/30/2012 11:46:28 PM
So it was 30-40 minutes from the time you ordered and got your entrees? But in the mean time you got salad and wings? That actually seem fast! How quickly do you eat? If I'm going out to a nice dinner with several courses I expect it to last a few hours... I hate dining and dashing... |
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Regina Phalange
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 369,340
March 2008
Posts: 2,481
Layouts: 0
Loc: Steeler Country!
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WinoGirl
PeaAddict
PeaNut 511,446
June 2011
Posts: 1,170
Layouts: 0
Loc: Saint Louis
 | Posted: 12/1/2012 12:05:24 AM
So it was 30-40 minutes from the time you ordered and got your entrees? But in the mean time you got salad and wings? That actually seem fast!
I know!! That sounds like damn good service, especially considering the place is both new and crowded.
I hate it when the entrees are brought out before salads and apps are finished. We are in a RESTaurant, not a fast food joint.
Dh I and eat out a lot and if we ordered both apps and salads, we fully expect and enjoy spending at least one hour or maybe two in the restaurant. Just make sure our drinks don't run out.
Hope the server got a good tip!
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cmpeter
PEAceful Pea
PeaNut 14,521
April 2001
Posts: 34,354
Layouts: 31
Loc: Washington State
 | Posted: 12/1/2012 12:07:06 AM
I wouldn't have expected anything.
We went out last weekend and the wait for our food was pretty long, but not quite long enough to really be an issue. However our waitress was beside herself. She comped two of our four entrees. We were pretty surprised and it's not something that would have even been on our radar. |
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enjoytotheend
AncestralPea
PeaNut 359,333
January 2008
Posts: 4,030
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/1/2012 12:16:41 AM
Definitely not a bad wait time. I think they handled things in a good manner. | |
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CarolT
Slow Poke Pea
PeaNut 857
June 1999
Posts: 5,104
Layouts: 37
Loc: Central Florida
 | Posted: 12/1/2012 12:25:02 AM
Unless we told the server that we were in a rush or had a schedule to keep (maybe going to the movies or something), I wouldn't be upset in the least. I love having a chance to take my time in a restaurant, especially if you've got salads and appetizers to eat.
I wouldn't have expected anything to be removed from the bill.
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Bumpea
BucketHead
PeaNut 487,882
November 2010
Posts: 652
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/1/2012 12:33:07 AM
I think your meal experience sounds lovely, to be honest. And that comes from someone who refuses to ever, EVER eat out on a weekend.
Around here, that's the average for a Tuesday or a Thursday. Friday - Sunday? Gawd. It takes an hour to just get sat at a table.
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busypea
boring + nerdy
PeaNut 52,817
October 2002
Posts: 25,147
Layouts: 145
Loc: Oregon
| Posted: 12/1/2012 12:40:57 AM
That sounds like a pretty normal wait for a table having apps, salads and entrées. | |
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pennyring
Thrift Ninja
PeaNut 226,011
October 2005
Posts: 22,412
Layouts: 40
Loc: Rite Aid
| Posted: 12/1/2012 12:42:20 AM
The only "annoying" part of the experience is what I would perceive to be a "lie" about the wait time to be seated.
Sometimes I think the hostess is trying to get rid of people by telling them the wait is super long. There's one place we frequented for awhile where one particular hostess would tell you "45 minutes". Then she'd disappear, and our name would be called after 5 minutes.
I understand under-promising and over-producing, but that's ridiculous. And it wasn't just once either. I think she just wanted people to go away.
Oh, and while she was telling us "45 minutes" we could see half a dozen empty tables directly behind her. Hmmmm...
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lovestorun
PeaNut 90,754
June 2003
Posts: 6,972
Layouts: 38
Loc: So Cal
 | Posted: 12/1/2012 2:06:12 AM
I'm in the minority, you think she'd have offered you a dessert or something. Especially because you were asking about your food, and that indicates you were concerned/unhappy. If you didn't want dessert, your app would at least get comped. $10 is worth eating for the restaurant in order for you to return and keep spending more $$$, and for you to not badmouth them. Especially since they are new!
We are in a RESTaurant, not a fast food joint.
You're also not camping (aka staying in a table so long I may as well grab you a sleeping bag) .... or in a Starbucks. Eat, but once you're done chowing down, it's time for the next table to be sat. ESPECIALLY on a weekend night! That or you pay for your real estate (IE: tip double or triple if you stay for 2 or 3 hours...aka what your server could have made had you decided not to set up shop in their section). | |
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recap.pea
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 288,074
December 2006
Posts: 2,970
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/1/2012 6:56:25 AM
Do you think the restaurant should have offered anything as an apology for the wait?
The waitress was apologetic, explained the situation, she provided good service, you got your salad promptly and you had wings to eat while waiting on your entree, which you enjoyed. Plus it was 8:30 on a Friday night, a busy time for restaurants . . .
So no.... I don't feel like you were due any more than that. I wouldn't expect a discount or compensation of any kind. |
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liya
BucketHead
PeaNut 311,281
April 2007
Posts: 551
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/1/2012 7:00:55 AM
I didn't read the other replies but after reading your post I thought...that seems like a great restaurant.
We're you in a hurry? I hate being rushed through a meal. It seems like you got your salad, then appetizer, then meal. You were able to finish one course before the rushed the next to you.
I would definitely go back. | |
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Gsquaredmom
One step closer to Pea hD
PeaNut 259,367
April 2006
Posts: 7,946
Layouts: 0
Loc: Chicago suburbs
| Posted: 12/1/2012 7:04:16 AM
I think your service was excellent. |
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Spongemom Scrappants
HRH pilates teaching wino ball of fun
PeaNut 297,141
February 2007
Posts: 10,614
Layouts: 31
Loc: South Carolina
| Posted: 12/1/2012 7:09:42 AM
I think your experience sounds very typical for a full restaurant. It would seem that people have become so accustomed to fast food that we've forgotten what it means to "dine." It actually sounds like a rather pleasant evening.
Certainly no compensation was required, in my opinion. |
Angie
Where the boys are... my new husband, my four sons and my boy cat.
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UkSue
AncestralPea
PeaNut 428,374
June 2009
Posts: 4,229
Layouts: 2
Loc: Greater London
 | Posted: 12/1/2012 7:17:29 AM
We have been offered free drinks when we have have had to wait in the situation you describe: the fact they kept mentioning the private party was an indication that THEY thought their service was too slow,so a free ( alcoholic!) drink wouldn't have gone amiss with me in that situation! |
| Love is short, forgetting is long, and understanding longer still. | |
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TREZmom
Lost and Found in Pea-land
PeaNut 138,098
March 2004
Posts: 5,808
Layouts: 2
Loc: NC but wishing I was somewhere else
| Posted: 12/1/2012 7:24:51 AM
They don't owe you anything. When you go out to eat, waiting is part of the game. We're usually a party of six and just getting seated is a challenge. That's the reason, we rarely eat out. | |
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Peabay
Happy now?
PeaNut 156,993
July 2004
Posts: 44,638
Layouts: 13
Loc: Connecticut
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:17:23 AM
Another one who thinks they didn't owe you anything. I probably wouldn't go back on a weekend! |
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elaine226
PeaNut
PeaNut 559,661
July 2012
Posts: 301
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:26:01 AM
If anything the waitress needed a really good tip. She handled the situation very well. | |
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babybeansmom
gimme a diet coke and nobody gets hurt!
PeaNut 218,205
August 2005
Posts: 6,180
Layouts: 3
Loc: vacuuming....again!
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:34:27 AM
For a busy night with a big party, that seems pretty normal to me. I love some "wait time" between apps, salad, and entrees. | |
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Long ago Barney
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 141,410
April 2004
Posts: 7,989
Layouts: 0
Loc: Arizona
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:43:01 AM
Having owned a good sized restaurant for several years, we would not have offered it. If customer was upset maybe but you did not sound upset. |
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pretzels
AncestralPea
PeaNut 479,777
August 2010
Posts: 4,433
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:45:35 AM
It sounds like a reasonable time for a night out. I wouldn't expect anything. |
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irishscrappermom8
AncestralPea
PeaNut 220,508
August 2005
Posts: 4,533
Layouts: 52
Loc: IL
| Posted: 12/1/2012 9:22:30 AM
No...I've waited that long for my entree and you did have drinks, salad and an appetizer. Plus, your waitress let you knows about the issues.
ETA: it is the beginning of the holiday season so you are going to run into large parties. And who knows how demanding a larger party or really any guests might get?
If anything on a Friday night you need to understand its going to be busier than normal and suck it up. |
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gmcwife1
SamFan
PeaNut 33,625
March 2002
Posts: 7,963
Layouts: 0
Loc: Washington State
 | Posted: 12/1/2012 10:12:47 AM
Do you think the restaurant should have offered anything as an apology for the wait?
What do you all think?
I don't think they should have offered anything at all. What you experienced was quick for a Friday night and during the holiday season.
It would never occur to me to even think of expecting anything for what you experienced.
~ Dori ~
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**JoJam**
Peace Out Girl Scout
PeaNut 80,420
April 2003
Posts: 9,839
Layouts: 75
Loc: monitoring lucy
| Posted: 12/1/2012 10:31:38 AM
I'm another one who thinks you got good service--the waitress addressed your concerns when you asked--and brought out your food and drinks when they were ready. It's not like she was out back smoking a cigarette while your food was sitting around under the lamps.
It wasn't just a large party, it was a private party, looked like a Christmas Party. I think if you are going to be booking a private room that your kitchen should be able to handle the load without disrupting the service in the main dining room, no?
What is the kitchen supposed to do--order more ovens, grills, and fryers? There is only so much room in each one, and if you want to have your food prepared fresh, you might have to wait on a busy night. |
ttfnjoanna
***********
"Like what you do, do what you like."--Life is Good
"I've made some empty promises in my life. That was by far the most generous." Micheal Scott. | |
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SherryD10
PeaNut
PeaNut 273,504
August 2006
Posts: 359
Layouts: 0
Loc: Wisconsin
| Posted: 12/1/2012 10:55:07 AM
The Only thing I see here coming from a catering standpoint is that they should have had adequate staff in the kitchen to handle the large party if the had adequate knowledge that they were coming in. The extra kitchen staff should have been exclusively for the large party.
Your service was great. She apologized for the wait and was efficient in serving you!!!
Hope you go back again.... | |
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WinoGirl
PeaAddict
PeaNut 511,446
June 2011
Posts: 1,170
Layouts: 0
Loc: Saint Louis
| Posted: 12/1/2012 11:05:33 AM
We are in a RESTaurant, not a fast food joint.
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You're also not camping (aka staying in a table so long I may as well grab you a sleeping bag) .... or in a Starbucks. Eat, but once you're done chowing down, it's time for the next table to be sat. ESPECIALLY on a weekend night! That or you pay for your real estate (IE: tip double or triple if you stay for 2 or 3 hours...aka what your server could have made had you decided not to set up shop in their section).
You are ASSUMING (and you know what they say about assuming) people are waiting for our table. We don't go to restaurants where we are expected to "chow down" and are herded about like cattle carrying stupid red buzzers. (Except I do agree to go to Red Lobster once per year to appease dh  ) Plus we tend to eat earlier before places get crowded.
It would seem that people have become so accustomed to fast food that we've forgotten what it means to "dine."
ITA with Spongemom Scrappants.
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Rhondito
MississiPEA
PeaNut 40,147
June 2002
Posts: 23,610
Layouts: 2
Loc: Flowood, Mississippi
| Posted: 12/1/2012 11:06:06 AM
Our dinners usually last about an hour if that.
So... that sounds like the length of this meal? |
Rhonda
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*Delphinium Twinkle*
I'm just a pea:)
PeaNut 163,613
August 2004
Posts: 68,123
Layouts: 236
Loc: *Sunny Southern California*
| Posted: 12/1/2012 11:30:11 AM
That happens to us often at cheesecake factory and sometimes even at Rubys diner.
I find it irritating especially when the tables near is that were seated way after us get their meals 15 minutes before we do and we've only ordered salad 
Honestly, if we've asked where our food was, mentioned the other tables getting theirs and nothing happens... I tip accordingly.
The manager should at least cone over and apologize. If he/she doesn't, o figure the waitress didn't tell and it's on her |
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BEF2008
PeaFixture
PeaNut 183,504
January 2005
Posts: 3,918
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/1/2012 11:55:30 AM
Wow. There was nothing about your experience that sounded out of line to me. Nothing. | |
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LisaEDesign
PeaAddict
PeaNut 439,654
September 2009
Posts: 1,092
Layouts: 209
Loc: NC
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:17:22 PM
As long as your entrees were as you ordered and served hot, they don't owe you anything. We waited that long for the daily special at a local restaurant recently and the food was lukewarm when it came. We got lots of apologies but nothing else and we will not go back. It wasn't so much the wait but the nearly cold food. I have a thing about hot food being served hot. |
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Leone
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 27,235
January 2002
Posts: 5,807
Layouts: 0
Loc: Margaritaville at The Islands (Gilbert, AZ)
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:31:25 PM
The restaurant did not owe you anything. | |
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julieberg
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 160,179
July 2004
Posts: 6,441
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:44:02 PM
I honestly can't believe you would even ask. DH recently ordered a large salad and a turkey burger to share and they gave us a regular burger. When I questioned it, there was barely an apology. The waitress saw they we had each eaten some and didn't even offer a new correct burger. Nope,didn't even comp the burger. That is bad service. | |
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squillen
Tier 1 Baking Pea
PeaNut 133,550
February 2004
Posts: 39,550
Layouts: 321
Loc: Hudson Valley, NY
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:51:00 PM
It wasn't just a large party, it was a private party, looked like a Christmas Party. I think if you are going to be booking a private room that your kitchen should be able to handle the load without disrupting the service in the main dining room, no?
You said this is a fairly new restaurant. Perhaps this is the first time these cooks and servers have been under the pressure of a private party and regular diners on a weekend night? It's hard to know. I think your server did a great job. She let you know about the party early enough that you could have cancelled your entrees if you wanted to.
As a parent of young girls, I'd be overjoyed for a long dinner!! That means a longer date night without my kids. |
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back to *pea*ality
PeaFixture
PeaNut 471,633
June 2010
Posts: 3,700
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/1/2012 8:59:54 PM
Another in the camp - they don't owe you anything.
Honestly, if you ordered your meal when you got your appetizer and cocktail, then had a salad, if the entree came any sooner I would have felt they were rushing things. | |
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