Liquid Ass

[Anakah]

The hubbie and I went to our favorite coffee place. We love their coffee and they've always been nice.

Well, we actually got there in time for lunch and decided to try it for the first time. The waitress came for our drink order while we looked at the menu.

I ordered a rootbeer, the hubs got coke. The waitress brought out two cans and two cups with ice. Which was weird--we're used to fountain drinks but still no qualms there.

Now, hubbie poured his drink first and took a drink. He said nothing to me. I drank mine and apparently the look on my face was comical. The soda tasted like liquid ass. Like the bottles were REALLY old or something cuz it was flat and nasty!

His was even grosser than mine-- I took a sip. The waitress came back and (we hate saying stuff but this was just undrinkable) we told her the soda's weren't too good and so she brought us back different ones. SAME problem!

She then asked us if it was just us. Like our tastes buds were defective. I was slightly annoyed by it but we had been sick a few days earlier... After that I nicely asked for some water.

Waitress: We will have to charge you for the water though.

It wasn't some ploy to get free drinks. I wanted something that didn't make my tastes buds run for the hills. They must have a stockpile of bad soda or something. The soda's were warm thus why they give you a glass of ice but something wasn't right....

She gave us the water--atleast that didn't have an ass taste. There was a comment card and we said everything was great but we did leave a note saying how the soda wasn't so good. I didn't want to make a huge scene but I'd like something good since I'm paying for it...

The food was really good though. They didn't have prices on the menu which bothered me...

Were we sucky? That and we felt cheap. Our meal was $20, so we tipped $7. We thought that was a good amount until they told us that they split it between five people! We thought it was only the waitress... So I felt embarassed as the cashier was taking the tip we gave and splitting it five different ways infront of us... I felt like a cheap ass. I dunno, am I overreacting!?

[jnd4rusty]

I think the waitress was uncouth if you ask me!! You don't count or split your tips in front of the patrons and she did this on purpose to con you out of more money!! Her behavior has a lot to be desired, I would have asked for a manager about the beverages, maybe their soda fountain was not working and the cola company gave them canned soda to use in the mean time. Since it tasted flat and nasty then the manager should have been made aware of the situation. Your tip was more than enough!!

[Draco]

That and we felt cheap. Our meal was $20, so we tipped $7. We thought that was a good amount until they told us that they split it between five people! We thought it was only the waitress... So I felt embarassed as the cashier was taking the tip we gave and splitting it five different ways infront of us... I felt like a cheap ass. I dunno, am I overreacting!?

Why feel cheap? It's not your fault that's how they handle tips there. You were more than generous. Especially with her attitude and thinking it went originally to JUST her.

[blas]

Yeah, I had to learn after a couple of Fridays ago, no pity tips or even halfway decent tips for bad attitudes and bad service.

[fma_fanatic]

Actually, I'm just wondering why you didn't ask for whoever happened to be in charge. The fact that you both got sodas that were bad, and from your description, past the freshness date, makes me wonder about what else they serve.

I would suggest calling and seeing if you can let them know that the soda is bad. Heck, use the description you told us. It may sound juvenile or uncouth, but honestly, if that's the best way you can describe it, it may just get the point across.

[Sapphire Silk]

You gave her a 35% tip when you weren't satisfied with your drinks.

You went over and above IMHO.

Typically at restaurants, the waitress gives a percentage of her tips to the busboys or so I've heard. If they're splitting tips further than that, that is not your problem as a customer.

Sodas do have a shelf life. If they served you old sodas, that would explain it. Or maybe it was just a bad batch. I'd have asked HER to taste them, and watched her expression very carefully.

[Catwoman2965]

She was way out of line telling you HOW tips are split. I definitely think she was trying to scam you out of more $$. If the restaurant's policy is they split it 5 ways (unless she was just telling you that) - not your problem.

[wagegoth]

Next time, don't try to be polite and say something is kinda bad when it's really bad. Make clear how bad it is. If the waitperson won't fix it, ask for the manager. And I think you way overtipped for the service you received. Next time, get the food to go.

[MaggieTheCat]

You're way too nice. I wouldn't have tipped her as much as you did in the first place since (to me) she seemed pretty rude, telling you your taste buds were off and that she was going to charge you for water (was it at least bottled?) And think about the tips this way: If she's splitting her tips 5 ways, then she's also getting 1/5 of everyone else's tips. If they really do that, it probably evens out in the end. Either way, there's no rule anywhere that says you have to tip more if an establishment splits tips; that's just ridiculous.

[HappyFun Ball]

Yeah, you were being overly nice.. I wouldnt've tipped that much and probably would've asked for some of it back when they tried that guilt trip "We split the tips 5 ways" crap on me.

[chainedbarista]

you were too generous; she was a piss poor waitress, and as everyone else has said, how they treat tips is not your problem.

she should be grateful she gets anything at all; i also agree with the statement:

The fact that you both got sodas that were bad, and from your description, past the freshness date, makes me wonder about what else they serve.

made by fma_fanatic. when they serve something questionable, i wonder what else they try to get away with.

[Anakah]

I think the hubbie and I are overly afraid of being a sucky customer and won't properly stick up for ourselves. The water wasn't even bottled. We made sure to ask if it was tap but I'm sure it was. Twenty bucks was actually pretty expensive for what we got too. There wasn't a lot of food on either of our plates. I mean the food tasted awesome but we probably won't eat there ever again.

It's under new management and I wonder if that's the problem. They had always told us in the past if there is something wrong say something but it kind of feels like the attitude has changed since new ownership. The coffees aren't as good either.

I hope our comment card made it to the manager. We did talk about the nasty drinks. I don't think the place has fountain drinks--I'm pretty sure its always canned. I wanted to tell her to try one but I'm sure she'd say it tasted just fine.

Yeah now that I think about it--it really isn't appropriate to split the tips right infront of us... I guess I just over look things because I am bad at confrontations.

[surreal20]

Mathematically speaking, you tipped over 20% of the bill. So you are just fine in the tipping. They should never have told you how they split it in the first place.

Most places pull tips between several people. Don't always assume it's for just the servers. 8 out of 10 times, it's a pull tip system.

You were fine in what you did.

[XCashier]

I think the hubbie and I are overly afraid of being a sucky customer and won't properly stick up for ourselves.

That's the one problem with this site. We read so many horror stories that we resolve to NOT be SCs, and tend to go too far in the other direction; putting up with garbage that nobody should have to put up with, and thinking we're the sucky ones for complaining about stale, flat, past-date soda, surly service or other bad things.

[fma_fanatic]

That's the one problem with this site. We read so many horror stories that we resolve to NOT be SCs, and tend to go too far in the other direction; putting up with garbage that nobody should have to put up with, and thinking we're the sucky ones for complaining about stale, flat, past-date soda, surly service or other bad things.

I think so. There's a fine line between snarling because the soda wasn't fountain and the soda being bad. There's nothing wrong with letting people know that soda is bad. Goodness knows how many times we've gotten soda that doesn't have the syrup in it because it's run out and just tastes like seltzer water.

There's nothing wrong with letting them know it's a problem. I'd have liked to see her face if you had her taste the soda and she tried not to give a sour look.

Also - charging for tap water? That would make me cross the line from nice to "hell no, get your manager out here now."