Your meal will be there..eventually

[Mytical]

Ok..still finding my way around in the site, so if this isn't in the right place..please let me know.

A little while ago I posted a thread about the best service, now the other side of the coin.

Me and a couple of friends go out to breakfast. (two others and me). We get to the place, it is kind of slow..so we are seated really quickly. We are warned that the kitchen is a bit understaffed and food might take awhile. We have no problem with that, we are not in any hurry.

So we order, get our drinks. Everything is fine. An hour and a half passes, nobody has checked on us, told us anything..and we decide to get a refill..or try. We finally get somebody's attention, ask politely for refills. Some times passes, and our server comes out SLAMS down the glasses and huffs. "Your food will be out shortly." None of us even mentioned the food. Ok they've just had a bad day..probably lots of SC's..and their temper is a bit short ... no problem.

Another hour and a half passes. Nobody has checked on us, or anything. Again..we decide to get refills. Again, same thing happens. About 10 minutes later a manager comes out and the following conversation takes place.

M - Me of course.
TM - Tired Manager.

TM - Is there anything else we can get you?
M - Well, we are waiting on some food.
TM - *blinks, goes back in kitchen, comes back out and blinks again* I'm sorry we don't seem to have an order for you.
M - We've been waiting for food for 3 hours.
TM - You are joking? Tell me you are joking?
M - Afraid not.

TM takes our orders again and we get our food in 30 minutes. Not even an attempt at an apology. Yes we paid, without complaining, and left. I am afraid the tip was not so good though.

Edit : The TM apparently thought we had ordered three drinks and just nursed them for 3 hours...

[Whiskey]

TM takes our orders again and we get our food in 30 minutes. Not even an attempt at an apology. Yes we paid, without complaining, and left. I am afraid the tip was not so good though.

I would have out right left after an hour. I would have not paid and complained after three hours. I'd still call and complain. An understaffed kitchen doesnt equate that kind of service or wait.

[Willis]

How could you wait for 3 hours? You said it was slow too, that place had no excuse. I can understand not being in a rush but 3 hours, no way in the world. Plus the waitress had an attitude, didn't even put your order in, the cook lost the slip whatever happened. I couldn't see myself wanting to pay for that kind of service. I wouldn't have actually because I would've said to hell with it and left after about half an hour tops. It wasn't busy so why wait longer? I don't even know about 30 mins since I worked as a cook for a couple years when I was 18-20 that was back in 1996-98 or so. I don't remember the "preferred" time limit range we had but breakfast was the fastest around 6 minutes or so. But yea, I'm with Whiskey on this one.

[Bright_Star]

I would have said something to somebody after a half hour. There's no way I'd ever wait 3 hours to get served my meal. You have the patience of a saint...lol.

[ArcticChicken]

I can see myself waiting 3 hours for food. In a restaurant I love, if the service was good. I cannot imagine waiting for 3 hours in a place where the waiter never came by to check on us.

[LillFilly]

I wonder if the waitstaff forgot to put your order in, or it got lost between there and the kitchen. Or I wonder if they didn't want to be bothered and just told the TM 'No, they haven't ordered anything.'

It should have been free IMO. But you are a saint though!

[TexasT]

I could see myself waiting 3 hours depending on the two friends and the conversation. You know the whole time flies when you're having fun thing? I've had times where a good friend and I were talking and all the sudden it was 3 am when I got to his place a 7pm. So, yeah, I may not be normal.

[Hyndis]

The only time I've ever, ever done a "dine and dash" was at a place that took at least 2 hours to get served food. I'm not sure how long it takes to get a meal out, or if they're still working on it even to this day. After 2 hours of failing to get anyone's attention or get served anything but drinks I simply left in disgust.

The only thing they managed to get out to me was a soda and a water. Thats it. No refills either. The rest of the food? No idea, ordered it but never saw it. And I simply could not find anyone who worked there, or they were just avoiding me.

Most horrible, horrible restaurant experience ever.

[Amina516]

I wouldnt have waited 3 hrs. After the first 1.5 hrs (and only that long had I been feeling particularly patient) I wouldve left. Thats bullshit. And that waitress needed a boot up the ass.

[Ironclad Alibi]

If I had been waiting 1.5 hours, I would have been through about a dozen refills. Of course, my wife would have read them the riot act long before then.

[chikenlady]

The manager should have comped your meals and you shouldn't have had to wait another 30 minutes. Unless you ordered something that takes that long to cook which I can't really think of anything.

[Android Kaeli]

I get the understaffed part, I'm sure that everyone here has known the feeling of it at some point or another (I know I have). However, unless it's a super special meal,something that takes several hours to cook, or there was only one cook running the show, meals out shouldn't take more then a half hour to fifty minutes to cook.

Even then the server should have come back and said that it's taking a bit longer then normal, offer refills, and then kept checking.

[Seshat]

My usual tactic when something is taking unusually long is to ask 'is everything alright with my order?'

I've been known to say "just making sure I haven't been forgotten", in a pleasant sort of tone.

3 hours is crazy, though. Depending on the meal (ie, a well done steak in the order would make me more patient than a double order of scrambled eggs), I'd be prompting the waitress at half an hour to 45 minutes, and asking for the manager between an hour to an hour and a half.

[PepperElf]

indeed after 1.5 hours id say pay for the drinks and say "see ya"

i mean im very patient but... not THAT patient

[Mytical]

I have been told I do have the patience of a saint , but it was mostly the conversation that kept me there. What I don't get, however, is the fact that 10 minutes before the manager came out the server mentioned our food would be right out (for the second time). Have no clue what happened between then and the TM coming out.

What surprised me, in honesty, is that my two friends didn't raise a fuss about the wait. Besides telling me that if I try to take them to that place again, I would be sorry.