I would love to help you, if you let me...(a bit long)

[Magpie]

What? Their staff? Everyone knows that a wizard's staff has a knob on the end.

It's a shame all they do with it is magic.

http://www.lspace.org/fandom/songs/wizards-staff.html

[Jester]

Okay, I asked them twice. Why couldn't they have said something?

But still, I don't know why she told two people.

Okay, you're in a college hospitality program, which means you are probably new to working a restaurant.

I have worked in restaurants and bars since 1986, from basic diner types all the way up to fine dining, and everything in between.

And I am here to tell you that the behavior you describe is sadly not uncommon. People will often say "everything's fine" throughout the meal, and then complain about something at the end of the meal, when you really can't fix it.

You were lucky. These ladies were pleasant about it. I have seen people get downright nasty (towards myself and coworkers) after having told us everything was fine up till that time.

If you plan on making a career in the hospitality industry, get used to shit like this. It does happen. It will happen. It will continue to happen.

I have friends that refuse to tip unless the person serving them is the one getting the tip.

Does that include when they are dealing with staff that pools tips? When there are more than one of us behind the bar at The Bar for a shift, we pool tips. I may be the only person that people A through M deal with. My coworker may be handling N-Z. But we throw all the tips into a communal tip bucket, that we split down the middle either at the end of the shift, or when one of us is cut. That is common practice in bars.

Would this prevent your friends from tipping, because their bartender would only get half the tip (even though they are getting half the tips from the other bartender's customers as well)?

I think that Seshat is probably right about this; the entire story just doesn't make sense otherwise.

Since when do SC's have to make sense!??!?!?!?