Is this an age related thing?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Is this an age related thing?
1277
Thu, 04-12-2007 - 9:45am

(Totally OT, not SAH/WOH related, so feel free to not respond)


I went out with 5 other women to dinner last night.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-15-2006
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 4:55pm

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Not really excellent service really does not come down to seperating checks, it comes down to knowing your product and staying on top of your tables, maybe in your area, splitting check means excellent service, in my area the food the concept and what the wait staff knows about the products ect and handles the ppl at the tables implies excellent service. Not splitting a check for cashing out.
Then agian we dont need to split checks to provide excellent service. Thanks GOODNESS!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 4:58pm

>>No I will not have them charge it twice. They go to the machine, type in all the amounts, tell me the total of all the amounts, and it is one charge. <<

actually, with computers these days (the majority of) waitstaff doesn't punch in the amount for a credit sale. the card swipe is in the computer - so the server pulls up the table number, hits "close" chosses "visa/mastercard" whatever and then swipes the card. so its more likely that you have now forced teh server to unsplit the two checks so she can close it all at once - which is what she should have been doing in the first place.

>> Yet it's not poor manners to hand over one bill without asking if they wanted one bill?<<

no! its not! LOL. if the customer failed to request seperate checks, then they will get ONE check. exactly how many resteraunts do you go to that ask if the table wants one check, and/or if on check isn't requested will automatically split it for you? and how exactly does that staff decide what order goes on which check? how do they decide who is to pay for teh appetizer, the split desserts, or split entrees? how is the server supposed to know who is paying for the bottle wine, and who isn't?

and why is it the responsability of the server to guess who wants to pay for what? thats the responsability of teh customer.

i have to say that i have *NEVER* and i mean it - never! - been to a resteraunt that automatically splits your checks by person. i've been to resteraunts that allow the splitting of checks, at the request of the customers - but never a resteraunt that just does it instead of putting it on one tab.

matter of fact, ive never even heard of that as policy.

>>If there is one bill handed over, couldn't things get awakward? Like on a date it's the "do I reach for it and pay or are we going to split it or is he/she going to reach for it" awkardness. lol.<<

uh - no. no awkwardness at all. if i invite someone out to dinner, it is proper to pay for them. if they insist on paying a portion, thats their choice and they may do so. but ona date, its customary for the person who initiated the date to pay for it, unless other arrangements have been made. there have been times when i've invited someone out and they insisted on paying at leats a portion of the bill. it usually goes something like

"no, this is my treat"
"but i insist, let me at least pay teh tip"
"ok".

done. if its a dutch thing, one person looks ta the bill, then hands it to the date. they both cough up the money needed.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2006
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 5:05pm

If you paid attention, the reason why we got into this long argument was because one poster said she could print out 8 checks with one button click. You called her a liar by telling her what she said wasn't true. I proved it to you over and over and over why what she said was possible. You are changing your story non stop, refuse to answer questions to provide any of your claims any basis, then try to pass yourself off as more knowledgeable than me in software development.

NOT ONCE did i say I could run a restaurant at all, let alone better than you. All I said is I know the ins and outs of software and what goes on behind the scenes better. If you read all the posts to you instead of ignoring them (Which you admitted to doing too BTW)

Again, if you paid attention you wouldn't need to get all persnickety.

If you offered any evidence to support your theories, you wouldn't look to ignorant on the subjects.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 5:13pm

>>Then your experiences aren't really all that relevant to people living in much lower COL areas. And I have no idea why the cost of entrees in one area are even relevant to this discussion.<<

i mentioned it becaue i was flabbergasted at the idea of dinner costing $7. and also to make a note of the fact that large bills were not neccesarily a hinderance at a resteraunt that has high priced food.

>>But we were talking about having the *right* amount of cash on hand. I can bring an extra 20, but that won't make my tab fit with the $20s I have in my wallet.<<

why would you only carry $20's though? thats not your only option. you can carry $10's, and $5's, and even $1's. or $50's and $100's if you want to. and even if you still have a $20, it won't stop the server from being able to break it, or being able to combine it with other $20's and have the server be able to break it and bring back change.

>>Certainly the waitress has no obligation to help me decide how to pay my bill. So, if I choose, I could ask her to charge my portion of the bill separately or change my $20. It would make it easier for both of us though, if she just split the check-- which I believe is generally why restaurants have started offering separate checks.<<

you can choose what you want, unless teh resteraunt has a policy that states tehre will be no splitting of checks. or that they don't accept personal checks. or they don't accept credit cards at all. or that they don't accept certain cards. the resteraunt sets the rules for payment, you the customer are responsable for paying the bill.

around here, you could not choose to do so, unless you requested the seperate check prior to the meal, and you couldn't do it at all if your party is larger than 6-8 people.

>>And many restaurants believe offering to split checks is a part of excellent customer service.<<

so, customer service has now been relegated to the adding and splitting of the individuals orders? should the servers also adopt the practice of wiping our customer's mouths or cutting their steaks too? or should the staff simply be forced to count teh customers money for the customer as well as splitting up the tab for them?

what more do customers want from their servers? if you're dining ata five star resteraunt with a top chef, top waitstaff, gourmet food, top notch service...but consider the place to not have "excellent" customer service because they didn't split your checks for you?

around here that would get you laughed out of teh resteraunt. and it wouldn't be likely for you to secure another reservation at that resteraunt either. and i'll tell ya what - the resteraunt wouldn't care if you didn't come back - becayse they have more than enough customers who can split their own checks - or even better for the resteraunt - they look for clientel who are more than happy to have everything on one check and pay it all - without batting an eye.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 5:34pm
I believe that accommodating a customer's reasonable request is a part of excellent service. I do not believe that asking a server to split a check is an unreasonable request.


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2007
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 5:45pm
So what would you consider proof? June actually posting the code that would accomplish it wasn't proof to you, two other people saying that they have actually *worked* places that had systems that could do it wasn't proof to you, son of adam posting a link to a company's website for a system that SAYS it does it wasn't proof to you.... I would guess that it can't be proven to you. Given the previous 200 posts or so, it seems that if someone were to fly to your house, and put such a system in your lap, you still wouldn't consider it proof. You certainly haven't proven that it can't happen. Your only "proof" so far has been because you say so.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 5:46pm

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There would be the same problem if I had a tab that came to $27 dollars or $47 dollars-- if I did not have the right bills with me.

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Okay. I suppose that I could carry around a 20, 10, 5, and 5 ones and be relatively assured I can make the right change. That seems like an awful lot of work for someone who doesn't carry cash.

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I've never been refused a split check.

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This is ridiculous. Excellent customer service involves waitstaff accommodating all reasonable requests. As splitting checks is not unreasonable, I would expect a restaurant to accommodate my request unless they have a specific policy against doing so. If they did have such a policy and I was sufficiently inconvenienced, I would either complain or not return.

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I generally would not be dining at a five star restaurant. And if I was, it would be highly unlikely that I would be dining in a group. And yes, even at a five star restaurant, I would expect that my request for a separate check would be accommodated unless there was a policy stating otherwise.

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Yet another reason I have no desire to dine at this type of restaurants. I generally dislike snobbery.



iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2007
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 5:59pm

>>around here that would get you laughed out of teh resteraunt(sic. and it wouldn't be likely for you to secure another reservation at that resteraunt(sic) either. and i'll tell ya what - the resteraunt wouldn't care if you didn't come back - becayse (sic)they have more than enough customers who can split their own checks - or even better for the resteraunt(sic) - they look for clientel(sic) who are more than happy to have everything on one check and pay it all - without batting an eye.<<

Ew. Why would you want to eat someplace that is full of arrogant, snobby, pricks? And why are you getting so emotional over someone who considers splitting a check to be ***part*** of good customer service? (Personally, I think that catering to the guest is a large part of customer service.)

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2006
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 6:08pm

Exactly. Thats why it's called "service industry"
Why would you not want to serve?

I can understand refusing outlandish or unreasonable requests. but even in retail, sometimes you need to smile and nod... to keep the customer happy.. if they request something annoying.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 6:54pm

>>There would be the same problem if I had a tab that came to $27 dollars or $47 dollars-- if I did not have the right bills with me.<<

but it really isn't a problem - thats the point i'm trying to make. one doesn't need exact change in order to use cash. the server is capable of making change. its simply easier for teh server to make change, or break bills once, rather than making change for several customers at the same time, when they are all at teh same table.

>>Okay. I suppose that I could carry around a 20, 10, 5, and 5 ones and be relatively assured I can make the right change. That seems like an awful lot of work for someone who doesn't carry cash.<<

LOL i'm just trying to make the point that cash isn't realy as hard as people are making it out to be. $20's aren't the only denomination one can carry. i rarely, if ever use a debit card or credit card. why? becasue cash is much, much easier. it never gets declined for teh vairety of reasons they get declined, its accepted everywhere, and its lightening fast to use. whip it out and whalla! your transaction is done.

>>I've never been refused a split check.<<

there are resteraunts here that refuse to split checks. however, i only mentioned that to make a point. most resteraunts here will split checks within reason.

>>This is ridiculous. Excellent customer service involves waitstaff accommodating all reasonable requests.<<

typically these requests are reasonable because they are requests that the customer cannot accomplish themselves - such as asking for more sauce, cheese, water etc..ordering another drink, asking for their steak to be cooked a bit more. this is what the waitstaff is paid to accomodate.

>>As splitting checks is not unreasonable, I would expect a restaurant to accommodate my request unless they have a specific policy against doing so. If they did have such a policy and I was sufficiently inconvenienced, I would either complain or not return.<<

for some resteraunts, and some servers, it is unreasonable. it takes up time and effort taht could otherwise be spent doing what they get paid to do. and so they set their policy against it. (typically though, for large parties). but seriously, WHY would you be so inconvienienced by not being able to split a check?

what reason has been given that demonstrates the *need* for a split check beyond business lunches/dinners? i haven't seen one yet, and can't think of a single one. i've heard plenty about wants - but not an actual need for a check to be split.

heck, even if one doesn't want to carry cash, if you're only splitting the bill in two, even our stupidly frustrating computers could manage splitting the payment into two without actually splitting the check. (granted, that was all it would let you do - but it could still do it). my point is, and has been, that it is far more inconvienient fro teh resteraunt to split a bill than it is for teh party to split it themselves.

>>I generally would not be dining at a five star restaurant. And if I was, it would be highly unlikely that I would be dining in a group. And yes, even at a five star restaurant, I would expect that my request for a separate check would be accommodated unless there was a policy stating otherwise.<<

they would probably accomadate it for you once, maybe. most (around here) do not allow for split checks however.

>>Yet another reason I have no desire to dine at this type of restaurants. I generally dislike snobbery.<<

i'll let you in on a trade secret taht i learned while waitressing. your server judges you. it might be a good judgment, it might be a bad judgment, but they do. most ar ebad judgments, and most are out of snobbery. most judgments are formulated by what you order and how your order it. and IME asking to split checks will put the nail in the judgment coffin. but when your server is out of ear shot i'll betchya bottom dollar that they are talking about you (and all their other customers). its alos typiclaly teh topic of conversation when teh shift is over and the shift drinks get poured.

thats just the way it is.

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