4 ms·

How do you summon them? Just shout across the restaurant?

by wnoise 13y ago

mythealias 13y ago
not sure if you are trying to be sarcastic or just lack experience. while you can always shout or call out politely, you can also waive at the passing server (it doesn't have to be the one that served you). and if you find shouting too crude you can just excuse yourself from the table and walk to the waiter. at most restaurants the servers are on standby if their guests need any attention, but that does not require them to show up at the table to check if you enjoying your meal.
- NegativeK 13y ago
  I don't think it's a common experience in America. I was eating at an Italian restaurant in Miami. Two beachgoers came in a bit after me, stared at the menu for 15 minutes, and left in a huff. Even if they had looked around the restaurant in a grumpy "where the fuck is our waiter" manner, he would've been at their table in 10 seconds. The normal hover/frequent checkup behavior of American waiters and waitresses seems to be counter to this in almost all ways. It seems as though the rounds they make to check on everyone makes it much harder to get their attention when needed, in comparison to a waiter who stands back and watches.
  - ripter 13y ago
    In america, if a waiter doesn't come to your table within the first 15 min of you sitting down, then there is something wrong. It shouldn't take more than a min or two for the waiter to come over, give you some water, and introduce themselves.
    - kybernetikos 13y ago
      Introduce themselves? That's exactly the kind of cultural thing I think people are talking about. I'm not here to be taken on a 'journey' by the server, I'm here to eat good food and enjoy the company that came with me. A good server is one you barely notice.
      - ripter 13y ago
        It's normally something like "Hi, my name is Kybernetikos, I'll be your server today. If you have any questions just let me know. I'll bring out some water and take your drink order." It's something you typically ignore until it's not there.
      - sejje 13y ago
        There's no journey, they give you their name and proceed to take your drink orders. No need to be condescending here, he even prefixed it with "in America," and what he said is absolute fact. If you aren't waited on in the first 15 minutes, in America, you aren't in a good restaurant.
  - Gormo 13y ago
    As a South Floridian, I'll point out that Miami is a culture unto itself, and what goes on there cannot be taken as an example of the typical way of doing things in America (or Florida, for that matter.)
Blahah 13y ago
In the UK, you just catch their eye. Good waiters will be scanning frequently for customers in need of service. You can also just make a subtle hand gesture like slightly raising the index finger with the palm of the hand facing down.
- Fuzzwah 13y ago
  Same in Australia. This is actually where the US system backfires. Because the servers aren't actually "waiting" for these subtle ques from the customers I've at times had trouble getting their attention.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
sqnguyen 13y ago
Shouting politely is always an option, but I feel restaurants should really adopt having a button at each table that customers can use if they have any requests to make to their waiter or waitress.
- clicks 13y ago
  E la carte has you covered then: http://elacarte.com/ http://elacarte.com/ It's a Y-combinator funded company by the way. I really hope it catches on big really quickly, I think it's just wonderful.
  - sokoloff 13y ago
    Their favicon looks vaguely like a raised middle finger.
- bane 13y ago
  These are really common in Korea and totally awesome.
rumbler 13y ago
In Japan, some restaurants (not the fancy ones, but family-friendly places) have a button on the table just for that. Push it, and a few seconds later a waitress appears, just like in an airplane. If you have younger kids, you have to be careful to sit them away from the button.

How do you summon them? Just shout across the restaurant?

by wnoise 13y ago

How do you summon them? Just shout across the restaurant?

not sure if you are trying to be sarcastic or just lack experience. while you can always shout or call out politely, you can also waive at the passing server (it doesn't have to be the one that served you). and if you find shouting too crude you can just excuse yourself from the table and walk to the waiter. at most restaurants the servers are on standby if their guests need any attention, but that does not require them to show up at the table to check if you enjoying your meal.

NegativeK 13y ago
I don't think it's a common experience in America. I was eating at an Italian restaurant in Miami. Two beachgoers came in a bit after me, stared at the menu for 15 minutes, and left in a huff. Even if they had looked around the restaurant in a grumpy "where the fuck is our waiter" manner, he would've been at their table in 10 seconds. The normal hover/frequent checkup behavior of American waiters and waitresses seems to be counter to this in almost all ways. It seems as though the rounds they make to check on everyone makes it much harder to get their attention when needed, in comparison to a waiter who stands back and watches.
- ripter 13y ago
  In america, if a waiter doesn't come to your table within the first 15 min of you sitting down, then there is something wrong. It shouldn't take more than a min or two for the waiter to come over, give you some water, and introduce themselves.
  - kybernetikos 13y ago
    Introduce themselves? That's exactly the kind of cultural thing I think people are talking about. I'm not here to be taken on a 'journey' by the server, I'm here to eat good food and enjoy the company that came with me. A good server is one you barely notice.
    - ripter 13y ago
      It's normally something like "Hi, my name is Kybernetikos, I'll be your server today. If you have any questions just let me know. I'll bring out some water and take your drink order." It's something you typically ignore until it's not there.
    - sejje 13y ago
      There's no journey, they give you their name and proceed to take your drink orders. No need to be condescending here, he even prefixed it with "in America," and what he said is absolute fact. If you aren't waited on in the first 15 minutes, in America, you aren't in a good restaurant.
- Gormo 13y ago
  As a South Floridian, I'll point out that Miami is a culture unto itself, and what goes on there cannot be taken as an example of the typical way of doing things in America (or Florida, for that matter.)

Blahah 13y ago

In the UK, you just catch their eye. Good waiters will be scanning frequently for customers in need of service. You can also just make a subtle hand gesture like slightly raising the index finger with the palm of the hand facing down.

Fuzzwah 13y ago
Same in Australia. This is actually where the US system backfires. Because the servers aren't actually "waiting" for these subtle ques from the customers I've at times had trouble getting their attention.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

sqnguyen 13y ago

Shouting politely is always an option, but I feel restaurants should really adopt having a button at each table that customers can use if they have any requests to make to their waiter or waitress.

clicks 13y ago
E la carte has you covered then: http://elacarte.com/ http://elacarte.com/ It's a Y-combinator funded company by the way. I really hope it catches on big really quickly, I think it's just wonderful.
- sokoloff 13y ago
  Their favicon looks vaguely like a raised middle finger.
bane 13y ago
These are really common in Korea and totally awesome.

rumbler 13y ago

In Japan, some restaurants (not the fancy ones, but family-friendly places) have a button on the table just for that. Push it, and a few seconds later a waitress appears, just like in an airplane. If you have younger kids, you have to be careful to sit them away from the button.