Yup, this. Macaroni Grill had 17 steps of service that HAD to be hit at every table including checking back within a certain time to make sure everyone's pasta

Yup, this. Macaroni Grill had 17 steps of service that HAD to be hit at every table including checking back within a certain time to make sure everyone's pasta bolognese was to their liking. It's a management step to legislate to the lowest common denominator, both in waitstaff (ensures no one is in the back smoking while a patron has a raw steak) and customer (as in software, the user rarely understands they need more butter until 2 minutes after the food is delivered).