Tuesday, February 10, 2009

So much for my little reward dinner


I left work early to give myself a reward tonight. I'd finally gotten caught up with everything in the office and decided to eat at a little diner in my hometown on the way home. Well, lets just say I should have stayed at work.

The meal wasn't that bad. I had a ham and bacon club sandwich on toasted bread. Plain. Yes, you heard me right. I am not a veggie person. I do not eat lettuce, tomato or mayo on my sandwiches. I like them plain. No problems there. Even the fries were half way decent this time. Usually they haven't been cooked long enough, but tonight's were better.

What I didn't like was how the ordering process went. I don't blame the waitress at all. I don't think she saw me come in, nor the guy about five minutes after me. I came in, sat down and opened up my book. I'd received Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein today from Amazon and I so wanted to get into this one. Fairstein is one of the few writers I buy in hardback. I immediately started reading. Everyone knows to come in and sit down, the waitress will get to you.

I'd been reading for a few minutes when this guy comes in and sits down at another table adjacent from me. A few more minutes and the waitress comes over to the area where we are. And you know what??? She goes to his table first!!! WTF??? That wouldn't have been so bad (not her fault she didn't know who came in first), but he goes ahead and orders!!! He didn't even look over to ask if I had been waited on. He just immediately orders!! 

So she takes his drink order then leaves to bring it back. Then she comes to my table to get my drink order. She leaved and brings it back. Then she takes his meal order, then mine. His food is also brought to the table first. GRRRR. I was kinda ticked off. But who to be mad at the most, the waitress for not knowing better, or the guy who should have had the decency to ask if I had been waited on already, since I didn't have a drink on my table or a menu or anything. 

Now some of you may be thinking, why didn't I speak up? And why did I get mad when I didn't speak up in the first place? I'm just not that type of person. One, I don't want to embarrass anyone in public, so I usually keep my mouth shut and just stew in silence. If someone cuts in line, I just think about ways to kill them painfully in the pages of my stories. That usually helps alot. I did write down what I wanted to say in a post while I was sitting there waiting on my drink. Couldn't help myself. LOL.

The tip I left was ok (20%) since the food was good this time, but I'm the type of person who gives great tips, if the service warrants it. Most waitresses there either work there full time or are going to school so I'm happy to give extra. The girl who usually waits on me usually gets a nice BIG tip. Where was she tonight?????

So how does this relate to writing? Well, right now I don't know. I'm sure the experience and scene will work its way into my writings some day.

3 comments:

Robynbeth said...

Nothing like bad service to ruin a good (or decent) meal. Please let me know how you get that guy in the end, but you know, there are just some people out there who are clueless. They are so absorbed into their own worlds, they don't see what is going on right in front of their faces.
I was lucky tonight. I timed my leaving work to my mother fixing supper. Yeah, that was an accident, lol.

Unknown said...

OH NO'S! I was so excited that you got to leave work and go have some "you" time. I love those moments to read quietly without bother...

I like Robyn would like to know how you decided to off this one later...LOL!

Maybe later on you can go back and finish your story and your fave waitress will be there...

(There's a reason for the buffet, eh?)

Kori said...

Grrr, this kind of stuff makes me so mad! You are clearly better at slef control than I am; I don't know that I would have been able to sit so quietly!