I'm guessing some of you can relate to this. If so, please tell me your "bad waitress" stories. I've been at both ends. I've been the bad waitress without a prayer to save a table that just went bad and I've experienced the bad waitress. My mother gave it a whole new spin.
My mother was always a bit of a .... how can I say this without offending my brothers .. brat. Her best friend uses this word, her sisters have alluded to it. She was the baby and a bit of a handful at times; especially at restaurants. I'm not sure where this came from. She wasn't rich or privileged with that "look at the servants" attitude, she was never a waitress, so cannot relate to how hard that particular job is. But, she expected every persnickety need to be met with cheerful delight. It didn't always go that way - and OH BOY when it didn't.
As she was dealing with Alzheimer's in her last years, after my dad died, the first thing to go was -- I like to use a term reserved for golf cars - the governor was off! She lost what little control she had over her challenged ability to bring tact to a situation. Waitresses and others in the service industry got the brunt of it. With five siblings and amazing sisters-in-law, we all took turns taking mom out to dinner each night so she would have company and a good meal. As we went along and servers didn't fall in line, the list of restaurants we were willing to show our faces in with her dwindled. After our daughter was born I actually chose to pick up food and bring it back to her house with the excuse that our baby could play on her floor and we could relax.
The unfortunate part of this is that she managed to pass this along. I think I'm the only one who inherited this. I have been in the service and hospitality industry in hotels, restaurants, etc. so that's not it. What I don't have is a lot of patience if I've had a bad day or my children start to get fussy because of "you." I can go along, be patient hoping it will turn around. Patience, hope, hope, patience - but then it happens. My husband says he can see it on my face when my mother comes to visit in my eyes. It's done. There is no turning back. We may as well ask for the food to go, the check, leave the establishment - whatever it is that has gone awry because it won't go back to how it was, it won't heal, it won't have a happy ending 90% of the time. On those rare occasions the group can bring me back, it actually swings the other way - but these instances are rare. I could probably document them in a short bulleted list.
Is it just me? Do any of you go as far as you can hoping you'll get competent, honest, pleasant service or am I alone and unreasonable? This is how "Bad Waitress Syndrome" comes about. On the list of "Never will do business with them again" are:
- Sears
- Joe's Sporting Goods
- Wal-Mart
- Rose's Bakery on 23rd for sit down meals - cup cakes to go only.
- Bedazzled boutique on 23rd
These are just top-of-mind. I'm sure I'll expand this list.
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