How long do you wait to be served?

pulliptears

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

We must be an exception by the sounds of it, we went to a Frankie and Benny's in Newcastle, and service was both prompt and polite, it was our first time in a F&B's, and we loved it....mmmm I could just eat one of their hotdogs right now!

We have 2 F&B's locally and have to say the service in both has always been spot on and very quick indeed.

The only time I've had an issue was with a local Fayre & Square Pub Chain. We ordered and paid at the bar and 50 minutes later still no food. It was a wet night and we were seated close to an entrance porch where people were standing inside it smoking rather than getting wet, meaning that part of the pub was also shrouded in smoke.
After 50 minutes OH went to the bar and demanded a refund. Apparently we should have been told there was an hour and fifteen minute wait for food :eek: Refund obtained we left.

I wrote to them, cited the issues both with service and smoking and got £25 back, which I used in another pub which measured up fine.

Person_one

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

It's called puppy dogging and certain places its a service standard, the managers will reprimand you for not doing it.

Its horrific, I've only seen it in the US and didn't realise it had migrated over here.

Ugh.

Would you get in trouble if you started to bob down and the customer stopped you and said 'please stay standing, that's fine'?

Bangton

I'll be honest, I don't tend to go to chain restaurants very often so I can only speak based on independent restaurants but I don't mind a bit of a wait as often it's a nice bit of time out with either my partner or my family/friends and I am out for the social aspect as well as the food.

I'd happily wait 30-40 mins for a starter and same for main. So long as I have been acknowledged and given drinks or an appetiser I'm pretty happy! Even if I had super speedy service, chances are I'd feel obliged to leave for the next sitting rather than sit back and chat and let my food settle!

At work, we do sometimes arrange lunch at a chain restaurant and I absolutely hate it. Not the chains but the rushing to squeeze a meal in in an hour! I'd rather not bother! I'm the worlds slowest eater too!

Staff wise I don't need them to be all over me but I don't like people that are curt, whether staff in a restaurant or people in general. I quite like the friendly approach!

Georgiegirl256

Person_one wrote: »

Its horrific, I've only seen it in the US and didn't realise it had migrated over here.

Ugh.

Would you get in trouble if you started to bob down and the customer stopped you and said 'please stay standing, that's fine'?

Yeah, I don't get why they do that? Is it meant to make them more friendly and helpful to the customer? To me it seems like the way you'd get down to a child's level.

Callie22

Frankie and Benny's is just awful. I ended up in one a while back and it's the only place I've ever had a meal that was freezing cold (literally still frozen in the middle) but that still tasted burnt. Really disgusting - I complained on their website but never heard anything back.

lady1964

A large group of us went to a Prezzo a few months ago and the service was very poor.

We waited ages for our food, well over an hour for a pizza main, it took so long I didn't really want it by the time it arrived. It was quicker to order drinks at the bar and bring them back ourselves rather than have the waitress bring them and the toilets were appalling. One of our group complained and they took some money off but really, it wasn't enough. I gave them a poor review on TA and there was no response to it.

We have a F&B's in our town and to be honest, the service is on the quick rather than slow side and there's one where my parents live and everything there has always been really good.

I wouldn't wait more than 10 minutes to be given a menu and another 10 for drinks to arrive and if my starter hadn't arrived within another 20 minutes, I'd be asking where it was.

We also went to a really nice fairly local pub on Valentine's Day for dinner, we were in & out in under 90 minutes, that's apertif's, starters, mains & coffee. I mentioned this in a review, also mentioning that service had always been really good and their response was to ask for the owner next time we went.

19lottie82

Stephb1986 wrote: »

. Much prefer TGI Fridays.

xx

Went to the TGIs in Glasgow with my OH a couple of weeks ago where we ordered 2 mojitos (a cocktail with 2 spoonfuls of sugar in it) but they put salt in by mistake, we didn't notice until we both took a great big drink BLEURGH!!!!! :mad::mad::eek::eek:

meames_2

I complained in a Beefeater once. Me and my friends all ordered at the same time. Mine came out. I sat there looking at it for 5 mins so we could all eat together, until everyone else said just eat it! so everone but me is chatting away. 45 minutes later everyone elses meals turned up, so I was twidddling my thumbs. they offered me a free glass of wine but as i was driving I couldn't have it.

A different beefeater a couple of weeks ago, for mey birthday meal.. i go go because my dad likes it and with deals we often end up with a free bottle of wine and my meal free. We were sat there for about 50 mins before we even got approached. the waiter who was serving the tab;e next to us said he had forgotten us. They have removed the decent veggie options from the menu and replaced them with a rank quiche (don't eat eggs) and Quorn burgers instead of bean burgers ( quorn makes me sick in a burger form). I know BE doesn't cater really for veggies and I don't expect too much, Anyway We never saw the waiter again all evening so couldn't order more drinks, had to badger him for the bill. I did email a complaint but never heard anything. They probbaly laughed!

Person_one

Bangton wrote: »

I'll be honest, I don't tend to go to chain restaurants very often so I can only speak based on independent restaurants but I don't mind a bit of a wait as often it's a nice bit of time out with either my partner or my family/friends and I am out for the social aspect as well as the food.

I'd happily wait 30-40 mins for a starter and same for main. So long as I have been acknowledged and given drinks or an appetiser I'm pretty happy! Even if I had super speedy service, chances are I'd feel obliged to leave for the next sitting rather than sit back and chat and let my food settle!

At work, we do sometimes arrange lunch at a chain restaurant and I absolutely hate it. Not the chains but the rushing to squeeze a meal in in an hour! I'd rather not bother! I'm the worlds slowest eater too!

Staff wise I don't need them to be all over me but I don't like people that are curt, whether staff in a restaurant or people in general. I quite like the friendly approach!

I don't mind a fairly long wait for good fresh food, and if I'm going to a nicer restaurant I generally won't be going anywhere else after except home to unfasten my trousers!

These chains though are often used by people who want a quick meal before a film, or a play or another booked activity but want something that's a step up from fast food. The whole point is that they're convenient and quick, that's why they've done so well from buying locations near cinemas and bowling alleys!

I've had poor service in independent places though, I went to a place with a good reputation for a friend's graduation, but they'd completely overbooked due to a big event happening at the conference centre nearby and it was chaos! We were there over three hours by the time we'd got the bill and argued the toss with the manager, the waiters were having loud slanging matches with customers Basil Fawlty style, in a lot of ways it was quite funny and we still talk about it!

paulineb_2

Ive waited for food in places where the food is supposed to be served in a timely fashion ie wetherspoons, they actually refunded me once as my breakfast was late, 40 mins late. I didnt ask for the refund, they just gave it.

I dont tend to eat out too often but I'll go to a local place now and then and generally your order is taken quickly and you are also served reasonably quickly

My mum and I waited around 40 mins for a starter in a local pub and we did speak to them but only because the person at the next table got served sooner and came in about 10 mins after us.

I was out for a meal last week and it took about 30 mins to get our starters but you couldnt fault the service all night, they were just v busy and the food was excellent.

Id only complain about a meal if it was not edible. Ive seen people in places like spoons send meals back 2 and 3 times and Im sure people had their reasons, but sometimes I think when you go to a cheapish chain, you need to realise that its microwaved food you are going to be getting, not five star service.