Wednesday, July 29, 2009

A Survey

If you were out to dinner and your server had just brought your meal and was explaining things to you (like the differences in the BBQ sauces on your table, etc.) and answering other questions you had and the phone started to ring and your server excused herself to answer the phone...how would you feel about that?

Be honest. And ask around! I need as much input on this as I can get. I'll tell you what one server (me) did after I hear from you.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

I'd be bugged. I don't like it when I, the customer who already made the effort to come to the business and am in the process of spending my money there, am interrupted by who-knows-who on the phone. If businesses don't have separate employees for answering their phones, the phones should have an automatic answer/hold system in place so the employees assisting current customers can do so satisfactorily.

I would feel the same way if my server turned around to help another table before finishing with mine.

jan said...

I agree with DeNae. Answering the phone (even if you excuse yourself) when you are helping me is rude. Real-live person there to spend money trumps anybody on the phone.

mCat said...

I'm with the others on this one. I would be bugged.
If my server is at my table. I want them AT MY TABLE. Phone or no phone.

veronica said...

I think a face-to-face customer should always be helped before a phone customer.

val of the south said...

When we were at a little dive mexican restaurant in Idaho a couple weeks ago, I was at the counter ordering our food and dude took a call in the middle of my order to take another order and then put it in ahead of mine! I was annoyed, but unfortunately did nothing!

I would have been irritated and probably said something to the manager, depending on my mood! I'm much more confrontational when I'm hormonal :)

D'Laina said...

I agree with the rest! You are a SERVER, not a hostess that is what the hostess does answer the phone. If you aren't doing anything else and the phone is ringing yes answer it but really If I made the choice to go sit down at a resturant and tip a server and in the middle of my conversation or question or whatever my server left to answer the phone I would be PISSED! What are you the freakin only person in the whole place that can answer a call? Where is the manager, other servers, hostess come on there has got to be someone else that can go answer the phone! Even if you did excuse your self nicely to answer the phone I still think that would be absoutley HORRIBLE customer service!

Mormon Mommy Blogs said...

Is it the company phone?

It'd bug me. Hire someone to answer the phone so the servers aren't taken away from serving the warm body looking at them in the face.

Is it your personal phone? Sorry, but I would fire you. I don't care how urgent your cell phone call is. Turn it off while you are working. If your family needs you, they can call the restaurant and have you paged.

Nothing irks me more than to see employees texting/talking on cell while they are supposed to be helping me. I had a checker at Target do this to me recently. My head almost started spinning.

~motherboard

Word Ver: Megro. Me gro really angry when you don't pay attention to me.

Kristina P. said...

I would probably me mildly annoyed. It would also depend on the reason. If it was because the restaurant was short staffed and the phone kept ringing off the hook, I would probably be more understanding.

tiburon said...

I would be TICKED. They are at work and their job is to serve me. The customer.

Laurel said...

I agree with everyone else and be mad! They were my server first, finish your business with me and then go onto the phone. If I am paying you for my services then you need to take care of ME!
If it was a personal phone call then I'd ask to speak to a manager. Your at your job and that should be number 1 if you HAVE TO answer the phone maybe you should be home then.

Cravings said...

I had that happen to me and it pissed me off! The server was lucky my dad was paying because if I had been I would have left him NOTHING for a tip and I'm a Server. (Plus he sucked at everything else too!)

Vanessa said...

I would hope that they would wait to help me before they answered it. And if it was their cell phone that they pulled out of their apron, I might just walk out!

tammy said...

Ditto all the above. The customer they are currently helping should always come first.

Casey said...

I think I might have been miffed if my server walked away to take a call. Also, I won't talk on my cell phone in a restaurant. Or while I'm checking out at a store. Or the pharmacy or fast food joints. I'm weird.

Sher said...

I honestly wouldn't care, because I realize that my server has other customers to deal with. As long as they were polite about it. I don't like it when servers hang out too long anyway.

Sher said...

I guess I am the black sheep with a completely different opinion than everyone else.

Sher said...

I guess I am the black sheep with a completely different opinion than everyone else.

And I am assuming it is the company phone.

If it was your cell phone that would piss me off.

hotgrams37 said...

I'd be really irritated. The customer in front of them should be their first priority, not some unknown on the phone! Is the server the only person able to answer the phone? If so, that's just poor planning on the managements part!

SCP said...

For those who know me I would probably just sit there and NOT say a word. Okay I lied I would go bonkers on her sorry ass and then leave a tip of one penny. Because as my G-pa Powers said a penny is far worse than no tip at all!! But that's just me. BTW after going bonkers and just before the tip I would spend 15-20 minutes trying to get Jen out from under the table!!

Unknown said...

I'm thinking SCP would first have taken the phone from the server and dropped it into the soup du jour. Then he would have called out the manager and sprayed him with the Pepsi dispenser hose. Then he would have given the bus boy a wedgie, set fire to the salad bar, and THEN left a one penny tip.

Not that I know SCP or anything. Or have had dinner with him. Or have left the restaurant with my napkin over my head. Or have given him a ride cuz Jen had promised to rip his ZZ Top beard out of his sassy chin one hair at a time.

I'm just guessing.