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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that someone working in posh catering should know more than a nano-sized amount about...

67 replies

MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 22:12

...wine? I was recently at a posh do with food supplied by a catering company. When the waitress came round with the wine she said "Would you like red or white?". When I asked "What are the red and white wines?", she looked flummoxed and said "We have red and white wine, which would you prefer?". So I told her not to worry and took a look at the labels to check what types of wine they were serving.

Now, I'm no wine brainiac. I probably know about 3 types of red and white that I like the taste of. But I make a point of knowing my job inside out, and I think if you're being paid to dish up wine at a posh meal you should at least be able to say the name of the wine bottle in your hand, no? She was in roughly her 50s as well, so couldn't get away with the excuse of being an inexperienced yoof.

That said, the food looked lovely but was all rather bland. Looks like they know nothing about food either...in which case, perhaps IABU! Wink

OP posts:
MrDobalina · 13/09/2012 22:14

YABU..she was probably agency staff on minimum wage?

ZillionChocolate · 13/09/2012 22:14

I don't think she needed to know about wine, but YANBU thinking she should know what she's serving. It's only really a question of reading the label presumably?

MrDobalina · 13/09/2012 22:15

was the food on the plate? if yes, i reckon she did what she was paid to do

Sirzy · 13/09/2012 22:15

She is a waitress not a wine expert. Perhaps more sensible would be for the company to ensure that wine lists are readily available.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 13/09/2012 22:15

In a posh restaurant you woudo expect the staff to know their jobs well. Catering companies, not so much.

PicklesThePottyMouthedParrot · 13/09/2012 22:17

I don't see why she needs to know the wine inside and out to be honest. She is not working as a wine merchant.

She should have known which wine it was but prehaps she got a bit scared and just wanted to escape quickly in case people started asking her about flowery notes and honey essences and all that shizz.

PunkInDublic · 13/09/2012 22:17

I worked somewhere posh in my student days. We used to fill nice bottles from a big vat of cheap plonk at the back, when empty "Excuse me, I'll just fetch another bottle" and go fill the nice bottle again with a ladle and a funnel. Also at the time I was on minimum wage so didn't give a shit what you were drinking Grin.

You sound like you were very nice and polite though to her though and so for me YANBU, the caterer should have told her what she was serving. I like naice wine now I'm a proper grown up and get excited by posh do's for that very reason.

Original poster
MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 22:18

Yup, Dob, she could have been on minimum wage, I have no idea. But all I wanted for her to know was what was the wine called! Is that too demanding? I don't follow your point about the food being on the plate, though - how does that change things?

Yes Zillion - she just needed to read the label. Instead I did it for her!

OP posts:
MadgeHarvey · 13/09/2012 22:19

So if you only know 3 types of red wine what would you have done if she'd named one you'd never heard of? Asked her about the vintage, maker, bouquet etc? Sorry but YABU.

Original poster
MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 22:21

Arf at Punk! I love the idea that most of your punters probably didn't notice that they were drinking plonk!

I have no idea whether a wine is 'deemed' good or bad; IMO if it tastes nice then it's alright by me. Grin

Some of you are massively exaggerating my expectations of the waitress, by the way.

OP posts:
PuffPants · 13/09/2012 22:21

YANBU in that, of course, it's an easy thing to find out.

But... I suspect you were being deliberately U and a bit snooty with it. Most people have a preference for white or red and the actual grape doesn't tend to sway them, particularly when food is involved. Unless they are a real wine buff, which you claim not to be. You weren't soling them with a view to buying a crate of the stuff. You were quaffing a couple of glasses at a party someone else was being paid minimum wage to cater.

MrDobalina · 13/09/2012 22:22

who cares what the wine is called, if you know nothing about wine and she knows nothing more about the wine than the name?

PuffPants · 13/09/2012 22:23

sampling not soling Hmm

LadyWidmerpool · 13/09/2012 22:25

Did it ruin the evening for you?

carabos · 13/09/2012 22:27

In a (fairly upmarket) hotel restaurant today I was a bit surprised when the waitress said at the end of the meal "would you like me to take those small white cloths away?". She meant the napkins Confused.

PunkInDublic · 13/09/2012 22:27

No one ever said anything Maya, anyone ever been to the posh leaving do's at Durham Uni? £40 a bottle when I worked there, round 2001-2003. It was pish I tell you! Cheap Pish!

I don't think Maya sounded snooty. She asked a question, the woman couldn't answer, Maya said don't worry and got on with her evening. As someone who knows nothing about wine I like to know what I'm drinking so I can try it again if I like it.

onebigwish · 13/09/2012 22:31

"I make a point of knowing my job inside out" good for you

"and I think if you're being paid to dish up wine at a posh meal you should at least be able to say the name of the wine bottle in your hand, no?"

I couldn't care less, tbh. I have better things to think about at a posh catered do with free wine than stressing about this kind of thing.

PicklesThePottyMouthedParrot · 13/09/2012 22:32

Someone did that on come dine with me. There was a total tool wine buff there too and not only did he not notice he was raving about the wine when it was stowells out of a box.

Original poster
MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 22:32

This is the sort of convo I was expecting to have:

Waitress: Would you like red or white?
Me: What are those wines?
Waitross: The red is a Whatsisname and the white is an Oojimaflip
Me: Thanks. I hate Whatsisname, but love Ooji, so I'll have that.

  • or-

Me: Hmm. I don't know either of those wines, I'll just try the Ooji and see if I like it.

Does it sound snooty if I reword it as follows:

Waitress: Would you like chicken or beef?
Me: What are those dishes?
Waitross: They're Coronation Chicken and Beef Wellington.
Me: Thanks. I hate CC, but love BW, so I'll have that.

  • or-

Me: Hmm. I don't know either of those dishes, I'll just try the BW and see if I like it.

Puff - you're wrong about me being snooty/ deliberately U, by the way. Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 22:34

Pickles, that's brilliant! Grin

Some people get snooty about wine. They shouldn't.

Some people assume that some people are snooty about wine. They shouldn't either.

OP posts:
onebigwish · 13/09/2012 22:34

I don't think it's wrong to want to know what the wine is. I think it's plain weird to start a thread asking for reassurance about you asking though. Why did it upset you to that extent?

Original poster
MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 22:35

Oh jeez. Hmm I am not upset. I am not seeking reassurance. I have started a discussion on a web forum. Does one have to be upset to start a discussion about something relatively meaningless? It's just chitchat, that's all.

OP posts:
onebigwish · 13/09/2012 22:37

Ok, sorry. Just seemed like you wanted reassurance - you asked if what you did was unreasonable...so...you obviously don't think you were? Is that right?

scottishmummy · 13/09/2012 22:41

nah,waitress not a maitre'd
food analogy is poor, she told you was wine,red or white which is factual
just as I'd expect to be told fish or meat but not necessarily florid description

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 13/09/2012 22:45

Op would it have made any difference to the wine you would have chosen from her?