Waiters and waitresses should have total recall otherwise get a pen and paper

[Oliversmumsarmy]

On holiday at the moment and went for a meal last night. 4 of us in a restaurant giving our starter and main courses and drinks orders. We knew it would not end well, it never does, when the waiter arrived at our table empty handed and appeared to be confident in remembering all our orders. Consequently our mains were brought to our table, waiter had forgotten the starter order so the the mains were returned to the kitchen, the starters were then brought but when our mains arrived they were luke warm so had to be sent back to be heated up.

it seems to be a growing trend as it is only in the last year we have noticed it. Only been to two other places where the serving staff think they are so clever they don't need to write anything down and each time they have forgotten stuff.

AIBU in expecting someone who is taking orders that they write what a customer wants down rather than just chancing they remember.

YANBU, I don't understand why people would choose to make their job harder!

Yanbu, I am always dubious about whether the waiters will remember. Surely it can't be that hard to scribble down a few words?!

Hope you got a discount op!

completely agree

YANBU - if they get it right fine but you can always tell these ones straight off If not pen and pad!

Maybe they're not allowed to use a pad.
I don't know if that's a thing, but it's the sort of shit some managers I've worked for would have done.

YANBU - fine if they get it right but that's very rare when there's more than 2 people on a table.

Most high st restaurants seem to use iPads or similar nowadays. Some Michelin star places we've been too haven't used pads but needless to say they've remembered our order impeccably.

We used to go to one near where we live. we all love the food but dd cannot stand onions and every time we have asked for her meal to come without onions it has come with onions. We now don't go there as it is not worth the hassle.

YANBU, I like the restaurants that have gone digital and just tap into a screen. No need to remember of take to the kitchen, the information gets sent straight through.

How stupid not to write it down!

We were in Harvester a few weeks ago and the waitress did take our order down but on an electronic pad type thing. I can see the need for them - they're probably quite clever and they'll save paper. However, as she left our table the thing crashed and wiped out order meaning she had to come back and retake it. Just use a pad and pen fgs!

There's 6 of us. We've given up on one place that always refuses to write the order down and then is surprised every fucking time that something isn't right. Once, we even ordered 4x same kids drinks, 2x same adult drinks, 6x same starter, 4x same kids meal, 2x same adult meal - so apart from ordering 6 identical meals and drinks it couldn't have been more easy AND YET STILL we ended up with a random selection of things we didn't order. And if you suggest they write it down, or even verbally repeat it the rudeness.

Even in the Harvester with their i-Pad-esque ordering thing there is always something that isn't right.

just seen the bit about iPads. other waiters were using them just not our [idiot] waiter

It's sometimes easier just to go to the bar and order yourself!

I don't eat out enough to notice "trends" in how waiting staff work.

it is a restaurant so no bar area in either places.

Maybe the restaurant hasn't provided enough for every waiter/waitress to have one, and he drew the short straw that night, and was left to memorise all his orders? Though it wouldn't have taken a great deal of initiative on his part to find a bit of paper and a pen...

I hate it too. I waitressed once and wrote everything down, I drew a map of the table and numbered everyone and put their number next to their order so I could check in the kitchen and put the food down in front of the right person, instead of arriving at the table, announcing the dish to see who will claim it and by then everyone's forgotten who ordered what anyway.

They're being told to remember them instead like very posh Michelin starred places.

Cafe rouge has gone notepad-less. That's the one I noticed last week.

Michelin starred places have much shorter menus, it's not quite the same in a harvester type shit hole where there's dozens of starters/sides/mains

I agree- it makes me anxious!

just not our [idiot] waiter

Bet they can't wait to have you back, OP.

When I did bar work we weren't allowed use pen/paper. Even for big orders or when they started serving food. AND the drink order then had to be given to the barman in a specific order (to get the slow pouring drinks started first).

Was a nightmare.

What was even worse was one staff member constabtly got the orders wrong but still used to come out with more tips than me and I got them right but wasn't quite as bubbly I may still be bitter about that quite a few years later

We eat out maybe once per month at home. Dh works away so we like to go out for meals as a family once per month. We usually choose chain type restaurants and sometimes we will try individual restaurants or have a pub meal but we have 2 vegetarians, I am vegan and dh only likes cow so it is difficult to cater for all of us. I only came across this remembering stuff a few months ago. i don't ever recall seeing this type of thing before.

"They're being told to remember them instead like very posh Michelin starred places"

God, I'd be crap! It takes me all my time to remember who wanted what when friends come round for coffee! "Sorry, did you say tea or coffee? How many sugars do you take again?"

Don't worry Suburban I doubt we will be back. We leave tomorrow. Cheeky waiter tried to slip a 20% service charge through with the bill.

We are in New York. Last time we came we noted how good the service was where ever you went but you were expected to leave around a 20% tip. However now the 20% tip is included in your bill the service has definitely gone down hill.

Done the sights but it is too much like London but dirtier to return. The pavements are very wide but they have to be when you have rubbish bags piled up on the side by the road waiting for the weekly bin collection and the smell from the steam pipes coming up out of the grates is pretty bad.

If this is the future of restaurants, waiting staff being expected to remember what everyone wants, then there is going to be a lot more complaints, refunds and potential diners boycotting restaurants in favour of eateries that can make a note of what they ordered and serve it to them first time every time.

i just wonder about the scenario of someone who has a nut allergy being given a dish with nut oil in rather than the request of a substitution of olive oil because a waiter forgets.