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.

Drives me mad. Hotel du vin and carluccios- oh we don't need to write it down! Then 4 times out of 5 the order is wrong.

We were a party of 11 in a three star restaurant and they got one of the mains wrong. They took all 11 plates away and recooked them . We were horrified at the waste.

First of all they added the tip to your bill because they knew they messed up your order. If they don't earn a tip the pay is about $8/Hour. They will also add a 20% tip to your bill if you are european because there are so many tourists who will leave a $5 tip on a $200 meal. We tip on average 20% of food costs. If they do something extra or the food is cheap we tip more. The waitress who went back and cut DDs sandwich into a star and DS sandwich into a car got a $20. The girl was a student and paying her way through college. She turned around the whole evening for our kids and us as parents.

Also you had an inexperienced waiter. Most places in NYC have them Mon-Thurs and they always get sent to cover the tourist tables. It's a PITA when you live here and they do it. DH has gone ape shit with the host/hostess when they have tried to do it to us.

For me when faced with a waiter who does not write orders down it takes away from my evening rather than adds to it. It is a party trick a I can do with out as it puts me on edge. So far we have never had a correct order from one of these places. If anything for us we just don't return.