To think that service in bars and restaurants is abysmal?

[ExercicenformedeZ]

Since Covid, I have noticed that bar and restaurant staff seem to think that they are doing you a favour by even acknowledging you. Yet they seem to expect hefty tips! I'm so tired of it.

1 word - Brexit - to thanks for this 🙄

Brexit isn't the problem, the problem is people got used to getting great service because there were people willing to work hard for poverty wages.

If you want great service, be prepared to pay great prices.

I had ordered the wine at the same time as the soda and limes so already had it! We didn't know he wasn't going to charge for the two cokes or I would have ordered a soft drink for myself 😁

I went to a family run restaurant last weekend with my daughter and the service was shit. It was at a quiet time with lots of empty tables so I can’t even justify it by accepting they were busy.

We had booked a table and stood at the entrance to be seated for 10 minutes with staff members not acknowledging us. When someone did come over he tapped away on his iPad and was chatting across to other staff members before he said hello and seated us.

When we were seated he just said there’s some menus and left. It then took about 20 minutes to get a drink as its table service only.

We ordered food and the waitress on our section was rude. She rolled her eyes when we requested dairy free. Nobody checked how our meal was. The veg was all soggy like it had been sat for far too long.

When it came to getting the bill they pulled the card machine out not even giving you time to consider paying cash or to finish your drinks.

We used to really enjoy going there but it’s gone drastically downhill. For how expensive it is you expect better service.

This!
This! A thousand times this!

when I go to work, I don’t expect to;

be grabbed by the wrist and pulled around
to be called a liar
to have to clean up human poo in the restaurant
to be shouted at for returning a young toddler I found in the car park
to be hit hard with a menu in its stand
to deal with urine soaked restaurant chairs
to deal with horrible customers who lie to get free food
to remove a child who was standing on the breakfast buffet table

… and people wonder why service is “not what is was”

Since Covid the sense of entitlement is through the roof… customers do exactly what they want and sod the other patrons and particularly sod the staff!!

Just my humble opinion.
It can be the most dreadful job… and yet lovely customers make it the best job ( and all for the minimum wage…)

We went out for lunch in Manchester today and the service was fantastic. Can’t say great service is universal, however.

Forgot to add, we had Kris Akabusi as a hotel and restaurant guest about 12 years ago - he was smashing! Chatty friendly and really good fun.

Ok, but none of that is my fault, is it? Why take it out on the nice customers? I do think that customers who behave poorly should be refused service, without a doubt.

I have not said that any poor customer behaviour that I encounter is your fault, nor have I “taken it out on anyone”.
If we have rude and unpleasant customers, we swap round so that another waitress will go to said customer. I have seen plenty of young girls (16, 17, 18 college students) in their first job, be reduced to tears by people who really should know better.
All I have done in my post is list just some of the things I have dealt with in my almost 20 years in the job.
We do have lots of lovely customers who come back often, we are given Christmas and birthday presents and many write us little cards of appreciation. Some days are good days and you know that you’ve had happy customers, and that is a great feeling. Other days are… well, see the examples in my post earlier.
I agreed with a previous poster that people have become more entitled and difficult to please since Covid.

Totally agree.

i think it’s because there’s a narrative that paid waiters and witnesses are some sort of marginalised hard done by group rather than just people doing their job. The miserable faces, huffiness, lack of willingness to help is really prevelant. I also think food has got worse - we used to go out all the time but barely bother now

Yes I’m sick of hearing “But customers have got worse”. Well I’m not one of them so that no excuse.

FFS you can’t blame EVERYTHING on Brexit.

Personally I blame it on Gen Z being raised to believe they’re all special.

OP give me some examples and then I'll be able to tell you if YABU or not

I've been out a lot recently, in London - borough market, Nottingham, Belfast, and other places and the service wax awful, the food poor. Really deteriorated, rapidly.

Customers have definitely gotten worse.

Standing where we can't see them/not in the obvious queues then huffing at not being served
Advised where to stand to GET served and complain
Shouting at young men and women with vile anger until those young people end up in tears (especially when the adults yelling throw in a few slurs to really drive in their anger)
Physical assaults
Taking drugs on the property
Leaving human waste hidden

One bad customer can make it hard to smile through the rest of a shift

Then there's issues like poor management, low wages and short staffing so those staff feel demoralised and aren't incentivised to perform better

And that most "I'm a perfect customer" types are the worst offenders

Trouble is in the UK it's not often a career being bar or wait staff. It's usually a PT job students do for some piss poor money. They often don't receive much training and because hospitality here is usually woefully understaffed, the kitchen staff are working under huge pressures can get really unpleasant and front of house staff often young and untrained not used to working on their feet for hours or talking to others. They get stressed really quickly they have to take shit from everyone. Not many can do all that and remain professional.

As a student I worked in a posh hotel as banquet staff. That was bad enough 30 years ago I understand it's way worse now. I enjoyed it because I like people and customer service but it's really not for most who end up there.

No excuse for wait staff to be rude of course but if the industry won't train and value it's staff properly and won't see front of house are every bit as important as kitchen, I don't see it getting any better.

Hospitality can be a good career, it's a shame our industry still focuses on a high turn over of very young staff rather than encourage career progression.

Some of the staff in my local restaurants have been there for decades. Not everyone sees it as a college job.

When I worked in hospitality I can’t remember more than the odd occasion customers have been rude. I honestly didn’t care and would walk off into the kitchen and have a laugh with the staff. It’s not a serious environment.

Just general bad attitude, staff unable to raise a smile, glued to their phones and inattentive.

It entirely depends where you go. There is a French bistro-style chain restaurant we go to quite a lot not only because we like the food, but because the staff are superb. Exemplary service. We love it.

I find service is good in higher priced restaurants that pay the staff better. If it is in a chain restaurant that pays minimum wage to overworked staff on zero hour contracts then the experience will generally not be good

Same, it feels ramped up the last 5 years as they are more competitive to keep customers and know that feedback can be posted online anywhere.

@steff13 They sound like a glass half empty person.. must be exhausting

I wonder if the connection is with Brexit, when lots of European hotel and bar staff left the UK, rather than Covid?

I've only had excellent and friendly service in the city where we live

I agree with this but I find cheaper restaurants and especially chain restaurants don't give a hoot about decent service where as more pricey and independent places do.