Last autumn, my partner and I went to one of our favorite establishments, where we had an exceptionally great time. It was the first time we'd been seated in this particular section, and we had been given an outstanding waitress. She was fun and energetic, bringing out the best in him and me as patrons of their establishment. She was so good, in fact, that I ended up getting more than I usually do to drink, which meant we stayed longer. Which meant we bought more food. (She's VERY good at her job!)
You know how sometimes you remember life a certain way, and when you encounter a similar situation, you realize you're kind of wrong. Yeah, that was tonight with me.
I arrived earlier than my guest this evening, so I asked to be seated--no use losing our reservation for some silly reason like not being on time! I was excited to see that this bubbly waitress was going to be in our section, and immediately, I thought to myself Great! She might be our waitress again!
Well, I was right about her being our waitress...
Ms. Bubbly jumped over to our table, excited as she could be (I swear there was a hug looming in her eyes.) The hostess had neglected to pass along a drink menu, so I couldn't order wine, beer, or mixed drinks--and after today, I really wanted one. So while Ms. Bubbly fetched the menu, I politely waited.
Once my guest arrived, we placed wine orders and our appetizer was served within minutes of her arrival. (I had taken the liberty of ordering a personal favorite.) The waitress looked at us, and I started fawning about how much I was glad to see her again, and how my partner and I had enjoyed her courtesy in our last encounter. Having friends in the food industry, I know that it's a great idea to ask to be seated in a particular waiter or waitress's section. They get good customers and you get good service. It's fantastic.
About 3 minutes after the appetizer arrived, I remember why I sometimes dislike dining out. Yes, there's an unwritten rule about checking on your patrons about 2 bites in, then again about 5 minutes later. But do you realize how difficult it is to hold a conversation when your waitress interrupts you every five minutes. And on an alternating schedule, the busboy fills the water every five minutes. So, pretty much on average, you're limited to a two-and-a-half minute conversation before an interruption.
I'm a courtesy junkie, too (my momma taught me well). So when the busboy comes by, I have to say "Thank you," even if he only needs to fill my fellow diners' glasses. I feel an equal pull from the courtesy police in my head to be polite and say "thank you" to the waitress every time she stops by. Picture the most annoying phone conversation with the Verizon wireless guy, except instead of "Can you hear me now?" it's more like "Thank you so much."
Yes, I'm disfunctional. I don't care.
At one point, I finally asked the waitress if it was ever tempting to throw a plate at a customer. She said only in her last job--she had worked for a major seafood chain. Little girl, big platters of food, and a crowded path between kitchen and tables. Do the math. It's not pretty.
Yet she manages to be perky all day. I guess it's a good thing this girl didn't decide on a career in journalism. She'd have given Katie a run for her money on "perky" news.
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