I've only ever talked to the manager for really good service. I guess I figure let the crap worker have a chance to work it out on their own before they get into official trouble. Or I'm just shying away from that convo.

If she was the only waitress, she was probably also having to do side work (which can take hours and for which you still make 2.15 without tip, so it's worth it to fit it in whenever you can), she may have been discussing the dough situation, any number of things that took 25 minutes.

Once when I was helping out Mr. Jane at the bar there was only one table sitting outside. After an hour or so inside the bar was packed, but outside only had two or three tables. One table left me 50 cents because they didn't understand why their drink orders took so long when there were so few tables. Which, sure, if the bartender is only making drinks for the tables outside, is reasonable. I could have said, "Sorry it took so long. Inside is packed," but I didn't.

We had horrific breakfast service at(what I was told was) a well-known cafe in Minneapolis. It was bad from the instant we walked in. We had a largish party - 8 - to start and then 2 more came a bit later. We weren't given menus nor drink orders taken until after we'd been there for 20+ minutes. There were lots of servers and it was a Monday morning after 10. It took another 20 minutes for juice, coffee, and water. Another 20 for our late comers to get menus. We had been there for close to an hour before our orders were taken. The food took 40 minutes. My cousin Joe, who has been a server for 15+ years was the one that finally looked at the rest of us and said, "Yeah. You guys? This is bullshit." and went to find the manager. Who promptly assigned like, 15 servers to our table. This was my parents and my aunt and uncle - not what could potentially be a-hole 20-somethings on vacation. It sucked a lot until Cousin J said something. We probably should have left, but we just wanted to eat and leave and drive back to Michigan.

It sucked a lot until Cousin J said something.

exactly. If I see the service going downhill, I will ask the server if there is something going on and give them the opportunity to explain the delays/issues and/or give notice that we're not happy.

people at work need to stop asking me for stuff RIGHT NOW!

sending a message by your tip doesn't work, so you should tip whatever you tip

There comes a point where I just don't want them to have my money. I can't distance myself from the idea of the tip as performance-related earnings.

What is a tip, if not performance-related earnings?

If she was the only waitress, she was probably also having to do side work (which can take hours and for which you still make 2.15 without tip, so it's worth it to fit it in whenever you can), she may have been discussing the dough situation, any number of things that took 25 minutes.

That doesn't excuse her not telling us right away that the kitchen was out of dough. I've never eaten at a restaurant where, if the kitchen was out of something I ordered, the server did NOT immediately come back and tell me, and see if I wanted something else.

Just disappearing -- even if it's side work -- without letting customers know for 25 minutes what's going on with their food is not good service. They may need to do side work, but they also need to take care of their customers.

Once when I was helping out Mr. Jane at the bar there was only one table sitting outside. After an hour or so inside the bar was packed, but outside only had two or three tables. One table left me 50 cents because they didn't understand why their drink orders took so long when there were so few tables. Which, sure, if the bartender is only making drinks for the tables outside, is reasonable. I could have said, "Sorry it took so long. Inside is packed," but I didn't.

And if the restaurant we went to last night were busy and she were the only server, that would be a different issue. There was only 1 other table, of 3 people. There is no outside area, there was no one sitting at the bar.

I'm not bagging on the profession as a whole. But I'm not excusing bad service from a specific server, either.

And I'm also one that if it's really excellent service to make sure that the PTB knows that our server was awesome. And we reflect it in the tip. There was one guy at a restaurant in ... some city that was just amazing. We tipped him 50%.

Just disappearing -- even if it's side work -- without letting customers know for 25 minutes what's going on with their food is not good service.

Totally with you on this. 25 minutes is a long time to wait for information, let alone food.

A billion blogs (OK, three) have had this photo today, so...

Princess Leia & Stunt Double Sunbathing on Tatooine While Filming Return of the Jedi

In matching slave girl outfits....

I'm still amazed by the service we got at Purple at the Seattle F2F. I think one or two orders might have been spaced on, but for a group of 20+ people I was impressed for the most part.

Actually, I'm even more amazed they had the space for us without a reservation. I guess if the upstairs room had been booked, we would have been SOL.