New York Times article Tonight, Patronizing Language. Enjoy.; by critic Frank Bruni.
Many reader's comments start here.
Here are a few personal instances we've experienced.
We went to an IHOP for the Early Bird Senior Discount Special. The waiter asked us, in a sneering voice, "You'll leave a decent tip, won't you?"
The waiter at TGI Friday's, dripping with "flair" (assorted junk badges and buttons)— (places like those are almost always a mistake to visit) who substantially raised his credit card tip after we'd left.
Another time, the waiter patronizingly instructed us that when paying the bill at the table, the check folder should be extended out from the edge of the table just so so he'd be aware that we were ready for him to pick up the credit card.
The waitress at a supposedly "better" Little Rock restaurant, who got into a long discussion with Mrs. Anon about contact lens woes.
At one of Little Rock's truly best restaurants, (now closed) the waitress who recited not only the evening's specials but the entire menu of mains, at an incomprehensible rate of speed and entirely unasked for. (We can read!)
...There are more.
Funny article, Anon! :-)
I remember quite a few instances of patronizing 'restaurant speak' when in the US- thank goodness I don't have to deal with that here! (Servers don't have to brown-nose because there is no custom of tipping!)
I can't tell you how many times wait staff have looked at Mr. Nutrax in his wheelchair, then turned to me and said "what will he have?" as if Mr. N is somehow blind, deaf, dumb, and imbecile. I usually reply "Why don't you ask HIM?"
"a botulism emulsion" I never would have imagined I could read something like that and smile, but I did.
<blockquote>Quote
<hr>who substantially raised his credit card tip <hr></blockquote> I can do you one better on that. Some friends and I were out for lunch at Chevy's (their choice of venue). When it came time to pay the bill, P. asked for her meal to be put on a separate check and to pay with her credit card. The other three of us split the remaining bill, which was placed on someone else's credit card. When P. checked her charges a couple of days later, she found two for Chevy's: her own lunch and the bill for the entire table. And yes, the person who proferred the other credit card had also been charged.
So, basically, the waiter had pocketed $90. P., who is fairly new to the U.S. and was afraid to confront Chevy's, enlisted E., one of the group, to go to bat for her. This prompted the manager at Chevy's to snarl, "Why doesn't P. call us herself?" E., who is also in the restaurant business, replied, "She's a foreigner. She's already afraid of you. Now let's get back to clearing up this duplicate charge."
I've had restaurant experiences here that are much more encouraging than that, believe me. One bad apple ...
..One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch girl,
Oooh, give it one more try before you give up on love
One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch girl
Oooh, I don't care what they say I don't care what you've heard
Speaking of "enjoy", I just got a card from a museum saying that if I renewed my membership early, I would enjoy a coupon for a tote bag. They are in no position to say that.
I've also seen signs on shop doors saying "Please enjoy your food and drinks outside." That's just as bad.
What about this one: Pizzeria Uno in New York City- Mr. FaN pays the check in cash and the waitress asks him if he needs change, absentmindedly, he replies "yes please" and she brings back a handful of pennies along with the larger bills. We usually calculate the tip after getting change and very often add more to it, in this case the change amounted to 25% of the total check.
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