Are you being served?

We went to dinner with our good friends the other night.  We went to a local place, which I like because I really don't care for the chain restaurants with their corny names that are supposed to connote eating, drinking and being merry (they all sound like they're called "T. J. McFunzones" or "PizzaLicious").

Good news/bad news: food was top-notch and they gave even more than I could wolf down! But the service was horrible.

The server did not greet us with any salutation other than handing us menus and asking, 3 seconds later, if we "need more time."  She took our order without comment and was back with the salad in no time at all.  And then...

We weren't quite finished with our salads when she was back with entrees.  Seems to me, you would want to wait with the entrees until people finish grazing on the greenery, but she just stood there looming over us with plates of dinner until we admitted we really didn't want to finish our salads anyway.

And then did she come back in a few minutes to see if everything was cooked ok, or did we need anything?  No.

But she did show up before we even finished eating, trying to lay the bill on us.  I admit, I was a little exasperated with the rush she was giving us, especially in view of the fact that there were only two other tables in business and we were the ONLY table she was waiting on, so I said, "Are you in a hurry or something? Are you getting off duty now and need us to go?"

(From where I sat, I could see that she was involved in a conversation at another part of the place with a guy who works for a food-delivery outfit, and was rushing to get back to her discussions with him.)

We told her we would like to have some dessert and coffee.  She came back with a tray full of desserts and took those orders, and then came back with desserts for all and coffee for none.  

And then she came back with the check again. Boy, she wanted that money for the meal! We were 1/2 way through dessert but reminded her we had ordered coffee. She did not say she was sorry for forgetting or claim that a fresh pot was brewing. She just turned and stomped away.


We finished dessert and sat around waiting for coffee, and then at length she came around with coffees, and I said to just cancel the coffee; we were through with our meals, and she gave me a look that would curdle milk, I tell you.  We paid her and we sat and chatted for a while, in an empty restaurant, with our dirty dishes still in front of us...and we hope she didn't wonder why the place was devoid of customers at dinnertime on a nice evening.