In article <KvOfb.688791$uu5.112026@sccrnsc04>,
Julia Altshuler > wrote:
>
>
>It happened again tonight. We ate the first part of our meal in
>relative silence since we don't like to talk much as we eat. As we were
>slowing down, we started talking more. Only when we're in the middle of
>spirited conversation does the waiter or waitress come over to interupt
>to ask if everything is alright. I have to take my attention away from
>my dining companions to pay attention to her to reassure her that
>everything is fine. (Or it was fine until I was interrupted.)
>
>I was a waitress. I'm trying to be sympathetic to someone who has a
>rough job, but it is getting harder. Is it my imagination, or is it
>rude to walk straight up to people in the middle of conversation to
>interrupt them with some trivial question? Surely if there were
>something wrong, wouldn't that be obvious by the fact that I was looking
>around for the server trying to catch their eye?

Complain to management that you are receiving too much service.
I'm being serious. I think the waiters are trained to always
check on the customer and I find it annoying when a waiter comes by
every five minutes to ask me everything is OK. Applebee's is specially
horrible about this. I think it's a big waste of time. All I ask
from waiters is:

- Take my order on time
- If my order is taking a long time, be corteous enough to let me know
- Keep me refilled on drinks
- Get me my bill quickly once I ask for it (this realy irks me and I
quickly lower tips to $0 if I have to wait too long for my bill)
- Take care of the bill quickly once I've provided payment
- At the same time, don't try to rush me out just to get more customers
in the door.

If I need anything else, I'll flag them down.

> I never take my irritation out on the servers' tip because even I'm
>not that cantankerous and because I know the servers would have no way
>of making the connection between their interruption and the lower tip.

I agree that they wouldn't directly see the connection. If you don't
want to get the waiter in trouble, leave a note in the comment card.

~Deepak

--
Deepak Saxena - - http://www.plexity.net