Frogleg > wrote in
:


>
> Maybe, in the absence of well-trained waitstaff alert for the
> slightest glance in their direction, restaurants could develop a
> signal mechanism -- "if you need anything, put up this flag or secure
> a napkin to the edge of the table." :-)

A group of us had to go to Canberra for a conference a couple of weeks
away. First night there we went to an Irish pub for dinner where they used
the system where you order at the counter and are given a number to take
back to your table so they know where to bring the food.

We were discussing this system, and one of my colleagues told of his
experience at a restaurant at, IIRC, Singapore airport (perhaps another
airport, my memory's not that good). The table number was on a statue and
when the waiter delivered his meal he tipped the statue over. My colleague,
thinking nothing but to make the table look neat again, righted the statue.
The waiter came over shortly after, asked if everything was OK - on being
assured that it was, he tipped the statue over again and left. My colleague
righted the statue again, almost straight away (I think he was wondering
why the waiter kept tipping it over!) and shortly thereafter the manager
appeared to ask if he was sure that everything was OK. Yes it was, he said,
why?

Apparently, the system in place at this restaurant was that if you wanted
something you raised the statue upright - when the waiter had dealt with
you, it was laid on its side again. So, it seems that some places already
have the flag system, albeit in other forms <g>.

--
Rhonda Anderson
Penrith, NSW, Australia