WardNA wrote:
>
> >> I thought the average was 15% for good service,
> >
> >That's a little low, anymore, but whatever is okay by you.
>
> No, 15% is still a general baseline. As menu prices go up, the cut going to
> the waitstaff follows it linearly.
>
> Neil

Not here.

nancy

WardNA wrote:
>
> >> I thought the average was 15% for good service,
> >
> >That's a little low, anymore, but whatever is okay by you.
>
> No, 15% is still a general baseline. As menu prices go up, the cut going to
> the waitstaff follows it linearly.
>
> Neil

Not here.

nancy

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 00:36:20 -0000, Dog3 <dognospam@adjfkdla;not>
arranged random neurons, so they looked like this:

>You know for a fact this man got crappy service? According to the article
>I read, he was beligerant and obnoxious. Maybe the service was crappy and
>his behavior was impeccable. I seriously doubt it. No one in their right
>mind would chase a patron down like that, without good cause. We'll never
>know. I will just assume the man was an asshole and the restaurant owner
>has a few screws loose.

Never assume. On any old number of occasions, especially if dining
alone, I have had to practically hire a troop of Boy Scouts to find my
waitstaff to, oh, get another glass of wine, more butter, the bill...
Or I've had rude waitstaff or obviously impatient waitstaff, whatever.
I still left a 15% tip. Good service gets 20%. Am I an idiot for
tipping adequately when the service is inadequate? I just can't bring
myself to leave an insulting penny tip. Should I speak to the
waitstaff directly and say, "I've left you a decent tip, but I don't
think I received decent service. I hope you do better with the next
customer." Tell the manager that I was disappointed in the wait
service? Or just shaddup and move on?

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Duncan Hines

To reply, remove replace "spaminator" with "cox"

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 00:36:20 -0000, Dog3 <dognospam@adjfkdla;not>
arranged random neurons, so they looked like this:

>You know for a fact this man got crappy service? According to the article
>I read, he was beligerant and obnoxious. Maybe the service was crappy and
>his behavior was impeccable. I seriously doubt it. No one in their right
>mind would chase a patron down like that, without good cause. We'll never
>know. I will just assume the man was an asshole and the restaurant owner
>has a few screws loose.

Never assume. On any old number of occasions, especially if dining
alone, I have had to practically hire a troop of Boy Scouts to find my
waitstaff to, oh, get another glass of wine, more butter, the bill...
Or I've had rude waitstaff or obviously impatient waitstaff, whatever.
I still left a 15% tip. Good service gets 20%. Am I an idiot for
tipping adequately when the service is inadequate? I just can't bring
myself to leave an insulting penny tip. Should I speak to the
waitstaff directly and say, "I've left you a decent tip, but I don't
think I received decent service. I hope you do better with the next
customer." Tell the manager that I was disappointed in the wait
service? Or just shaddup and move on?

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Duncan Hines

To reply, remove replace "spaminator" with "cox"

Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote in
:

> Never assume. On any old number of occasions, especially if dining
> alone, I have had to practically hire a troop of Boy Scouts to find my
> waitstaff to, oh, get another glass of wine, more butter, the bill...
> Or I've had rude waitstaff or obviously impatient waitstaff, whatever.
> I still left a 15% tip. Good service gets 20%. Am I an idiot for
> tipping adequately when the service is inadequate? I just can't bring
> myself to leave an insulting penny tip. Should I speak to the
> waitstaff directly and say, "I've left you a decent tip, but I don't
> think I received decent service. I hope you do better with the next
> customer." Tell the manager that I was disappointed in the wait
> service? Or just shaddup and move on?
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
> AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

Unless it was really rotten service I will still tip, but not as much as
15%. I try to estimate what the service was really worth and tip
appropriately. That could be anywhere from perhaps 5-12%. For average
service I will tip 15%. For better than average, I will up the percent
to an appropriate figure. On a few rare occasions over the years, I have
tipped as much as 50% for a truly exceptional experience.

Likewise, on a few rare occasions, I have left 2¢ in some obvious
position on the table. I can't believe they would not know why.

There's no way I would waste my breath or time discussing the
inadequacies with either the waitstaff or management. Under those
circumstances, all I want to do is get the hell out of the place.

Once, in a seemingly popular restaurant in NYC, we left the table after
the meal and without the check, to tell the management that both the food
and the service were the worst we had ever experienced and had no
intention of paying or tipping for it. We said it nicely, and the
manager was equally nice, only asking that we please give them another
try.

--
Wayne in Phoenix

unmunge as w-e-b

*If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
*A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
>
>
> Should I speak to the
> waitstaff directly and say, "I've left you a decent tip, but I don't
> think I received decent service. I hope you do better with the next
> customer." Tell the manager that I was disappointed in the wait
> service?


I like both of those options, but I think the first one
is better if you are brave enough to do it.

gloria p

In article >,
Puester > wrote:

> Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
> >
> >
> > Should I speak to the
> > waitstaff directly and say, "I've left you a decent tip, but I don't
> > think I received decent service. I hope you do better with the next
> > customer." Tell the manager that I was disappointed in the wait
> > service?
>
>
> I like both of those options, but I think the first one
> is better if you are brave enough to do it.
>
> gloria p

I just leave 2 pennies on the table. ;-)
It usually gets the point across just fine...

Om
--
"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only
enough blood to run one at a time." -Robin Williams

In article >,
Puester > wrote:

> Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
> >
> >
> > Should I speak to the
> > waitstaff directly and say, "I've left you a decent tip, but I don't
> > think I received decent service. I hope you do better with the next
> > customer." Tell the manager that I was disappointed in the wait
> > service?
>
>
> I like both of those options, but I think the first one
> is better if you are brave enough to do it.
>
> gloria p

I just leave 2 pennies on the table. ;-)
It usually gets the point across just fine...

Om
--
"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only
enough blood to run one at a time." -Robin Williams

"kilikini" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Nancy Young" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Katra wrote:
> >
> > > IMHO 18% is rather high anyway.
> > > I thought the average was 15% for good service,
> >
> > That's a little low, anymore, but whatever is okay by you. Well,
> > lower than 15 is not okay for normal service, but you get what I
> > mean.
> >
> > Besides, the difference between 15 and 18 is usually not worth
> > quibbling about, if you do the math.
> >
> > What's interesting to me is that there is an assumption that if there
> > is a gratuity already added in, the waitstaff will not perform as
> > professionals and do their job. Whenever I've been in that situation,
> > they run around like crazy trying to make sure everyone has their
> > beverage/dinner/whatever. Just because they wait for a living does
> > not make them slackers. More often I've noticed my co-diners are
> > more annoying than anything.
> >
> > nancy
>
> Of course they run around like maniacs with a large party, it's a large
> party! And what I've discovered (and also have done) is if the waitstaff
> does an excellent job, despite the fact that the tip is included, many
> people give a little extra gratuity. It's so nice when that happens!
> (Which is why I return the favor.)
>
> kili
>
>

I would never tip extra in this situation. By imposing a fixed "tip" the
restaurant is in effect telling me that they think I am a cheap ******* who
won't tip decently. If they think 18% (or whatever) is fine who am I to
dispute that?

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"kilikini" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Nancy Young" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Katra wrote:
> >
> > > IMHO 18% is rather high anyway.
> > > I thought the average was 15% for good service,
> >
> > That's a little low, anymore, but whatever is okay by you. Well,
> > lower than 15 is not okay for normal service, but you get what I
> > mean.
> >
> > Besides, the difference between 15 and 18 is usually not worth
> > quibbling about, if you do the math.
> >
> > What's interesting to me is that there is an assumption that if there
> > is a gratuity already added in, the waitstaff will not perform as
> > professionals and do their job. Whenever I've been in that situation,
> > they run around like crazy trying to make sure everyone has their
> > beverage/dinner/whatever. Just because they wait for a living does
> > not make them slackers. More often I've noticed my co-diners are
> > more annoying than anything.
> >
> > nancy
>
> Of course they run around like maniacs with a large party, it's a large
> party! And what I've discovered (and also have done) is if the waitstaff
> does an excellent job, despite the fact that the tip is included, many
> people give a little extra gratuity. It's so nice when that happens!
> (Which is why I return the favor.)
>
> kili
>
>

I would never tip extra in this situation. By imposing a fixed "tip" the
restaurant is in effect telling me that they think I am a cheap ******* who
won't tip decently. If they think 18% (or whatever) is fine who am I to
dispute that?

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

Peter Aitken wrote:

> I would never tip extra in this situation. By imposing a fixed "tip" the
> restaurant is in effect telling me that they think I am a cheap ******* who
> won't tip decently. If they think 18% (or whatever) is fine who am I to
> dispute that?

I think you'd be taking it too personally. We're talking about large
groups. The dynamics of getting a proper tip (and! the tax!) out of
a bunch of people who maybe work together but maybe don't have the
same sensibilities about how to tip/whatever, I've seen it all!

There's always the person who wants to pay to the penny for what they
ordered. Then who had a drink and who just had water. A nightmare.
Our secretary used to handle that well, she'd take care of everything.

Now, if it's just you and your wife, or some friends, and they
included the tip, that would seriously annoy me. But when you call
ahead, it's just better for everyone involved that there's no question
about the tip.

Funny, reminded my of my fil's 80th. We surprised him with a bd
dinner. They didn't specify the tip even though we had maybe 12
people.

Well, this was the first and only time I met one of my sil's husband.
What an ass. Everything was free, the flight in, the hotel, and I
was paying for dinner (not that anyone knew that), but he sure
wouldn't, being broke. He starts snapping his fingers, ordering
around the staff, then he ordered appetizers for his side of the
table. Hello, I would happen to like an appetizer. So the waitress
had to make two trips.

I was fuming, but you get the general idea how things went. Anyway,
we brought our own cake and the staff served it up for us. All was
well. Might be the only 100% tip I ever gave.

My point is, it's a mixed bag with a large group. Management is
right to protect their staff in these situations, I really think so.

nancy

Peter Aitken wrote:

> I would never tip extra in this situation. By imposing a fixed "tip" the
> restaurant is in effect telling me that they think I am a cheap ******* who
> won't tip decently. If they think 18% (or whatever) is fine who am I to
> dispute that?

I think you'd be taking it too personally. We're talking about large
groups. The dynamics of getting a proper tip (and! the tax!) out of
a bunch of people who maybe work together but maybe don't have the
same sensibilities about how to tip/whatever, I've seen it all!

There's always the person who wants to pay to the penny for what they
ordered. Then who had a drink and who just had water. A nightmare.
Our secretary used to handle that well, she'd take care of everything.

Now, if it's just you and your wife, or some friends, and they
included the tip, that would seriously annoy me. But when you call
ahead, it's just better for everyone involved that there's no question
about the tip.

Funny, reminded my of my fil's 80th. We surprised him with a bd
dinner. They didn't specify the tip even though we had maybe 12
people.

Well, this was the first and only time I met one of my sil's husband.
What an ass. Everything was free, the flight in, the hotel, and I
was paying for dinner (not that anyone knew that), but he sure
wouldn't, being broke. He starts snapping his fingers, ordering
around the staff, then he ordered appetizers for his side of the
table. Hello, I would happen to like an appetizer. So the waitress
had to make two trips.

I was fuming, but you get the general idea how things went. Anyway,
we brought our own cake and the staff served it up for us. All was
well. Might be the only 100% tip I ever gave.

My point is, it's a mixed bag with a large group. Management is
right to protect their staff in these situations, I really think so.

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:

> Katra wrote:
>
> > IMHO 18% is rather high anyway.
> > I thought the average was 15% for good service,
>
> That's a little low, anymore, but whatever is okay by you. Well,
> lower than 15 is not okay for normal service, but you get what I
> mean.
>
> Besides, the difference between 15 and 18 is usually not worth
> quibbling about, if you do the math.
>
> What's interesting to me is that there is an assumption that if there
> is a gratuity already added in, the waitstaff will not perform as
> professionals and do their job. Whenever I've been in that situation,
> they run around like crazy trying to make sure everyone has their
> beverage/dinner/whatever. Just because they wait for a living does
> not make them slackers.


Yup...the wait folks I know work very hard to earn a living, as do many
bartenders I know (there are exceptions natcherly...). Physically it's hard
being on one's feet all day, even if young and hale 'n hearty...and putting
up with all the crap that a public contact job entails. I couldn't do it.


More often I've noticed my co-diners are
> more annoying than anything.


This seems to be a general trend...

OT - ish but there's a little Saturday farmer's market in the school playlot
around the corner. Sometimes they have a petting zoo/pony rides for the
kids. When they have the petting zoo they have a "no dogs" rule for the
farmer's market, as dogs might upset the animals and vv. Well whaddya know
here comes Mr & Mrs Yuppie with their double - wide stroller and Golden
Retriever in tow. Ms. Entitlment tries to plead and argue her dog's way in,
then gets busy on the cell phone calling "the city" (yeah, on Saturday
morning lol). What a load. And there's a place to tie up yer dog and they
have water and gratis treats for the pooches, too ...it's not like they're
casting the dogs adrift or something.

People these daze...

--
Best
Greg "she didn't get in..."

Nancy Young wrote:

> Katra wrote:
>
> > IMHO 18% is rather high anyway.
> > I thought the average was 15% for good service,
>
> That's a little low, anymore, but whatever is okay by you. Well,
> lower than 15 is not okay for normal service, but you get what I
> mean.
>
> Besides, the difference between 15 and 18 is usually not worth
> quibbling about, if you do the math.
>
> What's interesting to me is that there is an assumption that if there
> is a gratuity already added in, the waitstaff will not perform as
> professionals and do their job. Whenever I've been in that situation,
> they run around like crazy trying to make sure everyone has their
> beverage/dinner/whatever. Just because they wait for a living does
> not make them slackers.


Yup...the wait folks I know work very hard to earn a living, as do many
bartenders I know (there are exceptions natcherly...). Physically it's hard
being on one's feet all day, even if young and hale 'n hearty...and putting
up with all the crap that a public contact job entails. I couldn't do it.


More often I've noticed my co-diners are
> more annoying than anything.


This seems to be a general trend...

OT - ish but there's a little Saturday farmer's market in the school playlot
around the corner. Sometimes they have a petting zoo/pony rides for the
kids. When they have the petting zoo they have a "no dogs" rule for the
farmer's market, as dogs might upset the animals and vv. Well whaddya know
here comes Mr & Mrs Yuppie with their double - wide stroller and Golden
Retriever in tow. Ms. Entitlment tries to plead and argue her dog's way in,
then gets busy on the cell phone calling "the city" (yeah, on Saturday
morning lol). What a load. And there's a place to tie up yer dog and they
have water and gratis treats for the pooches, too ...it's not like they're
casting the dogs adrift or something.

People these daze...

--
Best
Greg "she didn't get in..."

Gregory Morrow wrote:
>
> Nancy Young wrote:

> > What's interesting to me is that there is an assumption that if there
> > is a gratuity already added in, the waitstaff will not perform as
> > professionals and do their job. Whenever I've been in that situation,
> > they run around like crazy trying to make sure everyone has their
> > beverage/dinner/whatever. Just because they wait for a living does
> > not make them slackers.
>
> Yup...the wait folks I know work very hard to earn a living, as do many
> bartenders I know (there are exceptions natcherly...). Physically it's hard
> being on one's feet all day, even if young and hale 'n hearty...and putting
> up with all the crap that a public contact job entails. I couldn't do it.

> This seems to be a general trend...
>
> OT - ish but there's a little Saturday farmer's market in the school playlot
> around the corner. Sometimes they have a petting zoo/pony rides for the
> kids. When they have the petting zoo they have a "no dogs" rule for the
> farmer's market, as dogs might upset the animals and vv.

Well, that does make sense.

> Well whaddya know
> here comes Mr & Mrs Yuppie with their double - wide stroller and Golden
> Retriever in tow. Ms. Entitlment tries to plead and argue her dog's way in,
> then gets busy on the cell phone calling "the city" (yeah, on Saturday
> morning lol).

Maybe she could call the pope and get a dispensation.

> What a load. And there's a place to tie up yer dog and they
> have water and gratis treats for the pooches, too ...it's not like they're
> casting the dogs adrift or something.

I have a feeling jerks have been around forever.

nancy

Gregory Morrow wrote:
>
> Nancy Young wrote:

> > What's interesting to me is that there is an assumption that if there
> > is a gratuity already added in, the waitstaff will not perform as
> > professionals and do their job. Whenever I've been in that situation,
> > they run around like crazy trying to make sure everyone has their
> > beverage/dinner/whatever. Just because they wait for a living does
> > not make them slackers.
>
> Yup...the wait folks I know work very hard to earn a living, as do many
> bartenders I know (there are exceptions natcherly...). Physically it's hard
> being on one's feet all day, even if young and hale 'n hearty...and putting
> up with all the crap that a public contact job entails. I couldn't do it.

> This seems to be a general trend...
>
> OT - ish but there's a little Saturday farmer's market in the school playlot
> around the corner. Sometimes they have a petting zoo/pony rides for the
> kids. When they have the petting zoo they have a "no dogs" rule for the
> farmer's market, as dogs might upset the animals and vv.

Well, that does make sense.

> Well whaddya know
> here comes Mr & Mrs Yuppie with their double - wide stroller and Golden
> Retriever in tow. Ms. Entitlment tries to plead and argue her dog's way in,
> then gets busy on the cell phone calling "the city" (yeah, on Saturday
> morning lol).

Maybe she could call the pope and get a dispensation.

> What a load. And there's a place to tie up yer dog and they
> have water and gratis treats for the pooches, too ...it's not like they're
> casting the dogs adrift or something.

I have a feeling jerks have been around forever.

nancy

In article > , Dog3
<dognospam@adjfkdla;not> wrote:


> Yes, we had a cell phoner at the table next to us last week. It was
> annoying as hell. I did not care what his daughter was doing right that
> second and who she was with, yadda, yadda, yadda. It was made worse by his
> boom voice which carried across half the central US.


I can understand being annoyed by the booming voice. I know a lot of
people are annoyed by cell phones, but I haven't yet figured out why. If
you didn't care what his daughter was doing, why did you care? I assume
that if she had been there in person eating with him, you wouldn't have
been bothered, so why were you bothered that they were talking when she
wasn't present? I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious as to why
people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS

In article > , Dog3
<dognospam@adjfkdla;not> wrote:


> Yes, we had a cell phoner at the table next to us last week. It was
> annoying as hell. I did not care what his daughter was doing right that
> second and who she was with, yadda, yadda, yadda. It was made worse by his
> boom voice which carried across half the central US.


I can understand being annoyed by the booming voice. I know a lot of
people are annoyed by cell phones, but I haven't yet figured out why. If
you didn't care what his daughter was doing, why did you care? I assume
that if she had been there in person eating with him, you wouldn't have
been bothered, so why were you bothered that they were talking when she
wasn't present? I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious as to why
people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS

Dan Abel wrote:
I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious
as to why
> people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.
>
Because something happens when previously normal,
considerate people get on a cell phone. They YELL!
And talk LOUDER than normal table conversation.
They force you to overhear their often petty
conversations. It's VERY annoying.
Go figure?
Goomba

Dan Abel wrote:
I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious
as to why
> people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.
>
Because something happens when previously normal,
considerate people get on a cell phone. They YELL!
And talk LOUDER than normal table conversation.
They force you to overhear their often petty
conversations. It's VERY annoying.
Go figure?
Goomba

Dog3 wrote:

> Yes, we had a cell phoner at the table next to us last week. It was
> annoying as hell. I did not care what his daughter was doing right that
> second and who she was with, yadda, yadda, yadda. It was made worse by his
> boom voice which carried across half the central US.

Arghhhh! Cell phones in restaurants. The other day I was sitting in a tim
Hortons enjoying a coffee and doing my crossword puzzle. A lady at the next
table had a cell phone call. It's bad enough that so many people have long
and obnoxious musical pieces to alert them of incoming calls. She was 6 feet
from the door and could have taken her call outside, but no, she had to take
the call right there and speak loud enough for all to here. Then she decided
to make a call to her mother to arrange for her father to stay where he was
because a real estate agent was on her way to look at the house. Wasn't I
lucky to be privy to all that information.

On Saturday I was at a wedding. Almost everyone there seemed to be having a
good time. One young lady must have been bored to tears. On a least a half
dozen occasions I happened to notice that she was either taking a call, making
a call or checking messages. Luckily, I was on the far side of the next
table, so I was not subjected to the content of her call. The people seated
with her were not so lucky. I could not help but be struck by the rudeness of
her behavior. She seemed more interested in contacting her friends by cell
phone than in enjoying the celebration.

Dinner ran a little late that night and while getting some fresh air I
noticed several people walk out to the parking lot to make calls. I did
overhear a couple of those calls, all of which were to check up on children. I
appreciate that they took their business outside so as not to interrupt the
party.

Dog3 wrote:

> Yes, we had a cell phoner at the table next to us last week. It was
> annoying as hell. I did not care what his daughter was doing right that
> second and who she was with, yadda, yadda, yadda. It was made worse by his
> boom voice which carried across half the central US.

Arghhhh! Cell phones in restaurants. The other day I was sitting in a tim
Hortons enjoying a coffee and doing my crossword puzzle. A lady at the next
table had a cell phone call. It's bad enough that so many people have long
and obnoxious musical pieces to alert them of incoming calls. She was 6 feet
from the door and could have taken her call outside, but no, she had to take
the call right there and speak loud enough for all to here. Then she decided
to make a call to her mother to arrange for her father to stay where he was
because a real estate agent was on her way to look at the house. Wasn't I
lucky to be privy to all that information.

On Saturday I was at a wedding. Almost everyone there seemed to be having a
good time. One young lady must have been bored to tears. On a least a half
dozen occasions I happened to notice that she was either taking a call, making
a call or checking messages. Luckily, I was on the far side of the next
table, so I was not subjected to the content of her call. The people seated
with her were not so lucky. I could not help but be struck by the rudeness of
her behavior. She seemed more interested in contacting her friends by cell
phone than in enjoying the celebration.

Dinner ran a little late that night and while getting some fresh air I
noticed several people walk out to the parking lot to make calls. I did
overhear a couple of those calls, all of which were to check up on children. I
appreciate that they took their business outside so as not to interrupt the
party.

In article >, Goomba38
> wrote:

> Dan Abel wrote:
> I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious
> as to why
> > people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.
> >
> Because something happens when previously normal,
> considerate people get on a cell phone. They YELL!
> And talk LOUDER than normal table conversation.
> They force you to overhear their often petty
> conversations. It's VERY annoying.


So for those of you who hate cell phones in restaurants, would they be OK
if people used a normal voice?

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS

In article >, Goomba38
> wrote:

> Dan Abel wrote:
> I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious
> as to why
> > people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.
> >
> Because something happens when previously normal,
> considerate people get on a cell phone. They YELL!
> And talk LOUDER than normal table conversation.
> They force you to overhear their often petty
> conversations. It's VERY annoying.


So for those of you who hate cell phones in restaurants, would they be OK
if people used a normal voice?

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS

Dan Abel wrote:
>
> In article >, Goomba38
> > wrote:
>
> > Dan Abel wrote:
> > I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious
> > as to why
> > > people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.
> > >
> > Because something happens when previously normal,
> > considerate people get on a cell phone. They YELL!
> > And talk LOUDER than normal table conversation.
> > They force you to overhear their often petty
> > conversations. It's VERY annoying.
>
> So for those of you who hate cell phones in restaurants, would they be OK
> if people used a normal voice?

No. It's very annoying everywhere.

nancy

Dan Abel wrote:
>
> In article >, Goomba38
> > wrote:
>
> > Dan Abel wrote:
> > I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious
> > as to why
> > > people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.
> > >
> > Because something happens when previously normal,
> > considerate people get on a cell phone. They YELL!
> > And talk LOUDER than normal table conversation.
> > They force you to overhear their often petty
> > conversations. It's VERY annoying.
>
> So for those of you who hate cell phones in restaurants, would they be OK
> if people used a normal voice?

No. It's very annoying everywhere.

nancy

Dan Abel > wrote:

> So for those of you who hate cell phones in restaurants,
> would they be OK if people used a normal voice?

No. Listening to one side of a conversation is more
distracting to listening to both sides of a conversation.
Your mind automatically tries to fill in the missing
information and it is distracting.

(The same can be said about listening to two people holding
an exceptionally cryptic conversation, but I guess I'm not
proposing to ban those in restaurants.)

Steve

Dan Abel > wrote:

> So for those of you who hate cell phones in restaurants,
> would they be OK if people used a normal voice?

No. Listening to one side of a conversation is more
distracting to listening to both sides of a conversation.
Your mind automatically tries to fill in the missing
information and it is distracting.

(The same can be said about listening to two people holding
an exceptionally cryptic conversation, but I guess I'm not
proposing to ban those in restaurants.)

Steve

Dan Abel wrote:


> So for those of you who hate cell phones in restaurants, would they be OK
> if people used a normal voice?
>

sure, can i sit at the table next to you and fart loudly as long as they
don't stink? ;-)

Dan Abel wrote:


> So for those of you who hate cell phones in restaurants, would they be OK
> if people used a normal voice?
>

sure, can i sit at the table next to you and fart loudly as long as they
don't stink? ;-)

Goomba38 writes:
>
>Dan Abel wrote:
> I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious
>as to why
>> people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.
>>
>Because something happens when previously normal,
>considerate people get on a cell phone. They YELL!
>And talk LOUDER than normal table conversation.
>They force you to overhear their often petty
>conversations. It's VERY annoying.
>Go figure?

And much worse... I usally get lucky and witness the pinheads who get all
emotional in the heat of an argument... I've seen more than one lame brained
cell phone phreak get up from their seat, begin to pace, wave their arms
wildly, and generally gesticulate with their entire bodies, their voice rises
higher and louder, and then they begin with the ****s, shits, *******s, etc.,
the self-centered selfish worms behave as though they're the only one on the
planet. No, not me, I've never used a cell phone in public, I have a cell
phone, but in fact I very rarely have it with me, it just sits on my desk
plugged into it's charger. I never get any calls on it because as far as I
know not a soul has the number, in fact I don't know the number, I would need
to look it up. I got it for emergencies, for when I plan a trip out of say a
fifty mile radius... I think I've taken it with me 3-4 times but never had
occasion to use it. And don't even get me started on the imbeciles who are
yakking while driving. they're no different from a drunk behind the wheel.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

Goomba38 writes:
>
>Dan Abel wrote:
> I'm not trying to be critical, I'm just curious
>as to why
>> people are bothered by cell phones in restaurants.
>>
>Because something happens when previously normal,
>considerate people get on a cell phone. They YELL!
>And talk LOUDER than normal table conversation.
>They force you to overhear their often petty
>conversations. It's VERY annoying.
>Go figure?

And much worse... I usally get lucky and witness the pinheads who get all
emotional in the heat of an argument... I've seen more than one lame brained
cell phone phreak get up from their seat, begin to pace, wave their arms
wildly, and generally gesticulate with their entire bodies, their voice rises
higher and louder, and then they begin with the ****s, shits, *******s, etc.,
the self-centered selfish worms behave as though they're the only one on the
planet. No, not me, I've never used a cell phone in public, I have a cell
phone, but in fact I very rarely have it with me, it just sits on my desk
plugged into it's charger. I never get any calls on it because as far as I
know not a soul has the number, in fact I don't know the number, I would need
to look it up. I got it for emergencies, for when I plan a trip out of say a
fifty mile radius... I think I've taken it with me 3-4 times but never had
occasion to use it. And don't even get me started on the imbeciles who are
yakking while driving. they're no different from a drunk behind the wheel.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

Dog3 wrote:
>
> Nancy Young >

> On the other scale, there is the person that orders a $100 bottle of wine.
> Naturally the person offers it up to the table but few if any take a drink.

I would expect them to pay for it.

> > Funny, reminded my of my fil's 80th. We surprised him with a bd
> > dinner. They didn't specify the tip even though we had maybe 12
> > people.
> >
> > Well, this was the first and only time I met one of my sil's husband.
> > What an ass. Everything was free, the flight in, the hotel, and I
> > was paying for dinner (not that anyone knew that), but he sure
> > wouldn't, being broke. He starts snapping his fingers, ordering
> > around the staff, then he ordered appetizers for his side of the
> > table. Hello, I would happen to like an appetizer. So the waitress
> > had to make two trips.

> Been in a similar situation. I was paying for dinner for 10 family members
> and whoops, a cousin showed up with 4 extra people. The husband was a
> pompous, overbearing, disgusting pig of an ass. He was obviously
> intimidated by my family and for some reason felt the need to tie one on.
> He ran the wait staff to death. I paid for dinner and his bar tab alone
> was over $40. I way overtipped and will never associate with this
> individual or his insipid wife again. Sadly, his children appeared to be
> terrified of him.

That is pathetic, but now you know what I'm talking about. When he
started snapping his fingers at the waitress I seriously had to hold
my tongue. I was furious. Acting as if he was the host of the party.
All hot shit in his 10 gallon black hat. I didn't mean to imply he
should sit there, can I order an appetizer? I guess it's a
compensation thing for his huge money troubles. Order an appetizer,
but ask the other people at the table if they wanted some, too.

At any rate, I pretended to need to use the ladies room and got the
waitress and paid the bill so no one would be embarrassed.

> > My point is, it's a mixed bag with a large group. Management is
> > right to protect their staff in these situations, I really think so.
>
> <smooch>

Right back atcha, sweetie.

nancy

Dog3 wrote:
>
> Nancy Young >

> On the other scale, there is the person that orders a $100 bottle of wine.
> Naturally the person offers it up to the table but few if any take a drink.

I would expect them to pay for it.

> > Funny, reminded my of my fil's 80th. We surprised him with a bd
> > dinner. They didn't specify the tip even though we had maybe 12
> > people.
> >
> > Well, this was the first and only time I met one of my sil's husband.
> > What an ass. Everything was free, the flight in, the hotel, and I
> > was paying for dinner (not that anyone knew that), but he sure
> > wouldn't, being broke. He starts snapping his fingers, ordering
> > around the staff, then he ordered appetizers for his side of the
> > table. Hello, I would happen to like an appetizer. So the waitress
> > had to make two trips.

> Been in a similar situation. I was paying for dinner for 10 family members
> and whoops, a cousin showed up with 4 extra people. The husband was a
> pompous, overbearing, disgusting pig of an ass. He was obviously
> intimidated by my family and for some reason felt the need to tie one on.
> He ran the wait staff to death. I paid for dinner and his bar tab alone
> was over $40. I way overtipped and will never associate with this
> individual or his insipid wife again. Sadly, his children appeared to be
> terrified of him.

That is pathetic, but now you know what I'm talking about. When he
started snapping his fingers at the waitress I seriously had to hold
my tongue. I was furious. Acting as if he was the host of the party.
All hot shit in his 10 gallon black hat. I didn't mean to imply he
should sit there, can I order an appetizer? I guess it's a
compensation thing for his huge money troubles. Order an appetizer,
but ask the other people at the table if they wanted some, too.

At any rate, I pretended to need to use the ladies room and got the
waitress and paid the bill so no one would be embarrassed.

> > My point is, it's a mixed bag with a large group. Management is
> > right to protect their staff in these situations, I really think so.
>
> <smooch>

Right back atcha, sweetie.

nancy

Dog3 wrote:
> Now, some of the neighborhood bars and restaurants I went to in the old
> neighborhood welcomed pooches. On any give Friday night you would see me
> at the 34 Club and sitting on either side of me were my dearly departed
> Scotties. We'd sit at the bar, they with water, me with martini. I loved
> to watch the tourists walk in and stand back. Dogs all over the place.


That sounds kind of morbid. Maybe I read it wrong...

Best regards, ;-)
Bob

Dog3 wrote:
> Now, some of the neighborhood bars and restaurants I went to in the old
> neighborhood welcomed pooches. On any give Friday night you would see me
> at the 34 Club and sitting on either side of me were my dearly departed
> Scotties. We'd sit at the bar, they with water, me with martini. I loved
> to watch the tourists walk in and stand back. Dogs all over the place.


That sounds kind of morbid. Maybe I read it wrong...

Best regards, ;-)
Bob

In article >,
Dave Smith > wrote:

> Arghhhh! Cell phones in restaurants. The other day I was sitting in a tim
> Hortons enjoying a coffee and doing my crossword puzzle. A lady at the next
> table had a cell phone call. It's bad enough that so many people have long
> and obnoxious musical pieces to alert them of incoming calls. She was 6 feet
> from the door and could have taken her call outside, but no, she had to take
> the call right there and speak loud enough for all to here. Then she decided
> to make a call to her mother to arrange for her father to stay where he was
> because a real estate agent was on her way to look at the house. Wasn't I
> lucky to be privy to all that information.

I've found that cell phone users almost invariable seem to talk more
loudly on the phone than they do to a person sitting across from them. I
can always tell when someone goes from talking to the person at their
table, to talking to someone on a cell phone--THE VOLUME OF THEIR VOICE
SHOOTS UP.

I really don't want to hear their life story. If I'm especially irked,
I'll comment as I pass by: "Good luck with that cream for your rash."

--
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In article >,
Dave Smith > wrote:

> Arghhhh! Cell phones in restaurants. The other day I was sitting in a tim
> Hortons enjoying a coffee and doing my crossword puzzle. A lady at the next
> table had a cell phone call. It's bad enough that so many people have long
> and obnoxious musical pieces to alert them of incoming calls. She was 6 feet
> from the door and could have taken her call outside, but no, she had to take
> the call right there and speak loud enough for all to here. Then she decided
> to make a call to her mother to arrange for her father to stay where he was
> because a real estate agent was on her way to look at the house. Wasn't I
> lucky to be privy to all that information.

I've found that cell phone users almost invariable seem to talk more
loudly on the phone than they do to a person sitting across from them. I
can always tell when someone goes from talking to the person at their
table, to talking to someone on a cell phone--THE VOLUME OF THEIR VOICE
SHOOTS UP.

I really don't want to hear their life story. If I'm especially irked,
I'll comment as I pass by: "Good luck with that cream for your rash."

--
to respond, change "spamless.invalid" with "optonline.net"
please mail OT responses only

In article >,
Dave Smith > wrote:

> Arghhhh! Cell phones in restaurants. The other day I was sitting in a tim
> Hortons enjoying a coffee and doing my crossword puzzle. A lady at the next
> table had a cell phone call. It's bad enough that so many people have long
> and obnoxious musical pieces to alert them of incoming calls. She was 6 feet
> from the door and could have taken her call outside, but no, she had to take
> the call right there and speak loud enough for all to here. Then she decided
> to make a call to her mother to arrange for her father to stay where he was
> because a real estate agent was on her way to look at the house. Wasn't I
> lucky to be privy to all that information.

I've found that cell phone users almost invariable seem to talk more
loudly on the phone than they do to a person sitting across from them. I
can always tell when someone goes from talking to the person at their
table, to talking to someone on a cell phone--THE VOLUME OF THEIR VOICE
SHOOTS UP.

I really don't want to hear their life story. If I'm especially irked,
I'll comment as I pass by: "Good luck with that cream for your rash."

--
to respond, change "spamless.invalid" with "optonline.net"
please mail OT responses only

In article . net>,
"Gregory Morrow" >
wrote:

> OT - ish but there's a little Saturday farmer's market in the school playlot
> around the corner. Sometimes they have a petting zoo/pony rides for the
> kids. When they have the petting zoo they have a "no dogs" rule for the
> farmer's market, as dogs might upset the animals and vv. Well whaddya know
> here comes Mr & Mrs Yuppie with their double - wide stroller and Golden
> Retriever in tow. Ms. Entitlment tries to plead and argue her dog's way in,
> then gets busy on the cell phone calling "the city" (yeah, on Saturday
> morning lol). What a load. And there's a place to tie up yer dog and they
> have water and gratis treats for the pooches, too ...it's not like they're
> casting the dogs adrift or something.

The state and town parks where I go for walks and bike rides have
clearly posted signs that say "No dogs." Yet there are invariably at
least a half dozen people with dogs--and always at least a few without
leashes for the dogs.

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