This letter is to inform you, we no longer require your running commentary on the food we have eaten off our plates. Your wide smile and subtle laugh, do not make your comments any more palatable or well received. I know you think you are making conversation and being friendly to get a good tip, but I consider it rude to mention how much food someone has or has not eaten.
I am quite sure you could care less whether I cleaned my plate or not. Before saying, "Well, I guess we won't be having dessert tonight, will we," stop and think about what that implies. Yes, my husband ate his entire meal and then had the nerve to take the last roll in the basket and sop up that yummy goodness off his plate. Hearing you say, "I don't have to ask you if that was good or not" or better yet, "I see you're starting to slow down" is offensive to me.
Most of the time when we go out to eat, my carnivorous man orders a steak and my entree is a salad with grilled chicken. I have been told "Wow... you ate that whole salad?" ...Really? Since when did a bowl of lettuce and leafy greens become something I had to eat in secret to keep from being ridiculed. It isn't as though we were on some wild eating spree or practicing for a food eating competition. When the "Food Police" is on patrol, please advise us so we can eat accordingly.
I know you must go home at night and lie awake worrying about each one of your customer's health, but I'm going to relieve your stress. I have been making my own food choices for a while now, and if I choose to splurge on a decadent meal instead of my usual sticks and twigs, that is my prerogative.
You have now been relieved of your responsibility of monitoring how much, and what we put into our mouths. I assure you, we will not be consulting an attorney because you did not properly supervise our eating habits during our dining experience at your establishment.
Asking someone in the middle of eating their meal if they are going to need a take home box, is inappropriate timing. It makes me feel as though you are rushing us out, or you think we have eaten quite enough and we should box the rest of the meal up.
If I lay my fork down on my plate, it doesn't necessarily mean I have finished eating. I believe in enjoying my dining experience and that includes not shoveling my food in as fast as I can. I also prefer to enjoy the company of my dining companions and sometimes I actually put my utensils down to take part in a conversation.
Waitstaff hovering around the corner waiting to whisk my plate from in front of me and off the table, makes me feel as though we have overstayed our welcome. If there is a time limit for dining, there should be a stopwatch within view and maybe a starter gun could go off when our meal arrives. When I am done, I will take the napkin from my lap and lay it on the table or my plate. This is a subtle, but clear signal that the diner is done.
Going out to eat is not only food for our bodies, but food for our souls. We are getting out of the house where everything that needs to be done is staring at us as we consume our meal. It is an escape, a social event, a celebration or a moment just to take a breather.
I understand how hard it is to work with and serve the public as a whole, but please handle us each as individuals. Not all of us are demanding and rude, and deserve the time and respect you were hired to give your customers. Remember, it is the customers who come in and continue to return, that enables your place of employment to hand you a paycheck.
So until our next venture out to the world of dining experiences, take a moment to think. We are more likely to show our appreciation in the form of a generous gratuity, if we leave smiling and feeling good about our time spent at your restaurant.
Now quit reading this and get out there and make your customers happy they chose to spend their time with you! Go on... you can do it!
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