Restaurant Pet Peeves

[Tundra]

Finally something you and I agree on.

When I was a waiter back in college I always wrote down order details. The best route you can take to a crappy tip is to screw up an order in a completely preventable way.

Baby steps

[David]

Baby steps

Actually, now that I think about it, I also agreed with you on a comment you made about Blue Bell ice cream a little while back.

[Pete]

I don't like the order-at-the-counter places that then want to provide some sort of service to your table that is totally unnecessary.

I don't mean bringing the food to your table, but I was at Swadley's BBQ yesterday (I'll reiterate that I think this place is underrated) and you order at the counter, they bring the food to you but then want to get your drink for you and ask what type of BBQ sauce, etc.

The drink machines are sitting right there. And I'd like to get my own sauce, try different flavors, etc.

Whataburger does this same thing where they bring you your food (not necessary) then come by and ask you if you want ketchup, how many, etc. Why??

[Bullbear]

I agree with you there Pete. the Whataburger thing is so odd to me. Why do we guard the ketchup? can you not just put it out there and I can take what I need? I mean they make the ketchup in bottles now just put it on the table instead of making me choose a number of packages I need! ( BTW I feel they are judging me because I love their ketchup and its the only time I actually dip by burger in ketchup so I need more than 2 )

[Pete]

Yeah, I'm a big sauce person and want to have control over that.

I also think that if addition to ketchup virtually every place should offer Siriracha. I would go to those places more often if they did, as I put it on just about everything.

[Bullbear]

Siracha or sweet chili sauce go on most of my food!

[jerrywall]

I don't like the order-at-the-counter places that then want to provide some sort of service to your table that is totally unnecessary.

I don't mean bringing the food to your table, but I was at Swadley's BBQ yesterday (I'll reiterate that I think this place is underrated) and you order at the counter, they bring the food to you but then want to get your drink for you and ask what type of BBQ sauce, etc.

The drink machines are sitting right there. And I'd like to get my own sauce, try different flavors, etc.

Whataburger does this same thing where they bring you your food (not necessary) then come by and ask you if you want ketchup, how many, etc. Why??

I feel like the Whataburger is trying to offer "extra" services. I never feel bad asking for plenty of ketchup (they typically give me more than I need) and it's sort of nice that I don't have to get up to get refills or extra napkins or whatever. Especially when I'm there with the whole family. They come by and check on us, ask us if we need anything else, etc. It's one of the things that seems to stand out to me about Whataburger. Now Arby's on the other hands, seems to guard that arby sauce like it's crack.

[Pete]

^

I was just thinking that for families with kids that those little extra table service offerings are probably pretty helpful and appreciated.

For me, they are just a pain because I have to wait instead of taking care of things myself.

[Urbanized]

Whataburger's ketchup actually has a cult following. As in you can buy bottles of it online and in certain stores. Ketchup thieves actually might be a real problem for them, actually.

[Pete]

^

Why not just put it in dispensers with little cups without lids, ala Braum's?

They can still hand out the packets for drive-thru and orders to go.

[Urbanized]

Man, I don't know. I ain't Whataburger...

[Pete]

Perhaps serving it to you personally on a tray in limited amounts adds to the mystique!

[baralheia]

I feel like the Whataburger is trying to offer "extra" services. I never feel bad asking for plenty of ketchup (they typically give me more than I need) and it's sort of nice that I don't have to get up to get refills or extra napkins or whatever. Especially when I'm there with the whole family. They come by and check on us, ask us if we need anything else, etc. It's one of the things that seems to stand out to me about Whataburger. Now Arby's on the other hands, seems to guard that arby sauce like it's crack.

Former Arby's management here, actually. The franchisee here is VERY strict about inventory and profit, and Arby's sauces are relatively expensive compared to, say, a packet of ketchup. Basically, every menu item has (or at least had when I was there) an amount of ingredients budgeted for that menu item - including sauce packets and napkins. When I worked there, most sandwiches were only budgeted for one packet of sauce and one napkin. Additionally, some members of the management team would intentionally direct employees to be extra stingy with sauce packets to help offset inventory losses elsewhere in that store.

All of that said, we were also instructed to give a customer what they ask for; if a customer asked for sauce, they got one packet per sandwich by default. If they asked for more, we were supposed to ask how many and then give the customer that number.

[David]

Do they give out more for the larger sandwiches? When I go through a drive through and order a Roast Beef Max (the size that used to be the Large and before that the Big Montana) with horsey sauce, I usually get two or three packets of it which is a bit more than I really ever need.

[baralheia]

I haven't worked for the company for more than half a decade now, but at least when I was there, the Large Roast Beef and Large Beef & Cheddar both got two packets each; pretty much everything else (to my recollection) was one. It's quite possibly changed since then - I worked there during the recession, so the belt was a bit tighter.

[Tundra]

Yeah, I'm a big sauce person and want to have control over that.

I also think that if addition to ketchup virtually every place should offer Siriracha. I would go to those places more often if they did, as I put it on just about everything.

They are now packing siriracha in little squeeze packets.......

[David]

Pops has siriracha ketchup on their tables in addition to the regular ketchup, does that count?

[MagzOK]

Whataburger's ketchup actually has a cult following. As in you can buy bottles of it online and in certain stores. Ketchup thieves actually might be a real problem for them, actually.

I was just about to type basically the same thing. People crave Whataburger ketchup -- I know I used to until I could start buying it in bottles -- and the mustard for that matter.

[Urbanized]

Hopefully you wouldn't have used "actually" twice in the same sentence like I did. Sincerely, Department of Redundancy Department

[Stew]

Pops has siriracha ketchup on their tables in addition to the regular ketchup, does that count?

Eh, no. Sriracha does not need ketchup added.

[TheTravellers]

When restaurants have "Contact Us" on their website, and you do, and they never contact you back. I've only had about a 10% success rate on that...

[kevinpate]

There's a reason they call it the contact us button and not a hey what can we do for you today button. But it could be rather awesome if they ever did switch.

[TheTravellers]

There's a reason they call it the contact us button and not a hey what can we do for you today button. But it could be rather awesome if they ever did switch.

Ha, I'm not asking for "today", just "anytime at all, read the damn inbox and reply"...

[jerrywall]

^

Why not just put it in dispensers with little cups without lids, ala Braum's?

They can still hand out the packets for drive-thru and orders to go.

Probably thanks to the idiots who will pump a crapload of ketchup directly onto the tray... such a mess. I hated that when I worked at McDonald's.