TGI Friday's Continues To Suck
"Good Food At TGI Chili-Gans" Is An Oxymoron
I've had a couple of TGI Friday's waitrons take me to task recently about an old post where I expressed my displeasure at my Friday's dining experience. One of the commenters was barely polite, the other much less so, resulting in some judicious comment editing mostly for my amusement.
One commenter indicated that the Google search term 'TGI Friday's Sucks' was what led them to my post. I'm hoping they and others will return to perhaps understand why that post was less than complimentary to the TGI Friday's waitstaff.
First, you need to understand what type of restaurant patron I am. I'm about as low-maintenance as they come. Take my order, deliver it, refill my tea glass when it runs low (better yet, leave a carafe or pitcher and I'll do it for you!), and drop off the check when I'm almost finished, and I'll be happy.
I don't "run" waitstaff for amusement. I've seen people send their waiter trotting off for a fresh fork, or a cup of sauce, then as soon as they return, send them off again on another errand just to drive home the "master/servant" relationship. I find that attitude and behaviour appalling. OTOH, when I do ask for something, I really want it. The request won't be unreasonable, off-menu or illegal/immoral, I promise! What I don't want in response to my request are either excuses, arguments or whining.
Aside from the tea refills, I'm happiest when I DON'T have the waitron dropping by every 5 minutes asking if everything is OK. I hate not being able to answer their question properly because I've got a wad of food in my mouth.
I never berate or otherwise speak inappropriately to the waitstaff. You'll know you succeeded or failed in your job by the size of your tip. If you really screwed up, I'll calmly ask to speak to your manager. Coaching or disciplining you is his/her job, not mine.
As for tips, please believe me when I say that it sucks that waitrons only get paid a pittance per hour, and are expected to make up the rest through tips. You should at least make minimum wage, and the IRS can just go screw themselves regarding how much cash tips you receive. It's none of their gotdam business.
I believe that if you cannot afford to tip the waiter, you have no business eating out anywhere your food isn't served out of a paper bag. I never tip less than 15% for even standard service, and the few times I've tipped 10% or less, it's due to deliberate rudeness or complete incompetence. My standard tip for good service is 20%, and I've gone to 25% & 30% upon occasion for no other reason than the waiter having a nice smile and a pleasant attitude. Oh, and a nice rack is always a plus. I might as well be honest about that...
Out of the umpteen thousand restaurants in the Greater Houston area I could have given my business to, I chose yours to dine in this time. I don't particularly care what kind of day you're having, good, bad or middling. That's really none of my concern. If you can't manage to put on a happy face for a new customer, you need to find a career more suited to your demeanor. I've been either delivering/teaching/managing customer service since most of you Friday's waitrons were in diapers, I know a bit of what I speak.
Now, as to your choice of employer... TGI Fridays, Chili's, Bennigans, Applebee's, Red Robin, (Insert Random "Fun" Restaurant here) are not great eating establishments. Let's just get that straight right off the mark. Your food to a large degree is prepackaged, pre-portioned, boil-in-bag/heat & serve/Sysco Deep Fryer Fodder. It has been carefully selected by your Corporate Overlords via a rigorous series of focus groups and cost accounting methods to be universally appealing and cost-effective. What this really means is that it's bland, unexciting, and so simple in preparation and execution that a microcephalic monkey could cook it.
The reason people go to restaurants like yours is not for the cuisine. It's a place where they can expect the same type of meal, time after time. There's no guesswork or FUD Factor. They won't have to worry about whether the cook is making it "gringo hot" or "Jalisco Hot", 'cause the food never reaches a level where it can cause offense.
Plus, your clientele are usually deadening their tastebuds via your Happy Hour liquor specials anyway, so by the time the entree comes out, they're too blotto to care what they're eating.
Oh, and speaking of liquor, I'm not impressed by your 'Jack Daniels steak glaze' that gives a "thrill ride of flavor!". In fact, anyone who gets a little frisson of excitement and adventure from the fact that there's an ounce of whiskey in a gallon of glaze really needs to be strapped down naked to the hood of a car whilst being injected with a pint of moonshine rectally by crazed midgets wearing leather assless chaps to learn the real meaning of a "thrill ride".
So please, for your sake and mine, go apply at a small bistro, trattoria or cafe and learn about good food in a non-corporate "manufactured fun" environment. The clientele tend to be better customers, they're usually not inebriated, and I guarantee they tip better!
I've had a couple of TGI Friday's waitrons take me to task recently about an old post where I expressed my displeasure at my Friday's dining experience. One of the commenters was barely polite, the other much less so, resulting in some judicious comment editing mostly for my amusement.
One commenter indicated that the Google search term 'TGI Friday's Sucks' was what led them to my post. I'm hoping they and others will return to perhaps understand why that post was less than complimentary to the TGI Friday's waitstaff.
First, you need to understand what type of restaurant patron I am. I'm about as low-maintenance as they come. Take my order, deliver it, refill my tea glass when it runs low (better yet, leave a carafe or pitcher and I'll do it for you!), and drop off the check when I'm almost finished, and I'll be happy.
I don't "run" waitstaff for amusement. I've seen people send their waiter trotting off for a fresh fork, or a cup of sauce, then as soon as they return, send them off again on another errand just to drive home the "master/servant" relationship. I find that attitude and behaviour appalling. OTOH, when I do ask for something, I really want it. The request won't be unreasonable, off-menu or illegal/immoral, I promise! What I don't want in response to my request are either excuses, arguments or whining.
Aside from the tea refills, I'm happiest when I DON'T have the waitron dropping by every 5 minutes asking if everything is OK. I hate not being able to answer their question properly because I've got a wad of food in my mouth.
I never berate or otherwise speak inappropriately to the waitstaff. You'll know you succeeded or failed in your job by the size of your tip. If you really screwed up, I'll calmly ask to speak to your manager. Coaching or disciplining you is his/her job, not mine.
As for tips, please believe me when I say that it sucks that waitrons only get paid a pittance per hour, and are expected to make up the rest through tips. You should at least make minimum wage, and the IRS can just go screw themselves regarding how much cash tips you receive. It's none of their gotdam business.
I believe that if you cannot afford to tip the waiter, you have no business eating out anywhere your food isn't served out of a paper bag. I never tip less than 15% for even standard service, and the few times I've tipped 10% or less, it's due to deliberate rudeness or complete incompetence. My standard tip for good service is 20%, and I've gone to 25% & 30% upon occasion for no other reason than the waiter having a nice smile and a pleasant attitude. Oh, and a nice rack is always a plus. I might as well be honest about that...
Out of the umpteen thousand restaurants in the Greater Houston area I could have given my business to, I chose yours to dine in this time. I don't particularly care what kind of day you're having, good, bad or middling. That's really none of my concern. If you can't manage to put on a happy face for a new customer, you need to find a career more suited to your demeanor. I've been either delivering/teaching/managing customer service since most of you Friday's waitrons were in diapers, I know a bit of what I speak.
Now, as to your choice of employer... TGI Fridays, Chili's, Bennigans, Applebee's, Red Robin, (Insert Random "Fun" Restaurant here) are not great eating establishments. Let's just get that straight right off the mark. Your food to a large degree is prepackaged, pre-portioned, boil-in-bag/heat & serve/Sysco Deep Fryer Fodder. It has been carefully selected by your Corporate Overlords via a rigorous series of focus groups and cost accounting methods to be universally appealing and cost-effective. What this really means is that it's bland, unexciting, and so simple in preparation and execution that a microcephalic monkey could cook it.
The reason people go to restaurants like yours is not for the cuisine. It's a place where they can expect the same type of meal, time after time. There's no guesswork or FUD Factor. They won't have to worry about whether the cook is making it "gringo hot" or "Jalisco Hot", 'cause the food never reaches a level where it can cause offense.
Plus, your clientele are usually deadening their tastebuds via your Happy Hour liquor specials anyway, so by the time the entree comes out, they're too blotto to care what they're eating.
Oh, and speaking of liquor, I'm not impressed by your 'Jack Daniels steak glaze' that gives a "thrill ride of flavor!". In fact, anyone who gets a little frisson of excitement and adventure from the fact that there's an ounce of whiskey in a gallon of glaze really needs to be strapped down naked to the hood of a car whilst being injected with a pint of moonshine rectally by crazed midgets wearing leather assless chaps to learn the real meaning of a "thrill ride".
So please, for your sake and mine, go apply at a small bistro, trattoria or cafe and learn about good food in a non-corporate "manufactured fun" environment. The clientele tend to be better customers, they're usually not inebriated, and I guarantee they tip better!
posted by El Capitan | 2:39 PM
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