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What Would You Do?

partysugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:50:56 -0800

We've all been in crazy situations, and I want to know how you handle entertaining fiascoes and bad restaurant behavior. I'll present a situation and you tell me what you would do. Here's today's scenario:

You've heard positive things about a neighborhood pizzeria; upon arrival, the small place is crowded with no empty seats. You approach the waitress/hostess and inquire about a table. She replies in a slow, stoned voice, "Maybe I can find you a table soon. Actually, I don't really know how long the wait is." She doesn't take your name and you feel invisible. Fifteen minutes pass and she randomly offers you and your friend a table to share with another couple. You oblige, even though it's sitting with strangers - you're hungry!

You order salad and pizza. When the salad arrives, it's overflowing and hard to eat. It's clearly being served in a plate that is too small for it. As you eat, more and more lettuce falls off the plate onto the dirty-looking table. You try and motion the waitress - multiple times - but she ignores you. What do you do?

To find out what I did - it happened to me! - read more.

Instead of making a scene with a waitress who obviously had no desire to wait on me, I walked to the bar and stocked up on napkins. Next I placed a ring of napkins around my plate, so when lettuce did fall off, I could still eat it. Needless to say, I did not leave an extremely generous tip.

How would you handle the situation? What do you think of my reaction? Did I overreact?

What Would You Do?

partysugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:15:03 -0700

You're out at a popular luxury hotel's bar. You and some friends decide to get bottle service at a table. When the waitress delivers the juices, she accidentally dumps an entire carafe of cranberry juice all over you and your brand new (literally you cut the tags off of it that night!) white Prada sweater. What would you do?

To find out what I would do - this very thing happened to DearSugar - read more.

While trying my best not to get upset, I would ask the waitress to come with me to speak with the manager. I would politely explain that the waitress spilled wine on a new sweater and ask for them to cover the dry-cleaning bill. If the stain did not come out, I would hope they got me a replacement sweater.

How would you handle the situation?

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Have You Ever Worked in the Restaurant Industry?

partysugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:45:54 -0700

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Great Waitresses of the Silver Screen

YumSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 05:30:41 -0700

Be sure to tip your servers a little something extra today, because it's National Waitstaff Day. To celebrate, I've whipped up a little quiz about some of cinema's great waitresses and waitress-related scenes. Do you know your silver screen servers? Don't wait: Take the quiz!

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Take the quiz

What Is Your Favorite Foodie Film of 2007?

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 06:59:39 -0800

Now that we've covered all the little screen options - fave foodie reality shows, fave foodie shows, and fave cooking show - we thought we'd turn our Best of 2007 coverage to the big screen. Which of these foodie films is your favorite of 2007?

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Jennifer Aniston Dreams of Opening a Mexican Eatery in NYC

YumSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:00:20 -0700

As it turns out, those purported rumors of Jennifer Aniston hoping to open a restaurant are actually true.

On The Tonight Show, the star of the new movie Love Happens confirmed that she does, in fact, want to be a restaurateur. Aniston told talk show host Conan O'Brien:

I've always wanted to open a restaurant. My dad had a restaurant in New York City, called The Fives, in the days of yore. And that always was fun . . . New York needs a great Mexican restaurant . . . I love Mexican food! And usually, a really great night is had in a Mexican restaurant, no?

The movie star, who was a waitress "for a good couple years" before her acting career took off, even said she'd be up for a guest-server stint. To see her talk about the hopeful venture further, keep reading.

Has the Economy Affected Your Favorite Restaurants?

partysugar — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:30:58 -0700

From reduced corkage fees to price adjustments, it seems like every restaurant has been affected by the poor economy. Although I've been reporting the trend for months, I only experienced it firsthand this past weekend. I was at my parents' house and we went to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, Bricks. However, the pizzeria was recently sold to new owners who changed the name and menu. The waitress insisted that some of the recipes were the same, but the atmosphere and food were noticeably different. I'm still heartbroken that my beloved Bricks - a place where I had so many wonderful dinners - has become a victim to the economic crisis. How about you?

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Healthy Menu Options May Lead to Overindulgence

partysugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:50:31 -0700

The question "would you like fries or salad with that?" is one regularly asked by waitresses across the nation. While it's easy to think the answer is a personal decision that reflects one's eating habits, a soon-to-be-released study shows differently.

The New York Times reports that "the presence of healthy options on a menu can induce some diners to eat less healthily than they otherwise would." In the study, a group of college students were given two menus. One featured regular fast-food items (chicken nuggets, french fries, etc.) and the other was exactly the same with the addition of a salad. When choosing from the first menu, only 10 percent of the subjects ordered french fries. However, when given the menu with salad as an option, 33 percent of the same subjects asked for french fries.

This is an interesting concept and I'm curious to read the report, by the Journal of Consumer Research, when it comes out. Until then, I can only speak about my own experiences and the truth is I've looked at salad on a menu many times and thought, "I should have a salad. . .nah, I'll get the fries." What do you think of the news? Have you ever shunned a healthier dish for something more indulgent?

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What Would You Do?

partysugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:13:10 -0700

We've all been in crazy situations and I want to know how you handle entertaining blusters and bad restaurant behavior. Much like our What Would You Make feature, I'll present a situation and you tell me what you would do.

Here's the scenario: you're at a neighborhood restaurant for brunch. One of the dishes you order is a salad. To your dismay the salad appears with something not mentioned on the menu: a live slug! When you call the waitress over, she acts as if it's nothing, and says, "Oh its just a little slug." She then sticks her hand in the salad to remove the slug and walks away. What would you do?

To see what I would do in this situation - a true story it happened to our very own FitSugar! - read more.

I would ask to see the manager immediately and describe the slug in the salad. I would explain how I was appalled by the waitress's blasé attitude toward the slug and demand a large portion of my bill be taken off.

How about you? What would you do?

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Happy Hour Etiquette: Don't Touch That Tray!

partysugar — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 13:58:11 -0800

Have you ever been in a super crowded bar during happy hour and felt sorry for the cocktail waitress? There she is running around taking orders, pushing her way through the crowds, and carrying trays full of easily spillable mixed drinks. When she finally reaches your table holding a tray full of ten different martinis for your crew, it's a natural instinct to want to help the poor girl out (after-all she is in heels!) and grab a drink or two from the tray she has balanced in one hand. But wait STOP(!) you should never take anything from a waiter or waitress's tray. As much as you think you're doing her a favor, you're more likely to topple all of the drinks she is carrying. Holding a heavy tray full of various sized/weight drinks takes a perfect equilibrium that only the one handling the tray controls. If an outside interference unexpectedly screws it up, the waitress (or you!) could get soaked in beer or vodka. Let her do her job and hand you the drinks. If you really want to help her out, leave her a nice tip when you leave the bar.