Whining and Dining

My family has had a long tradition of going out to eat at least once a week. It's not always a fancy place and it isn't always limited to once a week but it is something we do on a regular basis. My mom works and when she comes home, she's usually to be found in the kitchen in the evenings preparing dinner. She often says that it's relaxing for her but every once in a while, dad likes her to take a break and relax and it's a good way for all of us to be able to just sit and talk while being catered to.

Just as our choice of restaurant varies, so do the various experiences we've had. As I said, we've been dining out for years now and so we've accumulated a number of experiences. They range from very pleasant to downright frustrating. This past weekend we had a pleasant one. We were in Tysons at the Olive Garden. As we walked in it was awash in a sea of humanity. People were practically falling out the door and climbing over one another to get inside. We waited the 45 minutes that they quoted and were finally shown to our table. We had been waiting for our table long enough that we had decided what we wanted by the time we sat down. Meals ordered, we sat enjoying our salads, bread and conversation. Time passed as it does and we realized our meals were taking a little longer than anticipated. Our waitress kept us informed and shortly thereafter the meals arrived.

We could see that there was a crowd not only waiting but dining as well so a bit of a delay was to be expected and seeing as how we were enjoying the evening we didn't make a big deal about it. And after all, the meals didn't arrive after a very long time. Still, at about the time we were finishing up, the manager came over with the waitress and informed us that since dinner was delayed in arriving, she was going to treat us to dessert. It wasn't necessary nor was it requested, but because the manager and her staff were interested in keeping their customers happy, they ensured that we would leave that evening having had a good experience.

Contrast that with an experience we had at a different location a few years ago. The place was not all that crowded nor was it a particularly busy night, however, after placing our orders and getting the salad we sat and waited. And waited, and waited and waited. Finally the waiter arrived with our meals. At least the meals for three of us. My mother's dish didn't come out and the waiter assured us that it would be right out. After that he disappeared and I mean disappeared in a way that would make Houdini proud. We waited for mom's dish to arrive and finally she insisted that we get started eating. But my dad wouldn't stand for it. He marched straight into the kitchen and in a voice that would make James Earl Jones shudder, demanded to know, "Where's my wife's dinner?"

The manager immediately rushed over and attempted to pacify my father. She started giving the usual reasons, 'these things happen,' 'we'll get you your dinner right now,' and many others. Finally when the meal arrived, nearly 45 minutes after the rest, the manager came over again and hoped that everything was satisfactory now. When asked, she then agreed to give us dessert. The difference in the two cases is that the Tysons manager did it of her own free will and the other one did it because she felt compelled to, as if doing us a favor.

My family rarely complains about the service unless it is really shoddy. In the case where we were left wondering about mom's dinner for 45 minutes it was tremendously shoddy. Even then we didn't whine or complain and yet we still had to ask for something to make up for our waiting. It's a small thing, but it's what makes a difference to patrons. I know there are tons of folks out there who have had similar experiences and all I can say to you is, have a little whine with your cheese, dinner will be out shortly.