Tell Me If I'm Crazy Here But....

Tell me if I’m crazy here….

Is it silly to think that when you go into a bar & go to a table, that a waitress would come and get your drink order, ask if you want food? Hmmm, aparently you are supposed to read the minds of the workers, and know by osmosis that you need to go the bar for your drinks and food order… not get one from the waitress who keeps walking by. She is only there for the patio, dummy. How the hell were we supposed to know? Is it nuts to think that things would work like they do at every other establishment on a Friday night? (I can understand grabbing one’s drinks from the bar when there’s only one bartender in the middle of the week, and things are super duper slow.)

The waitress claimed she didn’t wait on us because the table we joined was going to the bar for their drinks. Well, they were going to the bar because they weren’t getting any drinks from the waitress…Good Lord. And besides we got there late in the night, and JOINED the table. We were supposed to know this how? *boggled

The band is usually held accountable for the crowd size, and whether they stay or leave. Never mind if the wait staff can’t keep a drink in people’s hands and food in their bellies. When we go out as spectators, like tonight, we like to have a few. No getting shit faced these days, but it’s nice when a waitress notices that your drink is empty or nearly empty and asks if you want another. Isn’t that by definition the job of a waitress? To WAIT on customers promptly so she can make more money in tips? Isn’t it the purpose of a bar/ restaurant to sell drinks and food to make money? I’m so confused at the moment.

Then I felt like I insulted the owner, and the waitress (who happened to be the owner’s daughter, woopsie) by complaining that I couldn’t get a drink. Maybe “awful” was a little harsh as a description of the waitress, but the truth hurts sometimes. I felt like they were pissed at me, when really all I wanted to do was relax and talk with my husband, spend more money, and tip the waitress for her services. (We are great tippers, btw, she would have made a pretty penny) Oh and it’s not unusual for Steve and I to rack up a $75+ bill with food and drinks throughout the course of an evening out. Tonight we spent less than $20, and only tipped about 2 dollars.

I guess, my frustration comes from the fact that the band is often blamed for a small crowd, or people leaving. People won’t come back to a place with slow service, so the band is doomed. Slow service will kill a bar crowd faster than any bad music EVER could. People will suffer through if they get a good buzz and are having fun with their friends. On the flip side, great music isn’t enough to KEEP a crowd if people can’t get a drink. It doesn’t matter how good the music is if the crowd isn’t having fun, and are annoyed. They will leave and go elsewhere. People go out to drink (even if it’s just pop or water) & eat, be waited on, be comfortable by knowing what is going on, and have fun with their date/friends, not stand at the bar.

Long story short, our friend’s band was awsome, and it was great to see them, but I wasn’t going to spend another nickle after complaining to the owner, and STILL not getting drinks. I got an explanation WHY we weren’t getting drinks, but… still no drinks.

So, let’s tally… we spent 10+ minutes at the table initially waiting for the waitress. Steve spend at least 10 minutes at the bar getting our drinks once we figured out the waitress wasn’t going to wait on us. Another trip up to order food at least 5 minutes. Then 10 minutes at the bar at the end of the night waiting to pay the bill. So, for the hour and a half or so we were there, he spent nearly 30 minutes at the bar and away from me, and we only had 1 drink a piece and a chicken strips basket. I like how close this bar is to our house, but Steve and I rarely get to go out. I’d rather spend it actually WITH him, not sitting, waiting for him to return from the bar.

It’s a bummer, we’re now home early, annoyed, not even a smidgen of a teeny weeny buzz because we only managed 1 drink in an hour and a half. Mostly, I feel for my friend and his band, they were playing their asses off. But between the smoking ban, and the slow service, there was no vibe, no crowd. It’s too bad, because they were REALLY good, but it’s so hard to put on a show when there is absolutely no energy in the room. They still did GREAT, true professionals can push forward and make it work.

What would you have done? If I’m crazy, tell me…but I don’t think I am on this one, hehe.