A good server always brings a refill before the first is gone, no questions asked. Unless, of course, it's an alcoholic beverage [again, at dinner], in which case you politely ask if you want another or something else. Not that hard.
Sorry, but this is not true in that if the customer doesn't want the refill or they want something else to drink or not even a refill.
Sorry, but that's BAD, CONTROLLING service. I don't want my server
ORDERING for me WITHOUT *******MY********** CONSENT********!! Nowhere does the menu state you have to stick with the same soft drink or that you *HAVE* to have refills. Not everyone wants that.
Also good servers for iced tea will give you a new glass rather than pouring in the old watery tea mixing old tea with new tea and messing with the sweetener/tea ratio as well as it gives the people that want a slice of lemon to have that with EACH glass of iced tea. Pouring at the table disrupts service and actual has more tenancy to cause spilling.
*I* AM ****PAYING********, so *******I******** GET TO RULE WHAT I WANT IN MY SERVICE, NOT SOME STRANGER. I don't even let my husband order for me, much less a stranger.
I have switched up, even my husband before soft drinks or iced tea, water, etc.
If you want your server to order for you, you need to *************TELL THEM************** at the ***GREETING**** "Can I please get refills automatically without being asked throughout my service please, I'd really appreciate it?"
Most servers don't do this, so you may want to consider taking my advice, because servers aren't mind readers. Customers get to order.
WE GET MENUS AND GET TO ORDER, because ***WE*** ARE PAYING THE TIP, NOT THE SERVER. WHY should a stranger decide for me I want another coke? What if I don't want a refill, I want my check or what if I want a glass of water instead or switch to iced tea or dr. pepper? I shouldn't have my server wasting my time on getting something I didn't tell them I wanted by them **ASSUMING**. I have had to send servers back before for ordering for me.
I don't have to tell my server "Hey please let me order for myself", that's ABSURD! Especially when most servers don't do this, so why should I waste my *MONEY*(TIP MONEY) which is what I am paying for when I have to send them back with what I do want. All I have said was "Can I get a coke instead"(I had a dr. pepper at first), and they don't say they are sorry even. I mean, you are GETTING THE ORDER WRONG when you GUESS WRONG what I wanted, DUHHH, that's a mistake and you SHOULD say you are sorry, NOT ME! I didn't assume, YOU DID!! This really happened at Red Lobster when the waiter came back, I even said "Thank you", but NO SORRY to speak of, WHY IS THAT, that servers think that they can get your order wrong(because they are separate orders, the first drink and any refill or any drink for that matter) that they can't say they sorry?
Ordering for your customers is NOT GOOD SERVICE unless you want it and the only way the server k nows if you want it or not is to *********PRE-ORDER***** them when greeted OR if your server asks you at the beginning of the service "Some people like refills without being asked, is something you all would be interested in?"
That's pretty all you have to do.
No, you have A LOT more to do than that. Compare the written orders or tickets to the food for obvious errors as well as the menu if you don't know the menu. Compare the menu prices to the check prices as well as make sure the correct items are rung up and there are no extra items rung up. To make sure customers have what they need like utensils, napkins, straws, appetizer plates etc. To *OFFER* refills rather than "ORDERING" refills for customers. Making sure customers have things they want like being available to order other things like bar drinks.
I understand that it's typically not a servers fault if the food takes too long. That's the kitchen.
Now this is VERYYYYY MUCH NOT TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT, HERE'S WHY:
What you are saying is MOST of the time NOT TRUE at all, here's why, ask yourself:
1. WHEN do you put in my order? Do you wait or do you go put it in immediately after taking it? If you are double sat or triple sat, you can still go put in each order into the computer after taking each table’s order. By not doing that can result in a much longer wait and that would be YOUR FAULT.
2. FORGETTING to put in an order. My husband and I have experienced this for REAL that servers ADMITTED to our faces they have FORGOTTEN TO PUT ORDERS IN. All of them were appetizers, bar drinks, and a cup of soup.
3. Did you put in the order CORRECTLY into the computer? Have had many times servers ADMITTED to our faces they did not do that correctly. Have had wrong entr