I guess I notices this during/after COVID. But EVERY sit down eatery took away napkins.

Today, the wife and I went for lunch and ordered some Toasted Rav's and a pizza for lunch. The silverware came in a little paper pouch (a knife and fork) which was fine.

But there were no napkins in the packet. There were no napkins on the table. There was no dispenser anywhere, on ANY table.

I had to ask the waitress (who in fairness, was the ONLY one for the entire place, and I would have cut someone if i were in her shoes) for napkins... And of course I didn't realize it until I NEEDED one, and then had to wait to get her attention, and then sit there awkwardly with my hands dirty, covered in pizza sauce... Not just extra ones, but for ONE SINGLE NAPKIN.

It probably wasnt her fault, and I still tipped her as just like in my job, the staff isn't the problem, it's the management..

But come on people... AT LEAST let the table start with a couple napkins each. They don't cost THAT much.

Kevin

Immediately I thought 'Kevin went to Subway'.

They have been tight on napkins long before the pandemic.

I use a LOT of napkins when I eat and always ask when I’m ordering, I hate not having them when I need them.

Service in restaurants has declined considerably since the pandemic, I’ve actually gotten up recently and gone and gotten my own ketchup and salt and pepper because I was so annoyed and the waiter was nowhere to be found.

Kevin, I’m sure the restaurant management thought you brought your own. You wore them in covering your legs.

Oh wait, you’re not a savage. You don’t wipe your hands on your pants… they didn’t know you had class.

You shoulda asked for WAFFLES…they come with napkins.

Recently had a cheeseburger at Burger Death. The napkins were so thin I thought they were cobwebs. Since it takes many more thin napkins to accomplish the task of one decent one, I dont think restaurants are actually saving money.

None of the sit down restaurants I frequent stopped giving out napkins, and they're fairly substantial everywhere I've gone, so this isn't the new normal.

I blame the suits ,
The people in the places that we frequent seem to be doing the best that they can.

Without the cooperation and support of the people upstairs
,
The customer service people's job is 33% tougher.
And it does not take long for moral issues to

Get very apparent very fast .

Be as kind , courteous and patient as you can.
It does not cost you anything.

Went to a KFC/Taco Bell hybrid during height of pandemic (?). Drive through only. Pulled away to eat and no napkins or flatware. No way to get it without getting back in line. How the hell does one eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy without utensils. I know your mom never taught you shit, but can you learn? You had one job!

Napkins? Don't need no napkins.

Why do you think God created shirtsleeves?

quote:

Originally posted by KevinCW:
...and then had to wait to get her attention...

No you didn't. You have my permission to get up, walk into the kitchen and ask for whatever you need at any restaurant anywhere if the server doesn't immediately materialize by your table when you have a need for something. I'm not even being sarcastic, a good server has that magical ability. A shit server also has that ability, the missing ingredient for them is the "care about it." I'm not only not above getting up to get what I need, but I'm to the point where I'm known to do so by friends and family. Salt and pepper are missing from the table, but I see it sitting on the pass-through window where servers get food from the kitchen? I'm behind the bar, grabbing it. Napkins are missing from the table and I see a whole stack of them in the server's staging area? I'm in there, grabbing napkins and looking for what else I might need. I need a refill and I see a water pitcher on a serving cart just out off foot traffic? I'm refilling my water. I'll do everything but go behind a bar to refill a soda water, they don't like you touching the taps.

Before you say "I don't want to get groused at for being somewhere I'm not supposed to be," I say go for it anyway, and when they do, you kindly state "I'm sorry, I just really needed a napkin and couldn't get someone's attention to get one." It's their fault. Now, make sure you give them the opportunity to correct their mistake by waiting a few seconds and trying to make eye contact. But if you see them and they don't see you, it's intentional on their part, period. A server is looking for someone looking for them in their periphery. If they don't hone in on that, it's intentional. I'm telling you so. If they're out of sight of the dining room for any amount of time not running food, they're doing their side duties, like making and wrapping salads, or rolling up silverware (not in your individual case), or cleaning the restrooms. Key word in this is "side" duties. Primary duty is keeping an eye on you and your own needs.

I worked in restaurants too hard, for too long, sucking shit off prissy servers who didn't want to do their jobs to ever accept anything less than stellar service in a restaurant, and so I won't accept it. You don't have to, either. Next time you need a napkin and your first thought is "I have to wait for a server," your next thought should be of getting up to hunt one down. Be polite, but be assertive. You shouldn't have to do any of their job for them, but if they're not going to do it, it's preferable that you do, than sit there with food all over yourself waiting for assistance from people who don't care.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I blame the suits

When's the last time you worked in a restaurant? Stupid policies or no, this boils down to shit service. I can't be convinced otherwise.

I worked in retail and food service for 30 years,
Thanks

Always at the sales level

I’m finding that all these chain restaurants have gone to complete shit since the pandemic and they’re all gotten so hooked on take-out/to-go/drive-thru that they’ve basically abandoned the whole dine-in side of the operation.

My 7 year old son requested Chili’s and we went Friday night where pre-pandemic it would have been packed with lots of people waiting. There was no wait, the place was MAYBE 1/4 full on a Friday night and the entire experience was “blahh”. Drinks took forever to get, food was very mediocre; their burgers USED to be much better and they WILL NOT clear your dirty dishes unless you practically hold them above your head now. They’re bringing our entrees and there’s literally no place to put anything because no one bothered to think to clear the appetizer plates and chips/salsa beforehand so we’re doing this awkward exchange of dirty dishes with food runners and servers.

But look at their to-go operation and it’s going gangbusters

I don’t want to eat lukewarm restaurant food out of friggen styrofoam boxes but apparently everyone else out there does.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

… walk into the kitchen and ask for whatever you need at any restaurant anywhere if the server doesn't immediately materialize...

When i was a kid my father would do this. If there wasn’t a swift apology, he didn’t leave a tip nor would we return.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

… and they WILL NOT clear your dirty dishes unless you practically hold them above your head now.

I set them on the table next to me, atop the current place setting. Younger days I actually set them on the floor next to my table if the nearest tables were occupied.

In both situations, time is given for the proper action on the server’s part.

I'm not seeing any of these things around here . Plenty of napkins and condiments . Table gets cleared , drinks refilled , etc. There's always the exception but no more than usual .

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
I'm not seeing any of these things around here . Plenty of napkins and condiments . Table gets cleared , drinks refilled , etc. There's always the exception but no more than usual .

That's the case here also. Perhaps it's a regional thing?

Napkin?

Hell, bring me a bath towel and a garden hose.
Sometimes, when finished, I look down at the table, chair and floor and wonder if I actually got any food into my mouth.

Well, this was a sit down restaurant, non chain local place, at Lake of the Ozarks.... and infelt bad for the waitress, as it was late Friday afternoon and she was the only one working the entire room... but still.... just put a stack of napkins on the table.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I use a LOT of napkins when I eat and always ask when I’m ordering, I hate not having them when I need them.

Service in restaurants has declined considerably since the pandemic, I’ve actually gotten up recently and gone and gotten my own ketchup and salt and pepper because I was so annoyed and the waiter was nowhere to be found.

You sound like me.

Nice thing about some of the seafood restaurants here in Louisiana they have a roll of paper towels on the table.

quote:

some of the seafood restaurants here in Louisiana they have a roll of paper towels on the table.

Many of the BBQ places around here do that.