Traffic for 2005 September 16 (entry 0)

(9) Fri Sep 16 2005 20:38 PST H20?: Susie and I had a most relaxing day off. We went to the temple this morning and went to Fashion Island for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Once our waiter found out we wanted water, the service we received changed drastically. This happens to us a lot. We'll drink water and split a meal and then split dessert. The net effect is basically the same as if we had our own meals, especially at CF because we had to get two pieces of cheesecake.

But the waiter was so rude. When Susie asked for a straw for her water she got the glare. Why should only soda and iced tea be enjoyed through a straw? The problem then starts in my head: Should I tell him when I first get seated that we are getting dessert so he knows not to freak out about drinking water? Should I dock his tip because of bad service based upon H20, thus further proliferating the Pygmalion effect that water drinkers are bad tippers? Or do I prove him wrong with my normal tip, even though I'll probably never see him again in my life to ensure decent future service? These are the dilemmas I face as a generous tipper slash water drinker.

I spent the remainder of my day off studying, showering Susie with gifts, wandering around South Coast Plaza, and reading more of Brown's Deception Point. Tomorrow is Disneyland with EY, Rachel, and Chris. I better live it up; Monday comes fast!

Comments:

Posted by Kristen at Sat Sep 17 2005 14:32

I am right there with you on the water drinking and good tipper. i don't mean to brag or anything though. I do like to tip well b/c I was once a server. I too felt self conscious for a long time ordering water. I try not to look at them when I order drinks b/c I don't want to know what they are thinking. I promise I am not a cheap skate though. I just don't like soda, at all, maybe once or twice a year do I want to drink it. Plus I don't like paying $1.50-2.50 depending on where you go, for a drink. How is Deception Point? Aaron got the book for his birthday and I have been wondering whether I should bother. I am reading Angels and Demons right now.

Posted by John at Sun Sep 18 2005 13:06

I like Deception Point. It's a little predictable at times, but that could be cuz I'm used to his writing style, or I've gotten smarter in the past year. It's a topic that is semi-interesting to me: NASA and taxes.

How's Angels? I'm deciding if it's worth it on that one.

Posted by Rachel at Sun Sep 18 2005 14:20

As someone who orders both soda and water, I have never noticed a direct corelation between what I drink and the service I get. But perhaps I just haven't been paying attention, I probably will from now one, but usually when I am out I am with a mixed party of soda and water drinkers so who knows. It seems a risky and unfair assumption to make that water drinkers are poor tippers and therefore not worth the effort, but perhaps in the experienced waiter world it has proven true so many times they just decide to cut their losses? Still, it's their job to bring good service, and I don't think it's ever acceptable to be rude to a customer (unless they are rude first).

Anyway, here is something I thought of you might try. I only order soda sometimes in a restaurant because half the time they serve pepsi, and I would much rather drink water than pepsi, esp if I have to pay for the pepsi, and also because I really have to be in the mood for a diet coke to want to pay $2 for it. But you could ask, when the waiter asks what you want to drink, whether the restaurant serves coke or pepsi. Then, no matter what they say, make a disappointed (but polite) face and say, "Oh, I'll just have water." That way your waiter might think you are of the soda-drinking and therefore good-tipping mindset, you just don't like coke/pepsi. anyway, it's worth a shot.

Thanks for inviting me to D-land!

Posted by Sumana at Sun Sep 18 2005 14:25

Rachel, that is such an awesome idea! I have to try that.

Posted by Susie at Mon Sep 19 2005 07:19

Yeah, that is a good idea, Rach. I learned to always order "french fries" for fries at the drive through, and if you want Sprite, ask for 7-up, so they don't confuse "Sprite" and "fries".

Posted by Kristen at Mon Sep 19 2005 20:25

Angels is good, but it does remind me a lot of Da Vinci Code. He has a style of writing that is predictable at times but then I second guess myself b/c what if he wants it to be predictable but he has a big twist.

Posted by Kristen at Tue Sep 20 2005 10:27

Oh yeah, Dan Brown's books also remind me very much of National Treasure. The clues and the treasure hunt.

Posted by Joe Walch at Sun Sep 25 2005 14:39

As Long as Dan Brown doesn't bring up his Anti-Christian bias in his other books.

As a waiter I found that it doesn't really matter what the people order as a drink. In fact, I was happier if they ordered water because that meant that I didn't have to keep bringing new glasses of soda. Most waiters are poor in the service area because they are constantly thinking about money. I found that I did much better when I didn't think about the money.

Once while working at Valadi's Steakhouse in S.A. I saw a Black Family walk in with 3 or so kids. One of the waiters said "I feel sorry for the waiter who gets them" implying that we would have to work hard and not get tipped very much--because of the kids as well as the race. I then said that I would take the table just to show the guy that I could get a good tip out of almost anybody. I remember getting over 10 dollars for that table. I also found out that they were visiting from Chicago, and we had a nice chat.

So for all of you penny-pinching servers out there, being professional and amicable (remembering names, helping the people order what they would like, etc.) always gets a bigger tip then the lousy 20 cents extra that you would get from a stinking soda.

Posted by Joe Walch at Sun Sep 25 2005 14:43

Because of that, I order water candidly, looking the waiter in the eyes.

Alcoholic drinks are really what most pennypinching waiters are wanting you to order anyways, and not soda.