Forgotten at the Table: When a Simple Meal Turned Into a Lesson on Respect

Service Standards and Accountability

Being timely and attentive is an obvious expectation from people in the food service industry. According to a Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research study, slow service and lack of attention are two of the biggest beefs diners have with servers and the types of issues that result in lower gratuities and poor online reviews. In this case for the couple it was a 25-minute wait to get an order in while staff seemingly bored and it directly represents a failure of professionalism. This type of behavior pulls down the customer experience and the core principle of providing value for the price demanded.

The Ethics of Tipping

While customary, tipping is ultimately voluntary and should be based on service. Common etiquette damands that an excellent service deserved a nice tip and a lousy one can be shaken off with low or no tip at all. The same goes for a couple who filled in an online tip credit, which I believe take home relates to these principles but in the negative sense. They “expressed” their displeasure at the terrible service by refusing to leave a tip.

A handful of diners would choose to tip as little as they can and leave a note detailing what they found lacking to offer suggestions for improvement. In this case, however, others felt that not leaving a tip sent a more powerful message. Still, this option underscores the divide between cultural norms and the urge to hold employees responsible for loss of service etiquette.

Lessons for Restaurants

Highlights the need for staff training & accountability in the restaurant business. Not allowing it to spiral out of control would be helped by infrequent reminders of the need to stay focused and picturing the event in a less busier environment. Managers are also responsible for following the work staff to deliver the complaints on time, however be cautious since restaurants are also heavily dependent on their customers to maintain faith.

People have had a lot of reactions to the story, and most of them said the couple did nothing wrong

The couple’s experience is a reminder that tipping is not a right; it’s a reward for good service. Takeaway: For diners, the moral of this story if to speak up when you are not being treated fairly; for restaurant staff, the lesson is to work with the sense that attunement and professionalism, goes a long way towards ensuring a good meal out.