h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There are hundreds of thousands of restaurants in America, ranging from Waffle House all the way up to Morimoto, and beyond. Can you be a bit more specific?

> "How are guests in American restaurant greeted?"

= "Would you like fries with that?"

Yeap! I know my queation seems no points here, so do the questions in my assignment of hospitality Colleagues and Customers.

I have to find out in American restaurant or bar, what communication(non verbal and verbal) carry on between waiters and guests, I am guessing that teacher want me to find that general information but differs from other countries or other cultures. for exmaple:

how would they be greeted?
are their any food that should not be recommended(for whatever sake)?
are their any foods or drinks that they may request?
What are the Cultural DO's and Don'ts, Likes and Dislikes and so on so on...?

My goodness! I am giving you my assignment here! I've never been USA, how could I figure this out? totally no ideas! and nowhere to find about this either! you will do me this favor, don't you?

In the average American restaurant, the waiter will come up to a table and say something like "Hi, how are you today? I'm d'Elaphant, and I'll be your waiter this evening. Can I get your drinks while you look over the menu?" The waiter will then go away for a little while, then come back and place the drinks on the table and say "Are you ready to order or would you like some more time?" If the restaurant has special meals that are not on the menu, the waiter will also say, "would you like to hear our specials?" Most waiters will try to recite the specials from memory, but many will read it from a piece of paper so that they don't make any mistakes.

After ordering, the waiter will come back every 10 to 15 minutes and say "How are you doing, is everything OK?" (this gets very annoying, but they do it anyway). Finally, after clearing away the dinner plates, the waiter asks if anyone wants desert or coffee, if they don't he or she will bring the bill.

Is that the kind of information you wanted?

It's awesome!
this is exactly what I want.
I do expect this kind of information, and more something like this.
very appreciate!

""Hi, how are you today? I'm d'Elaphant, and I'll be your waiter this evening."

Do they ALL say that?

B

Well they do substitute their own names.

Try this Google search:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=%22I'll+be+your+waiter+this+evening%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

See? Yes, they do all say that.

I think it would be more productive to walk in and say "Hi, I'm Mu Beta, and I'll be your customer this evening."

It'd separate us more efficiently from vagrants wandering in off the street.

B

Hiya lib!

d'Elaphant is largely correct. That is exactly the experience one should expect in a decent (average? I'm not so sure) restaurant.

Restaurants run from 'greasy spoons' (guess where the name comes from?) where the sole interaction may be more like 'What can I'se get you's?), to scripted greetings that vary a bit from the one to which d'Elaphant referred.

There is a restaurant (I think I was in Chicago Illinois) called something like 'Ed Debevic's'. The waitstaff was absolutely rude; but this was by design. It is meant to be fun, to be able to let down one's civilised airs and be rude back. Actually, watching the unprepared deal with it was even more fun!

Many American restaurants (especially in casinos) have a buffet-style of serving. The waitstaff will bring drinks, condiments, extra napkins and dinnerware requested, and take away dishes as you have finished with them, but the serving is accomplished by walking among the various food stations and serving your own portions. It probably makes for a lesser volume of waste, but a larger consumption of pricer dishes.

The one thing that remains constant is that waitstaffs are almost always underpaid and relient upon decent tips to make their living. The good ones make more and deserve it.

Hope all this helps more than it confuses matters.

Hi! Mu Beta
That's so cool idea you've got!.
I will try this next time when I eat out.

Hi! Fords Towel:
Your information is so helpful!

but I do confuse with some of those.

What does the "greasy spoons" mean? Can I guess it refers to that kind of "small or casual or informal eatery"? Does the " what can I'se get you's" mean "what would you like?"(we often heard this in Aussie) or something like this?

I am quite interested at the one in Chicago, 'Ed Debevic's'. I can imagine many customers get lots of fun there and much relaxation too. But I couldn't figure out how rude the staff can be? What do they do? what do they say? what kind of customers go there largely, olds or youngs? Are there any customers( for example someone who don't have humour sense ) ever been upseted?

The buffet seems all similary around the world. but it realy doesn't suitable for me who can be filled by one dish possibly, it seems not so economy for me, does it?

Thanks again here, expecting your reply if I can.

A greasy spoon is a caff. We have then in England too.

The sort of place that serves bacon cobs, cooked breakfasts and general unhealthy stuff for body fuel. Hygiene not usually a strong point. Cheap 'n' cheerful.

KerrAvon is quite right, lib. Greasy spoons are often counter seating full and booth seating shy (50-50 at best). They serve local favorites, often fried or grilled (or, deep-fried). Lots of starchy side dishes, eggs, etc. Breakfast is often available all day long. Fine dining, it's not. Filling, sometimes tasty-sometimes over salted, a hundred items on the menue, and the faint smell of old grease.

Ed's place was interesting:
Waiter (clean and neat) comes to the table with an attitude, 'Now, WHAT do YOU want? Come on. I haven't got all day.' Then grabs a nearby chair to sit down while taking the order. 'You want MENUS? Excuse me! You need a list to decide what to eat?' Passes out the menus. W'hat nice little sheep.' Grabs a bunch of sugar packets and starts flipping them at the customers as if he was dealing cards. 'Get with it. What do you want?'

Things don't get any better, and then at the end he says, 'Leaving? About time. I've got other people to abuse, you know. And you better leave me a good tip, too!'

Get the idea?

hi! Fords Towel
Cool! I've got an idea here, how about my group will role play this "rude manner" in the presentation?
.

Sounds like a fun skit! As long as you don't resort to violent behaviour, you probably can't over do it much.

By the way, the response to 'You'd better leave a good tip' was to take out a bunch of $1 bills (more than the accepted 15%, because it was so much fun), and individually crumpling them and throwing them at the waiter saying 'Take it; and die, die, die, die, die!' (one die for each bill).

He began to laugh, and said 'You come on back, now!'

Libby,
All American servers rely on tips so the customer can give from nil to 15%. In my travels on the West Coast and desert areas they would be at your table at once with a huge jug of ice cold water and glasses. the water would be topped up all the time.
The same person will serve all your needs and they often carry on a running conversation while serving when they find you are English. The service was wonderful in the mid line restaurants and they usually earned their 15% but my American Son in law would sometimes say only give ten or five % at times I am afraid I often left the 15% any way.
If we ordered salad they would appear with a huge tray that had evrything you would ever need in a salad spinning it round and making suggestions. If you did not recognise something they would produce a fork a let you taste, not always a good thing as being next to the Mexican border some of it was very hot, the ice cold water came in handy.
Greasy spoons are usually truckers cafe's and they eat well in America we stopped at one or two in our travels you would be surprised at the quality and freshness of the food. We kept well away from the burger bars as you needed a truck to carry them away.
Hope this helps.

You shouldn't drink ice water after spicy food; milk is much better.

B