Terrible experience at Ram's Head tonight

[iobidder]

Rams Head in Annapolis is cool. Did the beer passport a couple years back.

 

[gmhowell]

I think another BIG problem is that a lot of the younger servers are NOT parents, and are unaware of some issues with customers with kids.
Someone, somewhere, should teach them a few vital things.
NEVER bring food to the parents and not to the kids.
DON'T leave the people with kids waiting 20 minutes before you take their order.
DON'T leave the folks with kids waiting 30 minutes for the check, AFTER the last fork has hit the table.
Doing those things, combined with unruly kids, ruins the experience for EVERYONE.
Keep the kids happy and everyone is happy.
Keep even the best behaved kids waiting for too long and it's going to get ugly.

When I waited tables in grad school, I wanted people with kids outta there ASAP since most local parents have zero ability to keep their little brats under control. Not to mention that I would do the same work or more, but since the tip was based on the discounted children's price, I earned less.

 

[garyad]

I wouldn't judge from just one visit. It's a great place to hang out and have a few. Give it one more try.

 

[RobMoore]

Waiting 20 minutes without saying anything is like the old saying about fooling me twice.

After 10 minutes, they are to be blamed for not at least asking you if you've been helped. After 20, it's your fault.

This is CORRECT. Only IDIOTS are rude or get loud with people handling or making their food.

Yup, you have to wait until after you're done eating if you want to get lippy.

Much like when you're pulled over. You can't lay into the cop if you expect to get off with a warning. Why do you think they act like they just farted in an elevator after they've given you the ticket? They want OUT of there before someone smells it.

 

[K31]

A few weeks ago my Dad and I took my son (4) to Dennys, ... While waiting, several waitresses/servers walked past us, not even asking to put our name in. An older gentleman came up to pay and was very upset, but we didn't yet know why. A couple minutes later they seated us in the back. ... During our conversation we heard the table behind us complain to their server it took 1 hour 20 minutes to get their food, and the table to the left just asked for the check for their drinks so they could leave. A few minutes 2 other tables emptied out with no solid food apparent on the table. My old man had had enough. At 7:14 he got up to go find the waitress, and couldn't, then went to the register. At 7:20 a different server/hostess got to the register. ...

Were all of you black?

 

[vector03]

I think another BIG problem is that a lot of the younger servers are NOT parents, and are unaware of some issues with customers with kids.
Someone, somewhere, should teach them a few vital things.
NEVER bring food to the parents and not to the kids.
DON'T leave the people with kids waiting 20 minutes before you take their order.
DON'T leave the folks with kids waiting 30 minutes for the check, AFTER the last fork has hit the table.
Doing those things, combined with unruly kids, ruins the experience for EVERYONE.
Keep the kids happy and everyone is happy.
Keep even the best behaved kids waiting for too long and it's going to get ugly.

I figured out pretty quick to have enough cash on hand to walk out when the check comes. Works out best for everyone.

 

[Sirex]

Were all of you black?

I was born, a poor black child.

 

[Kilroy]

Ah. I've got a guess. See, Savage Mills can be kind of a different kind of place. Super, even excessively, casual. Throughout the whole place there are little places where people sit down and just hang out.

I've not seen that inside the Rams Head itself. But it strikes me that if you came in and chose seating away from other people, started browsing the web, and didn't make any effort to GET a waiters attention, maybe they assumed you were just looking for a place to sit down and web surf, and left you to it in peace.

Now, were it my restaurant, even in super casual Savage Mill, I'd still have a waiter check with you to see if you'd like anything. Heck, sitting on the deck on a nice day, web surfing on a smart phone, sipping a cool one. That sounds like it would have been a fine evening, to me. That would have won me as a customer. Instead, by leaving you completely alone, they appear to have lost one.

If they had gotten me food (and it was good) then left me alone, I'd be VERY happy with the place.

 

[Nelben]

I was just at a restaurant the other day for lunch and my wife and I got waited on but food didn't come for like an hour. In the end we just walked out. As we were walking out the manager came running to us with a take out bag and apologizing. It just happens some times.

 

[Fishguy]

When I waited tables in grad school, I wanted people with kids outta there ASAP since most local parents have zero ability to keep their little brats under control. Not to mention that I would do the same work or more, but since the tip was based on the discounted children's price, I earned less.

I used to get the BEST tips from families with kids. Keep the kids happy and the parents are happy. Get the kiddies order in first and tell the kitchen mgr they need to go on the fly because the kids are unruly (even if they aren't because they will be soon). You get the kids food out in 5 minutes or less and all will go smoothly and your tip will be great.

 

[Fishguy]

Well, looks like I must have screwed up. Just to re-iterate, I went in, not close to closing time (2am), sat at the bar, nobody said anything to me. I decided I wanted to sit at a table instead, went outside and sat down (close to another table). The other table got their drinks, orders taken, and food delivered, with the staff walking past me every time. Obviously I didn't have a drink or food, so I wasn't spending money, a problem they should have tried to correct. Even if I did breach some unwritten restaurant seating code, I feel like I was treated poorly, so I'm not going back. Ever.

Naw, you didn't screw up; they did. I've worked in rest and customer service industries too long to accept something like that. You are the one spending your money; it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to screw up as long as your money is green.

 

[KMK1862]

There is a bar/restuarant in the Timonium area that has, IMO, the worst service ever.

EDIT: It's not that the staff are rude or unfriendly, but the wait times for food and drinks are far too long.

Either hire more staff or cut back on the number of people allowed in.

 

[K31]

There is a bar/restuarant in the Timonium area that has, IMO, the worst service ever.

EDIT: It's not that the staff are rude or unfriendly, but the wait times for food and drinks are far too long.

Either hire more staff or cut back on the number of people allowed in.

I'm convinced some places have deliberately long wait times to steer you into the bar before you are seated so they make more money.

 

[gmhowell]

I used to get the BEST tips from families with kids. Keep the kids happy and the parents are happy. Get the kiddies order in first and tell the kitchen mgr they need to go on the fly because the kids are unruly (even if they aren't because they will be soon). You get the kids food out in 5 minutes or less and all will go smoothly and your tip will be great.

That's pretty much how I did it.

But I still got them out of there fast.