Terrible experience at Ram's Head tonight

[Kilroy]

So I was in the mood for some good food, and I'd heard good things about Ram's Head Tavern in Savage. It's located in a fantastic location, with a patio overlooking the river and old train bridge. I walked in and sat at the bar for about 30 seconds, decided that the patio looked nicer, and went outside. It wasn't busy, just three other tables were occupied. I sat down and started surfing MDS on my phone. For 20 minutes, I watched the wait staff ignore me, nobody said hi, would you like a drink, not a word. They looked at me, then walked past my table to deal with the other guests. After 10 minutes it was funny, after 20 I was pissed. I left the way I came, never to darken their door again.

 

[scrovak]

So I was in the mood for some good food, and I'd heard good things about Ram's Head Tavern in Savage. It's located in a fantastic location, with a patio overlooking the river and old train bridge. I walked in and sat at the bar for about 30 seconds, decided that the patio looked nicer, and went outside. It wasn't busy, just three other tables were occupied. I sat down and started surfing MDS on my phone. For 20 minutes, I watched the wait staff ignore me, nobody said hi, would you like a drink, not a word. They looked at me, then walked past my table to deal with the other guests. After 10 minutes it was funny, after 20 I was pissed. I left the way I came, never to darken their door again.

That sucks. Though maybe the patio area is ushered seating, meaning they seat you? In that case, thye might have thought you were being a d***, or more likely, each one thought someone else was serving you. Then when you left, they all said 'But I thought YOU were waiting on him!' and did a collective facepalm.

 

[Boom Boom]

I've randomly had similar experiences at restaurants here and there over the years. No rhyme or reason to it. Worst I remember is my wife and I going to a higher-end restaurant for dinner. We're seated for about 20 minutes and wait staff keep passing by. I flag down a waitress for service. She goes to get our waitress and nobody returns for another 10 minutes. Finally we get to order drinks and order food. Another 30 minutes pass by. No food. Waitress doesn't swing by for more drinks or refills. I flag down our waitress and ask about our food. She's gone for about 10 minutes and finally shows back up with both plates, apologizing that the "kitchen forgot" about our order. First bite of our food and it's ice cold. Yep, somebody "forgot", but it wasn't the kitchen. We got up, complained to the manager, and left, free of charge but very annoyed and hungry. It happens, sometimes much worse than others.

I've had nothing but good experiences at Ram's Head in Annapolis. Better yet is a few doors down at Stan & Joe's.

 

[Ethan83]

Sorry dude, but more likely than not, you F'd up. Other than in bar sections, all seating is to be coordinated by a host/hostess, and tables are assigned to specific servers. If you weren't seated by somebody, and aren't in somebody's assigned section, they can only assume that you are somebody else's table. Now after 20 minutes of not having been waited on, somebody should have picked up, but let it be a lesson learned - never seat yourself in a restaurant unless it's in the bar section. Not only will you not be waited on for the practical reasons I outlined above (they can only assume that you are *not* their table), but if they realize that you seated yourself, you will piss off the waitstaff. It would be like wandering up to a checkout aisle at the supermarket that has its light off and nobody staffing it, and then getting pissed off that nobody is ringing you up. That's not how it works - you have to go to a checkout aisle that has its light on and is staffed. They're not going to go after you because you felt like sauntering up to a specific aisle of your choosing - they have their assigned aisles, and they're going to continue to serve the customers waiting in those appropriate lines.

Yeah, the 20 minutes of waiting around seems excessive, but if it was actually busy, that's not surprising at all. Servers have more important things to do than waste time trying to figure out who's been assigned to the out-of-section table.

 

[Blaster229]

 

[Darkemp]

Legen...Wait for it...Dairy!

 

[jaredm1]

I've been in a place where our "waitress" just finished her shift and clocked out without giving us the check or handing us off to anyone else. I should have just left with a free meal.

 

[wilcam47]

I've been in a place where our "waitress" just finished her shift and clocked out without giving us the check or handing us off to anyone else. I should have just left with a free meal.

A buddy and I went to chili's for dinner...the waitress rung us up and we had $20 bill each our tab was around $10 so we asked the lady to break our $20's so we could pay...she came back gave us our $20's and took the check and said thanks have a good day...we were like ok...and left...she never did take our money...whoops...

 

[clandestine]

Most places a Hostess has to seat you unless its in the bar area, otherwise no server gets assigned.

 

[jmiller320]

One time I went to a resturant and the cook quit in the middle of the dinner. We got our drinks, rolls and salad and after about 45 minutes of waiting they came over and told us the problem and didn't charge us.

 

[dswanmd]

Sorry dude, but more likely than not, you F'd up. Other than in bar sections, all seating is to be coordinated by a host/hostess, and tables are assigned to specific servers. If you weren't seated by somebody, and aren't in somebody's assigned section, they can only assume that you are somebody else's table. Now after 20 minutes of not having been waited on, somebody should have picked up, but let it be a lesson learned - never seat yourself in a restaurant unless it's in the bar section. Not only will you not be waited on for the practical reasons I outlined above (they can only assume that you are *not* their table), but if they realize that you seated yourself, you will piss off the waitstaff. It would be like wandering up to a checkout aisle at the supermarket that has its light off and nobody staffing it, and then getting pissed off that nobody is ringing you up. That's not how it works - you have to go to a checkout aisle that has its light on and is staffed. They're not going to go after you because you felt like sauntering up to a specific aisle of your choosing - they have their assigned aisles, and they're going to continue to serve the customers waiting in those appropriate lines.

Yeah, the 20 minutes of waiting around seems excessive, but if it was actually busy, that's not surprising at all. Servers have more important things to do than waste time trying to figure out who's been assigned to the out-of-section table.

This.

 

[eruby]

You folks waiting 20, 30 and 45 minutes have WAY more patience than I do.

After 5, maybe 10, I'd get up and start looking for someone.

The ketchup/mustard photo was the smile of the week.

 

[pjleduc]

Sorry you had bad experience, usually Ram's Head is pretty good. But, I have to agree with others, especially since all the times I have been there at the Savage Mill location, there is a hostess podium specifically for the deck area.

 

[vector03]

Like most have said...there probably wasn't anyone assigned to serve you. That said, a member of the wait staff should have asked you if you required assistance when they noticed you just sitting there.

 

[mckraut]

Easy fix, after 10 minutes I would have said "Excuse me, could I get a menu?" Instead you hung around for 20 minutes just being pissed. You have the tools to get the ball rolling, show some initiative.

 

[INMY01TA]

It's not Mcdonalds, you are supposed to be seated by a hostess.

 

[Kilroy]

There was no podium or hostess. Maybe they have one, but this was kinda late at night and there was barely anyone in there. It's not like they were so busy they didn't notice me sitting there. I've never worked in food service, but I would think a waiter would want to pick up an extra tip before closing time?

 

[PapiBarcelona]

If there is no hostess around, I would venture to assume you seat yourself at a table unless it's a peak dinner hour or a busy night, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Some restaurants don't pay to have a goober stand at a podium all hours of the day when there are 4 people eating at 8PM.

It's probably best you didn't unleash your rage and then decide to go ahead and eat there, you should check out the 2005 film "Waiting..." You will never feel the same eating at any restaurants ever again

 

[NatBoh]

I used to go there a lot when I lived in Laurel several years ago. Always had good service. Until a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't been there for probably ten years. I met friends there for dinner, and we had a bad experience as well. The waitress was not very bright, didn't really care about her job, and was coughing on people's food- totally clueless.

That place has really gone South. I won't be going back.

Kevin

 

[clandestine]

It's probably best you didn't unleash your rage and then decide to go ahead and eat there, you should check out the 2005 film "Waiting..." You will never feel the same eating at any restaurants ever again

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