What's up with WAFFLE HOUSE?

[west3man]

To say my I had "a bad experience" at a particular Waffle House in the Atlanta area, this weekend, would be an understatement.

I debated whether it was worth starting a thread over, then I saw the similarities to the following article and decided it WAS worth it: *deep breath*

source: http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/wafflehouse

ARTICLE:NAACP Joins Federal Bias Lawsuits Against Waffle House Chain
Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2005
By: Nia Ngina Meeks, BlackAmericaWeb.com

A consortium of attorneys, including a contingent from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, filed suit Tuesday morning against Waffle House and its franchisees in at least four Southern states.

Charging that employees and managers either conducted or turned a blind eye to blatant acts of racial discrimination, the legal force contends that the Southern roadside institution has to do a better job of enforcing its policies.

“What we want is to get Waffle House to change how it’s treating African-American consumers,” interim NAACP Chief Counsel Angela Ciccolo told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

The four cases filed today added to a case file that includes some two dozen claims against the Norcross, Georgia-based chain.

The NAACP joined the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, plus four law firms representing plaintiffs alleging racial bias.

The charges range from rude behavior to being verbally assaulted to maggots present in food served to people of color, whether in Virginia, Alabama, Georgia or North Carolina.


MY EXPERIENCE:
I was in the Atlanta area, for the past few days to celebrate my birthday and to spend time with family - particularly my father. There was already plenty of potential for drama. I did NOT need more from Waffle House employees.

I called a Waffle House near the hotel to order breakfast, so it'd be ready by the time we got over there. The young man on the phone wasn't exactly cordial, but I was going to let that slide until he hung up before my girlfriend, to whom I'd given the phone to detail HER order, before she could find out when the food would be ready.

I called back said to the woman who answered the phone, "We just ordered some food, but ol' boy hung up before..." when she abruptly put me on hold. :mad: This displeased me. I waited a short while, then hung up the phone and drove over there.

When I arrived, I politely asked to speak to the manager and was directed to a large, Black male behind the counter. I asked if I could speak with him and he kept saying, "What?" like he wanted me to say it out-loud. I preferred to keep things quiet and not have our exchange take place before the Waffle House patrons, so I, again, asked if I could speak with him for a second. He paused and said, "... I'll be with you in 30 minutes."

This displeased me some more. I said, half-talking to the employee at the cash register, "I get rude treatment on the phone - TWICE, come here to speak to you and THIS is how you treat me? What did I do to deserve this? What IS this?" His response, "Waffle House #[x,y,z]." No lie.

I continued to stand and speak to him, as he ignored me. At one point, he turned around, saw me still standing there and said, "What're you DOING?" and instructed me to sit down in a chair near the window. I refused and continued talking to him as he turned his back on me and walked into another room. When he returned, I continued, again, telling him how rude his behavior was and how I could understand how his employees could be so rude on the phone if THIS is how the MANAGER treats customers IN-PERSON.

I told him, at one point, that I wasn't going to stand there for 30 minutes waiting on his "ass." That was the one bit of near-profanity from me. I thought it only fair to mention the less-than-nice behavior on my part, as well. This, however, was only after he'd repeatedly treated me rudely.

He soon said he'd speak to me outside. I went out there and as he approached me, I told him to keep his distance and then we began talking. Within five seconds, he was yelling at me. This is the manager, in the parking lot, yelling at his customer. I responded by yelling back at him. He said, "Couldn't you see I was busy?" and said he thought I was there to apply for a job. I told him he'd have known that wasn't the case if he'd taken two seconds to ask me. I said I could've been telling him his BUILDING was on fire. He didn't hear much of this, I imagine, since he was still yelling at me.

His mobile phone rang and he answered it, saying it was his wife. He then talked to her, at length, while, apparently, expecting me to stand there waiting on him. Instead, I took a close-up picture, using my mobile phone, of him talking on his. Then I took pictures of the employees so that it'd be clear who was working, at the time.

I reported this to a Waffle House district manager and plan to contact their corporate office. I also showed her the pictures of him standing five feet in front of me talking on his mobile phone and of the other employees.



Now, if this guy weren't Black (which he was), one might be tempted to say he made this assumption about me and then proceeded to treat me rudely, simply because *I* am Black. It occurs to me, now, that just because HE'S Black, that doesn't mean he wasN'T doing JUST THAT.

So... if you're still reading, after all of THAT... what do YOU think - about my experience, my guess about the manager's prejudice, or Waffle House, in general?

[SteelTownr]

I'm a bit confused.

The manager that gave you such a hard time was black?

I've had cruddy treatment at Waffle Houses too.

Then again, I've had good treatment.

Mark B.

[west3man]

I'm a bit confused.

The manager that gave you such a hard time was black? Yes, sir.

I've had cruddy treatment at Waffle Houses too.

Then again, I've had good treatment.

Mark B.Same here.

In fact, the people at the other Waffle House, where I reported the rude manager, were fairly pleasant. The district manager was VERY pleasant. The other employees, became that much MORE pleasant, after they heard me tell her that I'd had nothing but positive experiences at that particular store.

[Ecoman]

Holy Shit man.

That's absolutely unacceptable. That kind of behaviour should have died out an extremely long time ago. That's just disgusting. I hope you get better help from the corporate office. In theory they should come down on their asses hard for this. You were blatantly ignored by the sound of it and you have a right to be pretty pissed about it. It's disgusting that such ignorant prejudices still exist.

It's funny. Here we are in 2005 and this shit still goes on. I thought we were supposed to be the intelligent creatures on this stupid chunk of dirt.

[Shades0077]

I say go to IHOP next time. Pancakes are better than waffles.

Sucks that the manager was a jerk though.

[macul]

I'm not sure I've ever had a good experience at a Waffle House. They vary from "meh" to "ugh."

Sounds like a really bad manager and person to boot. He should in no way be in charge of anyone or working in a customer service field.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Go to Cracker Barrell. Better place. :)

[Nate C.]

Now, if this guy weren't Black (which he was), one might be tempted to say he made this assumption about me and then proceeded to treat me rudely, simply because *I* am Black. It occurs to me, now, that just because HE'S Black, that doesn't mean he wasN'T doing JUST THAT.

So... if you're still reading, after all of THAT... what do YOU think - about my experience, my guess about the manager's prejudice, or Waffle House, in general?

My own opinion is that hardly no one wants to work for minimum wage anymore. If I started a thread about Wal-Mart employees, I would still be here tommorrow, cussing all the way.

I'm delivering pizzas on weekend nights right now, while I'm back in school for my third degree :o , and I can tell you, none of the 18-25 year olds I work with, white or black, is worth knocking in the head.

You didn't get treated poorly because you are black. You got treated poorly for deigning to bother an employee while they were at work. How dare you?

[tricksterpup]

hmmm.. that is why we used to call them the AWFUL WAFFLE.

[SteelTownr]

I'm not sure I've ever had a good experience at a Waffle House. They vary from "meh" to "ugh."

Yeah, I guess that is more like it.

They are strictly "Well, I am hungry and that is the only thing open fare" for me.

The foods so-so and the prices are actually high.

Mark B.

[Dreadstar]

hmmm.. that is why we used to call them the AWFUL WAFFLE.


New one on me. We call them the Awful House.

Doesn't stop us from hitting it at 2 in the morning to counter the effects of the alcohol, though. I mean the only other choice is Sliders... err.... Rat Burge... um... White Castle.

[Indy24LA]

If I had an experience with Awful House like yours, I'd send their main office a detailed letter and pretty much write off ever going there again! There are a buncha Waffle House type restaurants (most are an improvement), so it's not a big loss.

[Dreadstar]

If I had an experience with Awful House like yours, I'd send their main office a detailed letter and pretty much write off ever going there again! There are a buncha Waffle House type restaurants (most are an improvement), so it's not a big loss.

I'd just write off that particular Waffle House. I've had bad experiences at one of the Max and Erma's here in town (local chain), but never have a problem at any of the others.




To respond to the original post, it appears that with the lead-off article that west is trying to put his own experience under the heading "racially motivated."

I'm having a tough time seeing that. The telephone problem wouldn't be, for example, and the remainder doesn't exactly scream prejudice, especially if you came on like gang-busters when you first got there in person.

Not that the manager wasn't WRONG in treating you that way. I'd certainly narc his ass out on this, no doubt.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I will say this. I have ate at a Waffle House and the food Is so/so . But the service was usually nice whenever I ate there. Maybe Its the fact that some people are assholes I suppose.


Awhile back at a Bob Evan's I had an experince that Is just as bad. We walked In , ordered and wasn't served for an hour. Time we got the food It was cold or wrong. My order was wrong. My mom & dads was ice cold. We finally left after an hour & half and paid.

We told the guy In charge about and all he did was shrug his shoulders. My dad took that as not givin a damn.

Listen you stupied asshole , we tell more people to not eat here and tell them the service we got , you think they will. We paid and at least wanted an apology! Now I'll contact your Manager and tell him!


My dad told someone at another Bob Evans and the guy walked out and talked to my dad as we ate breakfast. He told him that he was going to that restraunt due to complaints. They had put him In charge and he wrote down what went wrong with our orders that night. He gave us the Breakfast as my dad offered to pay. But he told my dad he was gonna fix things at that location.

[west3man]

re-posted after mini-crash...

You didn't get treated poorly because you are black. You got treated poorly for deigning to bother an employee while they were at work. How dare you?I appreciate your response, but have to wonder...

... why you're comfortable assuming that if I'd been white and well-dressed (:p heh, *I* think I was, anyway) that he'd STILL have assumed I was there to apply for a job... and then treat me like boo-boo.


Of course, I don't know that "White West" would've been treated any differently, either.

--------------------------

To be clear, though, I was polite... exceedingly so, to both people I was on the phone with AND the people I encountered in-person... until ol' boy not only mistreated me, but REPEATEDLY did so. That's when I said, "I'm not gon' wait on yo' ass." That was about as raw as I got, but I feel it was completely justified, considering how nice (for lack of a better term) I'd been even AFTER being mistreated.

This dude assumed I was there for a job, but why? For what reason would he assume that *I*, as opposed to any other person to walk through that door, was there for a job? The main difference between me and the other people in the restaurant was the fact that I was alone. The next was NOT my skin color, to be fair, however, what this comes down to is what about *me* made him assume I was there for a job. Clearly, I don't have empirical data, but I am having a very hard time picturing this man behaving similarly to a 31 year old white male wearing a cream turtle-neck sweater with tan horizontal stripes, matching boots, leather jack, leather hat, and jeans.


The people on the phone may or may not have treated someone with "less bass" in his voice differently, but in-person, I'm becoming less and less confident that a white male, similarly dressed, would've been treated similarly.

[Xombie]

Most of the Waffle Houses I go to have more black employees than white ones.

And the food kicks so much ass.

[Alex]

I've always had crappy service at waffle house, but im white.
It wasn't because i was white, it was because waffle house ain't exactly a 4...or 3, or 2 star place, and i figured they would hire anyone.
Now Dennys on the other hand, after their trouble, have gotten overly annoying in their racial nicesities. I've been in twice now with a black friend, who was drunk and being a total asshole, and they didn't even politily ask him to quiet down. But they told the white asshole at another table to be quiet.
...
Which, now that i think about it, was ok, because i didn't know that guy.

[west3man]

Most of the Waffle Houses I go to have more black employees than white ones. Same here.

Chris Rock asked, "Who's more racist, Black people or white people?" He replied to his own question, "Black people... because we hate Black people, too!"

There's some truth in there.

And the food kicks so much ass.Sometimes, this is true.

[Alex]

Sometimes, this is true.
You knwo what it is?
Its because they cook it all on the same deal, so everything tastes vaguely of sausage grease.

[Xombie]

You knwo what it is?
Its because they cook it all on the same deal, so everything tastes vaguely of sausage grease.

And thats a bad thing?

[Alex]

And thats a bad thing?
I wasn't using sarcasm.

[Punchy]

Waffle House can be bad but in my experience nothing is worse than Denny's. I can count the number of times I've had good service at Denny's on two fingers. I can count the number of times I've had heartburn at Denny's on a nine-space calculator.

[DarkBlade]

Other thing is, a LOT of Waffle Houses are franchises... service isn't neccessarily consistent across the chain. There's WH's I loved to go to, and ones I wouldn't set foot in.

[bfrank]

I'm not sure I've ever had a good experience at a Waffle House. They vary from "meh" to "ugh."


I have to agree...I've found that southern hospitality does not extend to the waffle house...I now understand that when I'm in Atlanta, Charlotte, etc,that the waffle house does not = Roscoe's...plus 'scoes waflles are better....

[Samurai]

On a recent survey of restaurant chains' cleanliness and food safety, Waffle House came in dead last. I've never been to one (they don't have them on the west coast), but I wouldn't eat there even if the service were good!

As far as racism, maybe, but I don't think so. I've found that when someone walks in and says "can I talk to the manager a moment?", they are typically looking for a job. I've seen it dozens of times, and if that manager has been there a while, he probably has too. People don't usually complain to the manager anymore, they complain to the waitress/food server and ask them to fix the order. If the person is selling something, they won't go to the individual restaurant... at the HQ, someone coming in and saying the same thing would probably be assumed to be a salesman.

Once the tempers got a bit heated and he knew you wanted to complain to him, he got defensive and angry. Again, nothing racist in that.

[K'Nort]

There are plenty of reasons he would assume you were looking for a job that had nothing to do with race. Probably most people who ask to speak to a manager without having eaten first, that's the reason. And he may have been expecting someone based on a phone call or recent high-response ad. Some people are just jerks to be jerks.

And I've never been to a Waffle House, but really like Cracker Barrel.

[west3man]

As far as racism, maybe, but I don't think so. I've found that when someone walks in and says "can I talk to the manager a moment?", they are typically looking for a job. I've seen it dozens of times, and if that manager has been there a while, he probably has too. If typically, when someone asks for the server, they want to complain about the food preparation, does this mean the server's justified in reacting to this potential complaint by taking the customer's food away? I don't think so.

I think that server should do what the manager should've done - asked the simple, but well-known question, "How may I help you?" and then responded appropriately.

Once the tempers got a bit heated and he knew you wanted to complain to him, he got defensive and angry. Again, nothing racist in that.I thought I restated this but, I was not going off on him or his employees when I entered the restaurant OR directly after being repeatedly mistreated by this man. His behavior began from the moment I (EDIT: )refused to shout my concern across the restaurant.

[west3man]

There are plenty of reasons he would assume you were looking for a job that had nothing to do with race. There typically are plenty of other potential reasons, though. For me, this comes down to the simple question of whether he would've reacted the way he did if I were a white male, dressed and acting the same way. Assuming none of us has a crystal ball, we can only guess. However, I find it highly unlikely that he would've responded that way to a white male who wanted to speak with him without having to shout across other customers.

I guess that doesn't reflect your experience or observation, though.

[west3man]

Other thing is, a LOT of Waffle Houses are franchises... service isn't neccessarily consistent across the chain. There's WH's I loved to go to, and ones I wouldn't set foot in.This was a corporate restaurant. I asked the district manager I spoke to.

Just thought I'd mention that.

[Samurai]

If typically, when someone asks for the server, they want to complain about the food preparation, does this mean the server's justified in reacting to this potential complaint by taking the customer's food away? I don't think so.

I think that server should do what the manager should've done - asked the simple, but well-known question, "How may I help you?" and then responded appropriately.

I thought I restated this but, I was not going off on him or his employees when I entered the restaurant OR directly after being repeatedly mistreated by this man. His behavior began from the moment I shout my concern across the restaurant.


I'm not defending his behavior... yes, he clearly should have just said "How can I help you". I'm just saying that his assumption that you wanted a job wasn't necessarily racist.

And I didn't say you were rude or anything. He was probably in a bad mood (or just a jerk) to begin with, and as soon as he heard you wanted to complain about something (or that you weren't grateful for "his majesty" granting you an audience), he got nasty.

[Boldido]

Man I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of the Waffle House district manager in that situation. Did you speak with the DM? If so, could you tell whether he was black or white? The reason I ask is that I can imagine it would be extraordinarily difficult to discipline a black manager for being racist to black customers. I'm just not sure how that would fly.

That being said, however, if a young white guy came in well dressed and well spoken, I would not be surprised if he would have been more polite or not assumed that he was looking for a job. Was the manager prejudiced? It sounds like it. Was he being racist? Is there a difference?

[west3man]

I'm not defending his behavior... yes, he clearly should have just said "How can I help you". I'm just saying that his assumption that you wanted a job wasn't necessarily racist. You're right that it wasn't necessarily racist. There are usually other possibilities whenever Professor X off chasing Lilandra or something (whoops... did I slip into geek mode?).

The answer to this question is probably the obvious one, but I'd rather not assume: Can you easily picture this same scenario with a white male in my shoes?

I have a really hard time doing so.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I've worked In a restruant and this should be brought up as well. The Manager (or Managers where I worked at) were constantly on duty. I mean there were 3 working and usually 2 a shift and It wasn't easy.

The people are constantly busy with customers,workers, and various other restraunt business. I know It seems like a weak excuse but as someone who used to work In one ...Its not as easy.

Yes I know Its a crap excuse. But what time did you go Into the Waffle House , west3man ? Were they really packed & busy ?

[Fabian]

... why you're comfortable assuming that if I'd been white and well-dressed (:p heh, *I* think I was, anyway) that he'd STILL have assumed I was there to apply for a job... and then treat me like boo-boo.
What's well dressed? If you're wearing a suit, I doubt he would think you were applying there no matter what your ethnicity. I think your experrience was at this particular waffle house because of the phone disrespects, unless you spoke in ebonics or something. From the sounds of it, the manager has a huge ego and assumes that people "need" him. Like he assumed you needed a job from him and talked on the phone to disregard you, total ego trip for him.

But in all truths, restaurant employees are probably the most racist people you'll meet. We're prejudice against everybody and blacks do get a bad rap. Here's the hierarchy from best to worst in terms of how they're seen:

White man, women, senior citizens, blacks, latinos, teens, arabs.

[K'Nort]

The answer to this question is probably the obvious one, but I'd rather not assume: Can you easily picture this same scenario with a white male in my shoes?

I have a really hard time doing so.

Well I can't easily picture the scenario with a black male either. Not saying I don't believe it could happen, but it's an unusual, irrational situation no matter what. But I've certainly had employees at restaurants or retail establishments be rude and unreasonable from the get go, so yes, they are capable of treating anyone badly.

[Alex]

White man, women, senior citizens, blacks, latinos, teens, arabs.
You crapping me?
Its
Middle Aged Couple, Single women (For guys, single men for girls) large groups of blacks (Couple do not count, as its the same as white couples...couples in general tip better) latinos, senior citizens, teens.
Now, i've never noticed a big tip differeance in arabs myself.
And the only ones who really have a negative sterotype attached are
Groups of black people, senior citizens, teens. And of those, teens are way on the top. They never tip good.
Thats the real hierachy among servers, its not as cut and dried as "A black guy" or "An old person"
You gotta factor in the amount of work required.

[west3man]

Man I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of the Waffle House district manager in that situation. Did you speak with the DM? I spoke *a* district manager, to be precise. Unfortunately, (she claims) the offending manager's store was outside of her district, although it was only one exit down (a VERY close exit, btw).

If so, could you tell whether he was black or white? I lucked out. I left the "bad" Waffle House, picked up my girlfriend from the hotel, and headed to an IHOP (next exit). While sitting at our table, I remembered that there's a Waffle House right next door to the IHOP. I'd been over there the day before and received a very warm welcome. When I asked to speak to the manager, the employee I was asking made sure I wasn't going to complain about her (no, really), then told me that the manager wasn't in, but the district manager was. Right about then, I did the little dance many women do when they see a long-lost girlfriend. :D

The district manager was a white female who was extremely personable, very understanding and oozing with Southern charm, while remaining professional. Honestly, the woman impressed me, not just because she listened, but because of the WAY she listened and responded. I'm sure it didn't hurt that I had pictures. They weren't exactly a smoking gun, but they weren't "nuthin'."

The reason I ask is that I can imagine it would be extraordinarily difficult to discipline a black manager for being racist to black customers. I'm just not sure how that would fly.I hear you. I think it's the next level of discrimination that will/should be addressed. However, I don't see it being easy for a white, Black, brown, or green district manager to pull this one off.

That being said, however, if a young white guy came in well dressed and well spoken, I would not be surprised if he would have been more polite or not assumed that he was looking for a job. Was the manager prejudiced? It sounds like it. Was he being racist? Is there a difference?I think there can be.

He certainly did pre-judge me, though. Whether he thinks little of most others that look like me (or him) is tougher to guess, but I also wouldn't give him much benefit of the doubt.

[west3man]

I've worked In a restruant and this should be brought up as well. The Manager (or Managers where I worked at) were constantly on duty. I mean there were 3 working and usually 2 a shift and It wasn't easy.

The people are constantly busy with customers,workers, and various other restraunt business. I know It seems like a weak excuse but as someone who used to work In one ...Its not as easy.

Yes I know Its a crap excuse. But what time did you go Into the Waffle House , west3man ? Were they really packed & busy ?It was... early afternoon on a Sunday morning. I expected it to be PACKED with church-goers, but it wasn't. There was no one in the waiting chairs (where he ORDERED me to sit).

He mentioned that he needed to till his register, so I'd probably missed the big rush o' folks.

The thing is, and I told him this, while he was standing there, I said exactly why I was there and why his response was an added insult. THAT was his moment to apologize and attend to his customer. I wouldn't have been happy, but I'd have moved on without reporting him.

All I wanted was for the manager to know how his employees had made a simple breakfast order so difficult. He could've LIED to me and told me he'd take care of it and I never would've known any differently.

[Vebran]

....My order was wrong. My mom & dads was ice cold. We finally left after an hour & half and paid.

You paid for the meal? I've had similiar experiences where the food was extremely late, and/or wrong multiple times on the same visit and never had to pay for the meal......or got so frustrated after the time invested I simply walked out.

[Fabian]

You crapping me?
Its
Middle Aged Couple, Single women (For guys, single men for girls) large groups of blacks (Couple do not count, as its the same as white couples...couples in general tip better) latinos, senior citizens, teens.
Now, i've never noticed a big tip differeance in arabs myself.
And the only ones who really have a negative sterotype attached are
Groups of black people, senior citizens, teens. And of those, teens are way on the top. They never tip good.
Thats the real hierachy among servers, its not as cut and dried as "A black guy" or "An old person"
You gotta factor in the amount of work required.
I didnt want to get specific

Group of mid-20s - middle age white men is on top because they will usually cheer the other buddy/ies to have a drink. Couples would be next but they lose points because the woman 90% of the time pulls that whole soup & salad routine or gets something tiny with a glass of water and a slice of lemon. Senior Citizens might not be the best tippers, but they eat very slow and don't ask for much so you can get a breather.

Latinos are slightly higher than teens. Latinos tend to be nicer but for some reason, dont know how to tip either. Teens are just jerks who drink soda like breathing air and ask for the cheapest items and think they're cool for acting like a jerk. They would be 2nd worst

The only time a group of black people would have a stereotype in the restuarants I work at is if they're dressed as if they were shooting shooting a music video for BET and talked in bling-rap-bonics and the women would have weeves.

Middle Easterners just get the worst rap. Although it's usually Hindus and not Muslims.

[west3man]

What's well dressed? If you're wearing a suit, I doubt he would think you were applying there no matter what your ethnicity. I meant to clarify that. I thought I did, but in case I forgot or you missed it... I had on a pair of jeans (no holes or fading), a cream/beige-colored turtle-neck sweater with one brown and one tan horizontal stripes, a pair of matching tan and cream-colored leather boots (they look better than they sound), a tan/brown leather jacket and the brown leather hat Solaris's son is wearing in the pic of him on my "I met Solaris, [etc]..." thread.

I wanted to clarify that so I didn't unfairly paint a picture of me in a freakin' tux walking in and being treated like crap (not that I would put it past this guy).

I think your experrience was at this particular waffle house because of the phone disrespects, I didn't understand that part, but in case my guess is right, let me say that I'm less inclined to say that the actions of the people who answered the phone were racially motivated. That may or may not be the case, but I'd feel less confident accusing THEM than him.

unless you spoke in ebonics or something. From the sounds of it, the manager has a huge ego and assumes that people "need" him. Like he assumed you needed a job from him and talked on the phone to disregard you, total ego trip for him. Could be. I really feel for the people who work under him, though.

But in all truths, restaurant employees are probably the most racist people you'll meet. We're prejudice against everybody and blacks do get a bad rap. Here's the hierarchy from best to worst in terms of how they're seen:

White man, women, senior citizens, blacks, latinos, teens, arabs.Ouch.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

west3man:It was... early afternoon on a Sunday morning. I expected it to be PACKED with church-goers, but it wasn't. There was no one in the waiting chairs (where he ORDERED me to sit).

He mentioned that he needed to till his register, so I'd probably missed the big rush o' folks.

The thing is, and I told him this, while he was standing there, I said exactly why I was there and why his response was an added insult. THAT was his moment to apologize and attend to his customer. I wouldn't have been happy, but I'd have moved on without reporting him.

All I wanted was for the manager to know how his employees had made a simple breakfast order so difficult. He could've LIED to me and told me he'd take care of it and I never would've known any differently.


Where I worked Sundays was our busiest daytime/eveing. From 12 to 3 It was a damn madehouse. Then we'd get the semi-rush from 5pm to 7pm.

That day we had all 5 Managers on duty going at It!

Its pretty much possible he was having a horrible day at home & work. The pressure got to him and he may have thought the wrong things when you came In.

Plus I never knew Waffle House took calls In to fix food before ya came In. Thats unique. Maybe the people thought you were prank calling them ( we used to get prank calls that buses were coming In at times)
with that big order.

[west3man]

Well I can't easily picture the scenario with a black male either. Not saying I don't believe it could happen, but it's an unusual, irrational situation no matter what. But I've certainly had employees at restaurants or retail establishments be rude and unreasonable from the get go, so yes, they are capable of treating anyone badly.I'll assume this means you don't think it's significantly less likely that a white male would've been treated the way I was.

Like I said, it's the obvious guess, but ... I dunno. I wanted to ask the question that way and read the answer. I think I asked it of Samurai, but I wanted to know your response, too, so ...thanks.

[StrawNilla]

I say go to IHOP next time. Pancakes are better than waffles.

Sucks that the manager was a jerk though.
You tell 'em Shades!

[Fabian]

Ouch.
Hey man, most of the workers I work with are Latino but they dont like serving on Latinos. The list Alex and I mentioned is usually used when the people act like stereotypes.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Vebran:
You paid for the meal? I've had similiar experiences where the food was extremely late, and/or wrong multiple times on the same visit and never had to pay for the meal......or got so frustrated after the time invested I simply walked out.


My dad wanted to be nice. He did advice the lady server that the food was bad and that they should fix It. So she got the Manager as my dad was paying. My dad , I suppose expected the guy to care a little. I mean we just complained and paid for the meal.

He shrugged his shoulders and acted like we were just some looney customers and my dad got on his case. He never said a word , because he can get pretty loud.


We never went back Into that Bob Evans and the one we eat at usually was where my dad talked to that Manager who was going there.

[Alex]

I didnt want to get specific

Group of mid-20s - middle age white men is on top because they will usually cheer the other buddy/ies to have a drink. Couples would be next but they lose points because the woman 90% of the time pulls that whole soup & salad routine or gets something tiny with a glass of water and a slice of lemon. Senior Citizens might not be the best tippers, but they eat very slow and don't ask for much so you can get a breather.

Latinos are slightly higher than teens. Latinos tend to be nicer but for some reason, dont know how to tip either. Teens are just jerks who drink soda like breathing air and ask for the cheapest items and think they're cool for acting like a jerk. They would be 2nd worst

Couples can work well though, if the girl likes you she convinces the guy to tip better, add this to if he already was going to tip well.
Old people suck because they eat slow, and the4y often sit there forever, or want to talk to you, which steals you away from other tables.
And due to the fact i feel obligated to always give good service, i have to talk to them.
Latinos aren't really bad, it depends on what they order, less likely to complaign about stuff either.
But then, the interesting thing is, these sterotypes are broken daily, yet they stick, heres an example.
A lady at my table, with three other ladies, was all nice and talky. 8 minutes later (I say again....8 MINUTES, we looked at the ticket) her burger came out, and she said it took 20 minutes and wasn't med rare.
Now, ive seen a med rare burger, it what i order, and that was a med rare burger. Anyway, she starts yelling, loudly, about everything, manager came over without me asking because she heard her yelling, and then...she and her old white lady friends all got up and left.
Table right next to her, called the manager to complaign about HER, and then continualy told me how she was a bitch, how i didn't do anything wrong, blah blah blah. Anyway, he gave me 5 bucks since i missed the tip off her table (and i wasnt even watiing on him) and he was a youngish black guy.
This, added to the other times i have gotten great tips from black guys will not end the sterotype. And im figuring, if it happens to me, then it has to happen in other places.
People just notice it more because the sterotypes are already in place, so it grows and spreads and...what have you.

[west3man]

west3man:


Where I worked Sundays was our busiest daytime/eveing. From 12 to 3 It was a damn madehouse. Then we'd get the semi-rush from 5pm to 7pm.

That day we had all 5 Managers on duty going at It!

Its pretty much possible he was having a horrible day at home & work. The pressure got to him and he may have thought the wrong things when you came In. Definitely possible. In fact, the district manager I spoke to said she knew the guy and this was NOT his typical behavior.

Of course, now that I think about it, why WOULDN'T he put his best foot forward around a district manager - even if she wasn't HIS district manager?

Plus I never knew Waffle House took calls In to fix food before ya came In. Thats unique. Maybe the people thought you were prank calling them ( we used to get prank calls that buses were coming In at times)
with that big order.With WHAT "big order?" We ordered a meal for me and one for my girlfriend.

At any rate, it's typical, in my experience, for Waffle House restaurants to accept call-in orders for pick-up. It keeps the lobby and the chairs clear and guarantees a gratuity since they automatically include one in carry-out orders. It says so on the sign at the registers of most Waffle Houses. I didn't check this one's register, as I was too busy reacting to the repeated rudeness.

I have no doubt that you mean well, but I do think you're reaching here.

[west3man]

Hey man, most of the workers I work with are Latino but they dont like serving on Latinos. The list Alex and I mentioned is usually used when the people act like stereotypes.I feel you.

It's particularly hard to see "your own" poorly "representing." Exhibiting stereotypical behavior is salt on the wound.

[Alex]

I feel you.

It's particularly hard to see "your own" poorly "representing." Exhibiting stereotypical behavior is salt on the wound.
Think of it this way.
Being a black person and your money depending on tipping, and then having bad experiences with your own group of people. the fact that you are the same race ain't gonna make you feel better knowing "Im going to spend an hour on this guy and get a buck"
It's a weird thing to be at work, and hear someone say "God, i don't want to wait on them, they won't tip."
And you know they are saying it because they are black.
And the person saying it is black.
My response is usualy "They could be waiters though!"
(That's actually a thing we say, because waiters are the best tippers ever)

[K'Nort]

(That's actually a thing we say, because waiters are the best tippers ever)

I have a friend who always leaves the waitress about 30% for the sake of not her but whomever she's dating. Because he used to date waitresses and got really tired of hearing all the time about who stiffed her that day.

[Fabian]

Couples can work well though, if the girl likes you she convinces the guy to tip better, add this to if he already was going to tip well.
I've never had that happen. Couples usually have the woman not eating much. And if the woman likes me, she likes me likes me and the guy hates me. Most women will have no say in the tip since the guy pays and never shows the bill to the woman

Old people suck because they eat slow, and the4y often sit there forever, or want to talk to you, which steals you away from other tables.
I never said they weren't bad, I just said they're not as bad as the others. Mostly because they eat slow and they wouldn't bother you. The taking your table bit sucks a lot though. I always act busy if I don't want to talk to my tables and when old people talk to me, it's usually due to my name. They think I was named after the 50's singer Fabian and ask me if its true and I say my mother wasnt even born yet and that makes them feel older

Latinos aren't really bad, it depends on what they order, less likely to complaign about stuff either.
The one who don't speak english that well are nice but they don't know our customs and don't tip well. Then there's the ones who are chicanos (born here, parents born on latin america) and think they're so awesome because they speak english with a hideous accent. They think they're high class, but dress awful, expect 5 star service, and tip bad. Generally they don't complain though.

But then, the interesting thing is, these sterotypes are broken daily, yet they stick, heres an example.
That is true, but it didn't happen today with me. EVERY woman I served had a cup of soup or a side salad (not even a salad entree). My bus boy even said I was cursed that day.

As for your story, I've seen that happen. Although when people accuse me of being wrong, I'm an ass and go to great lengths to defend myself. I would had shown the ticket or vouchers to show exactly how long it took and then explain what medium rare is, and why the burger was medium rare. Although usually, when a table is an ass like yours, another table would say so too.

This, added to the other times i have gotten great tips from black guys will not end the sterotype. And im figuring, if it happens to me, then it has to happen in other places.
Oh yeah, the black tip has been good to me too. Well, except if they act like a stereotyped black. You know which ones. The one Chris Rock calls "niggers."

[Fabian]

It's particularly hard to see "your own" poorly "representing." Exhibiting stereotypical behavior is salt on the wound.
Oh man, I hate that and was thinking of starting a thread about it. I hate seeing people who are Latino acting stereotypically. It irks me to no end

Think of it this way.
Being a black person and your money depending on tipping, and then having bad experiences with your own group of people. the fact that you are the same race ain't gonna make you feel better knowing "Im going to spend an hour on this guy and get a buck"
It's a weird thing to be at work, and hear someone say "God, i don't want to wait on them, they won't tip."
And you know they are saying it because they are black.
And the person saying it is black.
My response is usualy "They could be waiters though!"
(That's actually a thing we say, because waiters are the best tippers ever)
We are the best tippers ever. Odd thing about tables, if they ask for a lot of things, they usually won't tip well. Usually.

I have a friend who always leaves the waitress about 30% for the sake of not her but whomever she's dating. Because he used to date waitresses and got really tired of hearing all the time about who stiffed her that day.
We usually bitch about the bad tables regardless. When I get home, I bitch about my bad tables first, and then my good tables.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

west3man:With WHAT "big order?" We ordered a meal for me and one for my girlfriend.

At any rate, it's typical, in my experience, for Waffle House restaurants to accept call-in orders for pick-up. It keeps the lobby and the chairs clear and guarantees a gratuity since they automatically include one in carry-out orders. It says so on the sign at the registers of most Waffle Houses. I didn't check this one's register, as I was too busy reacting to the repeated rudeness.

I have no doubt that you mean well, but I do think you're reaching here.


Whoa not reaching at all. If you knew how many calls we used to get to hold tables, special items on the bars, and what not you'd see why some take calls serious.

Its like calling Domino's and orderin 3 large pizza's for your buddy as a joke. KFC used to take those calls and deliver food. You had to order 20 bucks worth and my dad pulled a funny joke on his older cousin years back ordfin a huge amount of chicken awhile back. My dads cousin went berzerk and still had to pay for It all. :D


They may have thought you were a prank caller , trying to get them to make an order while they were busy. I know It sounds out there...but that happens.

[DarlingNikki]

i have a similar experience...

at a waffle house in rural south carolina, my brother and i sat at the table for a while waiting for service. meanwhile, white customers who came in after us were served immediately. after a while i walked up to the counter to ask if anyone knew we were waiting for a waitress. i was told someone would be there momentarily.

five minutes go by and still no service. eventually we just left.

now all of the people working there were black. however, there is something to be said about how black folks treat each other vs. how they treat white folks. it's like some black folks feel as though other blacks aren't worth the good service. they assume other blacks "will understand cuz i'm black, too" or better yet, have issues with serving other black folks because of pride or they think the folks they're serving think they're better than them.

my parents went to barbados where they were given the worst service ever by the black folks there. the black folks there were straight up resentful that the my parents could afford to be there! it was like "how dare this black person ask me to serve him!"

meanwhile, the white folks there got stellar service.

[west3man]

Oh man, I hate that and was thinking of starting a thread about it. I hate seeing people who are Latino acting stereotypically. It irks me to no endJust curious - did you post in that "representing 'your people' " thread?

[west3man]

west3man:


Whoa not reaching at all. If you knew how many calls we used to get to hold tables, special items on the bars, and what not you'd see why some take calls serious.

Its like calling Domino's and orderin 3 large pizza's for your buddy as a joke. KFC used to take those calls and deliver food. You had to order 20 bucks worth and my dad pulled a funny joke on his older cousin years back ordfin a huge amount of chicken awhile back. My dads cousin went berzerk and still had to pay for It all. :D


They may have thought you were a prank caller , trying to get them to make an order while they were busy. I know It sounds out there...but that happens.Again, I've got to wonder why MY calls would've been considered to be the "prank"s.

Like I said, many/all Waffle Houses have signs on their registers referring to their policies on gratuities for carry-out orders. I've called in to Waffle Houses many times.

Like I said, it seems like you're reaching here, considering the above.

[Fabian]

Just curious - did you post in that "representing 'your people' " thread?
No sir. What was it about?

[west3man]

west3man:


Whoa not reaching at all. If you knew how many calls we used to get to hold tables, special items on the bars, and what not you'd see why some take calls serious.

Its like calling Domino's and orderin 3 large pizza's for your buddy as a joke. KFC used to take those calls and deliver food. You had to order 20 bucks worth and my dad pulled a funny joke on his older cousin years back ordfin a huge amount of chicken awhile back. My dads cousin went berzerk and still had to pay for It all. :D


They may have thought you were a prank caller , trying to get them to make an order while they were busy. I know It sounds out there...but that happens.Again, I've got to wonder why MY calls would've been considered to be the "prank"s.

Like I said, many/all Waffle Houses have signs on their registers referring to their policies on gratuities for carry-out orders. I've called in to Waffle Houses many times.

Like I said, it seems like you're reaching here, considering the above.

EDIT: Also, like I said, we weren't making a HUGE order. Two meals. That's it.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Again, I've got to wonder why MY calls would've been considered to be the "prank"s.

Like I said, many/all Waffle Houses have signs on their registers referring to their policies on gratuities for carry-out orders. I've called in to Waffle Houses many times.

Like I said, it seems like you're reaching here, considering the above.

EDIT: Also, like I said, we weren't making a HUGE order. Two meals. That's


I'm just giving examples. I have no Idea about this Waffle House and what was going on. Just giving an example of what could have happened. It may seem like I'm reaching but again I've seen some pranks. We had call out orders as well that never happened.


Maybe you should talk with this Manager again and ask him what was wrong and why he reacted In such a way.

[west3man]

No sir. What was it about?http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=33113

For some reason, it didn't come up when I searched for "represent" in the thread title. Dunno if it was the quotes or what.

Anyway, ... there ya go. Probably not exactly like the one you were thinking of starting, but that's what your idea reminded me of.

[west3man]

I'm just giving examples. I have no Idea about this Waffle House and what was going on. Just giving an example of what could have happened. It may seem like I'm reaching but again I've seen some pranks. We had call out orders as well that never happened. Well, you said, "probably," as if your scenarios were the most likely possibilities. But...


Maybe you should talk with this Manager again and ask him what was wrong and why he reacted In such a way.Maaan, no way.

He had his opportunity to make nice and he fudged it up at every turn.

I can think of multiple times he gave me the vitual finger. I plan to return the favor by giving him the virtual <<censored>>.

[west3man]

I called the corporate number this morning and complained about the treatment I received at that Waffle House.

The guy on the phone was very nice and very professional. He took (a LOT of) my information (which made me feel a LITTLE like I was giving away the secret location of the Batcave) and said they'd follow-up with me.

We'll see.

I didn't mention the issue of race, by the way, although I'm becoming more and more convinced it was a factor.

[tricksterpup]

The guy on the phone was very nice and very professional. He took (a LOT of) my information (which made me feel a LITTLE like I was giving away the secret location of the Batcave) and said they'd follow-up with me.

AWE CRAP.. dude, now you have done it, they are gonna swing by your place when you least expect it and beat the heck out of your dog and dig up your shrubs.

[west3man]

AWE CRAP.. dude, now you have done it, they are gonna swing by your place when you least expect it and beat the heck out of your dog and dig up your shrubs.
Pft. Bring it. I'm a MAN! I could gi... :eek: Wait, did you say my SHRUBS?! :(


I'll be good.

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

I didnt want to get specific

Group of mid-20s - middle age white men is on top because they will usually cheer the other buddy/ies to have a drink. Couples would be next but they lose points because the woman 90% of the time pulls that whole soup & salad routine or gets something tiny with a glass of water and a slice of lemon. Senior Citizens might not be the best tippers, but they eat very slow and don't ask for much so you can get a breather.

Latinos are slightly higher than teens. Latinos tend to be nicer but for some reason, dont know how to tip either. Teens are just jerks who drink soda like breathing air and ask for the cheapest items and think they're cool for acting like a jerk. They would be 2nd worst

The only time a group of black people would have a stereotype in the restuarants I work at is if they're dressed as if they were shooting shooting a music video for BET and talked in bling-rap-bonics and the women would have weeves.

Middle Easterners just get the worst rap. Although it's usually Hindus and not Muslims.


You forgot Canadians. I worked a restaurant in Florida and word among the more experienced staff was that Canadians were terrible tippers. It was explained to me that a "good" tip in Canada was 10% and thus the reason most American servers felt Canadians were stiffs. Personally, though, my most hated table was the two old ladies who came in during the lunch rush, ordered two iced teas and split a sandwich, sat there gabbing for the next 2 hours, stole the equal when they left and left a whole dollar as a tip.

[Indy24LA]

You forgot Canadians. I worked a restaurant in Florida and word among the more experienced staff was that Canadians were terrible tippers. It was explained to me that a "good" tip in Canada was 10% and thus the reason most American servers felt Canadians were stiffs. Personally, though, my most hated table was the two old ladies who came in during the lunch rush, ordered two iced teas and split a sandwich, sat there gabbing for the next 2 hours, stole the equal when they left and left a whole dollar as a tip.
When I worked at Planet Hollywood in SF it was ANY tourist. Didn't really matter where they were from, 90% of them tipped poorly (even a lot of the ones from the US).

[Ray R.]

I called the corporate number this morning and complained about the treatment I received at that Waffle House.

The guy on the phone was very nice and very professional. He took (a LOT of) my information (which made me feel a LITTLE like I was giving away the secret location of the Batcave) and said they'd follow-up with me.

We'll see.

I didn't mention the issue of race, by the way, although I'm becoming more and more convinced it was a factor.

Sounds you got treated pretty badly.

One point, though, from the legal perspective. You had an incident, where there may have been racial animus (tough sell though from a willful discrimination angle, since the perpetrator is also African-American). I think successful discrimination suits need to show either a pattern of conduct, or deliberate injury due to race being the motivating factor for denial of service and intentional negligence. Not sure you can make this argument based on how you think another person of a different race would be treated in similar circumstances. That's conjecture, which doesn't meet ANY evidentiary standard. Again, this doesn't seem like denial of service due to race, just really bad service in general. But, you were there, not me, and you're entitled to your views.

I've been briefed in racial discrimination suits in Virginia against Cracker Barrel, Denny's and Dave & Buster's, and the racial animus was unmistakable, provable, and deliberate. In Cracker Barrel's case, there was a pattern of conduct and management acceptance that was pretty bad.

I think they owe you at least a written apology, with at least some incentive (coupons, gift certificates, etc.) to ever step foot in another one again. Independent franchisees represent corporate entities and follow identical discrimination policies as part of their franchise agreements (and applicable state law), and the "we don't really manage that store" argument doesn't hold water.

Hope you get some satisfaction, and some psychological restitution, if nothing else. Good luck.

[Ray R.]

When I worked at Planet Hollywood in SF it was ANY tourist. Didn't really matter where they were from, 90% of them tipped poorly (even a lot of the ones from the US).


When I waitered during law school, it broke down like this:

Good tippers:

1.) Anyone with prior restaurant experience, I mean anyone
2.) People celebrating anniversaries, birthdays
3.) Groups of young professionals of any race drinking as well as eating, again, the ones with real jobs
4.) Guys and gals on expense accounts
5.) Single eaters (for some reason), and by that I mean, eating alone
6.) Elderly women (maybe because I tried to charm the blue hair off them)

Bad tippers:
1.) Military - awful, awful, awful. I know they're on limited budgets, but ouch.
2.) Teens - 10%, maybe 15% on prom night.
3.) Europeans - go back to whatever country you came from, and take your loose change with you, Eurotrash.....
4.) Groups of people who analyze the bill with calculators, or who request separate checks for five people. "Um, it's not McDonald's"
5.) College professors - never understood this one
6.) Many of the stereotypes mentioned above

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

When I waitered during law school, it broke down like this:

Good tippers:

1.) Anyone with prior restaurant experience, I mean anyone
2.) People celebrating anniversaries, birthdays
3.) Groups of young professionals of any race drinking as well as eating, again, the ones with real jobs
4.) Guys and gals on expense accounts
5.) Single eaters (for some reason), and by that I mean, eating alone
6.) Elderly women (maybe because I tried to charm the blue hair off them)

Bad tippers:
1.) Military - awful, awful, awful. I know they're on limited budgets, but ouch.
2.) Teens - 10%, maybe 15% on prom night.
3.) Europeans - go back to whatever country you came from, and take your loose change with you, Eurotrash.....
4.) Groups of people who analyze the bill with calculators, or who request separate checks for five people. "Um, it's not McDonald's"
5.) College professors - never understood this one
6.) Many of the stereotypes mentioned above

west, I know this is thread drift and, for my money, I hope you continue to raise holy hell with these people until you get satisfaction. Whether it was racisim or no, I can't tell you, but clearly you were disrespected as a person and a customer. Continue complaining up the chain until somebody addresses your concerns.

As for bad tippers, I work with this guy who insists on breaking down the check for everyone to the penny. We work in a professional environment and it doesn't matter if we're out with 8 or 9 people, this guy, I'll call him "Hank" because that's his name, always asks for the check and always spends the last 15 minutes of every meal breaking down what everyone ate and drank. Then he'll throw in a buck for the tip, no matter how much his portion was. And this guy makes 6 figures.

But you're right, anyone who has ever been a server or bartender is always the best tipper. I never leave less than 20% unless I get crappy service and then I tell the manager why I'm not leaving a good tip. I don't think I've ever stiffed anyone though, no matter how bad they were.

[Alex]

You forgot Canadians. I worked a restaurant in Florida and word among the more experienced staff was that Canadians were terrible tippers. It was explained to me that a "good" tip in Canada was 10% and thus the reason most American servers felt Canadians were stiffs. Personally, though, my most hated table was the two old ladies who came in during the lunch rush, ordered two iced teas and split a sandwich, sat there gabbing for the next 2 hours, stole the equal when they left and left a whole dollar as a tip.
Maybe minimum wage is higher in candian?
I know fabian gets like 6 something an hour, but im in iowa and we get 3.09.
The theory is, with tips we make minimum...which is true, its impossible to not make that, but it tends to make people in this state tip better. Because almost everyone knows a waiter.

[Xombie]

Maybe minimum wage is higher in candian?
I know fabian gets like 6 something an hour, but im in iowa and we get 3.09.
The theory is, with tips we make minimum...which is true, its impossible to not make that, but it tends to make people in this state tip better. Because almost everyone knows a waiter.

Well in Canada sales tax is higher.....

Damn 3.09! Thats an injustice.

[DarkBlade]

Gah! I hated that friggan stereotype with teens. In HS, my friends and I ALWAYS tipped. If I was with someone who didn't cover it right, I covered their tip too. Generally, around 20%. If I was at Waffle House or something I'd tip higher than that because I'd often just get a drink and hashbrowns, maybe a side of eggs. If we sat there chattin for a few hours, tip went up again. (And generally speaking, we didn't continue to just hang out sippin our tea/soda/coffee if it was a rush and there were folks waiting for seating.)

[howyadoin]

You forgot Canadians. I worked a restaurant in Florida and word among the more experienced staff was that Canadians were terrible tippers. It was explained to me that a "good" tip in Canada was 10%Whoever fed you that line has clearly never been to Canada.

[Alex]

Well in Canada sales tax is higher.....

Damn 3.09! Thats an injustice.
Eh, people get by.

[Alex]

Gah! I hated that friggan stereotype with teens. In HS, my friends and I ALWAYS tipped. If I was with someone who didn't cover it right, I covered their tip too. Generally, around 20%. If I was at Waffle House or something I'd tip higher than that because I'd often just get a drink and hashbrowns, maybe a side of eggs. If we sat there chattin for a few hours, tip went up again. (And generally speaking, we didn't continue to just hang out sippin our tea/soda/coffee if it was a rush and there were folks waiting for seating.)
But be honest....you were the exception.
I know i was the expecption with my friends.
Prom night/homecoming night/other dance night was the night no one wanted to work.

[DarkBlade]

Oh, I know it wasn't the rule. Just aggrivating, because it often meant if it was a place wasn't known, then I'd fair odds of getting lousy service, esp if I was still in my school uniform.

[Alex]

Oh, I know it wasn't the rule. Just aggrivating, because it often meant if it was a place wasn't known, then I'd fair odds of getting lousy service, esp if I was still in my school uniform.
I've never waiting on highschool girls in uniforms, that would insure better service.
And if they listened close, they could hear into the kitchen me saying "Dude! Totaly jail bait out there, im totaly going to get her number!"

[west3man]

I'd like to also mention the fact that the district manager I spoke to the day all of this happened offered me some free food. I initially turned her down, as we had already ordered food at the IHOP (where my g.f. was waiting on me), but when I returned, they'd put cheese on my sandwich. When they remade it, they put mayo on it. Since I'd specifically asked that they not do that and didn't feel like waiting on them to try for a third time, I went BACK to the Waffle House and asked if it was too late to take her up on her offer. She said, "Too late? Honey, we're open 24 hours."

Ahh, balance. At one Waffle House I'm treated like crap. At another, I'm treated well. The offensive associate was Black, while the amiable associate was white. Waffle House's poor service drove me to IHOP. IHOP's poor service drove me back to Waffle House.

Of course, it was mid-afternoon by the time I got to eat some actual food, but ... *shrugs*

[ghostrider666]

The Waffle house? Do yourself a favor by never going back.

[Fabian]

You forgot Canadians. I worked a restaurant in Florida and word among the more experienced staff was that Canadians were terrible tippers. It was explained to me that a "good" tip in Canada was 10% and thus the reason most American servers felt Canadians were stiffs.
Never had that problem. Every Canadian I've ever waited on has given me great tips. It didn't matter if they were from British Columbia or Quebec.

When I waitered during law school, it broke down like this:
Good tippers:
2.) People celebrating anniversaries, birthdays
I call the loophole on this one if the person who is paying was always quiet and didn't seem "part" of the group.



Bad tippers:
1.) Military - awful, awful, awful. I know they're on limited budgets, but ouch.
3.) Europeans - go back to whatever country you came from, and take your loose change with you, Eurotrash.....

Yeah, the few military I've had hasn't been great. They get a discount too and they tip after the discount. It's been like 2/3 in favor of bad tippers. Police Officers in Beverly Hills were cheap too, but we loved firefighters. They both get a 50% discount too

And I always mention that 15% tip is suggested minimum for standar service and that the tip isn't on the bill to Europeans.

Maybe minimum wage is higher in candian?
I know fabian gets like 6 something an hour, but im in iowa and we get 3.09.
The theory is, with tips we make minimum...which is true, its impossible to not make that, but it tends to make people in this state tip better. Because almost everyone knows a waiter.
I make minimum, $6.75 an hour. I'm rich biatch! But after declaring 9% of my total sales as tips, I make like $3.00-$3.75 an hour

[Alex]

I make minimum, $6.75 an hour. I'm rich biatch! But after declaring 9% of my total sales as tips, I make like $3.00-$3.75 an hour
You correctly declare your tips?
pfft, sucker.
Ill start reporting my tips if they reform social security.

[John S Osen]

mistake...

[tempestuousepulchre]

It's surprising that a tread about Waffle House could last so long....that and i'd have to say that IHOP rules when it comes to breakfast.

[Alex]

It's surprising that a tread about Waffle House could last so long....that and i'd have to say that IHOP rules when it comes to breakfast.
I don't care for ihop myself.

[Reptisaurus!]

I don't care for ihop myself.

Me neither.

But, then again, I love Waffle House more than anything.

Every time I've eaten at Waffle House ('Bout twenty times or so, I'm a Northerner) I've had some kind of interesting experience.

Last time the Waitress gave us fifty cents back on our bill so we could play the Jukebox for my friends birthday. (The Juke-Box rules. They have all these Waffle House themed songs, like 'There's a Special Lady Waiting At Waffle House.' And 'Happy Birthday from Waffle House.' And 'Oh Fuck, Something in My Omlet is Moving (Waffle House Theme.')

The time before that a drunk guy fell asleep in my lap.

The first time I ate at Waffle House, our waitress greeted us with "Here's Yer Drinks. Y'all Want Straws or Y'all Weened Yet."

Most of the time Waffle House has been really cool to me. Sometimes I wait for 45 minutes with no service.

Now, I wouldn't go there in a potentially stress-y situation, but I've always got some sort of memorable dining experience. Way better than sterile, boring 'ol I-Hop.

[phoenixrising]

Every time I go to a waffle house, I have a good time. Then again, I'm almost always either drunk or stoned when that happens.

[DarkBlade]

You correctly declare your tips?
pfft, sucker.
Ill start reporting my tips if they reform social security.
Uhm, some places inform a flat percentage on all sales that you're the server on..

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Wierdly where we worked at , the servers had to report thier tips and they were on a paper how much they had to declare. I always wondered how the Managers were able to run a Computer print sheet of tips and what the people had made as tips & declared.


Best sign:


Charlie ( our head GM Manager) wants you to declare the tips and check off your names. If not you can work dish room on a Friday or Saturday night. Hmmm...I don't think you'll like that huh ?"

One of the lower managers posted that. We always found that humerous. Oddly everyone always declared. I called that part of Charlies omni-present type dealings with us. :)

[Alex]

Uhm, some places inform a flat percentage on all sales that you're the server on..
You claim 12% of your sales. Thats what the skeevy ruby tuesday suits told me.

[SteelTownr]

You claim 12% of your sales. Thats what the skeevy ruby tuesday suits told me.

I'm only obligated to claim 8% of mine.

Mark B.

[Paul Newell]

Hey guys, just wondering, what do you do when you come across one of us weirdo foreigners who was raised in a country where tipping isn't mandatory, only courtesy?

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Hey guys, just wondering, what do you do when you come across one of us weirdo foreigners who was raised in a country where tipping isn't mandatory, only courtesy?


Hope you don't understand English well enough to say: "Hey thanks for coming to _______ ya cheap damn bastard. Please come again. "


;)

[Paul Newell]

Hope you don't understand English well enough to say: "Hey thanks for coming to _______ ya cheap damn bastard. Please come again. "


;)

OK, second question, what do you do when engish speakers spit on the counter forcing you to clean it up? :D

[Alex]

Hey guys, just wondering, what do you do when you come across one of us weirdo foreigners who was raised in a country where tipping isn't mandatory, only courtesy?
Get all pissed and talk crap about you once you leave.
Ive never had a problem with this though, generaly, people understand that you tip in the states.

[Paul Newell]

Get all pissed and talk crap about you once you leave.
Ive never had a problem with this though, generaly, people understand that you tip in the states.

There are rules over there, aren't there?

What's the laws of tipping?

[Alex]

There are rules over there, aren't there?

What's the laws of tipping?
15% is common.
Unless the bill is like 15 dollars.
It gets complicated, but generaly, its 15%, i beleive thats the "Nice" rule.

[Paul Newell]

15% is common.
Unless the bill is like 15 dollars.
It gets complicated, but generaly, its 15%, i beleive thats the "Nice" rule.
And it's mandatory?

[Alex]

And it's mandatory?
Well, no, it's just expected.
See the previous "I only make 3.09 an hour" comments for why it should be mandatory.

[SPAfreak]

Well, no, it's just expected.
See the previous "I only make 3.09 an hour" comments for why it should be mandatory.

Is this going to start the tipping thread again? I'm still not tipping the asshat who spent his time hitting on the girl a few tables down instead of getting my food to me while it was actually warm.

[Alex]

Is this going to start the tipping thread again? I'm still not tipping the asshat who spent his time hitting on the girl a few tables down instead of getting my food to me while it was actually warm.
No, he asked!!!!

[SPAfreak]

No, he asked!!!!

Thank God.

And you.

[Perry Holley]

Well, no, it's just expected.
Exception: resturaunts will often have a clause saying that with large parties (say, 10 or more), a tip (15%, 18%, whatever) is automatically included in the total price.

[Dreadstar]

Every time I go to a waffle house, I have a good time. Then again, I'm almost always either drunk or stoned when that happens.


See? Someone else understands. I've only ever been to a Waffle House or a White Castle once or twice while not in my cups, and I wasn't much impressed those times.

But man, it's heaven otherwise.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Paul Newell :OK, second question, what do you do when engish speakers spit on the counter forcing you to clean it up?


Thats where are lewd gestures come In as ya leave. ( I actually had one woman spit at something I was carving In front of her! I gritted my teeth and as she turned to leave I gave her the double-bird! I had to trash It all and put out a new ham & turkey)

[west3man]

I just called them, again, since it's been about a month-plus, and I haven't heard anything.

Since they clearly said they'd get back follow-up and tell me what actions was taken or whatever, I think this has been plenty of time for them to take that action *and* tell me about it... or lie.

[west3man]

Gilda's thread got me thinking about this situation, again.

I just reread the thread and, besides being near-horrified at some of my poor phrasing* and whatever the hell that Professor X comment was, I kinda dug how cool everybody was. I strongly disagree with some of the comments, but they seem to be much cooler than I remembered.

FYI: I finally got that gift certificate/coupon in the mail. (I'm surprised I never posted about it.) I redeemed it in Florida and have eaten at WH a number of times since then. However, I only go there in a tight pinch. Besides the service, the noise level, with all the clanging dishware and yelled orders, turns me off a lot.




* - which speaks to the Rice-Omega points; I'll keep working on it.

[PatrickG]

As a Waffle House regular for the past 8 years, I'd say it was just Waffle House.

The place isn't about the service or the food.

The coffee is surprisingly decent. And it's 24 hour.

I view Waffle House as the Jerry Springer/Art Bell Coast-to-Coast Live Tour.

I've had dinner with a drug enforcer there once. Once it was a guy who believed he was the Anti-Christ after reading Mary Shelly's Frankenstein.

I go there for the necronomicon dabblers, the schizophrenics, the Near Death experience stories, the Houndoun practioners, the Masons, the Chaos Magicians, the aspiring politicians, the convicts, the murderers, the Theatre geeks, the misfits, the rogue scientists.

Waffle House's 3rd shift is where I met a cook with a photographic memory who had been reading Popular Science for 30 years and formed a religion out of it; I'd play chess with him when it was slow.

Waffle House's 3rd shift is where I got verbally assasulted by a crazed man for discussing lobotomies -- and got a free meal from corporate in response.

Waffle House's 3rd shift is where a gay waiter pulled out a sword and vowed to defend my honor.

Waffle House's 3rd shift is where I have received the bulk of my offers for invitations into freemasonry.

Waffle House 3rd shift is where I met a young man who claimed to have psychic powers given to him via experiments by his father's government masters.

I have seen Christian puppet shows in Waffle House. I have seen and heard dramatic readings of erotica in Waffle House. I have heard men deliver Ani DiFranco lyrics and heard women confess to cold-blooded murder.

Waffle House is the only restaurant where I have seen transvestites in drag on the clock.

Waffle House is the hub of child custody battles, drug deals, nerf sword battles, garden gnome thefts, Christian fundamentalism, secret societies, divorces, lies, mysticism, schizophrenia, card games, hangovers, fire breathing, failed romances, desperation and old men gathering to trade memories.

Waffle House is the great horned Carnival of the South.

That is why I like Waffle House.

Waffle House also has frequently awful service and almost zero professionalism.

For that? I'd recommend heading over to the Marrietta Diner or Cafe Intermezzo.

But as long as you understand how badly Waffle House's advertising and PR execs are in denial, as long as you recognize what Waffle House is, it's worth the price of admission.

[DarkBlade]

I've gotten wretched service at the Marrietta Diner every time I've gone. Blargh. Cafe Intermezzo is QUITE nice, but definitely pricier than Waffle House. I love WH's waffles without syrup.

%$@#it.Now I want an order scrambled and a double scattered and smothered. >_< With a waffle to take home for snack later. And the closest one is some six hours away. :(

[west3man]

I've gotten wretched service at the Marrietta Diner every time I've gone. Blargh. Cafe Intermezzo is QUITE nice, but definitely pricier than Waffle House. I love WH's waffles without syrup.

%$@#it.Now I want an order scrambled and a double scattered and smothered. >_< With a waffle to take home for snack later. And the closest one is some six hours away. :(
We've not a single IHoP in all of Tallahassee. I think the closest is 60-75 miles away.

[DarkBlade]

I've become less and less impressed with IHOP's food.. *sigh*

[tangentman]

I'm coming late into the thread, west, but it seems like the manager you dealt with suffered from an EXTREME case of internalized racism. Man probably hates his job, hates his life--a person who acts that way to a (rational) stranger must hate himself immensely. Unfortunately, I've found that the manager sets the tone in a restaurant. If you're working with a level-headed, laid-back manager, you'll have a decent shift. If you're working with an anxiety-attack trapped in the form of a micro-managing type, then you're in for the Shift From Hell.

What happened to you was deplorable, degrading, and showed that Waffle House to the be IQ Wasteland of Tallahassee. Was it entirely racist? I'm leaning toward the manager having issues of internalized racism, thus, thinking that treating you so poorly was an acceptable behavior. Also, Waffle Houses probably don't hire their staff for sterling professionalism.

We have two WH branches here--one by the university, the other by the local mall (which I call "The Small"). At the WH near the mall, I've usually received courteous service from the waitress. Many of them have been downright gregarious with me at that particular location. In fact, that's the WH where one could expect to enjoy the engaging oddities laid out by PatrickG.

OTOH, I've had the most apathetic service at the other WH. In the last 3 months, I had a yen for a waffle and called to place a takeout service. The staff there completely ignored my call, letting the phone ring. I redialed and whoever worked the phone picked up just long enough to hang up on me. I stopped by there to see if they were truly that busy and try my luck, since my sole other option was McDonald's. When I arrived, the waitress and cook both ignored me. I spoke up to get their attention and let them know I wanted to place a takeout order. She kept ignoring me and he smirked at me. I told them, "Fuck this noise, I'm not paying for this kinda shit" and left.

Poor treatment at Waffle House is probably a universal experience. The race of people being mistreated might be correlation, rather than cause. Unless you have other stories from Waffle House that say otherwise? I've never seen or heard of such overtly racist behaviors at our local WHs. If anything, I'd figure our WHs to be more capable of such hostility than more urban ones. Go figure.

[howyadoin]

When I arrived, the waitress and cook both ignored me. I spoke up to get their attention and let them know I wanted to place a takeout order. She kept ignoring me and he smirked at me.I don't understand how people like that make it through life without getting a punch in the fuckin' head.

[west3man]

Thanks, man.
That one was in Georgia. I'm not sure if it was Stone Mountain or Norcross. It's been a while.

I don't have a lot of examples of this kind of thing happening at WH. I've gotten poor service and even some rude behavior but this type of response and these kind of assumptions? Nah.

[DarkBlade]

There's quite more than one in Norcross... probably more than one in Stone Mountain too.

[tangentman]

I don't understand how people like that make it through life without getting a punch in the fuckin' head.

Howy: Oh, don't think for a SECOND that I wasn't ready to hop my big self across that counter and break that asshole's face! If I'm pissed enough to cuss the help, then you know that I'm REALLY pissed off. Unfortunately, local cops stop there frequently, so the punching wasn't an available option.


west: The experience you had at that place WAS over-the-top in hostility. I'm just saying I don't know if it's institutionalized racism in the WH chain, or just a too-high tolerance for incompetence and unprofessionalism. From what I read, that guy you dealt with definitely seemed sick. Not that sickness excuses a person from treating you in an abusive way. Nope, nosiree.

I don't want to be the (stereo) typical apologist for racism in the South. Hence, my question about other horror stories was a serious one. Are the people involved in the NAACP action telling consistently similar stories about being specifically targeted with racist bullshit? I guess that's a special dilemma for anyone who is part of a minority group. When others mistreat you, there's bound to be second-guessing about their motives: "Were they being racist/sexist/homophobic/etc? Was it just them? Wa it me?" This is the first I heard about the action being taken against WH, so if you come across any more info, I'm interested in reading it.

[Gumbo Maximillian]

You're right that it wasn't necessarily racist. There are usually other possibilities whenever Professor X off chasing Lilandra or something (whoops... did I slip into geek mode?).

The answer to this question is probably the obvious one, but I'd rather not assume: Can you easily picture this same scenario with a white male in my shoes?

I have a really hard time doing so.


Worked at waffle house for over a year and let me tell you honestly; yes I could easily see this happening to a white guy.

[tangentman]

Worked at waffle house for over a year and let me tell you honestly; yes I could easily see this happening to a white guy.

Remember this equation to comfort yourself, west: "Waffle House Employee = Lowest Common Denominator Of The Human Race". Not directed at you, Gumbo! :)

[Gumbo Maximillian]

Remember this equation to comfort yourself, west: "Waffle House Employee = Lowest Common Denominator Of The Human Race". Not directed at you, Gumbo! :)


Thats pretty close the the truth; while their were decent people there, there were alot more LCD's.

[Gumbo Maximillian]

Oh yeah; just so you know, WHouse does take pre-orders, so he wouldn't have thought your phone call was a prank.

[Fabian]

When I arrived, the waitress and cook both ignored me. I spoke up to get their attention and let them know I wanted to place a takeout order. She kept ignoring me and he smirked at me.
Oooh, I can explain this one! It happens at my work too

When we don't have a host, it is the manager's responsibility to stay in front of the house in case anyone comes in. However, lots of managers dick around and expect you to do everything. In our company handbook, you are not supposed to do anything that isn't in your job description. That's to stop managers from suddenly say, putting you in a dishwasher or something. So if you end up sitting people, you are doing the host job and that isn't something you can do.

When there is conflict between the manager and the server there, the server has gone in the back and never took care of the front. The goal is to have someone so angry, that they call corporate and make a complaint and get the manager in trouble since they check who was on the clock at the time and who had to take care of the floor.

As for the cook, our cooks don't allow them to walk around in the restaurant

[DarkBlade]

Fabian, there isn't even a window to hollar through to talk to the cook, it just goes from booths straight into work area and grill/cooking/prep area. I'm blanking on who's job it is to take orders for takeout, but either of them should have been able to do it.

[tangentman]

Fabian, there isn't even a window to hollar through to talk to the cook, it just goes from booths straight into work area and grill/cooking/prep area. I'm blanking on who's job it is to take orders for takeout, but either of them should have been able to do it.

Ideally, this should have been the case with west and my own experience at WH. At the mall restaurant, I would've at least been acknowledged, if told I would need to wait due to a busy night. I could handle being asked for patience in a clear rush, but being outright and smugly ignored pushed my Temper Button.

[Fabian]

Fabian, there isn't even a window to hollar through to talk to the cook, it just goes from booths straight into work area and grill/cooking/prep area. I'm blanking on who's job it is to take orders for takeout, but either of them should have been able to do it.
My place is like that too. It's very open with the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant. The only place not visible is the back where they wash dishes and pre-prep some of our food. If I'm anywhere but the back, you can see me.

Take-out is a host and manager job at our place.

[west3man]

There's quite more than one in Norcross... probably more than one in Stone Mountain too.
I wasn't saying there was only one in either place. I was saying the one I was in was in one of those places, but I wasn't sure which.

[west3man]

Oh yeah; just so you know, WHouse does take pre-orders, so he wouldn't have thought your phone call was a prank.
Sho' nuff.
I've pre-ordered several times. I mentioned that, but some still thought there was a chance that the employees thought it was a prank.

Of all the things that were debatable, that wasn't one of'em.

[DarkBlade]

My place is like that too. It's very open with the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant. The only place not visible is the back where they wash dishes and pre-prep some of our food. If I'm anywhere but the back, you can see me.

Take-out is a host and manager job at our place.

Not disputing that. ^_^ Waffle House doesn't -have- a host/ess, and I can't remember who's job it is for to go orders. I think cooks get the tips on them.. brain's kinda fuzzy though.

Ragh. I thought I hit "Submit Reply" on this about 8 hours ago.

[Gumbo Maximillian]

Not disputing that. ^_^ Waffle House doesn't -have- a host/ess, and I can't remember who's job it is for to go orders. I think cooks get the tips on them.. brain's kinda fuzzy though.

Ragh. I thought I hit "Submit Reply" on this about 8 hours ago.

Inregards to Waffle House; "technically" they are supposed to have hostess but half the time they end up having to do what could be considered more important work when the places get busy and most of the time even besides that we just didn't have them.

[west3man]

There are hostesses, but they're not the only ones who can take orders.

[Fabian]

Not disputing that. ^_^ Waffle House doesn't -have- a host/ess, and I can't remember who's job it is for to go orders. I think cooks get the tips on them.. brain's kinda fuzzy though.

Ragh. I thought I hit "Submit Reply" on this about 8 hours ago.
Well we can all do take-out orders but the job description says servers only do it for people that are already eating in there. Of course, when we're the only one there, most of the time (like 99%) we do take-out orders.

It's just when the customer happens to come in at a time when there's politics being played between a server and a manager that the customer gets the rude service too.

[tempestuousepulchre]

Wtf? I remember this thread from last year. *goes back to see the cause of the resurrection*

[Paul McEnery]

Not being arsed to go through 9 pages:

Why patronize chains?

Corporations are shit heels. They treat their employees like crap. Their employees then act like crap. Surprise.

So avoid their asses. Go patronize real live human beings.

[K'Nort]

Not being arsed to go through 9 pages:

Why patronize chains?

Overall, I avoid chains. But a really common exception, and one I completely understand, is when traveling, especially on business, and being unwilling to risk something completely unknown. Especially on a budget. An independently-owned greasy spoon with a similar price point can be awesome and can be two days of indegestion. Also chains are frequently the only things at freeway exits, and people don't always have the time or nerve to drive further inland and wander around.