bad dining experience

[piggy1116]

We just returned from the world, the trip was great as usual. I have one problem.. we ate at the Crystal Palace one night the food was gross and
the waiter was terrible he was giving dirty looks to the characters because they were in his way. to top the evening off he handed us our bill and said"just leave me the 18% gratuity." I'm sorry but the way he was we did not leave the 18% , he only brought 4 sodas for 6 people and removed 4 plates and left the rest. We left him $20.00 instead of $35 which i think was $10 too much, especially at a buffet. When we left my DH looked back and saw him standing on the porch looking for us. Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks for letting me vent!:shrug:

 

[bobjl527]

. Wow. I usually never complain but I would definately bring that up to someone higher up. WDW doesn't need people like that working for them.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Sorry to hear about your dining experience - we usually eat at CP once per trip and have NEVER had a poor time : which is why we keep returning.

Re the tip -A tip is a response to outstanding customer service and should NEVER be given because "its expected". Had you waiter served me he would have received nothing AND I would be speaking to his superior on the night.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Unfortunately these things happen from time to time. The cast members have their bad days and you can get bad service. It is unfortunate that this can happen when you don't get to frequent the restaurant. If you are unhappy in the future though, I suggest notifying a manager. They are usually ultra-attentive and will make sure you are satisfied. We had a problem at 1900 Park Fare once (bad service, cold food, etc) and the manager invited us to Breakfast another day to make it up to us. I am also one to never complain (especially at the world), but sometimes you have to do what you have to do when you are spending $30 a person.

 

[J_Krafty24]

4 sodas for 6 people

Technically because you had 6 people your bill would have had an automatic 18% gratuity included on it. That would explain why he was standing on the porch looking for you as you were leaving.

 

[tigsmom]

Everybody has a bad day now and then, maybe this was one of his. :shrug:
It's a shame that you did not have a good waiter, but how was the food? The character interaction? I understand your frustration, but I hope that you did not let it ruin your time. And i would not have left a large tip either.

 

[Phonedave]

We just returned from the world, the trip was great as usual. I have one problem.. we ate at the Crystal Palace one night the food was gross and
the waiter was terrible he was giving dirty looks to the characters because they were in his way. to top the evening off he handed us our bill and said"just leave me the 18% gratuity." I'm sorry but the way he was we did not leave the 18% , he only brought 4 sodas for 6 people and removed 4 plates and left the rest. We left him $20.00 instead of $35 which i think was $10 too much, especially at a buffet. When we left my DH looked back and saw him standing on the porch looking for us. Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks for letting me vent!:shrug:

If the waiter was that bad, you can be sure he would be getting much less than 18% from me.

However, bad food is not the waiters fault. If it was just the food you were not happy with, but the waiter was stellar, a tip is still in order. However it sounds like you had the total package.

-dave

 

[piggy1116]

the food was bad as well as the waiter. However the chatacter interaction was great. It didn't ruin our trip, we just know for next year not to book for there.

 

[Lucky]

Are you sure you didn't pay 18% plus whatever you left on the table? I thought they included it in your bill when you have a party of six.

 

[slappy magoo]

Technically because you had 6 people your bill would have had an automatic 18% gratuity included on it. That would explain why he was standing on the porch looking for you as you were leaving.

While no wait staff should ever bring up gratuity, it's probably why he said "Just leave the 18%" because it was already on the bill and he didn't want you overtipping. You know...for excellent service. :lookaroun

This is the sort of thing people tend to simmer over, they don't bring it up to customer relations st the time (out of fear of having a mediocre meal "ruin" the rest of the vacation), and then vent when they get home. If you have a genuine gripe, as you seem to, it's usually best to bring it up at the time. Be polite about it, as it seems that they're more inclined to believe criticism if the person offering the criticism isn't complaining that their whole vacation is ruined over a minor incident ("The 3 o clock parade didn't start till 3:02, and now my schedule for the rest of the day is ruined! Upgrade me to the Polynesian or I'm suing!") Also, if they did want to try to make things right by you, it would be easier if you were still on-site.

 

[danpam1024]

So sorry to hear that!!! I would not have left without speaking to a manager with the server standing right next to him/her!!!

 

[coltow]

the food was bad as well as the waiter. However the chatacter interaction was great. It didn't ruin our trip, we just know for next year not to book for there.

We had ok service and ok food, but poor character interaction on our last visit. We don't plan to go back for awhile. We know that some people have bad days but for characters to seem too busy to visit with kids isn't acceptable to me.

 

[DivineMadness7]

We just returned from the world, the trip was great as usual. I have one problem.. we ate at the Crystal Palace one night the food was gross and
the waiter was terrible he was giving dirty looks to the characters because they were in his way. to top the evening off he handed us our bill and said"just leave me the 18% gratuity." I'm sorry but the way he was we did not leave the 18% , he only brought 4 sodas for 6 people and removed 4 plates and left the rest. We left him $20.00 instead of $35 which i think was $10 too much, especially at a buffet. When we left my DH looked back and saw him standing on the porch looking for us. Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks for letting me vent!:shrug:

Any parties of 6 have an 18% gratuity automatically added. While he may not have handled it well, that is the rule. I do agree about the food, I thought it was awful. We were also lucky if the characters spent 15 seconds at our table. Seriously. Won't be going back.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

"A tip is a response to outstanding customer service"- Capt Hook
While I don't disagree with your wanting to speak to a superior or even wanting to leave nothing(I can't do this, maybe leave a small tip but nothing just makes me look bad). A Tip is a standard thing, a waiter should be trying, and doing their job. They don't need to do a tap dance or sing you a song to get a tip. Do you only tip maids that make little towel animals for you? Or is a clean room enough?