Offshoot- What is the max time you will wait for a server

I usually don't walk out but a month I did. I think we waited around 10 min.

We left Tope La a few months ago after 15 minutes. There was no one in there either, it's not like they were busy. Complained to the manager and he just said ok.

10 minutes is a really long time . Most casual dining restaurants want guests in and out in 45 minutes to an hour depending on size of group and time of day. Anything over 2 minutes and something has gone or is going wrong.

It depends. It usually happens when I'm alone and the place isn't busy enough to justify a wait. I've left in five minutes when I sat down at an uncrowded bar and the bartender was chatting with another patron and never even looked my way. I know a crappy service provider when I see one. And I've learned it by passing on my initial instinct to flee and giving a lot of bad servers the chance to disappoint me before I decided to start trusting myself. Yeah, 10 minutes is probably usually about right. But as soon as I see that I'm watching the clock hoping the 10 min will pass without service so I can leave, I'm out.

I left a place without paying a while back because I was done eating and waited 15 minutes for my waitress to bring my check but she never did. She just disappeared. I hate when the server is all over you during the meal but when you're ready to pay your check and leave they keep you waiting. It's sort of a dive bar that makes surprisingly good food for a dive bar. I wasn't drinking so the check was less than $15. It ticked me off and I haven't been back since. That was probably two years ago. Maybe it's time to go back. They make a good green sauce.

quote:

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Ten minutes and I am walking out.

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I don't know if I would walk out, if it's a place I or my company really want to go. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. That being said, not being greeted promptly is a clear indication that it's going to be a difficult dining experience, unless the waiter really makes a comeback. If the rest of the experience is as bad as the untimely greeting, the server will really not like the tip they get when the meal is done.