Really. Service makes a whole lot of difference to the overall atmosphere of a meal. The food doesn’t have to be top grade, but service is what makes it a cut above everyone else.
So it happens that the worst kind of service was rendered to me last Saturday, after the Mayday concert. We all trooped down to the usual Mayday supper place at Tiong Bahru area. We have been here many times and the lady boss is quite familiar with our faces and have seen us around even when Mayday isn’t here. However, as it is after the concert, the entire area was packed to the brim with Mayday fans and a few tables of unsuspecting customers.
Now, we are regulars, and we know that we would have to wait a long while for our dishes to be served etc. Mayday IS obviously more important than us small fries. XD… However, what we did NOT realise was that our orders could be cancelled even when we explicitly said that we still wanted that one dish that had yet to arrive!
Now, the situation was this. My table had about 7pax.. So I ordered 4 dishes. 2 veg + 2 meat dishes. One of my friends does not eat meat, therefore the 2 veg dishes became really important. The first veg dish was really fast (cos Mayday eats the same thing) that was okay. But it was 30mins and one reminder to the lady boss later, that the 2 meat dishes arrived. Another 20mins passed and still no sign of the final veg dish. So we checked in with this china server.
First she said cos this final dish (Fried Golden Mushrooms) is a bit harder to cook and would take a while. So I protested. We’ve been waiting for almost an hour and half. How long more does it need to be cooked!? The rest initially wanted to cancel the order but because one of us doesn’t eat meat, I told her to continue to serve us that particular dish. So never mind, I asked her to ask them to hurry up.
Lo and behold, the next minute she came back and promptly informed us that our order has been cancelled. It was a totally WTF moment there I tell you guys. It took me so much will power not to stand up and scream fuck-you stupid bitch at her. I made a big show of calming down and asked her if I could swop that with some other veg dish, anything that was easy to cook.
She said we’ll still have to wait. And the reason? (Here comes the classic part) They were busy cooking crabs. I totally blew it. I told her (still nicely) that fine, we’ll forget about that order and give me the bill. Her whole attitude was so nonchalant and couldn’t-be-bothered, as if we are not customers. After she walked off I was so pissed I went to another friend’s table to complain..
And I found out that she told them that there was no more Golden Mushroom! I was totally going WTF at that point in time man. I think I raised my voice so much that the others said that Mayday kept looking over to our side trying to see what was wrong.
Really, I don’t give a damn. If it wasn’t because THEY were there, it wouldn’t have been so chaotic and messy! My friend wouldn’t have gone hungry and had to eat only ONE DISH! I wouldn’t be so pissed… Them and their stupid never-ending crabs.
If I had known they were looking at us, I’d turn around and stare at them… Maybe even scold them for being such assholes. I was irrational with anger then.
Then when the lady boss came over to collect the bill from my friend’s table, we complained to her.. But making sure we did not scold HER, but ensured that she understand how unhappy and upset we were.
I hope that China woman gets a good scolding and bucks up the next time.
And because of this, I dropped $22 at the roadside eating place. DAMNIT.