Tipping etiquette...what would you do?

[MossRoad]

My last unsatisfactory experience was at Jack in the Box. I don't know whether it's a national campaign or just a regional thing, but they've been running the same TV ad (several times during each Texas Rangers baseball game) for their Portobello Mushroom burger. And I fell victim to the ad. Now I like mushrooms so we stopped at Jack in the Box one day and I ordered one of those. It sure didn't look anything like the TV ad. It appeared to have been made some time ago, a bit soggy, wrapped in paper, then pressed. It didn't taste REALLY bad, and I ate it, but knew I'd never buy another one. But when I got home, I noticed the receipt included instructions for a survey, so I thought I'd let them know what I thought. THEIR SURVEY SITE DIDN'T WORK!:laughing:

So I decided to just forget it. But then I finally got tired of seeing that same TV ad over and over, so I went to the regular Jack in the Box website, and sure enough they had a "contact us" feature and I used it to tell them about my experience with their Portobello Mushroom burger, as well as how tired I was of their TV ad.:laughing:

One of their managers phoned me to apologize and mailed me a letter of apology along with 2 gift certificates for "combo meals". We haven't used them yet, but that's certainly more than I expected, and I think all anyone COULD expect.

I had a Subway Giardiniera sandwich the other day..... blech! The texture of the meat looked like cheap canned catfood, not the pot-roast looking thing on the TV commercials. The meat had no flavor and all I could taste was the Giardiniera, which wasn't real tasty to me. I don't recommend that sandwich.

I do like their sweet onion chicken teriyaki, and their BMT and cold-cut combo. And I like their breakfast flat-bread sandwiches. When my wife and I go there, we always split a sandwich.

 

[smstonypoint]

1 out of 5 is wrong. For 10 years! I'm fairly confident that they get 20% of all of their orders incorrect or incomplete. 20%!!! Hope that doesn't equate to all restaurants, but I wouldn't be surprised at all.

Coming soon to a McDonald's near you.

From What self-serve kiosks at McDonald's mean for cashiers - Business Insider

Steve

 

[MossRoad]

Coming soon to a McDonald's near you.

From What self-serve kiosks at McDonald's mean for cashiers - Business Insider

Steve

Beer vending machines!!! :licking:

 

[downsizingnow48]

Wonder sometimes about the economics of tipping. In my contracting days I would give a subcontractor an extra $100 or more if the job was done well. Not that much in the overall scheme of things but made them more likely to give a good bid and timely work next job. We didn't call it a tip, we called it spiffing.

 

[smstonypoint]

Beer vending machines!!! :licking:

Either visit your optician to have your eyes examined or read the linked article.

Steve

 

[MossRoad]

Either visit your optician to have your eyes examined or read the linked article.

Steve

I did read the article. I want beer vending machines! :licking:

As to the article, automation of manual tasks makes sense for a many good reasons. Quality control of the product, error rates in production, and the reduction of labor costs. I've automated hundreds of jobs for my employer. They eliminated 99% of those jobs though attrition and buyouts, so no one got squeezed out. But those jobs are now gone and will never return. And many were skilled trades. But a business is not in business to create jobs for the sake of creating jobs. Its there to make money for the owners and provide a living for those that fill needed tasks. A fair day's work for a fair day's pay. And our product improved with the automation that was put in place. It eliminated several layers of re-production and lots of points for human error. I recall one stream that took about 115 steps. We got it down to 26. Anyhow, I'm sure there's points like that in McDonalds. However, you still need some humans to act as a dead-man in case of catastrophic failure.

Another example is ATM machines. No one wants to go into a bank and stand in a teller line. ATMs filled that customer pet peeve and also saved the banks tons in labor costs. Win-win for bank and customer.... not so much for tellers.

As with any technology, they rise and fall and people have to adapt to find another way to make a living. Adapt, adapt, adapt.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

all the sheetz gas stations with food have touchscreen ordering.

 

[rtimgray]

I had a Subway Giardiniera sandwich the other day..... blech! The texture of the meat looked like cheap canned catfood, not the pot-roast looking thing on the TV commercials. The meat had no flavor and all I could taste was the Giardiniera, which wasn't real tasty to me. I don't recommend that sandwich.

I do like their sweet onion chicken teriyaki, and their BMT and cold-cut combo. And I like their breakfast flat-bread sandwiches. When my wife and I go there, we always split a sandwich.

Careful about splitting sandwiches - that's where all this trouble started!

 

[k0ua]

Asking for things the way you want it is mostly a waste of time at most restaurants. They almost always "mess it up". Just eat it as it comes, or prepare your own food at home. For instance I dislike pickles. When you ask for "no pickles" they come anyway. Sometimes if they are on the sandwich, instead of pawing thru it to remove them, I just eat em. I don't like them, but I can eat them. The majority of people on the earth like pickles on their hamburger, I am in the minority, I get that.

So you don't like mayo on a club. Well mayo on a club is standard. It is part of what makes a club a club. Order something else, You don't like club's. Or make your club sandwiches at home.

I have taken a hard azzed line here to your problem., but I sincerely think asking for things like you want them at restaurants is mostly a waste of time. They get it wrong more than they get it right.