#994 Waiters and waitresses who bring free refills without asking

Neil Pasricha

Ice coldOn the whole, we’re pretty nasty to waiters and waitresses. We complain they’re wasting our time if the food takes too long to come, we complain they’re trying to rush us out if the food comes too early. We warn about allergies, make special requests, ask for more bread, and talk openly about their tip while they’re busing the table next to us. We’re kings barking orders from the booth and they’re sweating peasants in aprons and pieces of flair with dirty J-cloths hanging out their back pocket.

Waiters and waitresses have to put up with us and paste wide, toothy grins across their faces, besides. They split bills, sop up spills, and slip and slide across slick kitchen floors for us.

Despite this all-odds-against-them setup, there are a few gems out there, a few rare, bright gems, who deliver perfect waiter or waitressessness. Perfection here is defined solely as bringing free refills to the table without us even asking. Because nothing beats ice-filled towers of cola arriving unannounced at our table, just as we’re finishing up our spinach and artichoke dip for a perfectly timed palate cleanse before the big entrée. The only things that come close are ice-filled towers of cola arriving unannounced right after the entrée and ice-filled towers of cola arriving unannounced with the check and handful of mints.

…Three hours later, when you lay bloated on the coach, your entire meal swimming in the carbonated sea that is your digestive system, I know your eyelids will droop heavily and your posture will slide, but I also know you’ll give a thin, subtle smile, and a slow, sure thumbs-up sign when anyone asks “How was dinner?”

AWESOME!

Free refill is on its way

35 thoughts to “#994 Waiters and waitresses who bring free refills without asking”

      1. Monique? You mean your name isn’t trixierix in real life? Bummer… ;)

        That was a lovely quote in the article!

        And I loved the questions at the end: “What noise do you hate? The sound of your mechanical pencil lead snapping because you pushed it out too far.”

        Amen to that, Neil!

        And if God said “High-five” when we walked through the gates, we’d all be very happy campers. :D

  2. Ahaha yay! Totally agree. I’m a former/possibly again in the future server who always prided herself in getting refills to the table (not to mention remembering who had the diet cola or root beer) before they were requested. It’s cool that this is one of your 1000 Awesome Things, I’m glad to hear it doesn’t go unnoticed! :)

    1. Diet Cola goes to the stuffy guy in the suit. Root Beer goes to the laughing kid with the straws up his nose.

      HELPFUL HINT!

  3. I took great pride in my short-lived career as a waitress, and was so excited when I was given a tip! (That’s a big deal in Australia — tips aren’t a normal part of our financial system, at least not in small towns. And I got five whole dollars! It was… what’s that word?)

  4. I NEVER take a server for granted…having worked in the service industry all my life a server would have to literally shit on me for there to be a bad reaction on my part…I understand what it is to wait on people…YOU suck, not the servers.

    1. Literally [what you said]? wow, yeah, but then the bad reaction would totally be deserved…

      But yeah, servers have a very hard job and I appreciate them!

  5. I great server can make for an enjoyable evening. One that’s on top of things and checks on you every once in a while always keeps me smiling. Now, if the server is rude or disappears and doesn’t come back until the end of the meal, then it was a bad experience. I know they are busy, but geez.
    In my experiences with this, I think that we get more attention from the server if we are in a big party. If there is 5 or more people, the server tends to visit more often.
    I don’t tip based on percentages, I tip based on service.

  6. I’ll burp to *that! To be waited on alone, we should be so fortunate and grateful to afford the luxury!

  7. Sadly, this never happens to us milk-orderers. The downside of not liking fizzy beverages is a drastically reduced chance of having bottomless drinks available. Unless, of course, chocolate milk is on tap. ;)

        1. Oh yeah, lemonade! It’s summer here stateside, errrr most-of-the-continent-side-which-includes-the-home-of-Awesome-side, and I’m loving me some refreshing lemonade…ahhhh. Fortunately, iced tea and lemonade are often served under the same refill policy as fizzy drinks here. Re-fill-er-up!

    2. What! No one has ever auto-refilled your milk!

      Next time I suggest a cool and casual move involving some waggly eyebrows and an elbow point towards the empty glass.

  8. I love it when this happens. It’s like those waiters and waitresses can read my mind and tell that I am still thirsty. Or maybe they can just see the empty glass on the table. But sometimes when I’m trying to be non-wasteful, it’s always frustrating when, just after I finish a drink and am confident that none shall be wasted, another drink suddenly shows up. But the majority of the time, I love when I get random surprise refills. It’s like magic.

    1. Max, you made me laugh out loud!

      I love the line “It’s like those waiters and waitresses can read my mind… or maybe they just see the empty glass.”

      WE’LL NEVER TRULY KNOW!!!

  11. The picture attached to this post is awesome. 1980s country club – fantastic. Where on earth did that come from!? Fab.
    As for servers, bless you all. We tip big in our family, and as a former waitress – I love a great restaurant experience and it is just as much the service as it is the food.
    When it’s bad it’s bad, but I love this focus on the best ones. Brightens every day.

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