I'll admit it. I'm not always the most patient customer. I'll wait when I can see a need, but sometimes there just doesn't seem to be any reason for me to wait as long as I do without getting what I came for.

A fast food joint is (usually) pretty straightforward: If you're inside, you can see how long the line is and where you are in it. If you're in the drive-thru, you can see (sort of) how many cars are in front of you.

Sit down places are different. You can't always see that some of the people working aren't actually waitstaff, or that the table full of workers is on break or not yet on shift or just finished their shifts. You also can't see that the dishwasher just walked off the job or one of the cooks chose not to come in today.

I'm always the type to look for answers then. I'll flag someone down, or if need be walk up to someone who is clearly "on" and just ask what's going on. Amazingly, I've gotten some fairly candid responses-
"Two of the waitresses are sick today"
"Your waitress is rolling silverware--let me go get her"
And, on one occasion:
"You don't want to eat here tonight. The new cook is messing up everything and the manager left early"

So, I guess I'm just wondering why anyone would leave without talking to anyone. Any ideas?