Employee attitude at the Springfield, IL Smokey Bones

Oh waaaaa, grow up. My wife and I love smokey Bones, No one wants to
approach snippy people, maybe they wernt the problem, maybe the
problem was you. I bet you are a perfectionist and u think everything
should be just perfect everytime you go some where. Did you look at
your post, it's kind of rude. You should always wait a day on coonhaif
complaining because you might realize it want that bad. They atre
people too. No one can be 100% 100% of the time, i can tell your not
at a higher rate. And another thing the manager doesnt care about your
stupid complaining. All they hear is blah blah blah. Dont sit at the
bar no more moron if you cant handle threw character assosiated with a
bar. Keep Rockin On Bones

They shoved the to-go box where? OHHH the HoROR!

Wish I had known when I was bartending that shoddy service and lowered
expectations are tolerated by so many. To think of the tips I could
have made treating people like dirt instead of paying customers. I
only wish I'd have known that working the bar was a license to treat
people like crap and ignore them while I got paid to socialize. Boy
things sure changed since I had a job at the bar.

Just an update here for you all. Apparently at MY
Smokey Bones this attitude DOESN'T have the stamp of approval from
management either. I got a very nice letter from Darlene who said she
would talk to the employees about this and asked me to come back and
share my experience afterward.

My husband and I have both worked jobs in retail and in the service
industry which is why we try to be accomodating and to always tip more
than 20% for good service--these are HARD jobs dealing with the public
when you do them well. We, however, believe in high standards even in
a casual atmosphere and I'm so happy that Darlene confirmed this in
her letter. Sure, joke around and have fun...but you're at work,
you're not at home serving chips and dip to your crew.

I expect employees to treat us with the same respect that we treat
them and that didn't happen with this particular visit. Believe me,
I've been on ALL sides of this fence--I've been the employee,
management, and the customer. I know that there is a certain
foundation base of general respect you need to build to bring in and
keep a customer base.

Barbara

My husband and I went to Smokey Bones last weekend, and I got to tell
you, what a fun place!!! There was a 30min wait, so we sat down at the
bar first to have a couple drinks. The bartender was cheerful and
friendly and chatted us up a bit. Then we sat down at our table and
our waitress was fabulous. We felt like we knew her for years after
just talking to her. (Come to think of it, I should have written a
compliment letter after my visit.)

I LIKE that in a dining experience, especially at a BBQ place, and
especially at the bar at the BBQ place.

But then again, I don't have a pole up my tushie.

Well stay at home, if you were treated rudely I could understand you
being mad, but this letter is just a point to complain.

god forbid the guy had a sense of humor! oh my god! call the
cops!sorry that you seem like a couple with a stick up your asses.

Judging from the responses, Smokey Bones must be a hang-out for
pissed-off, minimum waged "Beautiful People."

Um, it's a casual atmosphere in there. If that's not your thing, then
go to a fancy restaurant.

They displayed the flip, casual attitude before you even ordered you
food, right?

So why the heck didn't you just leave if the casual atmosphere wasn't
your thing?

I don't think their feelings would have been hurt.

This reminds me of the time when my waiter at Chili's called me "Pal"
instead of "Mr. Paying Customer, He Who Is Mighty, All-Powerful And
Much More Attractive Than I." Being that I was single-handedly putting
that dope through college with my order of a Big Mouth Burger,
homestyle fries and a Coke, I returned his lack of respect by
sucker-punching him in the jaw. He learned his lesson from that point
on, I tell you. Nothing but grovelling and licking my boots for the
rest of my lunch.

Because I had taught him such a valuable lesson, I left him a bill for
$2.00 in place of a tip. I'm still waiting for that yutz to pay up.

Where do these working-class stiffs get off thinking we want to be
their amigos? Just get me my Awesome Blossom, and then leave me to eat
in peace while you go wash and wax my car for me. Is that so much to
ask? I think not.

You know, that sounds kinda charming to me... laid back, casual... I'd
like to go there for a drink after work some night!

I work at a Smokey Bones in SC. First off, you're not "paying
customers" to us. As a resturant with Darden, you are "family" or
"guests" as if you were in our own home. Smokey Bones is probably the
most casual of all their resturants, and I am very glad I transferred
there.

If not seeing you as only a way to make money, but as a friend and
someone we want to see again, then I'd rather be wrong. Sure, it would
just be easy to do the cheesy fake thing, but then we're robbing you
of an experience that is genuine and if you roll with it, might even
be fun and have you coming back!

Just remember, bartender or not, we are servers, not servants. We
don't have to act like you are our Lady Queen or even someone higher
than us.

Besides, if you really hated it so much, why not talk to someone when
you were there? Probably too embarassed to since they were just being
friendly. Especially at the bar. It's the -bar-. What do you expect is
the type of person who usually sits at the bar?

Now, if these people weren't friendly to you and merely acted as you
suggested, then I could see you describing yourself as, and I quote,
"an inconvenience to be taken caer of so they can get back to
socializing."

When I go to my local watering hole and the bartender DOESN'T treat me
like a brother and make an off color comment, I know he's having a bad
night. I expect two things from him, comfort enough to call me filthy
names and draft beer with a shaker of salt.

I'd much rather go to Cheers than The Four Seasons.

vc

Would you like the bartenders to wear cufflinks and white gloves, and
play the role of your servant next time?

This letter just reinforces my belief that when it comes to customer
service you just cant win. If the bartender was less friendly someone
else would be complaining about that. If he was too attentive I'm sure
someone would have a problem with that as well.

Even though I dont believe you have a reason to complain, you do have
the right. The time to do so was when you were and a manager could
have addressed your concerns then.

As other posters have pointed out if you are a high maintenance person
then you need to frequent higher class estabishments. You're never
gonna get Bloomie's service at Wal-Mart.

How awful! The bartender was friendly toward you! I say fire the
fool! How DARE he assume to be friendly?

Seriously, you'd complain if he were aloof, I'd bet.

When you eat at a bar setting, people typically don't come to "check
on" you

Personally, I think this letter makes you seem more than a little bit
of a snob.

For crying out loud - - nothing you describe sounds earth shaking to
me. Service at the bar area is always more casual than the dining
area and anyone who dines out knows that. If you want formal service
then I would suggest you select another restaurant and not sit at the
bar.

Come on Barbara, you were at a barbecue joint, not the Ritz-Carlton.
It seems to me from your description that they were being friendly and
making jokes. The atmosphere at the bar of most restaurants is more
casual than the dining area, so when you eat in the bar you are just
going to have to expect a more casual level of service. If you are
looking for formal dining service, you really need to look somewhere
other than a casual dining barbecue place. And what did the manager
say when you told him about that the bartender had the effrontery to
try and make a joke with someone sitting at his bar? I guess he
didn't realize that some people feel above his attempt at
friendliness.