Island time? Why do we accept this excuse?

[KathyV]

Here in the Midwest, the only times I recall seeing staff bringing the bill with the food is in the city on weekdays during lunch hours. Everybody is short on time - the workers need to eat and get back to the job - and the restaurants have lines of people waiting to get in - so they have to turn over the tables quickly.

The other instance is intermission at the theater. If you order drinks or a snack they serve them quickly and collect payment immediately, before the lights blink and everyone heads back into the auditorium.

In general, the wait staff ask if they can get you something else, and if you say "no" then they ask if you are ready for the check. I would feel rushed if they were pushing the check at me before I was ready.

 

[tursiops]

Here in the Midwest, the only times I recall seeing staff bringing the bill with the food is in the city on weekdays during lunch hours. Everybody is short on time - the workers need to eat and get back to the job - and the restaurants have lines of people waiting to get in - so they have to turn over the tables quickly.

The other instance is intermission at the theater. If you order drinks or a snack they serve them quickly and collect payment immediately, before the lights blink and everyone heads back into the auditorium.

In general, the wait staff ask if they can get you something else, and if you say "no" then they ask if you are ready for the check. I would feel rushed if they were pushing the check at me before I was ready.

the counterpoint is feeling irritated because you can't get the check when you ARE ready.
Please remember my post about lunch at the Buddy Dive pool bar and how to get though faster was ALL about getting served and out....not about a leisurely island lunch.

 

[woodcarver]

Today I learned that the Dutch have their own service culture: direct & blunt.
It's tempting to reply to this statement in that cultural way, but I won't.

No offense intended, just my observations, generalized. My former mother-in-law is of Dutch descent. Direct and blunt very aptly describe her and her family. Still like them as I have some of the same tendencies despite having no ancestors from the Netherlands (that I'm aware of).

 

[yle]

“Africa”. The entire continent? Apparently every country there has the same lazy culture. What an ignorant statement. What a silly “americentric” view of the world.

Well, she was in Tanzania. But the Tanzanians (I hope spelled that correctly) would shrug their shoulders and call it “Africa time” when someone was an hour late. And apparently it happened often.

Hmmm... well this is awkward.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I am not an American apologist. I hear people gripe that we are fat, loud, entitled, egocentric, blah blah blah. I am just an average vacationer. I understand the lack of prep stations, grills, ovens, etc. I know that the odds of everybody's food arriving at the same time is a slim and an unreasonable expectation. What I can't stand is when our food arrives and we have yet to receive our drinks, napkins or utensils, waiting an additional 15 minutes for these items while our food gets cold. Cozumel wins hands down for customer service. Cayman Brac was actually quite efficient(disclaimer: we only ate at 3 restaurants). Bonaire and Curacao present a few more hiccups, but overall, I have had positive experiences with the exception of one place in Bonaire when we left after sitting for a good 20 minutes with no service.
It is interesting to read about people's opinion and perceptions regarding us American's. Sure there are some obnoxious ones, but when it comes time to pay up and tip; you better believe that they count on the American's to reward their service.

That's why the American tip culture is messing it up for the rest of us.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I've been known to gather my things, stand and say with a smile "I've got to go but I'll come back and pay later." That has both managed to get the bill delivered immediately or ensure that there's no problem the next time.

 

[markmud]

You may have nailed the cultural difference, there. What if in some cultures the idea of a restaurant is more about the food than the service, while in other cultures it's the opposite?

Hi Lorenzoid,

When the people that I have associated with have put their politics/religion aside (for some, politics is religion), we all gather around a table to enjoy a portion of our lives together. Going to a restaurant is a social thing. It is a dance. We all play our part. Part of the social dynamic is the wait staff and food itself; they may become the discussion or part of the discussion.

Humans are humans no matter where we are from. The culture does not change us; it changes how we act.

When the tempo of a dinner is destroyed by poor timing or poor service, the experience is ruined. No matter where you are or with whom you are dining.

Going to a restaurant is more than filling up on food. McDonalds can do that.

Just my opinion...based on my travels to different parts of the world and meeting/communing (eating) with people from around the world.

Just like boat diving with people from around the world, it is part social and part diving. We aren't that different.

cheers,
markm

 

[Lorenzoid]

Hi Lorenzoid,

When the people that I have associated with have put their politics/religion aside (for some politics is religion), we all gather around a table to enjoy a portion of our lives together. Going to a restaurant is a social thing. It is a dance. We all play our part.

Humans are humans no matter where we are from. The culture does not change us; it changes how we act.

When the tempo of a dinner is destroyed by poor timing or poor service, the experience is ruined. No matter where you are or with whom you are dining.

Going to a restaurant is more than filling up on food. McDonalds can do that.

Just my opinion...based on my travels to different parts of the world and meeting/communing (eating) with people from around the world.

Just like boat diving with people from around the world, it is part social, part diving. We aren't that different.

cheers,
markm

I completely agree with that sentiment! It's related but not precisely what I was getting at, though, when I questioned whether in some cultures the idea of "restaurant" is more about the food while in others it's more about the service.

Putting aside the low-end (e.g., McDonalds) and very high-end restaurants, I perceive a trend, led by America, toward providing the customer with an "experience" rather than simply great food. It seems that every mid-range restaurant these days must in order to succeed have a theme or "concept" as it's sometimes referred to in the restaurant business. The service is part of that experience to varying degrees, but service is almost always a key element. The food, in contrast, need only be good enough to fit the concept (and nowadays to be photogenic for Instagram). The food doesn't need to be great. If you read reviews on Yelp, the majority of them complain about the service, not the food. So, my thinking is that service, and more generally, the "experience," has overtaken food as what the idea of a restaurant is all about in our American culture. In some places in the world, the idea of a typical restaurant remains to provide good food--sometimes with barely adequate service, sometimes with good service--but providing good food is what is foremost in the restaurant owner's mind. Now, you mentioned that poor service can ruin the experience anywhere, and I agree. However, I believe that in some cultures people would allow poor service to ruin their experience more than others. Maybe a better way to phrase it is that in some cultures the people are more at ease with the idea that they make their OWN experience. There are places where restaurants up and down the street all look similar, and probably provide similarly lax service, and yet they're packed with people enjoying themselves because they like to go to that place for the food. The social aspect, not the restaurant service, makes their experience. That doesn't seem to fly in the U.S. these days.

 

[mbs]

OK, you have convinced me! Gonna loosen up and try "Island Time" in my waiting room. If anyone complains, I'll explain that it's a cultural thing...

A NYC office with parents with their kids... Complaints? Nah....

 

[Aviyes]

I don't think anyone has a problem waiting on "Island Time" for food. But, waiting too long for standard drinks is inexcusable. The smart servers/bartenders also realize that prompt drink service increases the chance of multiple drink rounds being purchased, which increases revenue for the restaurant and increases tips for them. But, maybe thats just an American thing with the tips nowadays.