Trip to “New” City Diner disappoints……..

Stingy Tipper has dined on several occasions at City Diner in the South Grand area of St. Louis and has always had a good overall S.E.R.V.I.C.E. experience.  Only recently did ST have an opportunity to try out their other location--still relatively new--on north Grand Avenue adjacent to the Fox Theatre.  Unfortunately, the service there was not up to par with that of the original venue, as evidenced by StingyTipper leaving only a 14% gratuity.

Upon entering the restaurant, the hostess was less than enthusiastic about our arrival (we appeared to have interrupted something that was more important to her than greeting us), seeming almost reluctant to seat ST’s party and wanting us to wait until we were “all together” before seating us in the nearly empty dining room.  Water service was only available after we requested it later on. Though our server was friendly and welcoming, he was unaware of the soup of the day and left our table to confer with the chef.  After serving the appetizers we ordered, he did not deliver serving plates nor condiments until we asked for them.  Checking back with us on our satisfaction with our meals or whether we needed something else was not a priority for this particular server.  It’s not that the server wasn’t responsive to our needs, he was; but it was only in a reactive way, not in a proactive fashion that anticipated our needs. 

What “saved” the experience (i.e., kept the tip from going below 14%) were the 2 threes (commendable) scored for the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. dimensions of Value (we felt we got our money’s worth) and Comfort (fun place to go and enjoy the street life on Grand Ave through the big picture windows.)   Though StingyTipper’s dinner-size salad entre was very satisfying, ST’s spouse complained about the day-old quality of the lettuce and vegetables found in her salad.       

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

Salutation                     =  1

Equity                            =  2

Responsiveness            =  2

Value                             =  3

Informed                       =  1

Comfort                         =  3

Experience                     =  2

            Total Score:                   14 = 14%

Gratuity Scoring Guidelines



                   "Stingy"                        7-10%          

                   "Not-too-Stingy"      11-15%               

                   "Gracious"                   16-21%

 

StingyTipper's Tip of the Week

When taking your Valentine out this week, don't forget to impress your date with your knowledge of how to tip using the three-D system, being Deliberative, Discriminating and Discerning in leaving your gratuity.

5 Buck Gratuity on a $32.00 Lunch Tab

Sounds pretty stingy, doesn’t it?  Actually, it’s a 15.6% tip. And given the service received recently at The Royale Food and Spirits (@ 3132 So. Kingshighway), it was too much!  StingyTipper has dined many times at The Royale, so ST obviously likes it or would not have returned so often.  However, StingyTipper has always felt the service was somehow lacking, that the wait staff was not up to par with the great food and overall ambience and “hipness” of the place.   But before the advent of the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system, StingyTipper had no way to objectively rate the service.   Now, with the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system in hand, ST’s general impressions can be turned into concrete examples of their “less-than-Royale” service.  Here are some highlights of the mediocre service during a lunch visit with ST’s spouse on the eve of New Year’s Eve.….

For starters, on Salutation ST gave a one.  No greeting, no seating, no attention paid, no water service, etc. When ST and spouse received their menus, the waiter was quite indifferent to our needs, preferring to stare blankly into the distance over engaging us in ordering.  (However, he was responsive to our dilemma regarding which was the dryer white wine to order, offering—because he didn’t know—to get us a sample taste of each of the two choices in which we were interested. Unfortunately, he left a sample glass on our table during the rest of our meal until asked to remove it.)   For just a salad (choice of only two) and the wrap special, the time it took to deliver our meals seemed needlessly long.  When our lunch did arrive, it was delivered by another server, arousing StingyTipper’s suspicions that our table waiter had overlooked our meals in the kitchen.   Subsequent to commencing our dining, the server only returned once to check on us, and that was with ST’s prompting to finally get some water.   Basically, we were ignored the rest of our stay.

Come on guys and gals at The Royale….With such a cool establishment going for you, and your well-deserved reputation for community engagement, I just know you can do better on the service side.   Make StingyTipper’s S.E.R.V.I.C.E. experience during the next visit there live up to your regal name!

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

Salutation                     =  1

Equity                            =  2

Responsiveness            =  1

Value                             =  3

Informed                       =  1

Comfort                         =  3

Experience                     =  1.5

            Total Score:                   12.5 = 12.5%

(but StingyTipper left a 5 spot (15.6%) because it was just easier to do; and, besides, it was the eve of New Year’s Eve!)   

Gratuity Scoring Guidelines



                   "Stingy"                        7-10%          

                   "Not-too-Stingy"      11-15%               

                   "Gracious"                   16-21%

StingyTipper Tip of the Week

With all the restaurant gift cards you received for the holidays, remember to tip on the entire amount (minus the tax), not the reduced amount.

StingyTipper Tip of the Week

Happy New Year: In 2012, hold the restaurant wait staff to the higher S.E.R.V.I.C.E. standards. Together, we can improve quality.