Why can't the waitress bring me my food?

I can not wrap my head around what is happening in restaurants these days.

 

We are seated by the hostess and she makes sure we have our menus and place settings.  Well, at least she's supposed to.

Then an either overly friendly or clearly distracted waiter will come over and offer us an appetizer and to get us started with drinks.  OK, sure, I'll have a water.  And have you ever introduced yourself back when they tell you their name?  It's like they're confused.

Then the server gets deflated thinking I'm only drinking water when in reality I'm ordering it now because if I ask for a water AND a beer, they'll forget the water all together.

 

We finally order and are awaiting the food.  No surprise there.  If the food comes out too fast you have to wonder, right?

 

Then the oddest thing happens.

Someone, not our waitress, brings out the food.

Not only do they have no idea who ordered what, but it's never how we ordered it.  Why? Because if the waitress had picked it up she would have noticed the salad never made it out, that the wrong kind of meat is in the tacos and that the sauce with the chicken only rhymes with what I asked for, specifically.

"But your food gets out quicker this way."

No, I never got MY food, I got what they brought, but it was wrong.

Then as soon as it hits the table the waitress magically appears asking if we got everything OK.

No, no we didn't, where were you?

Why does any Tom, Dick or Harry wandering past the pass think it's OK to grab my order and bring it out?  If there's a mistake that is where you want to find it, not when Johnny the under waiter brings me the tray and has to ask about each and every dish.  Sally is serving Table 5, let Sally check on the food.

Each and every argument for the speed or so called efficiency of this system is countered by the fact that your speed is costing quality.

And it's not just where I ate tonight, but most establishments today.  Waiting for food that is as ordered is OK, rushing me something close and thinking I won't notice is no way to run a service based industry.  If the servers need help, let the under waiters handle all the drinks and refilling the waters and all the crap that seems to be "bothering" the waitress and distracting her from making sure the orders come out as...well...ordered.

And another thing, while I'm at it, waitresses, please look at the table you're about to talk to and gauge if it's the right time to ask if everything is OK.  I once ate at a restaurant where the waiter seemed to be just out of visual range...ALL THE TIME.  As soon as the water was low, he happened to be nearby with the pitcher.  Never once asked how we were or how the food was.  He just knew that since we were there and he was there that if we had something to say we'd say it.

I never waited tables and I'm not ragging on the waitresses, I'm asking this to the managers.  The ones who sometimes bring out said food or are idle in the corner in their tie staring out into the dining room.  The ones who awkwardly go from table to table every hour asking the same lame question: "Everything good here?"

For the third time and while I'm wrangling a kid with my mouth full of food, "mmmphmmdp"

And he's gone.

</rant>