Diners add to the list of rights

Food has received more than 90 letters in response to Leslie Brenner’s Oct. 24 article “Diners, Stand Up for Your Rights!” Many readers wrote that “Right No. 24” (“Not to be rushed. You have the right to keep your plate until everyone in your party is finished . . . “) particularly struck a chord. And many included suggestions for additional rights. Here’s a sampling:

Being fairly new to Los Angeles (and fairly disgusted with its table service), I read your article with great enthusiasm. In addition to your fine set of rights, I would like to recommend this:

26. Proper address from strangers. You (and your party) shall not be called “guys” (e.g. “How you guys doin’?”) Only dives with surfboards on the walls and fish tacos on the menu can address patrons (with surfboards) as “guys.” Women (surfboard-toting or not) should never be addressed as a “guy.” “You” will do. It’s a simple pronoun that goes a long way toward proper inclusiveness.

Wendi Berman

Los Angeles

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My own pet peeve is, “Who had the salmon? Who had the steak?” If a restaurant is going to employ runners, the least they can do is work out a system that doesn’t rely on the diners orchestrating food placement.

David Warren

Los Angeles

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It would also be nice if all service people (in every business) were trained to say “You’re welcome” rather than “No problem.”

Carolyn Crowe

Santa Monica

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Please say again and again that no plates should be taken until everyone is finished. Ditto, the idiotic repeated “Is everything OK?” Tell waiters, “We’ll let you know if it isn’t.” My late husband actually made a little sign that said, “Everything is OK, thank you,” and he put it on the table.

Zena Pearlstone

Los Angeles --

Great list! I would add the following: If I pay in cash, the waiter/waitress should not ask if I’d like any change. I always want my change, and then I’ll tally the gratuity. Ask me this offensive question and I guarantee it will affect what I leave.

G. Fabian

Redondo Beach

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I find it extremely irritating to be enjoying one course when the server arrives too soon with the next. There’s nothing like being rushed through dinner to spoil my appetite.

Donna Whyte

Los Angeles

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Diners should receive their check in a timely manner, but when it comes to delivering the bill, most wait staff forget that you even exist.

Michael S. Turner

Chatsworth

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Regarding Right No. 9 (Dinner conversation), I disagree. The house sets the atmosphere. Guests choose where they dine and how they would like to be entertained over dinner. Also, regarding Right No. 14 (Your daily bread): Bread is not a given. This is at the discretion of the restaurant. Bread spoils the appetite and is historically “peasant” food.

Sam Spector

Culver City

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I want to thank you on your excellent article on service in Los Angeles. As a waiter in this city, I’ve noticed a lack of basic etiquette knowledge among my peers. Something as simple as waiting to clear plates until everyone in the party is finished eating seems to evade them as they try to become the next Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie. By the same turn, most patrons have little knowledge of how they are supposed to behave at a fine dining establishment.

If you’re going to provide diners with a list of rights, you should also provide them with a list of responsibilities, No. 1 being that a diner should compensate a server duly for the service provided. I’ve been amazed at how many times I feel I’ve done my best and been thanked by customers as they leave only to find a 7% to 10% tip.

As your articles noted, servers in California make more in minimum wage, but their customers tend to spend less on a meal than their contemporaries in New York. Add to this that the server has to give a portion of this tip to the runner, bus person, bartender, hostess and sometimes even the cooks, and he or she will be walking out with less than half of what the customer left on the table.

Should a server meet all the criteria for service listed in your article, the minimum tip should be 15%. If the diner received exemplary service, the tip should be between 15% and 20%. Tips not only allow servers to support their families, but they also help us gauge our performance.

If a server is terrible, people should feel free to leave less than 15%, but they should also speak to the manager and let her know what was inadequate about the server’s performance. And if anyone feels they shouldn’t feel obligated to tip at all, well, there’s always a McDonald’s open somewhere in L.A.

Juan Manzo

Mount Washington

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Congratulations on an excellent article. Every restaurant owner and worker should be made to read and learn this.

What I found interesting about all your suggestions is that they, as examples of good service, entail virtually no extra work. Good service is as easy to give as bad service! The difference is the intention and desire of the owner and server to do a good job, to treat their guests as they would like to be treated.

Chuck Almdale

Santa Monica