Judging Good Service in Beijing
We've all had hard days and encountered less than satisfactory service from waitstaff. Now that the hype of the games have blown over, how will that alter the standards of service? how responsive will our dear fu wu yuans be post-Olympics?
There are a few discussions on the CW website which are positively raging about alleged bad service. Are these the ravings of malcontents or legitimate claims? Share your thoughts on threads going on at The Saddle Cantina, The Bookworm and Eudora Station
How do you judge good service? Are we sometimes too critical and biased? Are you a good dine-in customer or you are outrageously demanding because the 'customer is always right'?
The F&B business is tough and being a waitstaff isn't easy with the number of characters you meet on the job. (Having done that for 4 years myself to get through college).
So where and how do we draw the line?
Join the discussion as we are looking at how the service Beijing is changing for better or worse.
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I think that Beijing expats are spoiled.
Having lived in Beijing for two years before I came to New York City in June of this year, I encountered a handful of instances of spotty service. But amazingly, some of the worst restaurant service I've had in my life has been since my arrival to NYC, where one still tips waiters 20% for anything but a ruined meal. It baffles my mind that people in Beijing complain about service for which one doesn't even tip, despite the fact that the meal is anywhere from half to a tenth cheaper than anywhere in the US, and for which the service staff is barely even earning a living wage.
On the other hand, bar service in Beijing is slow to the point of absurdity. I was at a place along the lines of 2K or White Rabbit here in Brooklyn the other day listening to a band play to a packed house, and there was never more than a couple minutes of wait for any drink. And there were only two bartenders! It made me nostalgic for all the nights I spent queuing up for a Tsingtao ;-)