I'm going to break with a long tradition here and start naming names...enough is enough.
Sunday morning, looking for breakfast in Nelson. Full Circle, the breakfast place on Baker, has a half hour waiting list, which means when you walk past the window there's a dozen empty tables inside but inside the mall entrance there's easily a dozen, maybe 2 dozen people waiting for a table.
This is a Kootenay tradition, waiting for a table in an empty restaurant. This is usually preceded by a "Do you have a reservation?" inquiry from host or server, then a hopeful announcement that they could possibly have you sat within the hour, despite the obvious abundance of empty tables. I used to put this down to the impossibility of getting quality service staff out here, but in a year I've come to realize it's more the impossibility of finding competent owners or management, and this morning I'm not in the mood to wait in line to give someone my money, so I wander on.
Relish, across the street, is open, and so I mosey over there. The patio is full, or 9/10 tables on it are, but I've had enough of the great outdoors today and would happily sit inside. Inside, 4 tables occupied, the other 10 or so empty, 3 servers on, they should have me sat within 10 minutes or so...
I'm not making this up. Relish, they have that reputation here of being one of the better restaurants, their servers, attractive waitresses in short dresses or skirts with the abundance of leg tattoos, I applied here for a job once before I realized their "unofficial" but transparent policy of employing only attractive girls on the service end, and being neither attractive (or a girl) didn't get any sort of callback. Lots of restaurants do this, standard industry practice, and who doesn't like to be served by a pretty girl? But right now I just want to be served, want a bite of breakfast, and am getting a little annoyed with this "wait at the door 20 minutes to sit at an empty table that was clean and empty for 20 minutes before you arrived".
I've been here a couple of times before, the first time with my daughter and friend, I ordered some gravy for my fries and the then Australian waitress told me
"You'll have to pay for that you know", and I was kind of dumbfounded at her mentioning this, was the rest of the meal free? Or was I to pay for the gravy up front? I simply reiterated, in words she would understand, that I would like to pay for some gravy, and she reluctantly brought it just as I was finishing my last french fry.
If you've ever been to Nelson you'll know, the Australians, they kind of have the service industry locked down, they're "managing", after a fashion, most of the pubs and bars, which is ironic if you know anything about service, because having an Australian in charge of your service is a little like kidnapping an Eskimo from his kayak and making him your network administrator, Australians are no more known for their customer service skills than they are for their tipping, but that's another rant...
IN any event there are no Australians here today, this is all Kootenay, 100% Nelson service, and 20 minutes after arriving I'm sat at the empty table that was empty when I arrived right in front of me and the attractive server arrives and pours my water and takes my order and, after a lengthy delay, brings my food. I know, I know, it has to be cooked, and despite the restaurant being empty the patio is full, and the 4 chefs behind the counter are taxed to their limit.
The food, average as always. The service - ?? nondescript, but I'm done and when I get up to pay the bill suddenly it changes, it's friendly, personable even, the waitress, formerly "all business what d'ya want" is now solicitous, friendly, "How was everything?" she asks, presenting me the debit machine, leaning in close, her hair falling on my shoulder, her legs, hips, closer and closer, tattooed legs curling around mine, fingertips lightly guiding my fingers across the confusing tip options...."You can tip 15%, 20%, 25%, or other...." and down to other and she's continuing "Oh, good choice...lets see...you could leave me a castle in Europe, or a private jet, I would need you to leave me a pilot as well, and maybe a credit card for gas, I have a lot of friends, or you could leave me a ... more options, a diamond tiara, a kilogram of the finest Colombian Cocaine...we should party sometime...", she's needlessly working herself up and getting herself excited and it's not my imagination, she's now grinding on my hip, helping me navigate the confusing minefield of Nelson tipping, ah, service in Nelson, the perfect marriage of incompetence and entitlement, I was 20% when I came in, it was decided before I even sat down to eat, 20% rounded up, but all this attentiveness, too much, too late, it's infuriating me, and my blood is boiling and not with the reasons she's trying to incite...
It doesn't have to be this way. Seat me at the empty table when I come in. Tell me the kitchen is a bit slow. Let me order, bring my food, let me tip and get the fuck out. But out here, everything is just that little bit more over the top...