I just wanted more hot water

Mmm we're on the cusp of another weekend and I am ready. Last weekend was fabulous but it was also the Weekend of Horrible Customer Service. Beware that what follows is a rant. Not a very serious one, but a rant none-the-less.

Are You Serious? #1: It started out on Saturday when Mike and I went to The Frogstone Grill in Coquitlam for lunch. Now, before thinking that what follows is an arrogant rant by a grumpy customer, you should know that I waitressed for about 3-4 months last summer/fall. That experience alone has made me Miss Sympathy-for-the-Server...most of the time. This experience proved too much. The restaurant was not busy (it was right after the lunch rush) and we were seated and our orders taken promptly. It fell apart right after we received our food. I needed some more hot water for my tea and placed the pot at the very edge of the table, lid sitting sideways on top. 2 or 3 waiteresses passed by the pot. I finally flagged a girl down and asked her for some more hot water. She took the pot. Next thing I know she is on the other side of the restaurant and cleaned not one but two tables! At this point I'm a little cheesed. I have stopped eating my meal in favour of giving Mike the play-by-play of what this girl is doing and letting him know what she should be doing. Then I had enough. Since I first put the pot out, 10-15 minutes have passed. Nobody has come to check on our meal. I head to the front counter to attempt to get service. As I see somebody heading for me at the counter I spy someone walking with some water towards our table so I head back. The only time someone checked on us is when Mike had finished and they came to clear the plate and finally ask if he'd like another iced tea. Yeah, thanks for coming out guys. I left a very long note on the receipt. Looks like we'll be sticking to the Maple Ridge one from now on.

The rest of Saturday was fabulous and included Borat, some dinner while watching the Canucks game, and ended with a "typical Mike date" to a 60's music laser light show at the Planetarium featuring Hendrix, The Doors, and Zeppelin. Excellent.

Are You Serious? #2: Enter Sunday. Church and lunch (doesn't it look like those words should rhyme?). We head to Meadow Town to see The Prestige. Tremendous. Go see it. I had a hankering for a coffee so we stand in line at the coffee/Yogen Fruz till and plan to buy our tickets there as well since nobody is manning the box office. To our immediate right are typical teenage guy and girl and there are acting out what appears to be Flirting For Dummies...only they are actually employees. Fair enough, hormones, whatever. Girl #1 comes out of back room and walks to other side of concession. Girl #2 goes to drink station to our immediate left, makes eye-contact, leaves with pop. Girl #2 goes back to drink station and Mike asks if anybody will be coming to help us and she informs us that "we don't have enough people...that till is closed" and she walks off again. Our line-up is 3 deep now. As we switch line-ups Mike says loudly and angry-like "Well, were you going tell me?" As people lined-up where we had once waited with baited breath I would shout over to them "That till is closed!". But the movie rocked.

#3 wasn't really anything at all but just the icing on the cake after those 2. We picked up dinner at Timmy Ho's before Bible Study and when we're getting out of the car I asked Mike "Do you have your iced tea?" to which he says "I guess they forgot it."

All in all, I know none of these events are actually a big deal or eternally significant but have just added a little humour and spice to the everyday. Long live customer service in all it's disgruntled and minimum wage glory!