Alex C.
Yelp
Congratulations, Toast. A member of your staff somehow managed to do perhaps the most obnoxious thing I have ever seen a server do. In this case, it took both cajones and some serious effort. I don't offend easily, but that alone would make me never go back.
Let me set the scene: it's lunch hour on a very cold, rainy day in downtown Durham. Neither of us brought an umbrella, because we thought we'd run into a sandwich shop, order inside, sit down, eat, and run back to the car. But oh no, Toast had a different idea: let's block off the entrance with a table, have an employee keep dry just behind the edge of the awning, and make all of the customers wait in line in the cold and rain while the employee very slowly takes orders and deals with several other things. Never mind that there is a counter and empty tables inside, where it's, you know, dry and warm. It's perfect -- just what we all want to do on our lunch hour.
After 10 minutes of waiting while the disorganized employee got his act together and was actually able to help us, we selected our lunch orders. Wet and cold as a miserable cat at this point, we then received the most obnoxious line ever heard from the aforementioned disorganized employee: "Would you like to add a 20% tip for our excellent staff?"
OK, Mr. Server Dude, let's have a chat. While I realize that "tips" supposedly originated as an acronym for "To Insure Prompt Service", it really doesn't mean that anymore. It is a reflection of the service received. Note that I said "service," not "servers." An what kind of service did we receive? You unnecessarily made us wait out in the cold and rain to order, when we could have just has easily done so in the warm, dry interior. That is the opposite of excellent service, particularly while you are standing in the dry area under the awning. Second, your question is incredibly stupid when I have no idea how your service is, beyond the display of massive inconsiderateness described above. Why should I take your word that the service or staff is "excellent" when every bit of evidence thus far screams the opposite. Finally, putting people on the spot in front of everyone else in line is patently obnoxious, as you are goading tips out of people out of sheer fear of embarrassment. Putting your customers in a position where they have to pay you avoid embarrassment is just unconscionable. Finally, the bluntness of the statement comes across almost as a threat, i.e., "we're going to spit in your food" or "we're going to give you skimpy portions" if we don't bribe you for your "excellent" service first. Given the full context of the situation, I have never heard a server say something so off-putting, and believe me, I've heard a lot.
Ironically, but not surprisingly, after my friend who was picking up the check paid the 20% "bribe," our sandwiches took forever to come out. I got the grilled chicken, mozzarella, and salsa verde panini, the Goat cheese and honey crostini, and a bag of Cajun BBQ chips. The chicken on the panini tasted rubbery and strange, but the crostini was pretty good. I really don't feel any need to go further into the food, as the service was so off-putting that that is reason enough to never return. I've burnt toast many times before, but this was the first and last time that Toast will burn me.
