ATTN SUU

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

I didn't have a problem with #2 until the very last sentence. Yes, servers are typically trained to upsell things like appetizers, daily specials, and dessert. That is their fucking job. Equating that to them wanting you to be fat is just plain stupid.

this

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I don't eat much fast food, but usually when I go to a restaurant and see huge portions I'm thinking, yay, two meals for the price of one! Because I box up that other half and eat it the next day.

Cheap calories, assuming they are in the form of reasonably healthy foods, = cheaper meals. You don't have to eat it all in one sitting, and I think most people know that. People who choose to eat gluttonously are making their own decision to eat gluttonously. It's not the restaurant's fault.

[Dysnomia]

^  this


If I were to put a loaded gun in front of someone, do they have to shoot themselves with it?  No.  If they *choose* to, that's *their* decision.  I was just simply placing an object.

[Lies]

^  this


If I were to put a loaded gun in front of someone, do they have to shoot themselves with it?  No.  If they *choose* to, that's *their* decision.  I was just simply placing an object.

I wish more people would choose to go through that decision when I place guns in front of them.

[Triple Zero]

restaurant |ˈrest(ə)rənt; ˈrestəˌränt; ˈresˌtränt|
noun

a place where people pay to sit and eat meals that are cooked and served on the premises.

Look, fast food places are restaurants.  Not the best restaurants most of the time, granted, but still restaurants.  And you may not like them, and that is fine, but get a grip on reality.

Hey, thanks for the tip, can you define reality for me while you're at it so I can have an easier time?

I'm unfamiliar with dictionaries, so I'm not sure if they do phrases such as, you know, "needlessly hostile."

They probably don't, they tend to define single words most of the time, though I'm sure you could find both words separately if you looked.

And I apologize if my post sounded bitchier than I intended it to, tone is hard to define over interwebs, but I am growing increasingly tired of fatty foods becoming the new cigarette.  And its the little things like your post, attempting to redefine words that don't fit your approved system, that really irk me.  It wasn't meant to be a personal attack.

Unhealthy food is an easy target that almost nobody stands up for, probably with good reason.  But I am just stupid enough and contrarian enough to stand up for it, even if I agree with you.  Which I mostly do.  Though, watch out, the next thing you know people will be telling you that coffee and cigarettes are not a balanced meal, when we all sure as shit know they are.

(after typing this I remembered you live in Canada, please adjust your interpretation of the word America below accordingly)

To be fair, I never realized before that the word "restaurant" also applies to fast-food places in America.

We use the word "restaurant" as well, but it does not [usually] apply to fast-food places, which we call snackbars or cafetaria's. A pizzeria is sort of on the border, depending on how classy it is or whether you can sit down and eat instead of only take away, I'd consider it a restaurant.

However, not calling it a restaurant is not really saying anything disparaging about fast-food places. Some are pretty good. It's maybe a cultural thing, I understand that Americans go to eat out a lot more often [like, several times a week, right?].

HOWEVER, this STILL has nothing to do with healthy and unhealthy food.

Unless the food at your non-fast-food restaurants is WAY more healthy than it is over here [which I really doubt], I can't bear to even consider eating out at a restaurant more than twice a week and having any illusions about healthy eating. Restaurants make food that taste good. That's why you go there. So they add more salt, fat and sugar to their food.

Healthy food is what you make at home, so I really don't understand your problem about differentiating between fast-food and restaurants, as if restaurants aren't unhealthy. Who doesn't have a grip on reality now?

[Suu]

It's called upselling.

Also, if you don't want something fatty, fucking speak up.

If you are a vegetarian, fucking speak up.

Chances are, I can sell you something else.


But yeah, that is totally equating fast food with restaurants.

[Dysnomia]

This article has convinced me that Suu is trying to undermine my vegetarianism by soaking everything I eat in PROK!

[LMNO]

Well, taking into account that I consider Applebees and The Olive Garden as being the equivalent of fast food with table service, the line gets a bit fuzzy.

On the other hand, I know what I want to eat and am not easily swayed by upsell, unless it takes the form of, "would you like another beer?"

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

Well, taking into account that I consider Applebees and The Olive Garden as being the equivalent of fast food with table service, the line gets a bit fuzzy.

On the other hand, I know what I want to eat and am not easily swayed by upsell, unless it takes the form of, "would you like another beer?"

sold!

almost every time.

[Suu]

Well, taking into account that I consider Applebees and The Olive Garden as being the equivalent of fast food with table service, the line gets a bit fuzzy.

On the other hand, I know what I want to eat and am not easily swayed by upsell, unless it takes the form of, "would you like another beer?"

And I sell more alcohol and dessert than ANY OTHER SERVER at my bistro.

Also, do you consider ALL corporate restaurants that way? Because I sure as hell don't. I'm never too impressed with Applebee's if I go there, Olive Garden is alright, but from the corporate places that I have worked for, I can tell you it's not really as "fast food" as you think, with the exception of soups in a bag, but I think that's more about quality control than anything.

[LMNO]

Perhaps it's just that I'm a snob... national food chains just bug me, I guess.

[Suu]

They don't bug me.

Why?

Because when I worked for Uno's, I had paid vacation and health insurance and a paycheck that cleared EVERY FUCKING WEEK. I liked working for Uno's, it was just that the money wasn't working out for me at the time (Not that Steeple Street is doing me much better at the moment).

I can fully attest to the lack of frozen stuff we got in. A lot of it was from the typical food distributors because it maintained quality and consistency between the corporate restaurants. Uno's makes their own dough, mashed potatoes (no powder or flakes), and batter for frying. The frozen stuff we did get in was the typical chicken and fish fritters which got thrown in the fryer, but the grill meats and vegetables were never frozen. All that stuff came in fresh. We would separate and freeze them ourselves, much like any other restaurant or home cook would do.

The thing with chains is that consistency is key, so if I go to a restaurant in North Attleborough, MA, I know I'll get the same thing in St. Petersburg, FL. As a server you have a thick book of rules to follow on how to serve, what to say, how to describe the food, etc. It leaves only a little room for improv.

If you frequent chain restaurants, you do so for a reason. I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for TGI Friday's. Why? Because their burgers rock. The Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger is probably a heart attack between bread, but it's also one of the most ingenious burgers I've ever had (Their teriyaki burger is also amazing). Their test kitchens are probably some of the best in the nation and they know how to fucking sell while keeping their price points low and their dining rooms full. It's also really hard to get a job at Friday's because their turn around rate is low. Why? Because all full-time employees start with a week's paid vacation and health care from DAY ONE, and there's no such thing as a "slow shift". I've gone into Friday's on a Tuesday afternoon for lunch and it was about half full. You're guaranteed x-much money per shift as well. The tip average may be lower, but the turn around rate is higher.

In the service industry, it's hard to find any job which will give you that kind of benefits. Even at Uno's it took a year for me to get vacation and healthcare. I would fucking KILL to work at Friday's, and everyone I know who has worked there loved it.

[LMNO]

Perhaps it's just that I'm a snob...

This, then.

[Suu]

Perhaps it's just that I'm a snob...

This, then.

Yes. Because I would never eat at my restaurant. It's far too pretentious for a beer and burger joint and I think I ruin it with my bandanna and gauged piercings.