March 9: Gutsy Waitress

Typically when I have a complaint about a server in a restaurant it involves a long wait before ordering, cold food or just plain poor service. Tonight at the Rainforest Cafe, my son's selection in honor of his birthday, it was none of the above. The service there is usually respectable; nothing spectacular, yet no Interstate dive either. But tonight, I experienced a first from any server I've ever had in any restaurant establishment in which I've ever dined. Our server tonight was a young lady, who immediately appeared to be good with the kids. I always appreciate that behavior in a server, as "kids are people too" (how many of you remember that show from the 70s?...maybe this will refresh your memory!). And, my kids always feel that much more important when a server acknowledges them as young individuals and not just something the parents brought along with them. Anyway, all was going well until she asked if we would like something to drink. My son asked if they had slurpees, and the server responded that they did, albeit, frozen slushies. She then asked both kids if they wanted the slushies without addressing my wife or I if it was okay with us. Not the rudest thing in the world, but still something that servers tend to avoid at the risk of usurping the parent's authority. But, that wasn't even the kicker. She then proceeded to ask my daughter what kind of cup she wanted her slushy served in. For those of you unfamiliar with the child drink selection at Rainforest Cafe, they offer a standard cup, a cup with a lighted base, and a character-themed cup. And, she presented all 3 options to my daughter. We knew from a prior visit that any option beyond the standard cup came at an additional cost. My daughter chose the lighted base version, and my son soon followed with the same. And, still, as the server turned to my wife and I for our drink order, she failed to mention anything about our feelings around the kids having slushies nor the additional cost to the lighted cups. Again, the incident wasn't something for which I would begin protesting Rainforest Cafe, but it was still disappointing from a customer service perspective. Turns out the Icee drinks were only 99 cents a piece, but in a lighted cup...$5 each. Nice, huh. No big deal, as in the end I'd say we broke even. I promptly removed most of the cost of those cups from the server's tip. Hey, what comes around goes around, I say.