After swim lessons, the girls and I usually treat ourselves to lunch at
Panera, which is just across the hall from Foss. I've loved Panera ever
since I lived in St. Louis, where it goes by the name of St. Louis Bread
Company.
The only thing I don't love about our local Panera is the overly
aggressive bussing staff. The hover constantly, asking again and again
if they can take your bowl/plate/mug. They also tend not to respond well
when asked to just leave us alone for the remainder of our meal – I've
had to do that multiple times, as my girls start to worry that someone
is going to take their food before they're done.
The reason Julie and Sophie worry so much about this is that the staff
here have actually taken their food away without asking on occasion.
Very frustrating, and I tend to look and feel like an ass when I
complain, because Panera is doing a socially-conscious thing in hiring
mentally-challenged folks to bus their tables.
Today when we sat down for our lunch and had barely started eating, and
Sophie announced a dire need to visit the Ladies' room (albiet not in
quite such polite terms and despite her visit not ten minutes earlier),
I knew that our meal was in danger of being gone before we came back.
Despite the urgency of Sophie's need, I sought out one of the bus staff,
told her that we were going to the ladies' and would be right back, so
please leave our food on the table for us.
And, of course, when we returned, the food was gone and the table newly
wiped down. The girls immediately started to panic, but luckily I had
already made up my mind that the counter staff was going to give us new
food in this case. So they did, and now we are just finishing up our
second lunch of the day.
That used to happen at a Chinese place my daughter and I ate at quite often. I broke them of the habit of taking our plates by not tipping them,they soon caught on and left us alone.
That drives me nuts!!! I’ve never heard of the place you go to but they do it other places too and I just want to scream,”LEAVE US ALONE”!!!
Many times, too many times!!
I hear you! One of our local pizza places is like that…I’ve never had them take our food before we’re done but then we’ve always gone as a family so either me or my husband is at the table all the time.
That would drive me crazy. And it’s so wasteful, especially when they have to bring you another lunch to make up for the one they mistakenly cleared!