insignificant rant - diet coke

[Anonymous]

I am so sick of wait staff at restaurants bringing me Diet Coke when I've clearly ordered Coke. I don't know if it's just because I'm a woman, or if there's something else that profiles me as a Diet Coke drinker instead of regular Coke, but it has started happening more frequently as I've edged towards middle-age. I can't stand Diet Coke, and the one time a week that I go out to eat, I like a nice, sugary, HCFS-filled regular Coke, not some disgusting chemically-flavored, nasty-aftertaste Diet Coke.

[Anonymous]

regular coke is unhealthy, diet coke is healthier

[Anonymous]

Tell them, not us. I like a regular Coke once in a while too. I guess you could say "Regular Coke, NOT diet" when ordering. Make it very clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell them, not us. I like a regular Coke once in a while too. I guess you could say "Regular Coke, NOT diet" when ordering. Make it very clear.

Agree with this. My husband and I order Diet Coke (me because of calories, him because of diabetes), yet we often get regular Coke. We're old. I'm fat. Husband is skinny. I don't think they are profiling you somehow. I think many just don't pay attention to detail.

[Anonymous]

Of course I tell them when it's wrong. I just don't like being surprised by that disgusting taste when I'm expecting delicious, syrupy sweetness. And I'm sure there's a lack of attention to detail, which is why I really wish wait staff would write down orders. But I suppose that's a separate rant, and this one is really just about how I hate being blindsided by the nastiness that is Diet Coke.

[Anonymous]

When I worked at BK as a teenager, I really, really didn't give a rat's ass. So when we got the order wrong and the customer complained, I often would give a big smile and say, "Well, maybe you should eat at home."

[Anonymous]

I order Diet Coke and sometimes get regular Coke. I just send it back and ask for the other. I don't think it is a matter of profiling, rather it is the fact that the food service industry is not employing the best and the brightest and/or people who care very much about their jobs.

[Anonymous]

If the waitstaff had good attention to detail they would probably be working at a better job. Wait staff, cashiers, store clerks just have no sense of customer service these days. Often I find myself being the only one who says "thank you" - the customer should be thanked not the thanker! And I love it when they say "mmm-hmmm" or "no problem" in response.

Bottom line: specify regular coke even if it sounds like you are talking down to them because you probably have to in order to get what you want.

[Anonymous]

i'm curious what (kind of) restaurants tend to get your orders wrong.

also, give a nice tip to the next server who gets it right

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the waitstaff had good attention to detail they would probably be working at a better job. Wait staff, cashiers, store clerks just have no sense of customer service these days. Often I find myself being the only one who says "thank you" - the customer should be thanked not the thanker! And I love it when they say "mmm-hmmm" or "no problem" in response.

Bottom line: specify regular coke even if it sounds like you are talking down to them because you probably have to in order to get what you want.

Maybe there's no attention to detail because they make minimum wage. I'm not saying the lack of attention is acceptable. What I'm saying is there's really no motivation to do well. Really low wages, no benefits, no health insurance... that would be soul sucking indeed.

[Anonymous]

Maybe it's a hint that you SHOULD drink diet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the waitstaff had good attention to detail they would probably be working at a better job. Wait staff, cashiers, store clerks just have no sense of customer service these days. Often I find myself being the only one who says "thank you" - the customer should be thanked not the thanker! And I love it when they say "mmm-hmmm" or "no problem" in response.

Bottom line: specify regular coke even if it sounds like you are talking down to them because you probably have to in order to get what you want.

Maybe there's no attention to detail because they make minimum wage. I'm not saying the lack of attention is acceptable. What I'm saying is there's really no motivation to do well. Really low wages, no benefits, no health insurance... that would be soul sucking indeed.

I still don't get it. It's a simple job and they shouldn't make mistakes. If I made a mistake in my job I would never hear the end of it. I actually feel sorry for doctors because they don't get to make mistakes but somehow every time I go through a drive-thru or deal with something similar I encounter people making mistakes.

[Anonymous]

I am actually mildly allergic to artifical sweetners -- I get a back headache when I ingest them. So I always "sniff" my real coke, no joke, before drinking because I assume the order will be wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the waitstaff had good attention to detail they would probably be working at a better job. Wait staff, cashiers, store clerks just have no sense of customer service these days. Often I find myself being the only one who says "thank you" - the customer should be thanked not the thanker! And I love it when they say "mmm-hmmm" or "no problem" in response.

Bottom line: specify regular coke even if it sounds like you are talking down to them because you probably have to in order to get what you want.

Maybe there's no attention to detail because they make minimum wage. I'm not saying the lack of attention is acceptable. What I'm saying is there's really no motivation to do well. Really low wages, no benefits, no health insurance... that would be soul sucking indeed.

I still don't get it. It's a simple job and they shouldn't make mistakes. If I made a mistake in my job I would never hear the end of it. I actually feel sorry for doctors because they don't get to make mistakes but somehow every time I go through a drive-thru or deal with something similar I encounter people making mistakes.

Food service is really not that simple of a job. I've worked fast food and waitressed and it can be gruelingly hard; no, it's not rocket science but it's a lot of drudgingly hard work with very little down time.

This article might give you a better idea of how it works:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/02/tracie_mcmillan_s_the_american_way_of_eating_doing_the_hardest_job_at_applebee_s.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:regular coke is unhealthy, diet coke is healthier

So wrong. Artificial sweeteners are terrible. Much worse than sugar, no matter what you call it.