Why do American waitstaff congratulate you on food choice, finishing meals?

You don't normally get burped and put down for a nap after eating where you're from?

Bruh you're missing out.
 
Yeah, the transparently insincere fawning gets tiring.

I know all waiting comments are insincere but they don't feel like something spouted by a plastic tv show host.
 
milanbaros said:
Not joke posts at all. If you travel a lot then the over the top US restaurant service stands out as lacking sincerity compared to other countries where they tend to just talk to you like a normal human being. Again, it's not a big deal and hardly a serious issue but it is very noticeable.
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What is literally any point of reference you're citing

You may as well be someone popping into PonyGAF and wondering why milanbaros is such a brony
 
It's how customer service is taught for this line of work.

I've heard this in other countries; definitely not just an American thing.

And when you think about customer service as a waiter, it makes sense.
 
The next time I go to the States, I'm going to clap the entire time I'm there. Any time I'm awake and my hands are free. I don't want people thinking I'm a tourist.
 
Seriously though, when was the last time some American made a topic like "Why do Europeans have some largely inconsequential cultural quirk and blahblahblah" while feigning superiority? You see these threads at least once or twice a week, with the last topic being someone expressing incredulity at the orangeness of American cheddar.
 
Atenhaus said:
Seriously though, when was the last time some American made a topic like "Why do Europeans have some largely inconsequential cultural quirk and blahblahblah" while feigning superiority? You see these threads at least once or twice a week, with the last topic being someone expressing incredulity at the orangeness of American cheddar.
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They do it with Australia, Japan, Korea and China instead.
 
when i got tempura in kyoto one of the women seemed congratulatory on me eating things and asked me if my onaka was ippai

but i figure she was just being personable since i was the only foreigner there and i spent two hundred dollars on food and whiskey, was alone, and was trying to speak any limited japanese i could

its a little awkward because i feel like my mom is the only appropriate person to seem joyous that i ate food, but its whatever
 
As someone who used to work in food service, I'd say "good choice" when someone ordered something that I personally enjoyed from the menu. I know, it's bizarre to relate to a person who has similar tastes as you do, but it happens.
 
Poppy said:
when i got tempura in kyoto one of the women seemed congratulatory on me eating things and asked me if my onaka was ippai

but i figure she was just being personable since i was the only foreigner there and i spent two hundred dollars on food and whiskey, was alone, and was trying to speak any limited japanese i could

its a little awkward because i feel like my mom is the only appropriate person to seem joyous that i ate food, but its whatever
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Couldn't asking you if your stomach is full just mean that they were wondering if you were done? Maybe they need to clean after you leave the table?
 
hydrophilic attack said:
So I'm on a road trip in the US (Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and now finishing up in California) and one thing that feels a bit weird is how waiters and waitresses respond to you when you tell them what you want on the menu. It's always "awesome", "great choice", "that's my favourite" and "cheddar's better" (after saying I wanted cheddar on my omelette).

And even weirder is that they sometimes congratulate me on finishing my meal. Today my (very nice and attentive) waiter congratulated me on finishing all my fish tacos as if I was a six years old kid. The fact that I can so easily devour those huge-ass portions is testament to my being a pig and not really cause for celebration, in my opinion.

I don't really mind but I find it fascinating. So am I imagining stuff or is this actually a thing? Why?
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Hahaha. That's America
If a server knows they are getting a good tip, they also give free deserts or entrees
 
L Thammy said:
Couldn't asking you if your stomach is full just mean that they were wondering if you were done? Maybe they need to clean after you leave the table?
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nah this was after the check already came and it wasnt in a serious questioning tone, was more rhetorical
 
Wow, this thread was a great choice OP.
You are awesome at selecting your restaurants!
Do I get a 20% tip now?

In seriousness, the congrats at the end of the meal is weird. Never seen that before. Maybe it looked like you were struggling to finish that last bite? Waitstaff are generally nice because they want a good tip, if you didn't know.
 
I also have never experienced this. Now I feel less fancy. :(

They do come by a few minutes after the main courses have arrived and ask if everything is alright. I wonder if they'd actually do anything if I said the food was shit.
 
Lol 90% of the time it's just going through the motions. You could have ordered 5 year old spam tacos. And it would be there favorite.
 
Cause they want that tip. Depending on the state you're in restaurants can sometimes pay well below minimum wage because tips count as normal wages.

You'll rarely see that in California because they get paid minimum wage plus tips.
 
DarthWoo said:
I also have never experienced this. Now I feel less fancy. :(

They do come by a few minutes after the main courses have arrived and ask if everything is alright. I wonder if they'd actually do anything if I said the food was shit.
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99.9% of the time they would ask what's wrong with it and then try to rectify the situation by asking if you would like to order something else or if you would like something extra done to your current dish.
 
I've heard good choice plenty of times as it's easy banter and hypes up your meal, but I've never heard compliments on finishing the meal. Maybe you give off that vibe.
 
Why do people keep generalizing the USA? It's a big fucking place. New York isn't like Dalas and Dalas isn't like Minot, ND.

Anyway...

I'm often asked if I'm finished. Never been congratulated for it. I've often been told I've made a "good choice" when ordering. Never congratulated for it.

These experiences include several countries I've visited.
 
biggersmaller said:
Why do people keep generalizing the USA? It's a big fucking place. New York isn't like Dalas and Dalas isn't like Minot, ND.

Anyway...

I'm often asked if I'm finished. Never been congratulated for it. I've often been told I've made a "good choice" when ordering. Never congratulated for it.

These experiences include several countries I've visited.
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Probably because states in the US are bigger than a lot of countries.
 
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