The average American adult eats a meal away from home 4.2 times a week, according to data from the National Restaurant Association. And some of us dine out much more often. The quality of service can make those experiences memorable or miserable. There isn't always a correlation between the quality of cuisine or the cost of the meal and the quality of service it receives.
Expectations are higher at fine-dining establishments, though.
At more casual restaurants, such as the Original Pancake House, the expectations are different. Regular customers expect to be treated like family, and longtime servers want to be treated like human beings. Dawn Schimpp has been waiting tables at the Original Pancake House since 1985, and her friend Kim Kotzen has worked there for 18 years. Schimpp says her biggest peeve is rudeness. Another annoyance for Schimpp is when people treat her as if she were invisible.