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Service at Black Rock Cafe...
#11
Still, waiting for 20 min's just to order is pretty bad.

We recently had to walk out at Kaleo's at lunch bc of super slow and unusually odd service. When we got there for lunch, only two other tables were occupied, one with a big (and loud) party. Two waiters were on duty. We'd never seen either of them before. Ours had the large table and the other waiter had the other table. Our waiter took our order. We waited 45 minutes, and still no food. We saw group after group come in, sit down, order, and be served. At the 40-minute mark, we saw our waiter w a panicked look on his face as he rushed to the computer, we assume to enter our order. After we'd ordered, that waiter never even approached us - no water refills, no apologies, nothing. Maybe he'd forgotten we were his table? Finally, w all tables full and everyone but us eating (one table had even eaten and left already), my husband caught the eye of the owner and told her it had been 45 min's since we ordered. She was super apologetic, then went w/the waiter to see what the deal was. He and she went to the computer and it looked like he was showing her the order was in. She comes to us and says the order is in and apologized that they have a new system. We said, well, sorry, but that was simply too long, and left. She ran after us to give us a $25 gift card to come back.

It's too bad, too, bc this was a birthday lunch for my husband, and we had 2 other guests with us.

I've never seen this in Kaleo's before. Once the waiter had taken our order, he never came back. I think he was just too embarrassed to fess up. My husband never wants to go back. I'm willing to give them another chance -- never had this issue before! -- but don't want that waiter again. Let me give you advice if you're a wait person: if you see you've screwed up, approach the table and apologize. Then bring them an appetizer as a peace offering while they wait. Apologize again. Give them a discount on their final bill, or, better yet, a freebie.

We ended up eating at Burger King, a full hour after we had gotten to Pahoa.
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#12
Could be some of the staff are ohana is why they stick around.
Anyone have Gordon Ramsay's phone number?
Puna: Our roosters crow first
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#13
This almost sounded like human trafficking schemes. Turns out it is legal in Hawaii. It is called tip credit. Hawaii has a minimum wage but employers are not required to pay the full state minimum, they can offset by how much the employee gets in tips. The employer can also require the server to share a percentage with the whole staff. If the tips are enough, the employer doesn't have to pay a wage beyond a bare minimum. Voluntary slave labor.
http://labor.hawaii.gov/wsd/minimum-wage/

"Aloha also means goodbye. Aloha!"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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#14
" I count on my tip going to my server and that everyone else is paid fairly!! no need to eat where people are being treated unfairly"

When I worked in kitchens (higher end restaurants) the "front staff" made ~ $100/hour due to tips. The kitchen staff made between $7.00 - $11.00 / hour. Those on the higher $11-hour range of the spectrum usually had culinary degrees.

Tips rarely "trickle down".

ETA: The service at Black Rock is never great. About half the time it sucks, the other half of the time it sucks slightly less. I've always left there thirsty because they never refill water glasses. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a server after the food hits the table. You have to go to the register to get your bill because they never bring it.
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#15
Terracore why should they trickle down? Why not also tip out the gardener and cleaning staff? Because tip are "To ensure proper service" not augment the salary of all employees.

Owners love to pit the kitchen against the servers, this way he/she can walk out with more profit and have more control of the employees if they hold grudges against one another.

This is an excellent reason that unions exist. The union standards are also state law in other parts of the country, Hawaii is way lagging behind as usual.
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#16
In some of the cities that have hiked the minimum wage to $15 many of the restaurants have raised prices and adopted a no tipping policy. Personally I'm a good tipper but I think it's an antiquated system ripe for an overhaul.
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#17
You could change a good percentage of mid and low range restaurants to order at the counter type establishments, and patrons get up if they need something. However in finer places like where you worked, the salary would need to be much higher to keep quality wait staff, and I doubt that would even work. Good service = good tips.
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#18
The new trend is that restaurants are getting rid of the 'front house' staff almost entirely. Millenials prefer to order directly from the menu (a tablet or phone app) and the food is brought out by bus boys. The tablet/app also takes the payment. If there is a problem with the food or more drinks are needed it is also taken care of by the tablet/app. Order-at-counter prices with sit-down convenience. And no tips. Customers who want to be waited on can still get that service, but they pay for it. There are niche restaurants (usually in Japan) that use robots or conveyor belts to deliver the food but as the minimum wage is pushed upwards that will happen everywhere.

Honestly, I would prefer to use the tablet/app system. Not because I'm cheap but because a tablet doesn't make mistakes or ignore me.
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#19
i wouldnt worry about the service at blackrock - the food is a joke, start there!
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#20
We ate at Pineapples in Hilo the other day, and had the opposite problem. The waitress kept interrupting and telling us about herself. Maybe that gets more tips with some customers.

><(((*< ... ><(("< ... ><('< ... >o>
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