Please tell me I’m not the only one who found the service level in Singapore is like 6 feet under. It sucks.
Almost every time I sit down in a restaurant, or simply ordering food at hawker centres, the server/hawker will only ask “Yes, order?”. Sometimes there is not even a question. They will only take out their order pads, or the best one – raising their eyebrows at me. It’s as if we have a telepathy going on.
Whatever happened to “Good morning/afternoon/evening, may I take your order?”?
That's not food, by the way
Pardon me for being particular. But I come from the land of smiles and I mean that literally. Doesn’t matter if it’s a restaurant, a fast food joint, or an undignified “WarTeg” (small diners providing basic food, usually for lower class citizens), people always greet me with a smile and chirpy voice. Ok, not always, but most of the time.
Perhaps it’s the tips thing? It’s always customary to give tips to service staff in Indonesia, when it’s not a common practice here in Singapore. Already included in the bill, they say.
Small fact: I pay 21% service charge in Indonesia, and I still tip anyway. (we are all expected to)
Does tips really make the difference in service level?
Does service matter in the first place anyway?
For me it matters, a damn lot. I don’t care if the food is gourmet, if the service is bad the food will taste bland. I stopped going to MOS Burger at Novena Square because there is this super annoying auntie who doesn’t even speak when I’m ordering, or even look at me for that matter. That is despite my unrequited LOVE for MOS Burger. At the food court/hawker centre near home, I only buy sugarcane juice from 1 stall, just because the owners are nice, smiley, and always remembers me.
How about you? Does good service matter in your choice of where to eat?
Photo by remittancegirl, under Creative Commons NC-SA 2.0
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I dont know. I guess having lived in Singapore for most my life, I’d patronise a place if the place is good even if the person never says, hello, how are you and stuff like that. But when the server becomes overly rude and reasonable, thats when I stop going there.
You know, your post reminds me of the one that wishbone wrote, not too long back about service in Singapore
.-= rinaz´s last blog ..Bedtime Stories =-.
I have to admit I have increasingly become accustomed to it too. But I just can’t help to wonder about the service level.
At the risk of being called racist, the nicest servers (waiters/waitresses) I encounter her are mostly Filipinos. I wonder why.
I just think it’d be nice if all servers are smiley and friendly. It does make a difference to me – who knows if it makes a difference to other customers too?
Some waiters and waitress even behave like u own them money lol. Its really ashamed tat the level of service is so low despite the education level of singaporeans in average.
Do you think it’s because we don’t tip them? So that they don’t have any incentive to give good service to us?