Depressed Waitresses.....

But i know a man down the street who shops in the supermarket that has a guy working there that lives next door a to a person that has been to Australia, how inportant an i........

here goes stereotyping eh!

i wish the depressed waitresses can answer this...coz its getting deeper n deeper...PEACE TO ALL OF YA :)

Tell it to the dogs. I think you are not an Aussie if you think that way! Australians are good and best on that subject, DISCRIMINATION!

Of course not all, but in GENERAL!

Flying emirates, dubai-london, in business class have to teach a couple of lessons on service, the cabin crew is supposed to provide to the passengers...and yeah the crew was mostly from the west.... guess they were those 'not all people' of west with better upbringing compared to asian's... atleast asians fared better in this instance!!! Looks like what west is going through these days, the abrasive language against the asians can be put to rest for a while when the reason for the state of affairs there is because of the people with the best of the upbringings, if it can be said so.

it’s nothing so have a position in Australia as a head mechanic in a car dealer.. my god there are many 1,000's so nothing to brag about there at his age, All the people he works with would of completed a 4 year apprenticeship to be working there, its not like Asian countries that have a guy working the farm one day and saying he is a mechanic working the next,, we call it skills and ability…. you could learn from your godson he can teach you also that in Australia we don’t DISCRIMINATE. And we don’t talk about the old “I KNOW SOMEBODY THAT DID SOMETHING INPORTANT”.. We only talk about our self and our own life experiences. You can’t teach class can you

coming from someone like you!

Wait, I think I already encountered an Aussie in a "service industry" along Salwa. And yes, they are low educated.

And now I believed in my wedding godson's comment (he is working as chief mechanic in a Toyota dealer in Australia at age 30), all locals, again, locals means Aussies working under his supervision are LOW educated if not uneducated!

People employed in the so called "service industry", are low educated and do no not know how to give good service, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks as they say, how can you teach class to somebody that has no idea what class or standard of service is about from their limited life experiences, it’s not like the western world where most, if not all people, have a better upbringing and are exposed to quality service. How can you teach class when they don’t know the meaning,??

ive even seen customer service representatives yelling back at the client telling him..."I dont work fer u.."

Ho Ho Ho!

the depressed waitresses are okay now... :0)

75 % or it could be any number?

BTW, thanks for the reply!

even it is only 10am, if they have worked late the night before... surely this will pass... give them time to smile again...

75 % or it could be any number?

BTW, thanks for the reply!

75 % or it could be any number?

Deduction meaning:

"the deriving of a conclusion by reasoning; specifically : inference in which the conclusion about particulars follows necessarily from general or universal premises"

Read more by using the mother of all that you want to know...the great 'google' aunty...:)

what "deduction" is? Is that the opposite of "addition"? Huh!

The never ending story - the right people doing the wrong job.

is that from the root word "PROFESSINALISM" lol!(peace)

Amen..again.

All those waitresses were full of smile today and here we are still dissecting 'why' they behaved otherwise the other day ...is it so difficult to look at ourselves and see if we behave exactly the same all 5 days of the week, 52 weeks a year. Already some losing their nerve for nothing...seems time to forget it and move on.... dont like it dont go, still want to go, go.. who is bothered, atleast not those (un)smiling waitresses.

Because some are trained professionally and some are not.

Brit true, but again, why are some people professional and others are not?

Too many excuses.

If you go into the "service industry", then be prepared for idiotic customers and treat them with courtesy.

I think what we were trying to figure out is the question why some people are less professional than others.

Amen.

stop your useless analysis and preaching, the whole issue is not about employer's abuse, nor about race, nor English language or what have you up there1 It is about professinalism, we all have had bad days at work, that didn't make us act badly with clients!

Get a life, when you are employed, you are more likely to be bullied than praised!

This is real life, in Qatar or in any other country!

I would say that everybody who has a job and is posting on or reading QL during work hours is giving bad service to their employers.

Unless it is done during and official break...like lunch.

but I did not mentioned 75 %. Service is very general. Even me in consultancy can be considered in service as we give consultancy services.

MAybe, you mean LOW-INCOME workers of service industry! You are referring to salesladies, waitresses, attendants etc etc.

any chance of encountering these 75 %? We are talking of a particular subject and you generalize all?

And you talk about those in the service industry, what about the customers? Did they have the proper upbringings?

Are you saying Tinker that 3 out of 4 people in Lulu or Hamad had bad upbringings? Or 3 out 4 in Qtel customer service or counters are badly raised-up?

Anyway, how do you define or who are those people you are referring to be in the "service industry"?

yes, but their number can go down to maybe 5%? ;-)

nomad , no , not necessarily. Even some of those who get paid a decent salary lack in performance...after a while.

No, but changing the salary does :-)

But does the upbringing changes by changing the jobs...:)

its good that am not in service industry anymore...amen!

75%,is that according to statistics? :(

tinkerbell...lol....:)

tinker...lol!!! Good one!

if you are brought-up PROPERLY, you will carry such manner in all your undertakings, even at the most pressured time you will encounter.

But if you were brought-up IMPROPERLY, whatever your training you received outside, bad manner will crop-up and it will be evident in your actions.

If you were brought-up to be respectful of others, there maybe time you will fail but in the end, the over-all characteristics you will display will show the sign of a respectable person.

The best thing for the OP is to return there once more and check whether the same characteristics will be displayed by the waitresses.

i agree with Flor's last comment...

How are personal upbringing and good manners related??? I may be fantastically good mannered (when not on official duty) with the best of the upbringings but my profession requires me to be stern, unsmiling and extremely crude in behavior at times with my clients. In the instant case it is nothing to do about upbringing because if that be these waitresses wouldn't have been pleasant at other times sincethe OP has been frequenting this joint with no such complaints on earlier visits.

laiba1 - Being a doctor and being a waitress are two different things. I suppose you have a guaranteed and comfortable job but for them they are there as long as they dont start complaining about the boss abusing them and making them work as he pleases. There was this guy who came up with something like the labourers doing the Salwa expressway should be positive, smiling and not complaining about the hot weather while working in the scorching mid day heat.

it's all about personal upbringing! How you were raised-up! Good manners is not acquired, it's inherent!

Its all about professionalism ...... lets say no more

Thanks fatimah for the recommendation..i will definately try this new place.

i really respect all your views.. just to make myself more clear i would say that being a doctor i too have worked 12 hours even more than that and despite having problems at home or other issues on my mind i never treated my ptients carelessly..i know they have paid to visit a doctor(although they are not paying me directly as we have fixed pays) more than that they have some expectations from me and i can say this with firm belief that most of them forget their pain, misery whatever when the doctor is polite and friendly to them..this is professionalism and nobody has taught me this... it is humanity and one should be aware of his/her duties...in whatever profession he is.

to drive the customers away! Really! 5 to ten driven away customers will ease-up the load somehow! Heheheheheh!!!

I stil say if they not happy with their job P off, many want the job they can not do,, they should remember what is lik eto be back home no money and that alone shold be the drive for good customer service, but how can they provide this when they have not been trained, same as when i went to the philippines, out of the city it was a job to have good service just like in the USA BUBBA counrty.. its ashame they dont get training,, but i have however eaten lots in the fine places here in Qatar and the service is great .. only shame is the food.. how can sri lanken cook good western 5 star food and pinos cook french food... say no more........ its better to eat in as the service and teh quality of teh food is so much higher

Visit any Indian Restaurant and you will experience what the real Hospitality is all about..... No point in having the same expectations elsewhere...... Jai Ho.

Dont think husband, boyfriend theory fits well as the probability of every waitress going through it at the same time seems quite remote.

I would suggest why not go back to them and ask what happened that day and put to rest all speculation. If I find time I may go. I guess, the date in reference is 8/11 (the third day of Eid)

tink, of course you are right.

What I think we have to consider too, is WHO those waitresses are. Probably not very educated and experienced in life . So, they just go with their basic emotions, they do not think very much further(which I think is demonstrated here pretty much every day).

So, there you have it, that is why you get what you get.

Mabe, just maybe...even if they were treated fairly, a thing like a husband or boyfriend upsetting them may throw them completely off track, and again they would let their emotions take over....lack of professionalism is rampant.

I have seen this kind of thing rather often with domestic staff.

Great idea Prism. You get a gold star and go to the front of the class. Your suggestion is brilliant ;)

I am a little surprised by the attitude of some posters on this thread. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I would never wish to suppress or shout down a point of view contrary to my own. But non the less I can't help but be a little surprised. I have known friends who have been abused in their work place, and I know their dilemma. With no possibility of an NOC their options are stick with the job and become miserable or go home and struggle financial even more than they are here and thus be miserable. For many the go home will mean not being able to return for 2 years. They need the money so they hang in there, but become so depressed it reaches a stage where they can no longer hide it. Without knowing people who have been in this position, I may possibly take a stronger stance against the staff myself. But I feel for them, I feel their pain, and I understand their situation.

From this thread and its posts I have made my mind up how to handle a situation like this should I come across it in the future. If my service is substandard because of what appears to be a 'depressed' member of staff. I will address it myself directly with the member of staff concerned. I will ask her/him if there is something distracting them from their job, and ask that they try to set it aside for the moment as although I fully understand their feelings, I would rather leave the table immediately and relocate to an establishment where I will receive good service, than to remain seated and made miserable myself. Depending upon their response I will either stay or depart. I would only take the mater up the line if the staff concerned promise to make an effort and then don't. If I sense that I am going to endure a frustrating dining experience, then I would leave as soon as possible. Now that all sounds good in theory, and I hope that I never have to put it into practice, but in the event I do, I will post a fresh thread explaining if my plan of action was successful or a complete waste of time.

But just to get back to the 'P off if you don't like it' stance; Too many times I have felt like P-ing off back home, and I too have had to consider sticking it out here or calling it a day. But with my circumstances that is exceedingly infrequent and short lived. However because I have run the scenarios through my mind, I can speculate that they have the same considerations. But add to that the fact that they may have people depending on them for financial assistance back home, throwing in the towel will also mean letting others down and that is another reason they endure. If they could simply resign and go and work for another establishment to improve their situation I'm sure they would. Depression is a hard thing to overcome, and there will come a point where it just cant be hidden, but the show must go on, and so they do. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on this website, and mine is that I feel pity for staff in this position. And I would never take the stance of P-off if you can't take it, because I have no idea what the ramifications would be for them if they were forced to do so.

I rest my case your honor.

It is OK just go again with a print out of this discussion...if they dont smile this time show them the printout...in all probability they would smile...:)

Nice attitude Drovers dog

Its not only the waitresses then who are oppressed here its the customers too. After all we are spending our hard earned cash on such establishments and when we don't get our moneys worth then indeed we too are unjustly burdened. Guess its those scum managers and owners who will be laughing their way to the bank..

On breakfasts: we tried the newly opened "Tiffany" at the Merweb during Eid and found it to be quite good. Excellent service and ambiance and the food too was above average. Recommended!

if they are not happy with their jobs,, get out, as many 1,000's are waiting to take their positions,, the main problem is in this country is the people who manage teh staff have no skills so its a free fall down hill. but as i say,, if your not happy P off

Until people understand who to work for and who not to work for, until people are not desperate anymore, know their worth and do not take s h i t anymore, all will remain the same.

Indeed nomerci, this was in the back of my mind as I was typing it.

Tb, they will just fire them and recruit a "new batch", keep them until burned out...and then it starts all over again.

You know how it is...

If all the staff were looking burned out and demoralised, then they probably were. Customers paying good money to enjoy quality food and service deserve the experience they have elected to pay for. But if staff are being mismanaged and placed in this state of mind by their employers, then it is not them I would blame, but the company. I am only speculating, but I am guessing they have been overworked over the Eid period, and I am also guessing that they have not been rewarded for their extra effort. They are probably desperate for some quality down time, and are probably under duress to perform. I would be able to force a smile and treat customers in the manner they are expecting even without adequate rest if I was being paid a professional wage to do so, and was being rewarded for the extra effort required at this time of year. Bless them, I will bet any one of you in their shoes would find it impossible to act any differently to what they have. The sad thing is, and I am making a final guess with this; this will not be read by anyone who can make a difference. So how about writing to the company without specific details (dates, times etc) asking why staff of such a prestigious establishment present themselves as demoralised and uncaring to customers. And perhaps suggest that the company may like to think of ways to replace the smile on these poor burned out souls.

some restaurants or hotel have a centralized tipping,so it goes to the waiters or waitresses.

Laiba1, with all due respect to all the people defending the waitresses, it is not their fault if these things happen maybe, but that doesn't mean they should not b reported!

thats disgusting and shocking as well!!!

Dear laiba1, u can tell ur husband it would have been a waste of time to complain!

I went there once and ordered baked potato, it had a nice white worm in it!

When I complained they decided to remove it from the bill!

No excuses...Maybe the waitresses had swallowed a worm on that day :)

Just don't go there anymore!

its sad to know that they dont get to keep the tip as we always make sure to leave some change after paying our bill..i wonder where all that money goes..

I think I have to agree with you now Han...For a while I must have had short term memory loss and have forgotten where I am LOL....

Well this was only a food joint and it does not get any better at other star facilities like banks, telephone companies, etc

Chameleon, customer service here is given the least importance, be it in banks, hospitals, clinics, or restaurants and other places. It's just a formality in most places. If you start complaining, you will be complaining about lots of issues everywhere, and at the end of it, you end up frustrated with no real outcome.

It's no excuse for tolerating bad service or bad behaviour, but sometimes maybe, one needs to let it just let it go, for their own peace of mind.

Is having a bad day, being stressed out or being underpaid excuse for giving lousy customer service? Some people need to revisit good manners, professionalism and business etiquette regardless of gender, position, social status etc.

You should have taught the waitress a lesson by reporting to the Manager so she won’t do it again…but I guess some people are really kind hearted:)

lol.....for what?i just replied coz u sounds so worried when i u said RELAX...and im so relax and calm..dont get me wrong about my advice to u,it's just a friendly advice..well good to know that u'r not interested anymore.... :)

Worry and me..for what? Anyways, men waitress in Wok of Fame got me interested... now obviously it isnt interesting anymore..so yeah, back to topic, The Opera and its unsmiling waitresses... no more WoF. BTW a counter advice... you seem to be running low on humor...take my age old prescription, a fistful of dissolvable puns and wash it down with a beer or anything you like and keep smiling...:)

lol...don't worry Prism..im relax and can handle myself as a woman..but believe it or not,eventhough i put man here in my profile,still got messages from maniacs here....this is just my advice to u,as ive said,just focus on the topic not on the user's profile,so whether they can handle their sex(man or woman) or not, it's not your probs... :)

lol..relax woman... how would I know you can't handle yourself as a woman and so need a cover.

and pls Prism..stick to the topic...don't focus on the user's profile....and try to go to Wok of Fame since u said it's interesting...nyahahahahahaha XD

Prism....I Am Woman...i just put man here in my profile so that no maniacs will message me...got it?...

Laiba, even if they open at 9 in the morning, it's not uncommon for them to be up late night, because they tend to shift accommodations frequently, and they are usually told to shift within one evening, this is just an example, so it's quite stressful. So imagine they are workin hard for festival season, have no day off, probably working overtime, replacing another colleague,and facing trouble at residence, or have something else upsetting them, they are bound to be grumpy. there could be so many more reasons, colleague sick, or someone died, or deduction of salary because of some careless mistake the day before, but they still need to report to work.

Next time you go there and still find a similar temperament, talk to them, they too like to feel respected, who knows the waitress serving you may actually forget her problems for a short while and smile at you.

... and probably they cannot complain or take the issue of rest days or time off with their management as if and when they try to do that its mostly the usual message from the top "work if you want to or otherwise we send you back home". You should count yourself lucky that you just went there for breakfast, this poor souls are stuck there the whole day and and I suppose without even a rest day during the festival period.

most of these waitresses are not working 8 hours as what in their contract stated and even they're not paid for the extra hours,i worked in a Hotel before and i know the hardship but then i chose to shift to another kind of job which is better opportunity and good salary.

Thanks for the OP who tried to understand these waitress.

Wok of Fame hire men as waitress??? Must be an interesting place to go then.

last month,i went to Wok of Fame in villagio to apply the job as a waitress and the manager told me that we have to work for 12 hours and the salary is 1,200 per month..geee can't believe they are working for 12 hours in a very small salary,i think they don't need a human,they need a robot...i didnt accept the job,im not that desperate to accept it..poor staff,we cannot blame them why sometimes they are not smiling or they don't concentrate to their work...

No James, in the Middle East you are NOT entitled to anything other than the expectation that your food is not going to openly kill you. The type of service in our home countries is an expectation here, yet is hardly what we actually get more than 80% of the time (if lucky).

From the OP's description, it sounds like their managers must have burned their minds before work. Usually if this is NOT the case, at least one or two of the waitresses will have even a polite smile for guests. In this instance, as others have said they may have been very overworked (they do not make overtime salary) and it is the Eid time (usually a contractually recognized Qatari holiday) for which they are working and probably will not see a compensation off day for.

Then there are the many instances like Sajid said, it could be salary or just working over 12 hours and no salary increases...

Oh yeah, never went to a standard hotel...err, did you mean that roadside resto called taxi restaurant!!!!

The saddest part is that they mostly do not get to keep the tips. In many if not all restaurants in here management get to keep the tip to themselves. It is just mind blowing that anyone would leave their home country and come to a place like this to get a job and get treated this way. They must be too desperate to take all that pain.

No James - not poor management. SELFISH management who makes them work many hours on top of their contractual agreement. What times have Malls and the restaurants/cafes been open? Have you seen extra staff working to cover those extra hours? There is your answer! Thankfully, just like the OP, many of us have a heart and understanding!

Nice one Sajid - and so true.

All the responses here are Bull shi*s, posted by people who never gone to a standard hotel. When we go to a restaurant like these we are entitled to get a pleasant treatment. It is nothing to do with the mood of the waitresses. And that is the first thing they should be taught in hospitality business. Really poor management.....

One day A Passenger Asked from Air hostess Why You are Not Smiling today...Even U get enough salary because of Your Smile. She Replied When we Get Salary then We Smile..

I really appreciate your answers infact i was also confused why they were behaving like that coz it was ten in the morning so they cant be overworked as the cafe opens at nine. anyhow i have heard a lot about how less these girls are paid and have to work hard enough even for that...

You said you looked around to find none of the waitresses was smiling or had a polite look on her face..

Don't you think something was wrong with them..they could be over-worked due to the rush on Eid days or possibly had some tough talk with their supervisor a few minutes back.

Good your hubby didn't complain against her to the management..hope next time it would be fine.

The waitresses at the mall are probably overworked and stressed because I too have noticed their lack of smiles, and a slightly careless attitude, but I cannot say that it's been more frequent. Never felt the need to complain............yet.

Like prism said, don't just write them off, visit them once again to check if this is becoming a trend.

They must be very tired and some incident might have taken place which might have upset them and it reflected on the service.

By the way, many a times I too get upset and do not serve my husband with smile or express irritation while serving. But even then my husband comes to home daily. Your husband decision to not visit the place is not correct and if every one take such decision, the waitress will surely loose job.

i hope there is a suggestion box in the OPERA CAFE just like in other restaurants where u can write a comments or rate the quality of the food and its staff performance.

These waitresses have been working crazy hours during Eid holidays. They are overworked and underrested. I hope things will go back to normal after this week and that you can enjoy your usual service again.

Since you say you are a regular it was just an odd day...one incident after earlier several visits shouldn't stop you from going there since you otherwise love that place.

P.S.: I am in no-way related to their business.