Having just returned from my first visit to Vienna, I am perplexed by the conventions for cafe behaviour. In our first cafe experience, we walked in and saw no one at the front and no sign telling us to seat ourselves or wait. We waited and tried to catch the eye of the staff at the back. No luck. So we tentatively moved forward, assessing where we might like to sit. We sat ourselves down and started taking off coats. Eventually we attracted the attention of the waiter. We ordered and eventually things arrived, but if we needed anything further, we couldn%26#39;t get his attention. When we wanted to pay and leave, we saw another table attempt to ask him and they were literally scolded. When we asked for the bill, it was as though we had offended him. This was our most extreme example, but in all the other cafes and restaurants we always seemed to be somehow inconveniencing the staff by wanting to pay. It was as though there was a secret code we didn%26#39;t know. We were polite, we didn%26#39;t make any unusual requests and we neither lingered long nor ran out at the moment we were done.
So what%26#39;s the code we couldn%26#39;t crack??
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The code you couldn%26#39;t crack is that Viennese waiters are not the world%26#39;s friendliest. Their grumpiness is part of Viennese culture and you obviously found the ones striving to keep this tradition alive! They get paid a decent wage and are not dependant on tips for the bulk of their income. I see you come from Canada and I have found, perhaps even more in the States, that as a big tip at the end is hugely important to them their friendliness can at times seem over the top and artificial. The jury%26#39;s out on which approach is ultimately more annoying, though something in between the two would suit me best!
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We had been told to expect a certain amount of %26#39;coolness%26#39; on the part of waitstaff, but I guess I hadn%26#39;t thought it would be so difficult to pay them. We half thought we should just walk out to see if they cared!
And yes, I am Canadian, but don%26#39;t appreciate the over-the-top service we are sometimes known for. A smile, a check-back to be sure I have everything and the occasional scan to see if I%26#39;m trying to get your attention, and I am a happy person. I couldn%26#39;t believe how adept this man was at completely averting his gaze!
As I said, this first experience was the most extreme, but it was a theme throughout our stay. Quality of food and drink divine, though!
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We could start a long thread about waiters here...
Generally speaking, waiters in Europe seldom check if you are happy, North Ams (incl. Canada, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Isls, Mexico) tend to overdo it... In Europe (specially Italy, Greece, Istanbul - you see customers whistlening, waving hands) would be considered very rude...
The best waiters? Probably New Zealand, Philippines, %26amp; Jamaica...
Not too friendly, but cheerful...
But what really matters is the food... The worst combination is bad food %26amp; grumpy waiter...See my restaurant review of John Restaurant in Toronto...
The waiter brought me a coffee that was %26quot;stewed%26quot;, %26amp; when I asked him how long it was sitting on the burner - his answer: only an hour %26amp; we still tipped him....being kind or stupid, or both...
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