While at an airport restaurant, I was dismayed to sit there for over 20 minutes before the waitress asked if I needed anything. Fighting the obvious sarcastic response, I calmly asked for a menu and a glass of water. Another 30 minutes passed before she came by again to ask if I want anything. Keep in mind that during this 50 minutes, the same waitress had been sitting other customers and taking their orders, and in some cases, delivering their food!

I was hungry, slightly annoyed, but had time to kill while waiting for my plane. Instead of leaving like my instincts told me, I chose to give the benefit of the doubt and stay. I ordered a basic hamburger and proceeded to time how long it would take. Another 30 minutes later, the burger showed up. No ketchup was offered and the table was missing utensils. I asked the waitress for a napkin and a refill on the water. She never came back.

Once again, keep in mind that she is refilling the water and giving ketchup and utensils to every table around me. By the time, I'm wondering if she is specifically avoiding me!

2 and 1/2 hour later, I left the restaurant having finally paid. The host delivered my check as my assigned waitress was completely ignoring me.

Needless to say, I wrote a big fat "ZERO" in the area for tip.

Who would have known that 10 minutes later, the poster child for customer service would hunt me down at the boarding gate and confront me about a tip. The conversation was rather loud and went something like this:

"Hey, you did not give me a tip."

"Sorry about that, let me give you a tip -- don't ignore your customer."

"I work very hard and I live off tips in order to make ends meet"

"I just paid $25 for a hamburger and water. Why don't you get your tip from the customers who you were not ignoring, tips are earned, not deserved!!"

The crowd around me clapped and the embarassed waitress walked away.

Perhaps the time spent on the East Coast turned me into a brutally honest New Yorker. I hope I don't develop an accent. Nyah...fugetabatit.