I would have sent it back -- but I don't usually expect them to scrutinize every glass, HOWEVER, really often glasses are in a big plastic 'rack' and the racks are stacked -- so if she just pulled them out and scooped ice and filled in one motion she probably would *not* have noticed. But HOW she handled it would have been my big deal -- was she properly apologetic and appalled? "Gosh, I'm SO sorry!" However - if she'd blamed it on the kitchen "Oh they screw up like that ALL the time" ... then I would have been more than miffed.
Similarly -- the one that really yanks MY chain is flatware .. most everywhere "rolls" flatware now -- supposedly so it was done in a clean environment and no bunch of people repeatedly "handle" flatware by sticking their hand in there. So it also makes it faster for the servers or host/hostesses to grab a 'roll' when they take you to your table.
BUT -- if the folks rolling the flatware aren't on the ball or don't care then you wind up with roll after roll of flatware that are sticky or ... worse yet, "3 dimensional" (bits of food baked onto the supposedly 'sterilized' flatware ... ICK!!). David, more than me, is prone to unrolling his flatware and checking it for this exact reason ... and it REALLY annoys both of us if we call the server and point out that the flatware is sticky or yucky and they take it away and just plop two more rolls of flatware in front of us that are likely just as bad (because they were washed and then rolled by the same group of inept persons). so for a server to 'take care of us' by MAKING SURE that the *replacement* flatware is spotless is likely to result in a better tip (particularly if they say "I rolled THIS myself" or "Please check that for me so I'm sure it's ok" or SOMETHING to indicate that they care!)
But again if roll after roll of flatware come out yucky, not only will their tip suffer, but I'm gonna talk to the manager.
We go to Outback pretty frequently too, and they got a new manager about 6 months ago. He looks more like a pro-football player than a restaurant manager (and he was, in fact *grin*) but he seems to be pretty darned good. We had MORE trouble with the former proprietoress -- we chased flatware every week and got to the point where we nearly stopped going simply because she wanted flatware rolled "during down time" so if it WAS busy then it got done in a rush ... hence dirty flatware. This guy simply schedules people TO do that and those folks are held accountable if it's not done well.
My point is this -- a whole *lot* of what we're talking about above has to do not just with servers, but management. The original post (Amanda's??) may have been one guy who didn't care, BUT there were a lot of other servers who obivously either didn't care either or they were ALL too pushed to do a good job. And frankly, her call to management may have been a serious wake-up call given that she works for a company who uses that restaurant to take clients out.
If 7 water glasses were ALL yucky -- I'm more inclined to think it's possibly a kitchen or management problem, than that particular server -- so how it's handled over all is going to depend on whether I dock the server ... or not and maybe I just won't go back again.
2shelties made a GOOD point above -- one that I hope everyone hears. In this day and age, it's not just how much you dock one server -- but it's the fact that most servers aren't just interested in that tip you give them *that* meal ... but keeping you coming back. Making sure your whole experience was 'good' -- whether you're at Denny's or a high-end chain or gourmet place.
I hope as this thread progresses that some of you folks who hate to "cause trouble" or who are reluctant to talk to a manager -- may decide to do so. Just walking out vowing never to return? That does NOT a bit of good unless you tell them so they can remedy the situation. I have, upon occasion, even gone to corporate because sometimes it IS just bad management. Eventually the store's profits will fail enough that the manager gets first -- but in these economic times I'd rather not see a whole restaurant fail and/or a bunch of servers lose their jobs because no one discovered a bad manager soon enough.
I've got a Sam Selzer's across the highway from my street (which ends at the highway) It's 1/8 mile from my home and I don't LIKE seeing that building now empty. I *know* it was badly managed and we'd stopped going there because it had horrid service, stuff was dirty and generally not worth going. But I don't like that being empty and derelict - it drags down the neighborhood and I wish others, besides David and I, had complained. Might not have made a difference, but ... who knows.
I think the one way we can all "fight back" and make sure we get our money's worth is to follow thru ... rather than just letting it be a tipping issue. In times when money's tight a great deal is going to come down to customer service. Because it's not a "deal" if I'm unhappy (then I wasted hours of MY time working for the money it cost to go out!) I'd rather not spend money on a meal where I walk away with indigestion over service and cleanliness.
I also think it's a huge "lesson" for the rest of us that when she posted about the original "bad service" and whether to tip or not, they went back, had a FREE meal with grand service. Sometimes taking the time to complain to the right person can do a world of good.