Eating Out In America...

I have really come to appreciate the service at restaurants in America after spending so much time in Europe and Australia over the past two years. Even in the cheapest restaurants, we enjoy some of the best customer service at affordable prices compared to anywhere in the world. Eating out is such a pleasure here and those of you that give your waiters and waitresses small tips should be ashamed of yourselves. The service and food in America is far ahead of what it is in Europe or Australia. This is so common in America that it is easy to take this for granted until you go overseas. It is one of the things I really appreciate coming back home to. Here are some of the things you may never appreciate until you go overseas:

1. In America, you never leave hungry. For many people, you even have left overs for your next meal and they are happy to give you a doggy bag to take it home. Portion sizes are big enough for just about everyone and I eat more than most people. In Europe, I often leave still hungry and need to grab a kebab or a Big Mac at Micky D's because I wasn't fed enough at my main meal. This was especially true in Western Europe where serving sizes are small and prices are very high. It was better in Eastern Europe where serving sizes are larger and prices are lower.
2. Good food is always available around the clock. We have several restaurants here in Austin that are open 24/7 always serving their full menu from breakfast to dinner around the clock. Good luck trying to find anything but pizza, kebab, or Micky D's in Europe or Australia after 10pm or on Sunday.
3. Prices for eating out are very competitive for what you get. The only place that is cheaper are the former Communist countries and even they are not as cheap as you would think.
4. The wait staff here are trained to be friendly, take care of you, check in with you regularly, make sure you have everything you need, and make sure you are comfortable in every way. This is not true in many parts of the world. For example, I would say Italy has one of the worst service for eating out. You almost have to beg the wait staff to serve you and they act as if they are doing you a favor. The Turkish places are the only ones in Europe that come close to the level of service you find in America. I often frequented Turkish restaurants because they have good food, service, at affordable prices.
5. You get free refills on non alcoholic drinks and water here. This is not true in most places in Europe. You even have to pay for water in most places. I ate at Magnolia's tonight and not only did I get 3 or 4 cups of coffee for the price of 1 drink, my waiter even offered to give me another cup to take with me on my way out. Don't expect this in Europe. In America, we do little things to make sure you are comfortable and taken care of.
6. You get your food reasonable quickly here. If there is any delay in preparing your food, the wait staff will let you know and offer you alternatives. In Europe, you often wait much longer and then are left wondering if they forgot about your order because they don't check in with you.

None of these things are big deals, but it is the little things that add up and make a place feel like home. The service and hospitality in America is something I will definitely miss if I end up moving to another country.