"Your Order Will Be Out Any Minute ... Minute ... Minute ...." Quoth The Absentminded Waitron

[DonRocks]

Just admit that you forgot to put in the order for one of the dishes instead of telling us it's coming up any minute.

It's so annoying when this happens. And obvious. And pointless. People make mistakes all the time and nobody cares!

[Jeff Heineman]

Don, the dining public, on the whole, sure as hell tells you that mistakes are inexcusable. The membership here may be different, but ringing up a ticket wrong seems to demand a brow beating, a wine dinner for four and a leisurely back rub, at least for the unwashed masses.

[KMango]

Don, the dining public, on the whole, sure as hell tells you that mistakes are inexcusable. The membership here may be different, but ringing up a ticket wrong seems to demand a brow beating, a wine dinner for four and a leisurely back rub, at least for the unwashed masses.

Bill accuracy issues are different.  Nothing sets the hackles up more than a customer who discovers a mistake on the bill that, had they not noticed it, would have gone unnoticed and overpaid.  And the wrong entree coming out is a major hiccup that would garner appropriately adverse reactions.

But confessing one's service errors, such as forgetting to put an order in that mucks with timing, is the more ethical approach than throwing other, innocent employees under the bus.  Mistakes like that happen, own up where you can, and let the good karma collection make you a better person in the long run.