Bad restaurant service, what is it exactly?

Maybe I am becoming a cranky old woman but Bad Restaurant Service is becoming one of my pet peeves. I understand when restaurants are really busy or when there is only one server and the place is packed but when there are only about 3 table and 1 server then there is no excuse for bad service.

Case in point:

I went to a Sushi restaurant yesterday and there was about max of about 5 tables being served. There was a single lady next to me that must have been a regular. She was a very nice lady that thanked the server profusely. They brought her complimentary food and keep checking on her every few minutes. I am a quite diner. I just like to order my food, eat it, pay for it, thank the servers and then leave. I only ordered 2 hand rolls and a sushi pizza. The server never asked if I wanted a drink and never came to check if I wanted anything else. The sushi pizza was mini sized and not that extraordinary. I finished the small sized portions and sat at the table for another 15 minutes before anyone asked if I was done and then another one asked. Then I sat at the table with a $20 bill in my hand for another 15-20 minutes with no food on the table. Finally a server asked if I wanted to pay... ya think? I was sitting there clearly with money in hand waiting to pay. Even the nice lady asked if they forgot about me and didn't serve me when I finally paid my bill and left without waiting for change. Oh yeah they served me.....but well...not so much... I won't say where the place is ...but just know that it was in Vaughan.

Oh.. to make it worse there was a father and daughter who sat at another table beside me and then got served every 5 minutes while they would just walk past me and not ask if I needed anything.

Sometimes it makes me feel like walking into the kitchens and making my own food or getting what I need.

The Restaurant industry is the FOOD Service Industry but I don't know if it's just laziness or they hire the wrong people for the jobs but I am finding service seems to be getting worse and worse.

I am not one of those complaining diners that deserves bad service. I am quiet and polite and always thank the servers. I can't say that it was because I was there alone because there was another lady alone. So what was it??

Service should be consistent for EVERY diner and should be instinctive and proactive.

Good servers can read body language or at least scan a table and assess the needs of the people at that table. They should be trained to scan all tables as they are taking orders, and serving food and not just have blinders on to new customers arriving while letting the ones that have already ordered become ignored.

There are so many restaurants in this city. Many of them with bad food or bad service. When you combine both you are headed for disaster and a short restaurant life.

While I am no Chef Ramsay I am a person that dines out often and am getting increasingly frustrated with the quality of food and service that has become acceptable.

Message to future restauranteurs.

Please don't open a restaurant if you don't respect Food or the people that come to eat it.