Sparky, that's an interesting point, I always address people as sir or madam when I'm serving them, it sometimes feels a bit cheesy but I figure it's best to start formal and back it off if they become familiar.
It's all about subtle cues. If I'm being served by someone polite, and we've had some small talk, it might be OK. But today the bloke just rushed through the whole thing, took my money, then pointed three feet behind me and said "wait there mate". Ridiculous. Plus my coffee was there 5 seconds later, so I made a show of taking three deliberate steps forward and collecting it. Crappy place. I just really like their ham and eggs bloomers so sometimes cave in.
It's all about subtle cues. If I'm being served by someone polite, and we've had some small talk, it might be OK. But today the bloke just rushed through the whole thing, took my money, then pointed three feet behind me and said "wait there mate". Ridiculous. Plus my coffee was there 5 seconds later, so I made a show of taking three deliberate steps forward and collecting it. Crappy place. I just really like their ham and eggs bloomers so sometimes cave in.