Friendly, not familiar

I don't know if anybody else has noticed this, but when I head out to restaurants nowadays, I feel like the wait staff is trying extra special hard to get my tips. I say this because they're going overboard to be almost smothering in their friendliness. Instead of the usual "hi, welcome to So-and-So's, can I get you anything to drink today?" I often find myself confronted with servers, usually college-aged, who greet me like a friend. This is especially noticeable when you're with a group: "hey guys, how's everything going today?" and the like. For one thing, this is especially irritating when the group contains both men and woman. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't refer to women as "guys" unless they're friends of mine.

But even when it's just me at the table, too often I feel like the server is assuming an institutional, tip-grubbing kind of familiarity on me that I don't really feel like dealing with when I'm hungry, or any other time for that matter. Now, I understand that servers make a good chunk of their money on tips, and that to get those tips they need to be friendly. But there's a difference between good service and aggressive service. I find this is especially prevalent among male servers, who will lay all manner of forced banter on me, the better to make a strong impression. Is it just that women, or at least the kinds of women who are drawn to server positions, are better able to project warmth and cordiality without backing it up with go-getter aggressiveness?

So, a note to all servers and wait staff who are reading this: I don't ask for much from you. Greet me with a smile. Take my order. Bring it to me in a timely manner, and make sure it's right. If there's a problem, solve it to the best of your ability, and if you can't, bring me someone who will. And when I have my food, leave me alone and let me eat. Unless you screw up, you'll get your 20%. And who knows- if there's a problem but you solve it with grace and efficiency, or if you deliver outstanding levels of service, you may very well get more than that.

I go to restaurants for one reason only- to eat. Despite what you might think when you read some of the posts here, I do have friends, and I don't need people to act like my friends just to make my dining experience special. There's a rather disturbing trend I've noticed lately at certain restaurants I visit- after I've received the bill and the server has taken my credit card, he or she will sometimes return with the card and refer to me by my name. Seriously- WHAT THE FUCK? Oh, do I know you? Have we been formally introduced? No? Then don't refer to me by my name. Get it? Got it? Good.