Food service asshattery

[siercia]

Snippets of people being truly assholes to restaurant employees.

A few weeks ago, Widget and I decided to catch a quick pizza at Bertucci's for dinner. As we walked up to the hostess stand, the woman who had also just arrived says to the hostess. "Hi, I'm with the so-and-so party. We've got a few more people than we expected for our reservation, is that okay?" The hostess says, "Well, I've got you down for 25. How many people do you have?" Lady: "Oh, 37 or 38. Lots of people decided at the game that they wanted to join us. You can seat us, you've got plenty of room." (Note, this was at 6:30 on a Saturday night.)

This morning, I stopped at Dunkies for my coffee. Woman comes in behind me and says "If I order a dozen bagels, I get cream cheese with that, right?" The counter dude explains that she can get the individual sizes cream cheeses, but that for a dozen bagels, getting a tub or two of cream cheese is a better price. The woman actually snitted that she thought she should get the cream cheese for free, because she was buying so many bagels, and she didn't want a large tub, because the small ones were more convenient. I looked at the prices - bagels are $.99. Bagels with cream cheese are $1.89. She's expecting to get her food for, essentially, half price, just because it's more convenient? How weird.

Comments

[jadefu.livejournal.com]

Part of the reason I try to tip as much as I can afford is because of people like that. You know that giant party probably left a crappy ass tip, too.

[siercia]

Yup, that's what I try to do too.

[the-peej.livejournal.com]

I do hope the hostess said "Hell no."

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I want to know what happened! I'm betting the hostess had no problems telling them just how many they could actually afford to seat.

[siercia]

Sadly, she just looked kind of sick and figured out a way to fit them in. I really wish she'd been able to tell them no, but in the days of "the customer is always right", customer service workers don't get to enforce basic rules of good behaviour.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

That's so bizarre. I bet it also depends on management - I'm sure in a fine restaurant, the manager has a bit more teeth to back up the host with "I'm so sorry, but unfortunately blah blah we-can't-fit-you-all-because-you-altered-your-reservation-cakes." I guess it depends also on whether they want to risk losing an insane amount of business.

[siercia]

YEs. At a higher-end restaurant, I'm sure the host/hostess can turn people away for altering a reservation like that. Someplace like Bertucci's? I don't think I could ever see it happening.

[the-peej.livejournal.com]

Screw the customer. Always right my ass.

[siercia]

Sadly, she didn't. Crammed them in, with all their ill-behaved kids careening all over the restaurant.

[bigmeanie.livejournal.com]

I love your posts about asshattery.. especially when you *say* "asshattery"! :)

[siercia]

Hee =)

[ratphooey.livejournal.com]

People are stupid and inconsiderate, and I hate them all.

[siercia]

Amen and amen.

[muffinslinger.livejournal.com]

the bagel lady boggles my mind. my favorite is when a huge group shows up 5min before the kitchen shuts and demand food, then take half an hour to order and ruins all your off work plans.

[siercia]

Oh, man, I HATED that when I worked at Vic's. Even worse when you're bussing tables and have to wait until they're totally done to run the last load of dishes through the washer.

[cfred.livejournal.com]

The only slack I'll give the bagel lady is that maybe she shops at Panera a lot. Some places do bundle cream cheese with the bagels. She sure didn't buy the clue very quickly, though.

[(Anonymous)]

My mom acts like that a lot when I go out with her. She's never had a customer service job or done foodservice. I just roll my eyes at some of her "requests." Gawd.

"Snitted." (Asshattery+Snit= Snittery) Usage: As in "My mother is often snittery with waitstaff."

[damonaleesa.livejournal.com]

That last one (about the snittery mother) was me. I'm on my way to my part-time food service gig and I wasn't logged in :)

[siercia]

I think everyone should have to work in customer service of some sort or another for at least a year, to see what it's like to be on the other side of the counter. I think a lot more people would behave like decent human beings if that happened.