[Sarge]

Oh boy. Yesterday we had a green egg special. We make green eggs by cooking them with creamed spinach. It tells you on the menu, on the special board and the server tells you. Yet some lady failed to read any of that nor did she "hear" the server. And of course she hated spinach. Talk about making a scene.

Then we have a regular couple who come in every sat after the hubby helps at his church to get ready for today and then they come in after church today. The wife is a true southern lady and always gracious. The hubby? Well he pays and tips well (his wife makes him). So they order the exact same order yesterday which is fairly unusual. One of the sides is fried red potatoes. Hubby COUNTS both orders and raised total cane because his wife received two more chunks of potatoes than he did. The potatoes are portioned by weight and bagged up so we do not influence the amount one way or the other by the way. Yep he got a free second order of the potatoes.

Then we have the folks who order sunny side up and complain because the whites are not completely done. Or order over easy and make you redo them until the poor things are over HARD. Or the gent who ordered poached eggs and then was perplexed because the eggs "had obviously never been in a skillet. How did you cook these?".

And steaks are a crap shoot. They order med rare and it ends up well done. Or claim that it's not the best cut. Ummm, we're a breakfast place not a steakhouse. You are paying about $5 for the steak, how good a cut did you expect? And it is usually a pretty good chunk of meat in all honesty. Not prime or choice that's for sure. But a fairly carefully picked select cut. Oh and ordering bacon rolled steak well done means your bacon is going to be very crispy, no way around it. The bacon is wrapped around the steak, remember?

Sarge

 

[txbass06]

And that's the reason I'll never work in the restaurant business again. I've got some horrible customer stories from when I was a floor manager at a locally owned diner. Some people you just can't please no matter what you do

 

[Laker]

I dealt with the public for 35 years, I could write a book!

 

[MissKitty]

Serving the public is the hardest jobs to do for any length of time. People can be so rude and mean just to get something for free. I hate to say it, but it's usually the older folks who are the worst. I understand wanting to stretch the dollar, especially on a fixed income, but some of these people step over the line repeatedly. It's sad really, imagine how miserable they must be to live a life like that day in and day out. Always upset and cranky over something. Their only enjoyment in life is to get out in public and belittle others to get an extra penny's worth. Sad.

 

[ELW00D]

I don't give anyone that handles my food trouble.

 

[Czechbikr]

Oh well, the cost of a few extra eggs, steaks, whatever is 1% or less of the cost of the advertising that it takes to get people in there to eat them. A satisfied customer will tell 4 people...a dissatisfied person will tell 10 or more. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

I am also sure that the other customers watching the diners who are playing the fool are more impressed with a gracious handling of the complaint than with the clown show going on at the table.

 

[45 Forever]

My daughter is a waitress and the stories she tells. I would love to set up there and jack slap half the customers.

 

[Aberdog1]

Did anyone order the rooty tooty fresh and fruity.. )Damn some days just suck. Worked in the bar and restuarnt business for years. I know what it's like.

 

[Sarge]

Did anyone order the rooty tooty fresh and fruity.. )Damn some days just suck. Worked in the bar and restuarnt business for years. I know what it's like.

*grin* Several times every single day at least.

And Czechbikr I agree wholeheartedly. Just the idea that some of these folks do exactly what MissKitty said and do this on a regular basis. I actually have more of a problem with the management who seem to believe we can have perfect days with no complaints or such. Not really possible when you know ahead of time that certain ones are going to do it anyway...even with a perfect meal. My eggs are gorgeous (picture worthy) and are perfect by our standards but I know I'll have at least one return. I'm cool with it but I also know I will have a manager show up and read me the riot act. *grin* And then say the eggs looked good.

Got bounced up the ladder to the next position, actually cooking things other than eggs now. Took me 12 working days and a coworker has been here 7 months and still has not left the egg station (and he butchers those) so I'm feeling good. Add in the customer comments (all good but one, ordered cheddar scrambled, got cheddar scrambled but wanted more cheddar. Perfect French style fluffy tho!) and I'm a happy camper.

Sarge

 

[sargedog]

I was wondering if you took 1 of the potato cubes from her plate and put it on his and said now your even? I think if people had to live in a poverty situation for a few days it might change their attitudes. Back when I used to eat out I always gave the waitress a tip, there was 1 time that it was on a napkin not to be so mean to the customers.

 

[wiredgeorge]

The only thing that truly irritates me when I eat in a restaurant is when the restaurant doesn't have condiments... mostly Louisiana hot sauce or worse gives you a hard time when you want to pour some hot sauce on your food. One restaurant in San Antonio (a great Greek place) is one such place. The owner sniffs when someone calls for a bottle of hot sauce and so I carry my own in each of our vehicles and when I go in I carry my own bottle. The owner now carries a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, probably just for me because if I have to use my own stuff I grunt a lot. Mexican restaurants that don't carry bottled hot sauce also drive me crazy. Most have red salsa that is mostly tomoatos and the green salsa which is SUPPOSED to have some heat but it is usually with jalapenos which just don't have much bit plus the green stuff isn't all that tasty. Come on restaurant owners! CARRY CONDIMENTS beyond ketchup... (and how do you eat breakfast without hot sauce???)

 

[Qwiks draw]

Hitting the hot sauce again are we? Hick.

 

[Fishinkeylargo]

I worked in restaurants for a long time, most of it in management. It never amazes me the stories people come up with. Glad I am out of that industry now. I do miss it some, but definitely not the complainers.

My sister is one of those complainers. I do not go out to eat with her anymore. Her food is NEVER right; she always has to complain about something every time. I can not remember a single time where she has not complained. She has turned her nose up to plates before the server has even put them down, saying things like “that’s not what I thought it was”. Hello, the menu is in plain English, what did you thing covered in our own tangy sauce means?

From the business side it is hard to combat the negative attention even from just 1 unhappy customer, so you often give in to minimize the damage. Just one more thing people in this country take advantage of.

 

[Bullshooter145]

I cooked for 11 years, and what people NEED to realize is, if you send your food back to the kitchen with a complaint, you just slapped that cook/chef in the face.......guess what you will be getting back on your plate......NEVER EVER piss off the person who handles your food!!!!

 

[Shinsou]

I'm reminded of the movie Waiting...

 

[Sarge]

The only thing that truly irritates me when I eat in a restaurant is when the restaurant doesn't have condiments... mostly Louisiana hot sauce or worse gives you a hard time when you want to pour some hot sauce on your food. One restaurant in San Antonio (a great Greek place) is one such place. The owner sniffs when someone calls for a bottle of hot sauce and so I carry my own in each of our vehicles and when I go in I carry my own bottle. The owner now carries a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, probably just for me because if I have to use my own stuff I grunt a lot. Mexican restaurants that don't carry bottled hot sauce also drive me crazy. Most have red salsa that is mostly tomoatos and the green salsa which is SUPPOSED to have some heat but it is usually with jalapenos which just don't have much bit plus the green stuff isn't all that tasty. Come on restaurant owners! CARRY CONDIMENTS beyond ketchup... (and how do you eat breakfast without hot sauce???)

We carry Cholula and Tabasco. At the end of a night I'll mix the two, mostly Cholula and a wee bit of the Tabasco, into some BBQ sauce and honey. Cut up some chicken strips, toss it and roll it in a big tortilla. Yummmm!

Sarge