Posted by Karen Upright on March 22, 1998 at 12:13:59:
In Reply to: Why do people think they can treat restaurant people so terrible? posted by RLH on March 21, 1998 at 14:20:06:
: I own a restaurant and customers in general today feel it is ok behavior to cuss and swear at people in our field. Especially if they are not seated immediately or they dont like a sauce or their table is to close to the kitchen or they think its not a good value for what they got etc...etc...etc... What the hell is the deal. we are people just like them and dont deserve to be treated this way
I have never experienced swearing in my little restaurant, but I have had some of the rudest people (upset because they weren't seated immediately on a Friday night at 8:00 with no reservation. Well, duh....) A drunk woman who sent her salmon back because it wasn't "pink" enough. Okay, now how do I refire that?
But my pet peeve is people who feel the need to comment on the specials, the soup, an item on the menu, and express their dislike or disgust for the item. I occasionally serve a spicy, creamy banana-peanut soup. I *only* make it on Friday nights, because I know the dinner crowd on Fridays is not frightened by the combination. If we have occasionally had some left over for Saturday lunch, (and please add your own nose scrunch up and Southern accent here, I'm in northern Florida) "Banana soup? Now who ever heard of that?" If you don't like it, it doesn't sound good to you, don't order it. We are not forcing you to eat something you don't want.
Also, once given the soups, why do people ask if there is anything else in *the back* as if that were some mystical place that magically produces your favorite soup? Oh, yes, we have tons of soups in "the back", delicious and marvelous soups, we just don't let you eat them because we don't like the color of your shirt.
It is well known among my customers that everything is prepared from scratch. I don't cook your vegetables until you order them. Someone complained last night because her mushroom tostada took 10 minutes to prepare. Well, I had to COOK IT. I sent the waiter out to the table with a lovely plate and this message. "Chef sends her apologies