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1mo56j
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TalesFromRetail
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Not technically retail, but thought you guys would enjoy this. Coming in ten minutes before close, or my worst passive-aggressive customers.
|
This is probably going to be short... so I worked as a server for a few months before finding out the owner was stealing our tips... but that's another story for another day. Anyway, we closed at 9 on weekdays, 10 on weekends, but if someone came in at 9:55 you can bet your ass the boss would force us to seat them. Not even "hey, we're about to close, but you can get something to go", no. We had to serve them. The kitchen got mad at him on many, many occasions.
Like one night, when this couple (TWO people. Just had to reiterate.) came in at, you guessed it: 9:55. They take a seat without waiting or looking at us and it was with great displeasure that I took their orders. They got the works... soup, appetizers, entrees... they weren't big people either, and they didn't finish anything and refused to box anything up for themselves.
So an hour goes by, I now should have gotten off work at least 30 minutes ago. They have finally finished with their entrees and wave me over to box up the leftovers. They've now accumulated quite a treasure trove. As I'm doing this, the worst words ever come out of the man's mouth.
"Can I have a dessert menu?"
I grimace, then put on my best apologetic look. "Sir, I'm sorry but our kitchen closed over an hour ago,"
He waves that away, as if that would make it not matter, and without looking at me says "that's fine, I just want some ice cream. Just one scoop."
I have officially been dismissed, and I don't want to invoke his wrath or the wrath of my terrible boss, so I go to the kitchen window and ask for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, apologizing profusely to the head chef who I always really liked. He looks crestfallen, the poor thing, but goes to get me the scoop. I take it out to them, thinking okay, it's just one scoop of ice cream. Surely they'll finish it fast.
Nope.
I swear to Darwin this is true, they took HALF AN HOUR to eat that one scoop of ice cream. Stupid boss's policy is that no one can leave until all the customers are gone, so everyone is standing around trying to look busy.
It's now 11:30. One and a half hours after I was supposed to go home. I allow myself one last little dream, that maybe--just MAYBE, they realized what they had done and left a nice tip. It was a HUGE bill, after all.
$1.50.
I almost screamed.
TL;DR: Couple comes in right before closing, orders a shitton of food and stays for at least an hour and a half, and then leaves $1.50 tip on about a $50-60 bill.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/1mo56j/not_technically_retail_but_thought_you_guys_would/
| 133
| 64
| 1,379,541,096
| 9
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relevance
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2bv87c
|
TalesFromRetail
|
A rich man helps the poor
|
So I work a locally, family owned fast food restaurant, similar style to a chain burrito restaurant.
So this past week I am working the morning shift and a man *We'll refer to him as RM(Rich Man)* comes into our parking lot in a brand new 2014 Lamborghini.
The staff of the restaurant, including myself *ME*, just stare as this man enters our establishment.
He proceeds to order two burritos and then comes to the register, where I am working for my shift that day.
*Me*: That will be $21.72
*RM*: Alright (hands me his card)
*Me*: (runs the card, receipt prints, put it down on to the counter) Can you sign this copy for me?
*RM*: Yeah no problem! (fills out tip and total line and proceeds to sign, then hands the receipt back to me
*Me*: (takes the recipt and looks to see if there was a tip added to adjust later...Look down and see $100.00 in the tip line) Umm, sir did you mean to write this?
*RM*: Well of course I did I love this place!
Side note: Our employees do not receive tips because the owner of the restaurant is a selfish pick and can get away with it because he has posted a small sign in the corner that says the restaurant gets the money not the employees. And we all hate it but we don't have anywhere else to work.
Continuing....
*RM*: Now I've heard the employees here don't get their tips is that correct?
*Me*: Yes sir
*RM*: Well get me the closest thing you have to an owner here right now and ill make sure you get this money
*Me*: Yes sir! Thank you sir!
*Owner's Son*: (Conversates with the RM and ends up allowing us to keep the $100 tip)
I will remember this man forever and how he was so kind to help out poor college kids making burritos to pay the bills, he really brought back my enthusiasm and restored my faith in humanity.
This really shows a good side of people! And I hope this guy sees this and can understand my fellow staff's and my appreciation for his kindness!
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/2bv87c/a_rich_man_helps_the_poor/
| 259
| 28
| 1,406,479,015
| 9
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restaurant tip
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relevance
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1ai0a7
|
TalesFromRetail
|
The Corporate Jet Wench, Part 1
|
I was just reading a story about a retail employee that got tipped for the first time. It brought back memories of my first good tip, so here goes. In college, I worked at a private jet services company for about 6 months. It's not quite retail in the traditional sense, but it is really the same thing. We did everything. And the tips were horrible. $1 here, maybe $2 there. On a $35,000 service bill. Rich people don't get rich by giving it away.
The job was similar to retail. Move customer's luggage from A to B. Walk the catering to the aircraft (we order, receive and store it; they serve it). Load coffee pots (we brew it on the ground; they serve it). Refill ice machines (we make the ice cubes; they serve it). Valet customer's cars. Get anything the pilots ask for. None of it was really all that bad...
...except for lavatory duty. That was a nightmare.
To understand why, you need a background in how they work on airplanes. On small jets, they have a tank of approximately 5 gallons of "blue juice", a mixture of water and caustic chemicals that eat organic material quickly. When you flush on an aircraft, it drains the bowl into the bottom of that tank of blue juice, then rinses the bowl with blue juice from top of the same tank. That's why it's heavily colored and scented - on long flights, that juice might circulate through 10 or 20 times, depending on how large the aircraft is.
When the plane lanes, near minimum wage joes have to pull a wheeled, 1000# cart out to under the aircraft by hand, open a service panel, dump the tank into a lavatory cart, and finally pump fresh juice back into the aircraft to top off the tank. It's important that this is done shortly after landing, especially in the summer. The longer it sits in the tank, the smellier it gets. It gets stinky exponentially faster when it's hot outside (magnified by the heat of the tarmac).
If all goes smoothly, it's smelly and gross, but nothing that disposible gloves and a face shield can't protect against. If it goes wrong, it goes catastrophically wrong. Three things can happen:
* 1. You can fail to get the twist-lock connector on the dump port all the way. It will leak used juice all over you and the tarmac*. If it gets on your skin, you need to get it off immediately. If left on your hands for 10 minutes, they'll stain blue for a week. If left on your hands for 1 hour, the top layer of your skin will peel right off. If left on longer... I don't want to know what happens. To get it off the concrete, you have to use a Hazmat Cleanup kit to soak it up (neutralizing kitty litter), then pour on a mixture of bleach and hot water.
* 2. If the last person to dump the lavatory at the last airport didn't close the dump valve all the way, the blue juice will slowly drip out the dump port. It's no big deal for it to drip all over the runway, but once the aircraft gets to high altitudes, it starts to freeze where it drips out. It's very common to open the panel to access the dump port and have a 20# block of blue ice hit your boots.
* 3. Passengers on chartered or corporate jets love to throw non-organic items down the lavatory. Feminine products, diapers, plastic bags, etc. We've seen it all. Usually it clogs the system, refuses to drain or refill, and requires a maintenance crew to take it apart. The aircraft is grounded for several hours while this happens, and our crew was $125 per hour during the day (it took two technicians over an hour each).
Fast forward to Thanksgiving Eve*, 2006. I'm in a particularly bad mood because I've been working full time, attending university more than full time, and paying all the bills for the house. Money's tight and I can neither afford to buy one of those boxed nor take my fiancee out to a restaurant, and we don't have the time to cook it up ourselves. Hungry Man dinners, here we come. It's about 5pm, I'm at work, and our last scheduled corporate jet has just landed. They drop the passengers and request a "quick turn", which translates to, "Please service my aircraft as quickly as possible. I live two states away and I want to be home before midnight!" Mind you, these guys work for a national chain that owns the aircraft -- they just fly it. The captain just flies it and the co-pilot does everything else in the cabin during cruise.
I'm stuck on lavatory duty for that aircraft. I pull my heavy little cart over, hook up, and pull the dump valve. Nothing. Check the release cable, check the cart, check the fluid levels. Everything's fine. Try to dump again. Nothing. Meanwhile, the rest of my crew has dumped the trash bags, unloaded uneaten catering, emptied coffee tanks, emptied ice bins, refueled, charged for services, and are all done. Twenty minutes of fussing with this stupid lavatory dump valve and I have to tell the aircrew it won't dump.
"Sorry, guys, the aircraft has to be taken down for maintenance. You're stuck here for now."
The kicker is the maintenance crews went home at 3pm for the holiday. They're $200/hr on call, and the charter company won't authorize that kind of money. They're to be put into a hotel until the day after Thanksgiving. And they're destraught that they won't get to see their families.
Knowing this was probably a plugged toilet, I couldn't stand to see them be away from their families over something so silly. If I can't see mine, at least they should get to see their. Sometimes you can get lucky fishing for the obstruction "over the top". So I grabbed two black trash bags, pulled them over my arm up to my armpit and bunjee corded them above my bicep. I plunged my fingertips down the toilet, then my whole hand, and the next thing I knew I was up to my elbow. I managed to find the obstruction, grabbed it as hard as I could, and sat down and backwards to help pull my arm out. POP! Infant-size diaper in my hand, caustic fluid up to my bicep, and terrible smells everywhere.
I ended up in the employee restroom, down to my trousers, scrubbing my whole arm just in case I'd come in contact with anything. I felt good that at least somebody was getting home for the holiday. I came back out to see them off and they were some of the most thankful poeple you'd ever meet. As I went to shake the captain's hand, he held it longer than a handshake normally lasts, gripped extra tight, and winked at me. I got the hint. When he let go my hand went straight to my pocket.
I marshalled the aircraft out to the runway, waved back as they taxied away, took off my reflector vest and put down my light cones, and dug into my pocket. Out came four $20 bills and I almost cried right there on the tarmac. Written across the top in marker, it read, "Thank you for the most amazing" and at the bottom, "act of kindness we've ever seen." The next one read at the top "Please accept our most sincere thanks" and at the bottom, "and DO NOT POOL THIS TIP!".
I'm happy to say that the next day I made it down to KFC and managed to talk them into selling my a turkey dinner that somebody had ordered but failed to pick up. The total, $80 plus tax. Somehow, it seemed fitting.
Edit: Fixed tpyos.*
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/1ai0a7/the_corporate_jet_wench_part_1/
| 319
| 20
| 1,363,572,412
| 9
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28aub7
|
TalesFromRetail
|
In which I am a Nasty Girl for following my store's protocol during lunch rush.
|
Orright, so to recap on my previous situation as mentioned in my Creep Chronicles [[1]](http://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/1j5pl2/the_creep_chronicles_ill_take_you_to_expensive/)[[2]](http://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/1j8fm9/the_creep_chronicles_the_wildlife_photographer/)[[3]](http://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/1jds5b/the_creep_chronicles_the_guy_who_invaded_my/), I work as a hostess at an Asian Fusion restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. I make $12 an hour at this job, which is above minimum wage but still puts me at the lowest-earning Front of House staff because I rarely ever get tipped in my position and the tips split amongst the waiters and bartenders usually add $100-150 more to their weekly income than mine. Despite this, still care desperately about performing well, I swear I am the nicest Hostess there. I always want to make people's experience good, super cheery at all times. It's something of an ego thing for me, almost--I want to do my job as well as I possibly can to show that I am capable and give no one any reason to be mad at me.
Midday lunch rush, restaurant is filling up rapidly. Nothing has gone wrong. Deliveries are going out smoothly, people are happy to sit where I've seated them, no one's tabled-jumped and forced me to scramble to let a server know that their table has migrated before food gets delivered to the wrong guests.
Little Old Asian Lady, henceforth referred to as Angry Auntie, comes in.
Pudding: "Hi, table for one?"
AngryAuntie: "No, two."
Okay so I should tell you, this is a popular restaurant and during busy hours we have a very strict policy that all parties must be complete, aka everyone has to be here before being seated. This is a common rule among restaurants in this area and not unique to us at all. Another hostess was fired just last week for violating this very rule multiple times, so I am extremely wary of it.
Pudding: "Ma'am, we have a rule that parties have to be complete before being seated, but feel free to take a seat right here to wait for your friend."
AngryAuntie looks pissed, stands off to the side and does not take a seat. This should tip me off to the trouble ahead, but the restaurant activity sweeps me away and I'm not able to dwell.
Many groups come in, and I seat them. I am very busy and walking from the kitchen to the front constantly inbetween seating people, as I also have to take incoming delivery and pickup orders over the phone, take any other phone orders (WHERE IS MY FOOD?), give delivery guys their delivery receipts to ensure they have the correct address, and get people their take-out orders from the kitchen. Remember this is Midtown Manhattan lunch rush. Multiple office buildings order food from their employees from here, as well as anyone else hungry for Korean Fried Chicken. Even when our actual store isn't completely packed (which it often is), we usually have ~20 active deliveries or takeout orders during lunchtime which I am responsible for.
Uh-oh, AngryAuntie is looking more and more annoyed. I hear her mumbling angrily under her breath about how absurd it is she has to wait.
She has waited about 5 minutes (my computer has a to-the-second clock and I always keep an eye on it to try to make sure customers aren't waiting too long or to try to pacify them if they have) when her friend comes in. We'll call her Grumpy Granny. Relief suffuses me at disaster averted, and I grab two menus.
Pudding: "Hi ladies, table for two right? Right this wa--"
GrumpyGranny: "No, three."
Fuck.
Pudding: "I-I'm sorry ma'am, but as I've explained to your friend I cannot seat you until your entire party is present."
It is at this moment that all hell breaks loose. I knew Angry Auntie was not in the best mood for having had to wait 5 agonizing minutes, but I was completely unprepared for what was about to be unleashed upon me.
AngryAuntie: "YOU ARE A NASTY GIRL!! YOU ARE RUDE!!"
GrumpyGranny: "SHE'S HERE ALREADY!! SHE'S HERE!!"
I swear I'm not making this up or even exaggerating even a little guys. I am standing in the middle of the busy restaurant with two tiny old Asian ladies literally SHRIEKING at me at the top of their lungs as I try to placate them.
Pudding: "Ma'am, I'm sorry, I understand you want to be seated right away bu--"
AngryAuntie: "YOU ARE THE FIRST NASTY GIRL I'VE MET HERE!!"
Technically they've already met me, I recall seating them once previously with no issues aside from that the two of them arrived first and waited over an hour for their friend to come before ordering.
GrumpyGranny: "WE BEEN HERE BEFORE AND WERE ALWAYS SEATED RIGHT AWAY!"
I try to explain that that's because they came here at 3pm (the slowest business time here) so we were able to seat them right away since the restaurant was empty (I was there yo).
They are not having any of it. More screaming about how horrible I am.
Thankfully after a few minutes of them yelling at meOHMYGODWHEREISMYMANAGER their third friend shows up and I am able to show them to a nice table and wave over a waiter to take their order LIKENOW.
I start to walk back to the front, visibly shaken. I'm no shrinking violet, but getting yelled at in public out of no where shocked me and I can feel the adrenaline.
I notice looks of sympathy from people sitting at the bar who overheard the tirade.
Manager goes over, apologizes to the Asian Ladies but explains that I was only doing my job. Angry Auntie and Grumpy Granny are still not satisfied. As I walk away I hear them ask the waiter if he is the manager.
Inside joke at this store, everyone mistakes that particular waiter for the manager. The actual manager is much younger looking and dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, whereas all the waiters wear a black button-down and black trousers.
Waiterbro takes their orders and comes up to my computer to input it so we can talk.
Pudding: "What did they want?"
Waiterbro: "They ask me if I'm the manager and then said you were rude to them and they wanted you fired. Fucking idiots."
Apparently being asked to wait ~6 minutes is grounds for trying to ruin someone's life by getting them fired.
Please note that during this entire escapade I have not once raised my voice or spoken to them rudely. At all. I am pretty softspoken and excruciatingly polite to customers no matter what, and everyone working there knows this. I'm also the only person who's never been written up in a bad Yelp review (whether justified or not). So I have some cred.
I am at this point very angry and upset, various staff come up to console me. Manager comes by and tells me he saw it all, and not to worry about it.
A while later, I have cooled off and decide to be the bigger person. As the three ladies leave, I smile at them and say "Have a nice day ladies!" Completely genuine, no sarcasm.
GrumpyGranny responds by shoving her finger in my face and snarls
"Don't ever do that again!"
BITCH.
Later I tell manager the whole story, and we realize that AngryAuntie had probably told me there would only be two people in a bid to faster secure a table--the tables are two-seater tables, we push two together to make a four-seater. Those three ladies always dine here together.
Manager says he wished I told him that (that they lied), then he would have just told them to leave since they were deliberately causing trouble. Also says if they ever cause trouble again they will be banned.
For the rest of the time that I worked there, I never saw them return.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/28aub7/in_which_i_am_a_nasty_girl_for_following_my/
| 176
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168ef2
|
TalesFromRetail
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How dare you put sauce on my wings???
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I'm a server at a corporate chain restaurant which brings daily misery. Last week I had a table of gay guys. Normally gay guys are really nice and good tippers. Sometimes though you get ones that turn their whole meal into a Lifetime movie. These guys took about 15 minutes to decide what to eat. They finally ordered wings for an appetizer and burgers for their meals. The guy who was paying made a huge deal about how he wanted his wings and burger extra well done. I rang in the wings and sent in a memo saying to make them extra well done. I brought them out and a few minutes later came back to check and he told me they were definitely not well done enough. I apologized and took them back. The kitchen remade them and you could see under the sauce that the wings were BLACK. I brought the wings back out and the guy says really loudly "WHY IS THERE SAUCE ON MY WINGS?". Mind you, the first time I brought them out they had sauce on them too. I apologized and told him that our wings always come with sauce on them. Because what restaurant have you ever been to that doesn't put sauce on their wings? He then announced to everyone in the nearby vicinity "OH NO HONEY, SAUCE MAKES THE WINGS SOGGY". At this point he told me to cancel the wings. Then his burger came out and unfortunately was not well done enough. I had the manager take the wings and his burger off the check, leaving the total bill at $25. I was fed up so the manager talked to them and I took the payment quickly. When they left I picked up the check and he had left me no tip and wrote NO PINK (our term for well done) under the total, like it was an explanation for leaving no tip. Needless to say I was done with overdramatic gay guys for the night.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/168ef2/how_dare_you_put_sauce_on_my_wings/
| 75
| 34
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1hvtmr
|
TalesFromRetail
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drunk people should really pay closer attention to their money...
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Friday night a woman came in to the restaurant I work at with her husband, two children, and another woman. She was obviously over the age of 50, wearing a tight red dress, six inch heels, and Hollywood sunglasses. She was already drunk when she arrived, and drank approximately 8+ cosmos during dinner.
Around 9, the two woman at the table begin making out. At 9:30, they go to leave and can barely stand up. Two managers had to help walk them back to their rooms (the restaurant is inside a hotel.)
Saturday morning, the same woman calls down for a to go order. She arrives to pick it up in the SAME CLOTHES AS THE NIGHT BEFORE. Her bill rings up to $46.65. She's very obviously still drunk, giggling and falling all over herself. The handwriting on the check is nearly illegible, but I do notice one thing after she leaves: she wrote down $66 next to the total instead of $46.65.
I asked my manager what to do about it, and her exact response was, "if that bitch was too drunk to write down the correct total, then go ahead and give yourself the difference as your tip."
And that's the story of how I made a $20 tip on a $45 bill.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/1hvtmr/drunk_people_should_really_pay_closer_attention/
| 85
| 18
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117i1f
|
TalesFromRetail
|
Wong change.
|
During a recent outing, I ate at a hometown Chinese restaurant. The bill came to $19.03. I paid with a $20, then as a convenience to the cashier, added a nickel mid-transaction (to receive a $1 bill and two pennies as change). Well... that didn't happen.
"Your change is $0.92" (Caucasian American born high school age female) - Note: Not to have any racist implications, but I'm just clarifying that this is not a mistake due to cultural differences (Some foreign-food restaurants have native born people who are not so great with American currency yet - this wasn't the issue.)
My full intent in even giving the cashier the nickel was so that I could add another dollar to the tip to be left on the table. The fact that I had now been shorted a whopping dime was not the issue at all. I assume that as a waiter, I would rather have paper bills than a handful of change left as a tip (though, yes, i understand they'll take whatever they get and be happy either way.)
So, cashier's logic when I told her that I had the wrong change "Well, you gave me that nickel, so I had to take it off of the amount I owed you back."
Le sigh. Long story short, I ended up replicating the transaction with change on her counter, just to show her where her mistake was. As a person who works with money, she should know basic math skills. I also left the other $1.02 that I used to demonstrate in her tip cup when she had finally figured it out.
As I was leaving, she said, "Hey, you know you're not the first person to tell me I gave them the wrong change today."
/facepalm
TL;DR I received wrong change, I might be an asshole, but I went to pretty far lengths to correct this, and I hope that I helped her to not short-change someone in the future who might become legitimately angry with her.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/117i1f/wong_change/
| 30
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| 1,349,807,677
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2btt3v
|
TalesFromRetail
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"So you were beaten up by an old lady who can't read?"
|
For the past five years I’ve worked as a host/cashier a local restaurant that specializes in breakfast, though it also has a comprehensive lunch and dinner menu. It’s a regional chain that’s slowly expanding through the midwest, and I work in one of their Kansas City metro area locations. Our area happens to be a high coupon volume market, which means a great deal of our customers shop with coupons.
With that in mind, it’s a rather busy lunch hour on a Sunday a week or so back. Sundays are our busiest days, especially after 11:00AM. We’re understaffed during this particular hour, but not by much. Most of the staff are at a 7/10 stress level for this particular moment. I’m by myself at the front of the store trying to maintain the cash register and a waiting list simultaneously. It’s at this moment that an older lady approaches the registers.
“Hello, ma’am, how was your meal today?” I ask in my usual quick greeting.
“Fine,” she curtly replies, then hands me a $20 bill, a coupon, and her open ticket.
"I'm glad to hear it," I reply calmly. I scan the ticket and coupon and then I see an error message appear on my POS terminal. I check the terms listed on the coupon. The first sentence reads, “Cannot be used on Sundays,” which is a typical restriction for coupons in this area (Sundays are swamped because we serve breakfast all day and a lot of people head straight to our establishment after church, so we do not promote coming in on a Sunday with coupons).
In the nicest way possible, I inform the lady that this coupon cannot be used. I then hand it back to her. I make sure to explain that the computer wouldn’t accept it because of this restriction.
She blinks at me after taking the coupon back, huffs, then says, “Well, our food was cold when we got it.” I could tell from her tone that she only said this to get a discount on her meal in place of the failed coupon. To avoid discount abuse, management insists that we check on guest satisfaction both at the table and at the register. If we were given an opportunity to fix the problem and we didn’t get it right, we discount the check.
“Did you inform your server of this?” I asked, thinking back to the term “fine” she had just used to describe their meal when I had asked not a minute before.
“Well, no,” she replied.
I mentally sigh. “In that case, ma’am, there is not much I am able to do for you. You did not allow us the opportunity to fix that problem before this moment.”
She glares at me and asks, “You know what this means?” She turns to her husband and demands, “Get the tip from the table.” The older gentleman quietly slinks off to the table while the two of us stand awkwardly at the terminal. Meanwhile, the crowd of people at the front starts growing, and I’m the one that is supposed to be adding people to the wait list. Stress Level: 8/10.
“I apologize, ma’am, once again for this misunderstanding. Though the coupon can be used any other day, just not today.”
“I could care less about that. Here,” she says as she crumples the paper. She then throws it in my face. Stress level: 10/10. It’s at this moment that the man reappears with one additional dollar that should have belonged to their server.
“It was a clear condition on the coupon, ma’am,” I fumble for words, trying to keep my composure in this stressful moment.
“Well, I didn’t read it!” she yells at me.
It’s now that I see they are two cents short for paying their bill in full. I tell them that they don’t need to worry about it, that they can leave now and I’ll scrounge up some change for the rest.
“Good,” she says, “We’re not coming back.”
Later on I explain this encounter to my boss. He asks me jokingly, “So you were beaten up by an old lady who can’t read?”
I guess so. We all laugh it off and keep on working.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/2btt3v/so_you_were_beaten_up_by_an_old_lady_who_cant_read/
| 101
| 7
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24rcda
|
TalesFromRetail
|
Tales From The Bowling Alley
|
My first job ever was in a, you guessed it, bowling alley. We had an arcade, food court, and bar. I never worked in the bar since I was only 16 at the time, but I still have a few fun stories from when I worked there from customers and coworkers alike. I also worked at two separate locations, so double the fun!
No TL;DR for you, there are a bunch of different stories.
I'll start with some of the customers:
-For one, it seemed like only white people asked for "peppers" for their nachos, as opposed to "jalapenos".
-Quite often, we would get a family or group of people that would come up and ask for a "meat" or "veggie" pizza. Every time, I would try to explain that we had a decent selection of meat or veggies, but they would always repeat "meat" or "veggie" pizza. When this would happen, I would put every kind of meat or veggie on the pizza. At least I never got a complaint.
-I apologize in advance for the race thing, but I can't even count the amount of times we would have black people complain that we didn't have fruit punch as a beverage. We had pink lemonade instead of fruit punch, but the powers that be decided not to change the pink lemonade thing since they would often decide on pink lemonade or sprite instead. On a slightly related note, I did have multiple people order a large drink, and then come up after finishing the entire thing complaining about "something" floating in their drink and demanding a free one.
-At the second location that I worked at, management decided to start charging for cups of water. They said it was to cover the cost of the cup, since we did give out water cups rather frequently. So many customers got pissed at me that we were charging for water cups despite the fact that the buildings also had water fountains. We only charged 25 cents for the cup, and you got free refills. Even though I thought it was silly to even charge for water, I still thought it was silly that people got SO MAD. Apparently, even though we had a "water cup" button, it rang up as "large cup". I had one lady snidely ask me, "Can I have a large cup for my water since I'm paying for one, anyway?" I didn't even respond to her. I just grabbed the large cup. Though I admit I did passive aggressively fill it so that when she went to put a straw in it, the water would flood the lid. <___<
-I can't even tell you how many times someone would get pissed at me because we didn't serve any kind of salad. It's a fucking food court in a fucking bowling alley. We have finger foods, not an all out restaurant menu. It was always these immensely overweight people that would complain, too. I understand wanting to eat healthy (though I could only imagine the amount of ranch I'd have had to put on salads, if we had them), but it was a BOWLING ALLEY. Hardly the best place to go for healthy eats. I've been back to that chain of bowling alleys, and they've since added salads to the menu (I worked there back in 06). Many lolz to be had on that one.
-At the second location, we did not offer salt shakers for people to use at the food court or take to their tables. Rather, we had little salt packets so you could take as many as you wanted. There were nights there reserved for league bowling, and I got to know a lot of the bowlers pretty well. There was one lady who ordered a large bowl of popcorn for her group every time they came in. Each of those times, she took the salt packets without complaint. One night, though, she asked me if she could have a salt shaker. "I'm sorry ma'am," I said, "We don't offer salt shakers, unfortunately, but we do have salt packets just at the end of the counter, there." Suddenly, the attitude reared it's ugly head. "I don't want that!" she exclaimed, "I want a salt shaker!" "Like I said, ma'am, we really only offer the salt packets at the end of the counter." She snatched her bowl of popcorn, grabbed a handful of salt packets, and stalked back off to her lane. I honestly wouldn't have been as agitated if she hadn't been coming in for WEEKS beforehand, and never complained previously. I mean, what the fuck?
-I worked in redemption for a time (basically the ticket counter). At the first location, we started using these little plastic "keys" instead of tokens. (They did eventually switch to cards.) It was always really irritating when people would come up to the counter and tap those fucking things on the counter rather than say "excuse me" if I was restocking prizes or something. I'm not a fucking dog, thanks.
-Our ticket counting machines were a real pain in the ass. Despite the fact that we had signs posted all over the damned things that they saved the tickets to the "key", and did not print out a receipt, people would constantly come up and bitch that they didn't get a receipt. There was one time when I was changing the garbage bag that collected the tickets in one machine while some lady and her kids were using the one next to me. The lady turned to me and said, "This machine didn't print a receipt for us!" in a rather rude way. I didn't even say anything. I just pointed to the instructions on the machine that said they didn't print any receipt. She read it and then glared at me and said, "What are we supposed to do, then?!" I again didn't say anything, but pointed to the very next instruction on the list that said to just go to the prize counter and we could get them their prizes. She continued to glare at me as she stormed over to the counter with her kids.
-Smoking was still allowed indoors when I worked there, but there was no smoking allowed in the arcade. I was walking up to the counter after sweeping the floors and saw a guy standing up at the prize counter, holding a cigarette behind his back and talking to my coworker. I walked up behind him and got pretty close before saying, "Excuse me sir, but smoking isn't allowed in the arcade. You'll need to take that back to the bar area." He jumped nearly a foot in the air before turning to me, mumbling an apology and sulking off. My coworker had no idea how she didn't smell it.
-There were some nice customers, of course. I was in the food court one day, when a small group of twenty somethings came up and ordered a shitload of food. I'm talking burgers for each of them. Tons of fries. A pizza, and mozzarella sticks. After I took the order, they paid, and started walking to their lane, one of the guys turned around and came back. He got my attention and slipped me $5, saying, "I know how much these jobs suck, sorry for the huge order." It honestly picked up my day, and I gave them extra of whatever I could. (:
-Another nice customer story. Every now and then, a group of Indian folks came in (Again, sorry about the race thing, I mean no offense). I'm talking BIG groups of 30-40 people. They'd come and bowl for HOURS and order a shitload of pizza/pitchers of soda. They would always call ahead so we could start on their pizzas early. We were expected to serve them at their tables by management, so that usually left at least one of us basically being their personal server, and they always tried to make all requests in one go. At the end of it all, they would tip $40 or more so each person working to make their gathering happen would get at least $15-$20. (: This was especially nice since we were paid minimum wage. They didn't even have to tip (often, we would each go home with some extra change in our pockets) but they really loved our service. (:
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/24rcda/tales_from_the_bowling_alley/
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hot
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2233v5
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TalesFromRetail
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The price of justice is a free buffet...
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I have recently started a job as a buffet cashier at a giant casino resort in a giant SEC college football town. Sorry for the wall o' text coming, but most of it is background info about the place that I work.
Just a little background about our establishment: We are open from 7 am to 10 or 11 pm. We work with the casino by allowing the guests to use their casino cards to purchase meals, as well as getting host comps, coupons for visiting frequently and spending X amount a month. The casino has a tier system for player's cards, which depending on the amount of points you gain with your card, you get the corresponding card. Our lowest is for beginners or people who do not spend a lot, and the highest range is for people who spend upwards of $500,000 a year in the casino. Now, we grovel at the feet of the top 3 tiers (there are 5) because they pay 10-50x our yearly salary to play there. So basically, they are paying our salary. To combat our high tier players having to wait in line for anything, we have a special line just for them. Say you are at the buffet and the wait in the normal line is 1 hour (Wednesday and Friday we have a line for upwards of 3 hours, both to pay and to sit.) you cannot jump into the high tier line, because we will turn you away and make you go to the end of the very long line. Also, at any given moment, especially a high volume day, we will have upwards of 1,000 employees working in the resort. Ever got to know 1,000 of your coworkers? Yeah, me either. Anywho, on to the story!
It is the end of our night, we are wrapping up the line at 11 pm on a Friday. Last in line is a lady we will call, Entitled Host Comp Lady (EHCL) because she was using a host comp. I come from running around trying to get the tips that were paid at the register out to the servers they belong to. As I approach my register to begin counting it down, this lady jumps the 3 people ahead of her and beelines it straight to me from the high tier line. In my cheery customer service voice, I inform her that she will have to go back to the end of the line and wait her turn, as she is only the second level from the bottom and not eligible to receive the perks of the high tier line. This does not make EHCL happy, but she trudges back to the end of the line while I take the next customer to cut the line down. Finally, I am able to take EHCL (JOY!).
Our transaction is as follows:
EHCL: Here's my comp, my ID, and my card. I can't believe you made me go to the back of the line! I have the bronze card!
Me: I'm sorry ma'am, the higher tier cards are the only ones allowed in that line. Those cards are the gold, silver, and black cards. (as I am explaining, I'm ringing up her buffet, at 5 minutes past closing, might I add).
EHCL: Well I spend so much money here, I feel like I should just get a break. I've lost $500 tonight, and I am starving! I had to wait in that God awful line and beg to be let in, because the manager was rude enough to cut the line off before me! Everyone should be let in if they are in line!
Me: Well ma'am, we cannot let everyone in, as we are scheduled to leave an hour after closing, and it looks as though we will have people pushing into overtime since we still have a full dining room and lots of work to do cleaning after you all have left!
At this point, I put in her comp amount, slide her player's card, and an error with a -0- balance pops up on my screen. I try 3 more times to ensure it wasn't just delayed. I'm tired from a 9 hour shift dealing with customers and their complaints. I really just want to get this lady seated and gone.
Me: Ma'am it looks as though your host did not put the money on your card. I'm sorry, but...
EHCL: Why is it every time I visit this establishment, it's always something wrong?! I have an email that Andrew (host name, changed of course) sent me! It says that the comp should be on it!
Me: I'm sorry ma'am, but you would have had to have gone to the player's card center to get the coupon for that comp. It does not show up on the card. This comp slip you've given me is mostly blank, other than your name, player's card number, and the amount. Has this been used?
EHCL: Yes! It's from the last time! I figured it was the same amount! Just call Andrew! He will get it straight.
My awesome manager, comes walking up at this point wondering why this lady is still up front.
Manager: What's the problem here?
Me: She gave me an expired and used comp slip, and there is no comp on her card.
EHCL: CALL ANDREW NOW!
Manager: Ma'am, who is Andrew?
EHCL: My host! He sent me the email! **searches through phone to find email for another minute**
Manager: Ma'am, I do not know who Andrew is. And since it is already 8 minutes past our closing time, I'm going to have to ask you to pay with another method of payment or leave. My cashiers have money to count and we cannot have you standing here while they do it!
EHCL: You do not know Andrew? How long have you worked here?
Manager: Ma'am, I've been here since opening. I do not work with Andrew, therefore I do not know Andrew. We have 3,000 employees on payroll in this casino and I do not know every single one of them. Now please, pay or leave.
EHCL: I'm never coming back here! I always get HORRIBLE service! What is your name, so I can tell Andrew how you were nothing more than rude to me!
Manager: My name is Manager...here, let me write it down. And while you are at it, let me get your name so I can find Andrew and let him know about the way you were acting! I will make sure he thinks twice before he or this casino sends you any more comps!
All the while, EHCL has paid with a debit card after using the points on her card to pay half of her bill. My manager then proceeds to walk EHCL to the first table in the restaurant, which is being served by none other than Usual Bitchy Server.
UBS is known for telling customers off and being downright horrible to rude customers. When UBS sees how much of a bitch this woman has been to us and that UBS now has to stay later to wait on her, UBS informs the lady she has 5 minutes to eat and GTFO because they are picking up the food.
The look on her face when we told EHCL she could not get a refund was priceless.
We all pitched in and bought the Manager and UBS a buffet the next night. And we found Andrew. However, he didn't seem to know who EHCL was, and knows she is not on any email list, since her card is not high enough to receive those types of comps.
TL;DR: Customer was mad because she didn't spend enough money to jump the line, nor did she have a host or a comp for the buffet.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/2233v5/the_price_of_justice_is_a_free_buffet/
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hot
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1jj8vf
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TalesFromRetail
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Dear Groupon, I hate all of your customers.
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I work in a restaurant. We do not have a big budget for advertising, heck we do not have a big budget for anything. So when the owner comes and tells all the employees that we will get a boost in business because she decided to put out a groupon, we were all surprised. The groupon was simple, you get 20 dollars worth of food, and you payed 10 dollars up front. Simple as can be. Until you factor in the customers that use groupons.
I have NEVER seen such a greedy group of people in my entire life. They ask for as much as they can for free. they will ask you to change up what they ordered so that they can land as close to 20 dollars as they can. They rarely tipped. And to top it all off 1 in 3 of them would ask if you could "let it slide" for anything over the 20 dollar value of their coupon. In the end, 2 of our employees had had enough and had informed the owner that if they EVER put out another groupon they would quit.
TL;DR- If you put out a groupon you will open yourself up to a new customer base, one full of terrible terrible people that will make all your employees hate you.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/1jj8vf/dear_groupon_i_hate_all_of_your_customers/
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hot
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2i5fy9
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TalesFromRetail
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Best Waitress in the World
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Hello reddit! I'm a cashier at a small store and also work as a writer. I know, hard to absorb but I have to put food on the table too. Anyway, I just wanted to post this because this waitress really made my day.
So, I get up around seven o'clock in the morning. Go, do my writing for the day. Try to sleep in a bit. Go into work. I have a long, hard day of work. Since it's the beginning of the month it's very, VERY busy. People were generally....okay. But afterwards I felt hungover and tired. I had promised my boyfriend we would go out later tonight since he and I had been stuck in the house all week.
So we go out to TGI Fridays. Now, the one in particular near me used to have really nasty waitresses. I mean, the meanest people around. I had work their previously for three weeks a couple of years ago myself. One of the waitresses was very nasty to me (for no reason what so ever) and afterwards I got fired for not being able to keep up. I handled it professionally, but anyway on with the story.
So once we get there I'm pretty tired. Me and my boyfriend start talking. We decide to only order the endless Apps, but see here's the catch. You can only have the endless apps of one appetizer. Yep. You heard me right. So you can have endless wings, potato skins, etc.
We ordered that and my boyfriend ordered a burger. As we were eating this waitress comes up I've never seen before. The entire time we're there she explained fully to us the best food available there. Helped out make our decisions on what to get (I was pretty out of it from work so I know I was probably like a zombie) but the entire time this woman has the biggest smile on her face. It was so genuine I even found myself smiling back at her.
So, towards the end of the night she offered to box us some of the wings I had ordered. My boyfriend mentioned she may have tricked us and charged us extra for it. Since in the endless apps you CANNOT take any of it home with you. House rules. I was going to say something, but I was to tired to care. I told him not worry about it since I was the one paying. (It was my turn to treat and I was pretty adamant with my boyfriend we needed to start taking turns paying for stuff.)
So she comes back with a box. The hot wings were served to us by another waitress, and at first we were confused. Then she says the coolest thing I've ever heard.
"Sorry, I have to trick the system. Do you mind if I use your celery as a spoon to get these in here?" She pointed at the hot wings we had just been brought and the box. I was stunned, then smiled and said sure.
So she gave us a whole plate of hot wings. Along with dumping our Parmesan wings into the same box. On TOP of that she also made sure we had plenty of ranch to take home with us in a little container. Then just as I ask for the bills she says this,
"Do you want a soda to go too?" I was stunned. I really wasn't used to this kind of service. We hadn't even ordered that much. Our bill came around to roughly $30, and while we technically should have been charged more she deducted the "extra" wings we were taking out.
This entire time while waiting on us she also continued to check up on us. Constantly made sure my drink was full, and just very kind all around to me and my boyfriend. After having a hard day at work I was very happy. I even told her about having previously worked there and how she was the nicest waitress I'd ever met. The entire time she also kept saying how much she loved her job and explaining things to people.
I wanted to leave her a decent tip, so I gave $6 for the tip. I wish I could have given her more, but at that point I was down to $50 and I have a few other things I have to pay for tomorrow when I get the paycheck from my retail job.
Still, she really made my day. Woke up crummy, went to work crummy, came home crummy, go out, and come back happy. Even my boyfriend was pretty happy and if it wasn't for her I don't think we would have had such a good time going out.
I have a lot of respect for anyone who has to work as a server, waiter, or waitress. Even though I only did the job myself for three weeks I know how hard it can be. So kudos to awesome people like you and also to super nice retail workers! Keep up the good work, and I hope one day I'm in a position to tip bigger!
P.S. Was $6 enough of a tip? I felt like I didn't tip her enough, but I really couldn't spare anymore money. ;-;
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/2i5fy9/best_waitress_in_the_world/
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2aax19
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TalesFromRetail
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Awkward exit
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So, this isn't exactly retail but It felt fitting. I worked as a food runner/busser at Orient food place where you aren't expected to tip but it's always appreciated. So, I figured out how to make more tips which was pretty much pretending to be a waiter. I would offer to refill people's drinks, get them forks and knives, more napkins, fortune cookies ect. So by saving people a trip they would leave a dollar or two behind and start a chain reaction, one costumer see's someone leaving a tip and then they will, however I don't actually have to refill waters, or do anything other than clean up after you or listen to complaints.( I worked in Scottsdale which is full of super pretentious Milfs and power hungry douche bags) This lady comes in during a dinner rush where I'm primarily cleaning and running food and refilling returning costumers drinks ( I remembered who tips, it was like a non-verbal agreement) she sits down with her husband and is staring at her food. Normally, I would've quickly asked if the food was okay but I was getting swamped with dirty dishes and tables. 10 minutes pass and she starts making a scene, she snaps her fingers at me and whistles like I'm a dog so I just ignore her because fuck her, I'm not a dog. She starts loudly saying how much she dislikes this place and will never be back. She never eats her food as her husband is trying to explain how you have to get yourself a fork and a knife. Before she goes she yells and the whole store goes quiets and she leaves a note on the napkin saying ' horrible service! Waited for 15 minutes and no one came to me with silverware' I tried explaining to her where they were but she silences me and saying in a loud obnoxious tone how she will never be back, and all the costumers are staring at her as she runs through the exit... To the balcony sitting and has to walk back Into the restraunt to actually leave. I say as she comes back In " back so soon?!" She stormed out shaking mad, I got a loud laughter from everyone else and a lot of tips. Made my night
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/2aax19/awkward_exit/
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22tp60
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TalesFromRetail
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I am at my breaking point (also legality questions)
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History: I have worked at a small pizza place with a 25 seat dining area and a small 10 seat bar for 2 years. I function as the bartender, server, hostess, busser, food runner and manager of sorts. I also help out with carryout and delivery orders. All foe about 4 dollars an hour.The clientele is sparse, peppered mostly with regulars who have been coming here for 5 years or more. The others that come in are mostly sports teams for rec leagues. On Fridays and Saturdays however, there is a high volume of both of these types of guest, and they are always very ....needy.... However, I actually really like this, and myself and my boyfriend, handle these nights alone, because we have been there so long, and it cuts down on labor. Another reason for this is that our tips aren't all that high. A good night for us is only about 75-95 dollars a piece. On a Friday.
The scenario: As you can probably guess, I am barely making rent. But, I love the customers, love the people I work with and I love the flexibility it gives me with school. But again. I am barely making rent. So I found a job to work alongside this one. It is a serving job at a national chain and they were happy to work with my current job. My boss found out and is not happy about it. He immediately told my GM that I was not allowed to work the other job, as it would be a conflict of interest with this job. He said that all I would do was tell my regular customers about my new job and would take them away from his storeand that he could sue and fire me if I did. He said that me getting another job shows that I don't care about the one I'm at. He has been passively making snide comments like "oh nothing's wrong" and "im wandf and I know everything about serving" and going into the kitchen loudly to my GM and yelling "I anyone is not happy here, I want them fired."
My state of being: I am shattered. I have poured my heart out to this place. I met my future roomate and best friend here, I had my first legal beverage here, I stay late nights til 2 am so no one else has to even though I usually get up at 8 am, and I met my current boyfriend here and have become fast friends with all of the regulars. I broke down in a booth today after one too many not so subtle digs at me were made and he came up to me while my GM and I were talking about why I am upset and he asked said blatantly that all the servers lean on my boyfriend anyway, so everyone else is replaceable. To my face. I broke down and ran out.
Sorry this was too long.
Td;lr: worked at a job for 2 years doing alot of stuff for little pay. Got 2nd job to support my income, first boss is qfurious and emotionally abusive
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/22tp60/i_am_at_my_breaking_point_also_legality_questions/
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350un7
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TalesFromRetail
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"My daughter isn't worth $15!!!"
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I am essentially the assistant manager of a craft store, and right now we're running a lot of promotions for things you can use to make Mother's Day gifts. Stepping stones, cheap unfinished wood frames kids can paint, plain ceramic mugs you can decorate, that sort of thing. We have a nicely merchandised display in our main aisle right when you walk in the door, with a big sign calling out that these are all crafts you can make for Mom (and with "Mother's Day is May 10th!" on the bottom) for all the harried dads and grandparents coming in looking for a heartwarming craft their little'uns can make.
Tonight I had the closing shift, and we had a little bit of a rush at around 7pm. It was my one cashier, one sales floor person, and myself (Me) up ringing. The only other person in the store was a framer, and she's sort of tied to her department.
Enter a semi-regular customer (SR), whom I have definitely seen in the store before. As soon as I saw her I had a sinking feeling - I seemed to remember the bitch being strong with this one, but I couldn't remember for sure. I had screwed my retail smile on as tight as it would go, determined to give this woman the benefit of the doubt, when *whew, she went through my cashier's lane, not mine.*
I go on ringing through my customer, and as I'm finishing up her transaction I hear the first rumblings of trouble from SR's direction. Of course I'm still occupied, so I only catch certain key phrases.
>SR: .....Saw it in my email.... couldn't find anyone....said it was on sale...
Oh, crap. As I turn to her, my cashier gives me the look of someone who just got whacked between the eyes with a blunt instrument. Double crap.
>Me: Sorry about the (nonexistent) delay, I was helping the cashiers get through this little rush. Can I help you find something?
Now, bear in mind, this is all said with a smile so big I must have looked like the Mouth of Sauron. I probably looked incredibly stupid, but it's sort of a defense mechanism by now.
>SR: \*Huff\* Yeah, I got this email **FROM YOU GUYS** today saying you had kits to make mugs where you put stickers on them that say "Mom", paint over the stickers, and then peel them off. They were advertising them as 2/$5.
>Me: I don't believe we have any such kits in the store right now, do you happen to have a smart phone that we can pull up your email with? That way I can-
>SR: **NO! I DON'T HAVE A SMARTPHONE! WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK I SHOULD HAVE ONE?!**
Whoa, lady! Uh...maybe because it's 2015? My retail smile starts to slip a notch.
>Me: That's okay, let me see if I can access our website and find the project you were emailed about, that way I can make sure we're thinking about the same thing, okay?
It takes me maybe 15 seconds to find the project on our website - it's one that's very popular on Pinterest with initials for an inexpensive homemade gift. As soon as I see it, I know for a fact that we don't have them in a kit. Part of my job is knowing exactly what we have in the store (I do the in-stock verifications each week), and this is not something we got in. If we had, it would have been explained to us beforehand, and really heavily featured in the Mother's Day promotions. Besides, the crappy ones we sell with the paint that doesn't stick to the mugs are 2/$3 this week, I doubt we have a kit with higher quality materials for just $2 more.
>Me: \*Showing my phone to the customer\* Is this the project you saw in your email?
>SR: **Yes, that's it!**
>Me: Okay, we unfortunately don't have that in a kit, but right here on this page it actually lists all the materials you will need and I can walk you to where they all are! It's a very straightforward craft that's great for kids!
>SR: Ugh, okay. I was **under the impression** they would be in a kit, though. I've got 2 grandkids, and they are going to make them for Mother's Day.
>Me: It would be great if that came in a kit, wouldn't it? It's too bad that it doesn't, but it won't take long to gather up what you would need and this way you can customize the colors you want, and the font of the stickers!
I show her the paints, and the paint daubers, and the mugs that she would need to create a really cute Mother's Day gift. She's not exactly enthused, but she's nodding and talking about the colors she would want to use, and I start explaining the process behind curing the multi-surface paint so the mom can put the mugs in the dishwasher (because who wants to hand wash?!) when SR interrupts me.
>SR: Well, this is ridiculous. I'm not going to spend $15 on two mugs. The email I got said 2/$5, and if I can't get them for that price I don't want them.
She then sticks her nose up in the air and waltzes out, meek husband (who had apparently been hovering just outside the paint aisle this whole time) in tow.
By this point, I've maybe only spent 15 minutes with the woman, but I take great pride in being able to find alternatives for customers and I was actually kind of sad because I couldn't find a project that would work for her.
It wasn't until about a half hour later that it hit me: This woman was unwilling to spend $7.50 per Mother's Day Gift. This woman, whom I have seen multiple times spending upwards of $100 on trendy home decor items. Spending $15 on her daughter (or possibly daughter-in-law) is outrageous. Must be some family tension there, or maybe my Semi-Regular is just totally selfish.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/350un7/my_daughter_isnt_worth_15/
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3hvuse
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TalesFromRetail
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The rarest of rare animals - "I didn't pay for these yesterday. Can I pay for them now?"
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Last Sunday I was working POS at our store and a sweet, older lady came up to me, but before I could begin, she started the conversation as such:
>Lady: (hands me two jewelry tags with no jewelry attached) The nice, blond, young man that was working yesterday rang up a lot of jewelry for me, and I got all the way home with them, but neither of them were on my receipt.
>Me: May I take a look at your receipt?
(She handed it to me and I saw the employee # of the person I thought rang her up - and he is a really nice, hard-working young man and lo and behold, those two pieces definitely weren't on the receipt).
>Me: It was very honest of you to come forward and tell us about this. Most people would have not done that.
>Lady: My conscience would not have allowed it.
I tried to give her a 20% off for her items she was purchasing that day, but she wouldn't have it. She used her little 15% coupon and was quite happy. Also, I didn't tell upper management what happened so as to not get said employee in trouble. I did mention it to him to be more careful.
Still can't believe these customers actually exist. I mean, I've heard they exist, I'd just never seen one in person.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/3hvuse/the_rarest_of_rare_animals_i_didnt_pay_for_these/
| 3,416
| 228
| 1,440,184,810
| 9
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15%
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relevance
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3v65i0
|
TalesFromRetail
|
"Ma'am, what store do you think you're at?"
|
This one happened a few days ago. I work the customer service desk at a department store. Lady came up with about three bags of clothes she wants to return. The ensuing conversation went something like this:
>Me: Do you have your receipt?
>Customer: Oh, no, I've done hundreds of returns here with no receipt.
>M: Okay, are you a member of our rewards program?
>C: No.
>M: Okay, so without a receipt I'll have to give you store credit with a 15% deduction on each item.
>C: Ohhh no. No no no. I've done this hundreds of times and I've never had a problem. They always look it up with my credit card. (At this point she tosses her credit card down on the counter). I don't want in-store credit I want my money back.
>M: No, I'm sorry, but the only way we have to look up receipts is if you're in our rewards program.
>C: No. That's not true. I'm telling you, I've done this over and over again and I've never had a problem. I'm a decorator, I buy crap here all the time.
I learned a while back that when someone just won't accept what you're saying, have another employee confirm it. Sometimes people just need to hear the same damn information from two people before they even start to accept it. So fortunately, our store manager was ringing up a customer at the lanes across from where I was. I confirm with her that we can in fact not look up receipts using a credit card.
>C: THIS IS RIDICULOUS! I'VE DONE THIS HUNDREDS OF TIMES, YOU'RE LYING TO ME. I JUST WANT MY MONEY BACK.
At this point, I notice something odd on one of the articles of clothing she's trying to return: the tag is from a different store.
>M: Ma'am, let me ask you, what store are you trying to return your merchandise to?
>C: What are you talking about?
>M: Where did you buy this stuff?
>C: (Names the store. Surprise, it isn't ours)
>M: Ma'am, this is (insert name of store here)
>C: Oh.
She then storms off in a huff. Because, you know, it's still my fault.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/3v65i0/maam_what_store_do_you_think_youre_at/
| 3,211
| 212
| 1,449,079,360
| 9
|
15%
|
relevance
|
rzl16x
|
TalesFromRetail
|
I work here, not you.
|
So I work in what could be described as a discount variety/department store. We sell a range of things at relatively low prices, including various kitchen appliances.
During this particular interaction I was on the floor and took a PA call for customer assistance to the appliances section. Here we have a top shelf with each appliance unpacked and a lower shelf with the boxed stock.
> Customer: Do you have the box for this display air fryer? I want to see how it works.
> Me: I'm not sure, I'll have a look for you.
I begin by looking at all the boxes on the shelf just to check the display is the last one, and also that the box isn't there.
> C: It's the last one, the box is out the back.
> Me: I see that, I'm just checking. I'll go look out the back for you.
She was rude from the get go, a weirdly demanding tone and seemed super impatient.
So I head out the back to our stockroom. It's a mess out there and I can't see the box where it should be with all the others. I go and ask our shiftrunner (who was on her break, sorry Jordy) if she knows. She says it should be with the others and decides to call our assistant manager (on her day off, sorry Donna), who finally says if it's not there then it got thrown out. Great. I head back out on the floor.
> Me: So I had a look, it's not out there and likely got thrown out, sorry. We can still sell it to you, potentially at a discounted price.
> C: Well I need to see the instructions, it's definitely out there!
At this point I was already annoyed by her and the bunch of other frustrating things about our stupid store, so I may have forgotten my retail worker etiquette.
> Me: **NO, I work here, I've looked, it's not there. I'll get the manager to sort this out for you.**
I storm up to the register to do a PA call for our shiftrunner. At this point she takes over and basically goes through the exact same saga as I just did. Now i'm standing behind the lady while she and her friends talk to the shiftrunner.
> C, condescendingly: But if I don't have the box how will I have my warranty?!
> Shiftrunner: You have a 12 month warranty on any product purchased from our store.
> Me: As long as you have the receipt, we'll honour the warranty.
> C, turning around to point her finger in my face: Excuse me, but if you want to talk to me, you can apologise for how you spoke to me earlier.
> Me: No.
At that I walked back to the register to take an assistance call from the cashier. The lady did not buy an air fryer but apparently came back a week later to return a different one her daughter gave her for Christmas.
I've also gotten wind that apparently *someone* wants to file a formal complaint against me. I'm not worried, I have a fantastic track record and the shiftrunner said she'd back me up. She actually thought it was quite amusing and couldn’t believe I had the balls.
Maybe I'm too stubborn for customer service.
Edit: I just sold that air fryer with a 15% discount to a nice couple who said they’d just Google the instructions (:
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/rzl16x/i_work_here_not_you/
| 536
| 15
| 1,641,708,454
| 9
|
15%
|
hot
|
pj9em2
|
TalesFromRetail
|
But you had other money...
|
I work in a small gas station convenience store. You have to pre-pay for gas here, and I only mention this because I have an Australian friend who thought that was odd. It caused some confusion with another story the other day.
Man comes in, ask for $15 dollars in gas. I punch it in and he pulls out this small zipper pouch.
'Oh, he's one of those that fold/roll their bills real tiny.' Annoying, but I can make them flat enough running them on the edge of the counter.
Imagine my disappointment as he opens it, 150 coins spilling onto the counter. All dimes. This man wants to pay for gas all in loose dimes.
Now... I'm not allowed to simply trust people on what they the amount they've given me is. I have to count every last bit of it. So, as I am counting it out, this man pulls out his wallet for some unknown reason, and I can see that he has plenty of other money. But I'm already $8 in, I'd might as well finish, and I don't feel like arguing with him.
I finish counting, and sure enough, it was exactly $15 dollars. He leaves to pump his dime gas, chuckling over his conversation with the man who was waiting behind him. I am left with multiple questions, but no answers.
What posseses a man to do this, other than the desire to screw with someone just because they can?
Does his family just give him all their dimes for some reason?
Did he horribly misunderstand the term 'dime bag'?
How does one end up with that many dimes without purposely seeking them out to pull this sort of thing?
In the end... I'm just glad they were all clean, not sticky and covered in gunk.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/pj9em2/but_you_had_other_money/
| 571
| 149
| 1,630,965,128
| 9
|
15%
|
hot
|
oy7zra
|
TalesFromRetail
|
Canada doesn't have a veteran discount
|
As far as I know, no store in Canada gives any kind of military discount, veteran or otherwise (correct me if I'm wrong, fellow Canadians). We are not as military oriented as the US.
Back when I worked at a big red drug store, I worked as a cash supervisor. It was my job to cover my cashier's breaks and make sure customers got as good a customer experience as possible. For those who don't know, drug stores do not sell tobacco or alcohol products so the only item we sell that requires an ID is lottery (relevant later). We also have a senior's day on Thursday where anyone 65+ can get 20% off. We don't need an ID or proof of age, they usually just know to ask for it since signs are up everywhere advertising the discount.
This story takes place about mid 2019, before all the COVID drama started. It was a Saturday so no managers were in.
I was covering my cashier's break when a man comes up with a basket full of stuff. I make the usual greetings, ask if he has our rewards card, and ask if he would like a bag. He gruffly says something about visiting from the US so of course he doesn't have a rewards card with us. He doesn't respond to wanting a bag so I just start stacking his items at the end of the till.
When I finish scanning his items, I read off his total and ask if he is paying with cash or card. He tosses an ID on the counter.
Me: Oh, did you want lottery?
Him: What? No. I want a discount.
Me thinking he meant the senior's discount: Oh I'm sorry we only have senior's discounts on Thursdays.
The customer looks at me like I'm stupid. He shoves the ID closer. Him: I'm a veteran, missy. That means I get a discount no matter what day it is.
Me: Um... I'm sorry but we don't do veterans discounts here in Canada.
Him: Well they do where I'm from so you need to honor that.
I stand there dumbfounded. How did that make any sense? Me: I'm sorry but I have no way to put any kind of discount on your purchase, as it is not Thursday for senior's day, and we have no promo going on right now.
Him getting obviously upset and red in the face: I want your supervisor. I want you fired. I want a new cashier.
I blink at him. I can barely get the words out as I tell him I AM the supervisor and there was no store manager in today.
The man flipped his lid. He started yelling at me, telling me I was discriminating and I must hate the US and he hoped they bombed my country next and that all of Canada was a stupid place with stupid people. I just stood there not sure what to do. People were starting to stare and I was so freaked out all i could do was stand there with my mouth open going "Uhhh..."
Finally he said his piece and stomped out of the store with his ID and nothing else. I stood there in silence for a few minutes just trying to process what happened. My cashier came back but i had nothing else to do so I just stayed on till to help with customers.
A little elderly woman came up to my register to ask if I was alright and that she never liked those "hooligans south of the border". She made me smile and actually helped me put some of the items away that the man had left on the till.
It makes me wonder though, does every place in the US give a discount to veterans? And why did he flip out so badly when I didn't give him one here?
Edit: so I guess some places in Canada do have a veteran's discount, as I have been told by an overwhelming number of people here. I just have never run into one of those places, which is probably because I live nowhere near a military base. However, even the places that do have a discount, this guy still wouldn't qualify because he was not Canadian.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/oy7zra/canada_doesnt_have_a_veteran_discount/
| 1,450
| 401
| 1,628,129,753
| 9
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20%
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relevance
|
82871f
|
TalesFromRetail
|
"The competitor lets me do it!" "No, actually, we don't."
|
A post by /u/greyhippy reminded me of an incident that happened to me a couple of years back, when an uppity customer got humiliated.
The craft store chain was having its yearly sale on fabric, and the GF and I were in the store checking out what they had, to see what we could use for costuming. The sale is strictly by the yard, with no lesser amounts sold. You only need half a yard, that's at full price. Also, no coupons usable on these sales. They're not about to give you 20% off of prices which are already 50% off.
While we're there, this woman decides that the store can violate policy. She needs exactly 4 and a quarter yards of *this* fabric, and 5 and a half yards of *that* fabric, and wants it all at sale prices. When the saleswoman tells her about the rules on the sale, the woman demands to see the manager.
The manager tells her the exact same thing as the salesperson did, and the woman gets all huffy. Fine, she'll take the fabric in 5 yards for *this* and 6 yards for *that*, but she wants to use her coupon that she got in the mail like six months ago (and are obviously expired).
When she's told of the second rule, she gets huffy and tries the usual tactic of, "Well, *your competitor* lets me do that! And they always honor *their* coupons!"
That's when the woman next to me speaks up. "Actually, I'm a manager for *that competitor*, and I can assure you ma'am, we do not honor coupons during sales, nor do we accept expired coupons."
The uppity customer got beet-red in the face, and just took her cloth to the front to check out, without another word.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/82871f/the_competitor_lets_me_do_it_no_actually_we_dont/
| 4,753
| 154
| 1,520,275,298
| 9
|
20%
|
top
|
16c4c8
|
TalesFromRetail
|
A little goes a long way
|
Figured for my first posed here I'd put something positive. Seeing [Christmas Tipper](http://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/16aejh/just_discovered_this_subreddit_and_want_to_share/) reminded me of a great experience i had. Hope my horrible writing style doesn't cause you to cringe too much.
Background: I worked in a tire bay that was part of a wholesale store. Due to design problems when they added it, it was separated from the rest of the store, so when someone wasn't installing with me, i was alone. Most of the time that was the norm cause of staffing issues. The job was nice though, kept me in better shape than my nerdy habits now do and my coworkers were great. The customers were usually rude, demanding, etc. Maybe I'll tell those another time. Tips were usually seen about once every two weeks and never for very much unless you were lucky.
This particular day was a lucky one for me. Being a particularly bad few months with staffing, i usually worked 1pm-9pm and was alone from 3pm onwards when the morning guys left. Over all the day had been slow, giving me plenty of time to just sit and read, watch TV in the waiting room and answer calls when they came in.
After a simple 4 tire install i was surprised that the customer tipped me $20, as that's usually higher than we got and was usually for doing something out of the ordinary for someone. Pleased with how great they had been, i was in a good mood the rest of the day.
Obviously that's great, but not amazing. That's where my last customer comes in.
In the hour before i close the bay, very few services can be done. Most times people are rejected simply cause the time it would take would push me far past scheduling and make it harder for management to deal with as when 9pm hits they are rushing to do their closing for 10pm in the main store as well as relieve me. So when i see two Mercedes pull into the lot and one on a completely flat tire, imagine my joy in having to deal with work at 8:30 in the middle of my cleaning duties that would probably push me past my shift.
Its not the first time though and as long as the customer is nice, than I'm happy to help. I walk out to talk to them an see what the situation is. Right off the bat i see a potential problem. They have low profile tires. My store doesn't keep tires like that in stock, they have to be ordered. Knowing no Low Pro's had been ordered lately, i can already tell they don't have a tire with them and i can't sell them one. They were pleasant about it, understanding that its an unfortunate downside to having an expensive car with rare tires. The next obvious thing they ask is a flat repair, which for anyone who has done tires know, you don't fix a tire when it's been run on flat. That tire was toast and there was nothing i could do about it.
The owner of the troubled car was very understanding. An older gentleman who was all dressed up, he was either heading to a function or coming back from one. The owner of the other car was dressed similar and looked like it was his son. The entire time they were nice, polite and took everything i said as fact. I was silently waiting for the other shoe to drop. At a wholesale place, the more money they have means they are more likely to feel entitled and demand miracles of me. It never dropped though.
They thanked me for checking it for them and were starting to leave. After how patient they had been and with my desire to provide good service i wanted to see if there wasn't something i could do for them. I asked them if they had a spare (some cars oddly don't have any because of a lack of truck space). He did, so i thought "great! i can put his spare on for him!". Then came a bit of a hiccup. Wholesale stores require membership and he didn't have one. Paper work was required with their member ID to process services like swapping over a tire. I couldn't let it go like that though. I told him to forget it, give me the keys and I'd take care of him. I pulled the car in and within 10 minutes had his spare on. Asking me how much he owed me, i told him i wasn't going to charge him (i couldn't) and it was so i didn't worry about him getting into an accident driving on a flat tire this late at night.
He and his son thanked me for helping them, gave me a handshake and went on their way. The older man had slipped me a bill during the handshake, which sometimes happens, and not wanting to be rude i didn't look at it till they drove off. Thinking it would be a small amount for the effort, i almost choked when i saw what it was. He had given me $50 for showing a little kindness.
Regardless if its money or simply someone's demeanor, kind and respectful customers are the few reasons i still put in the effort i do when working in retail. Even 100 nasty people can be quickly forgotten when someone shows you the kindness and respect that you show to them.
TLDR: Was nice to someone and they were nice back.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/16c4c8/a_little_goes_a_long_way/
| 147
| 5
| 1,357,852,439
| 9
|
bad tipper
|
relevance
|
zna6n
|
TalesFromRetail
|
As requested, the awesome customer's Super Bowl party
|
For the back story about this awesome customer, click [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/zlwx3/the_tale_of_the_20_tipper/c65y3lb).
Short version of back story: Brand new Domino's in a rural small town, new customer out of the delivery area gets an exception because she tips $15 minimum even on a small order.
I made several deliveries to this awesome customer over my 6-month career delivering pizza. All of our drivers knew about this customer and at least twice we had to fire drivers for starting fights over who would take it. In this time I was promoted to Assistant Manager and usually only delivered during lunch or on weekends when we got really busy. I still made out pretty well on tips just from that.
The Tuesday before that year's Super Bowl, we got a call from Mrs. Awesome. They were having a party for the game and wanted us to cater. She spoke with the owner of the store (who was extremely good at his job, he almost always had our backs when customers were being unreasonable) and he cut her a special deal. The actual total on the slip was just shy of $800. At regular price it would have been nearly twice that. As this was the middle of the afternoon, he called me back to his office to discuss the order. We both knew that Sunday would be our busiest day yet and we had *everyone* scheduled to work. Given the size of the order, he realized one driver probably wouldn't be able to do it alone. All of our drivers had compact cars of some sort. He suggested having 2 or 3 drivers split up the order and split the tip. I was the exception to the rule, driving a 1989 Lincoln Town Car. I did some quick math and a brief simulation with empty boxes and realized that if I emptied the trunk, I could take the whole order in one trip. I sold him on this idea by suggesting that all of the drivers would be running around like crazy as it was, and having 3 of them out for extra time to deliver that one order would back everyone else up.
Sunday came, and the lunch rush was about normal for a Sunday, with a few more carryout orders than usual. The owner and I started on the pizzas at noon, putting them on a rack so they could all go in the oven as close to delivery time as possible. 3 hours later, the pizzas were ready, the wings were hot and sauced, breadsticks boxed and ready to go, and I had already packed the bottom of my trunk with the crates of 2-liter sodas before we opened that day. Four of us played Pizza Box Tetris loading my car up as quickly as possible, and I was off. I pulled up to their house just before 4, about an hour from kickoff. Guests had already arrived, but they left room for me to get close to the front door. They had a buffet line set up for the pizzas, serving trays with sterno cans for the wings and breadsticks, and a tub of ice for the sodas. I started hauling in the order, and Mrs. Awesome started shuffling things around on the buffet line to make room for more. It only took 40 minutes to get everything set up, and when the last items made it in, Mrs. Awesome handed me an envelope.
"Please make sure the kids who helped make the pizza get something out of this."
I knew the store would be very busy by now, so I thanked her and drove off, not looking at the envelope. When I got back, the owner asked me how it went. I pulled out the envelope and looked inside to find 14 $100 bills, then told him what she said. He said to keep it but give $20 to everyone who helped slice pizzas and load the car. I walked away that night with $500 just from her delivery, and probably $100 more from the other runs I took as halftime approached.
The next morning, that money went in to the bank. Combined with my tax refund and 3 more weeks of tips, I resigned from Domino's, loaded up my Town Car with everything I could fit inside, and drove off to fulfill a dream. Four days later I was settling in to my new home in Seattle and getting ready for a whole new career line with its own interesting stories. If it hadn't been for that order, I probably would have delayed that move indefinitely.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/zna6n/as_requested_the_awesome_customers_super_bowl/
| 155
| 24
| 1,347,270,835
| 9
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good tipper
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relevance
|
5hostx
|
TalesFromRetail
|
The nicest customer ever
|
Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm sure I'll have many dreadful stories to share in the future, but I've got a good one today.
So I work at a popular pharmacy chain in the US. Usually, I'm in the pharmacy, but I was helping at the front registers today, as a trade with my store manager who gave me Tuesday off.
Around this time of year, customers can get really crappy. We have to price modify a lot of items, and people are just generally on edge because of the holidays. But sometimes you get a really good egg.
About 5 hours into my shift, this nice lady (NL) comes up to the register to purchase some bows and assorted Christmans merchandise. Cue conversation:
Me: Hey, how's it going today?
NL: Oh, busy, just shopping for the grandkids.
Me: *ringing her stuff up* I understand. It's the time of the season. You keeping warm out there?
NL: I am, I am. Oh, quick question, can I get cash back if I use a debit card?
Me: Absolutely. How much are we looking for? (Even though they put in the amount on the pinpad, I like to ask so I know there's enough in the till)
NL: *Thinks for a moment* Twenty dollars?
Me: Twenty dollars, you got it.
NL: Actually, can I get forty?
Me: You can have as much as you'd like. (Not strictly true, the pinpad lets you go up to forty, but it's clearly indicated and she didn't seem like she was going to go any higher)
So I bag her stuff and hand her the forty dollars. Then, she gives the money the most peculiar look, like she's gazing into an abyss. Like the money held ancient secrets she was trying to figure out. Her expression then changes to a smile, as she extends one of the twenty dollar bills.
NL: Merry Christmas.
I was actually shocked so much that my heart started racing and my ears got fuzzy. An extension of kindness and generous it is rare in my line of work, and for a transaction of less than $15, a $20 tip is completely unheard of. I was so confused, I initially thought she was trying to pay for her transaction a second time.
Of course, corporate rules say I can't accept gifts. I don't remember the exact conversation, because I was pretty much in shock, but I explained that I couldn't accept it, but that I was truly touched by the offer. I probably gushed a little, I know a thanked her a bunch and said the gesture brightened my day.
She said "Oh, well that's a shame," and flashed me a smile before leaving and wishing me a great rest of the day.
Really, we need more gems like this. If you're out there, Nice Lady, I hope you had a great rest of your day too.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/5hostx/the_nicest_customer_ever/
| 235
| 20
| 1,481,437,140
| 9
|
generous tip
|
relevance
|
8f7ap6
|
TalesFromRetail
|
My favorite customer while being a hawker
|
I had a kind of summer job where I worked in a football stadium going up and down the stands selling popcorn. The official name for people who sell stuff going around the stands of a stadium is a Hawker. I have a number of short stories about working about 7 games, but will mabey compile them later. LTL FTP mobile etc.
I was going up across the bottom row and some one bought a box of popcorn, nothing unusual. I sold out my bag and went to refill it. When I got back in the stands I saw 2 other popcorn hawkers go across the first row. This means that anybody that wanted popcorn already bought it. I start going across pretty fast not expecting any sales. I run past the guy I mentioned earlier and heard him call out. I go back and he says something like 'there's the popcorn guy' really exited then buys 2 boxes. Ill also say that I don't often get tips tips and when we do it's usually only about a dollar. 2 boxes equals 6 dollars and I tell him as much. He gives me a ten and tells me to keep the change. I'm pretty happy and express my thanks. Best part of the exchange is where I accidentally say "thank you ma'am" rather than thank you man. It made my day, and when your walking up and down stands for like 4 hours it's nice to be able to smile.
TL;DR guy ignores 2 people with same product to buy from me, tips generously and made me smile
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/8f7ap6/my_favorite_customer_while_being_a_hawker/
| 77
| 1
| 1,524,786,506
| 9
|
generous tip
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relevance
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14wma9
|
TalesFromRetail
|
Creepy old man in the parking lot.
|
So a few years ago I worked at this local grocery store. I would bag their groceries and carry them to the customers car, and maybe make a tip every now and then. We always had the local customers that you got to know from how much they visited and I made some friends while working there. I live in a small town so you see people you know everywhere, especially when working at a place like this.
So one day this older man comes in and I help him with this groceries. Over time he kept coming in and I would always be the one helping him, at least when I was working. To put this into better perspective about why this might have happened, I am sometimes a overly nice person. Even if the person that I am being nice to is creepy its just how I am. Back to the story, this man liked to stare at me. Sometimes sitting in the parking lot waiting to see me and even ask about me. The only time people would see him sitting in the parking lot would be late at night, usually around the time I would be getting off.
So one day after helping this man he decides to give me a generous "tip". He proceeded to hand me $80 earrings and told me that he was just going to "throw them away". The reason I knew these were worth $80 dollars, possibly more, is because I sold them and went Christmas shopping with them. Thanks dude.
I thought that was a little creepy. It got even more creepy when one day after helping him he decided to give me a ring. It was a wedding set. Real gold and real diamonds. 1ct. I tried to give it back to him and he refused to, then drove away. I sold that too and helped my boyfriend get new glasses.
The last day I saw this man I was, of course, helping him put his groceries up and he asked about the ring he gave me. I was honest and told him I sold it. After hearing that he got really angry and waited for me after hours in the parking lot. The security guard let me know, and this was after I had went home too. People eventually had to keep walking me to my vehicle because of this older man.
I quit not too long after that.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/comments/14wma9/creepy_old_man_in_the_parking_lot/
| 61
| 9
| 1,355,599,872
| 9
|
generous tip
|
relevance
|
k65kii
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
If you can’t afford to tip, don’t come out at all
|
So I just started working as a server and at my restaurant people can pay by mobile or give me the card so they can sign a receipt. And it shocks me (working in a pandemic mind you) how often I get stiffed by people saying, “You’ve been so great!”. Like I got $2 on a $75 tab yesterday—after they made 20,000 modifications and were rude and snapped at me. I still smiled and they were like “you know you’ve been awesome all night!” And then left $2 on the table. Like that legitimately hurt my feelings and I don’t understand why people do that.
ETA: This is just me ranting about a very frustrating and honestly upsetting thing that I’ve been thinking about. Im sorry if this is coming across as me being rude or whatever, I was just trying to rant in a community that understands the struggles.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/k65kii/if_you_cant_afford_to_tip_dont_come_out_at_all/
| 2,467
| 514
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qtmdps
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TalesFromYourServer
|
Ever serve someone you think was trying to provoke a confrontation by not tipping?
|
Had a guy with a $43 tab (sirloin and a lemonade) pay with $43 cash. From his manner with the first thing he said to me I knew it was gonna be a stiff but he still got the best service I can give with 8 tables active at dinner.. any delay that occurred was due to our kitchen being understaffed and overwhelmed, rang his stuff in within 15 seconds of him ordering and homie got his food immediately after it popped in the window.
After dude paid and I counted the cash and closed the check, I could almost feel him trying to gauge my reaction and it might be in my head but I swear he wanted me to say something to him so he could do a little bit about entitlement or something, idk.
Like, it cost me a couple bucks to serve him but whatever.. like seriously, I don’t really give a shit about ten bucks one way or the other anymore. But it did make me wonder if this is something other servers or bar have felt before? Usually a stiff is just that but I swear it had some kind of experimental vibe, or maybe the dude was trying to make a tiktok, or maybe I’m a narcissist with main character syndrome.. but still, anyone else where it walked like a duck and quacked like a duck but it was a goose egg?
EDIT/UPDATE: So my guy came back in tonight.. I think he was maybe kinda surprised since I was bar last night and main dining room tonight.. I decided again against making it an issue and gave him the most aggressively good service I could manage. Had his iced tea and bread within 45 seconds of taking his drink order, had the calamari out about 2 and a half minutes after that, entree out the second it hit the window, check already ready in hand when he asked for it with half of his entree left to eat. Wished him (very enthusiastically) a fantastic evening. He left 20 on 55. I’m still not certain if it was to balance out last night, or if it was some sort of test that I had passed, or what.. regardless, it helped balance out the couple inevitable rough Sunday night tables.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/qtmdps/ever_serve_someone_you_think_was_trying_to/
| 1,728
| 283
| 1,636,882,427
| 8
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tip
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1kf3g51
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TalesFromYourServer
|
Another first for me!
|
Working on Friday night. This couple gets sat at a table for 2. A friend of theirs joins them and tries to pull up a chair right in the middle of the walkway, creating a fire hazard.
I inform the guest that the friend cannot sit in the middle of the walkway as it’s a fire hazard. They asked to move to another table in my section, which I didn’t have any available at the time.
They chose to close their tab and move to the bar. The person who paid intentionally put down a $.00 tip and then told me to my face “you wouldn’t let him sit there so you don’t get a tip!” (Neither of his dining companions said anything to him)
My first thought was “you cheap motherfucker! Take it up with the Fire Marshalls” but what I ended up saying was “you’re punishing me for something I literally have no control over”
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1kf3g51/another_first_for_me/
| 350
| 37
| 1,746,420,639
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hot
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1j2bsjs
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
That time our restaurant was overtaken by Promise Keepers
|
The earlier post about the after church crowds on Sundays reminded me of a traumatic experience early in my career.
At the time, I worked at a regional, now defunct chain of family restaurants. Our clientele was largely local, but as we shared a parking lot with a small motor inn, and were located just off the freeway, we had our fair share of budget travelers.
One weekend, the Promise Keepers were in town. If you have never heard of them, they’re a national evangelical Christian men’s group who would hold these big rallies in football stadiums all over the country. Remember the budget motor inn next door? Yep, sold out with PKs.
I show up to work the breakfast shift that fine Saturday, and things start off normal, pretty slow actually. Then the PKs start rolling in. Some alone, some in small groups. Then before you know it, the rest of them are flooding the lobby and out the front door. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they had actually read and adhered to the “Please Wait to be Seated” sign. Instead, like a proverbial plague of locusts they swarmed the restaurant, sitting where they wanted, all at once, all expecting immediate service because dammit, we can’t be late for the rally!
If you think the Sunday holier than thou crowd is bad, there was literally no comparison to this group. Rude, misogynistic, and of course crappy tippers. Quite frankly, the nail in the coffin to my becoming a liberal agnostic feminist. Did I mention the separate checks? This was 30+ years ago when it wasn’t easy to do.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. May you all be blessed with comfortable shoes, good health, and big tips!
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1j2bsjs/that_time_our_restaurant_was_overtaken_by_promise/
| 1,638
| 96
| 1,740,980,713
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1ip28y6
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TalesFromYourServer
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first time hosting experience on valentines day. 44 reservations and lots of anxiety. please give tips.
|
The title basically says it all. We're short staffed and they picked me to be the hostess tomorrow. Never done hostess like this before. I've been told to tell tables they have around an hour and a half each, but I have doubts that they will all adhere to that rules, which I am already understanding. How should I deal with walk-ins? If you have any general advice, please let me know. And good luck to everyone working tomorrow!
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1ip28y6/first_time_hosting_experience_on_valentines_day/
| 19
| 18
| 1,739,506,429
| 8
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tip
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hot
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1iithcw
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Tips to land serving gig
|
Hey everybody I left the industry before Covid-19 and I’m trying to get back in the business to make some fast cash as I complete other qualifications and school.
I have 1-2 years experience at a fast paced restaurant and I’ve worked as a busser/host before.
Thing is none of these places are getting back to me after I apply online on Indeed. What can I do to get an interview?
Should I go to all these restaurants I’m interested in person and spam my resume & ask to speak to manager? Maybe I’d have a better shot in person.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1iithcw/tips_to_land_serving_gig/
| 8
| 12
| 1,738,813,566
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hot
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b0ddjm
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Make my server cry then demand I comp your meal? I will loudly and publicly eviscerate you.
|
I just found this sub and finally have somewhere to post this story. This took place about six or seven years ago. This is a long one but is also my proudest moment from my four years in the industry.
I started working at a pretty laid back establishment (servers can wear whatever they want) as a waiter when I started college, and was promoted to manager after two years. This particular event took place on a Friday night and we were pretty busy.
So this group of guys who appeared to be in their late 50's walked in and were seated after about a 20 minute wait. They were served by one of my favorite waitresses, Susan. She was 17, extremely charming, polite, and funny. Generally well loved by staff and customers alike.
She took their drink orders quickly and brought them out quickly as well. After this she came up to me and said the guys seemed kinda skeevy, staring at her chest, touching her arm, making comments on how she was dressed (crop top and shorts, not the most scandalous outfit ever). I asked her if she wanted me to give them to another server, she said no cause she thought they might tip well. Against my better instincts I let her keep the table.
After an hour and a half (during which she, unbeknownst to me, politely asked them to keep their hands to themselves multiple times) they flagged her down. I didn't witness what was said but she told me about it afterwards. It went something like this:
Susan: Is there something I can do for you guys? Or would you guys like your bills now?
Old fuck: Oh no not quite yet we plan on having dessert and some more drinks, we've just been talking and thought you could use some advice. You really should be more flirty with your guests. Frankly I found it incredibly rude when you asked us not to touch you, especially in that outfit. It's obvious that you dress like a slut and expect to get big tips based on your looks alone. You're not even that hot, you're pudgy (untrue) and your face is bland and average at best (also untrue). Also you shouldn't refer to us so casually, we expect you to call us sir, or gentlemen if you're referring to all of us. If you want to get good tips you're gonna have to work a little harder for it sweetheart. Now we'll be here for a bit longer so if you do good from this point forward you can expect to be tipped, understood? We'll flag you down when we're ready to order more.
She was very shaken, and turned to leave after giving a meek "understood." Before she left one of the other guys poked her side and literally made a pig noise at her. She came over to me with tears in her eyes and relayed everything to me, and started really crying while saying it. I felt this calm, focused rage wash over me. I apologized to her, hugged her, and promised I'd go make a scene for her. She cheered up a bit at that, and stopped crying as hard. I printed out their checks and prepared myself.
Now, before going to college and working here I was in the Marines, and was a sgt and squad leader. I can adopt a very specific manner of speaking that comes from being in charge of about a dozen junior Marines, and dealing with their dumbfuckery. It communicates a feeling of *private _______ I know that you (drunk drove, got a stripper pregnant, lost your NVGs again, asked an Lt for her number, took a shit on the floor(!) of cpl Klemens room, etc.) and I'm about to tear your fucking head off and shit down your neck.* ( They were excellent Marines under fire, but Christ were they ever difficult the rest of the time)
Me: Good evening *gentleman*
Old fuck: Excuse me *boy* I don't appreciate you interrupting our conversation, now clear these plates and send the girl back here so we can put in some more drink orders.
Me: That's not why I'm here *sir*. You see I just had an *interesting* conversation with your waitress, Susan. I heard you gave her some advice?
Old fuck: Yeah? I told her how she could be doing her job better, what about it?
Me: Well I have a bit of a problem with what you said to her, *sir*. I don't give a fuck what you think she could do differently, what I *do* give a fuck about is you harassing and belittling her, and making her cry. Would you please explain why you felt the need to say these things to her?
Old fuck: Excuse me son but I don't much appreciate your tone or your language. I demand to see your manager so we can have our meals comped due to your behavior.
Me: I am the manager, *sir* and I find your behavior UNACCEPTABLE. First you refuse to stop touching her when she asks politely, then you get indignant about it? She is 17 and you've been SEXUALLY HARASSING HER ALL EVENING. Don't you DARE lecture me on MY TONE. And I don't give a SHIT about what she's wearing, or what you think you're entitled to, your can't just TOUCH women without their CONSENT.
This had the desired effect of garnering a lot of attention, and most of our very liberal patrons were staying daggers at them.
Me: (slapping their bills onto the table) I'm not gonna comp shit for you creeps, now pay your fucking bills and GET OUT! None of you are welcome back here until you learn to treat women with some goddamn RESPECT!
They all realized that this very large man screaming in their face meant business, paid their bills and fucking skedaddled. I immediately called the owner and explained the whole thing to him in case they complained, to which he replied "Ok.... I'm glad you stood up for her but next time just kick them out without cursing them out in front of all our guests please." Whoops.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/b0ddjm/make_my_server_cry_then_demand_i_comp_your_meal_i/
| 4,556
| 231
| 1,552,426,208
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top
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109j8sd
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TalesFromYourServer
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Gratuity
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I own a small breakfast restaurant and have been getting complaints from all of my waitresses lately about customers not tipping.. my waitresses are great and i know service is not the issue. i would like to resolve this for my servers but don’t know how to encourage tipping without it feeling forced. any ideas?
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/109j8sd/gratuity/
| 315
| 311
| 1,673,479,034
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1ygykj
|
TalesFromYourServer
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this was my tip on a 10-top; there were 4 adults, 6 kids under 10 y/o. I hate the new gratuity bs!!
| null |
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1ygykj/this_was_my_tip_on_a_10top_there_were_4_adults_6/
| 219
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gxo0nw
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TalesFromYourServer
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"My friend is a visiting VIP guest of honor, and I don't think we're getting adequate service!" -- Or Why You Should Never Accept a Pre-Tip
|
What is a pre-tip? It's gratuity received before services rendered. I was warned by an astute veteran in my early years, "Never accept the pre-tip. Because now you've transferred the role of your service from one of anticipation to expectation."
But of course I wouldn't be here to share a most *delightful* story had I heeded the code...
It's a busy late evening weekend shift, an hour from close, and I've got the whole back half of the restaurant to myself. This includes the big, fancy family table, the centerpiece of the backroom. Normally we'd phase down, close off the room, and seat all the stragglers in the front room to consolidate all service and closing duties. Not tonight.
The hosts giddily receive me, "We've got one last table for you in the back, but trust us, it's so worth it! This woman has been talking to us about her friend non-stop, she's some really special person who won some international award, I don't really know but she gave us each $20 and says she wants the best server and the best table, and we thought of you right away!"
"Yeah, I'm game, if it's good people, good vibes, good generosity, let's do it!" I'm very proactive, so I asked the hosts to point her out so I could introduce myself and get a better handle on all the fanfare.
She was full of pep. "You're our server? Great! So my friend is visiting from out of town. It's her first time here, and I want to make sure it's a really special evening. She's really amazing! She's won all sorts of international awards, she's an Obama Scholar, she's from Peru, she's very VIP, and very near and dear to me! Take care of us, and I'll take care of you. We're great tippers!" Wow. Even *I* can't wait to meet her.
"Sweet, well you're in good hands." There was a ...little something off. I double-checked with the hosts in the back, "Yeah, she's a little intense, but she seems really nice and sweet." K.
The rest of the party finally showed up and we took them back. Someone had brought little party hats for the whole group, and the mood was festive and upbeat. Everyone seemed normal, relaxed, and easy-going, so I breathed a sigh of relief. I began taking drink orders, and when I got around to the heroine of this story, she gives me the most unsurreptitious of winks with a curdled, come-hither Redrum finger waggle. She reaches out with her other fist and unfurls a wet, crumpled $20 bill in my hand. Very discrete and subtle, miss. She begins pointing across her body at her friend and states, "This is my friend, she's visiting from out of town, she's an Obama Scholar, and she's VIP!" Far out, dude.
I head back to put in their drinks, and she follows me back to the computer. "You got that $20, right?" *Oh, fuck me.* "So I'm thinking, can you present her with like a special drink? Do you guys do singing or dancing or anything fancy like that?" *Double fuck me.*
"Yeah, sure, I've got some ideas. Don't worry about it, go have a seat and enjoy yourself, you're in good hands."
I spent the $20 (gotta spend money to make money, n'aw mean?): $15 on our fanciest cocktail with all the bells, whistles, and accoutrements, and paid the busser with broken Spanglish $5 to come out and present the drink. I got a few other coworkers to join us in the room, banged on the ceremonial gong, passed out our own party hats and bibs, and made a big, loud scene as my buddy introduced her to the room. Cool. Out of sight, out of mind. Time to focus on the rest of my shit.
Sure enough, she was waiting at the computer for me. "Hey, what was the deal with all the Spanish? And also, my friend doesn't drink alcohol." A lot to unpack here.
"I thought you said she's from Peru...?"
"She's Peruvian, but she's not *from* Peru. She doesn't speak Spanish." *(So why mention it at all??)* Internal rage.
"Sorry then, I must have misunderstood. In terms of the drink, it's already poured and delivered, so anyone else at the table is welcome to share it."
"Ok, well I'm just wondering what other special surprises you have for the table." *Fuck me triple axel.*
"Honestly, I could maybe do a dessert at the end of the meal, but we've done the drink, the introduction, the clapping, the gong, the hats, the bibs; if you think of something else, just let me know and I'll see what I can do." We've officially reached "dance, monkey, dance" levels of torture. Deep sigh.
I take care of some other stuff and come back into the room to take their food order (that's right, dear reader, we haven't even breached the meat of this sandwich). She's against the wall and adjusting light dimmers for the room. I come over. "Hey, I can take care of that for you." They're fickle lights on antiquated circuits, and she's somehow set the playlist to strobe.
"It's too dark in here. And can you lower the music volume?" I'm plunging down Dante's Inferno.
Just get through this. I get their food order and put it in. Perfect. Time to work the rest of my tables in the front room. I'm in the back kitchen talking such mad shit, and everyone is giving me pity, but also making fun of me, "Shouldn't have taken the money!" I know...
I overhear a voice. She's standing at the computer, and now she's asking other staff where I am. I pop out. "Hey, I don't understand, I thought we were going to be entertained, my friend is visiting from out of town, she's a VIP, she's an Obama Scholar!" I explain my situation with other tables and that my attention can't be bogarted. Asked her to please have a seat, the food's almost out.
My GM is right there enjoying her post-shift glass of wine at the end of the bar, witness to all this, an incredulous look on her face. Not gonna get her involved. Enjoy your wine, dear, you've earned it.
The night persists. I'm shaking from trauma. There's no way I'm gonna visit that room for any reason other than basic service. Now she's at the host stand. She's peppering the poor hosts with the same tirade. I hear "Obama Scholar" again, so I come over and ask her to leave them alone. She's aghast. I cut her off, pull a $20 bill out of my book, and hand it to her, "Please take this. You are making my job stressful and harassing my staff, and I just can't do it anymore. We've done everything we can for your friend, but this is not okay. Please just take this and have a normal meal." She doesn't take the bill, but takes the hint and walks back to her table.
Success! She's looking mighty surly now, but when I come by the table, not a peep! Make it to dessert, make it to the bill. Thank God.
Final hurdle: "Why did you charge us gratuity? I already gave you guys tips!"
My patience is spent. "No, that was cash you gave us to do you favors. And we did those favors. This is for service." And that was that.
(And no, never heard a complaint or follow-up, and for the most part it seemed the rest of table was completely oblivious to all her shenanigans.)
Never, ever *ever* **ever** ^ever ^^ever ^^^ever accept the pre-tip.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/gxo0nw/my_friend_is_a_visiting_vip_guest_of_honor_and_i/
| 2,776
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79wlpi
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TalesFromYourServer
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Table came in 3 days in a row and complained each time, manager didn't take thier bulls*it the last day
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Hey all,
Long time lurker, first time poster, on mobile so sorry for formatting etc. I was catching up on all your stories when I remembered this gem from around 3 years ago when I was still a server.
I used to work at one of the most popular slightly upper-class Italian restaurants in a seaside tourist town in the UK. It'd get busy with tourists during the summer, and busy with locals during the winter. This particular story takes place in the summer.
On a Wednesday evening we had a table of 4 come in, definitely looked like tourists. They ordered drinks, food (two steaks, a pasta, and a fish), I served it and showed up two or three times during their meals to make sure everything was fine, which they said it was. "Awesome!" I think to myself, thankful to have an easy going table. Some time later I see their plates are squeeky clean so go to clean up their table and ask if they want deserts.
Before I even get the chance to ask how their meals were they all start talking at the same time. "My steak was rare, I asked for it medium", "The pasta was over cooked", "The fish didn't taste right". Uh huh, here we go...
I grabbed my manager on duty, awesome guy, but we had more of a "customer is always right" policy given we're more of an upper-class restaurant so he had to comp their meals. "Oh well" I think to myself "Hopefully they won't come back".
I'm working the next day, see them come in and I'm already wary. They pulled the same shit that day, but there was a different manager on duty that day who was kind of a bitch to me, so she didn't take my word for it when I said it happend the day before. Ugh.
Friday rolls around, restaurant is more busy so we're better staffed, awesome manager is back on duty, and the 4 come in with some friends, making a group of 7. I point them out to the awesome manager and let him know they also showed up yesterday and pulled the same trick with the bitch manager. "Leave it with me" awesome manager says.
Manager decided since we had 8 people on duty he'd send each and every one of us to the table throughout the night to check up on them, and then said he'd clear their table himself.
Some time later I'm a few tables away dealing with another table when I overhear "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?! OUR MEALS WERE TERRIBLE!", and this is when my manager became my hero.
With the best poker face he could hold while trying not to grin he says: "Ma'am, you and your friends came in for the third day in the row and complained each day at the end of your meals. I was nice enough to comp it the first day, and my colleague was nice enough to comp it yesterday even though both nights you didn't speak up till the end of your meals. Today however, I've had all my waiters go to your table throughout the night and check up on you. All of them were told you were enjoying your meals. If you weren't enjoying your meals, you had multiple chances to say so. I'll be asking that you pay your full bill tonight. Oh, and please also note as you are a party of more than 6 we will be applying a 15% service charge to your bill, which I'll go get right now as you won't be having desserts here."
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/79wlpi/table_came_in_3_days_in_a_row_and_complained_each/
| 2,309
| 149
| 1,509,464,754
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1eaosz
|
TalesFromYourServer
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Our restaurant's first casualty of getting rid of gratuity
|
$15 on $273....
Pour one out for your fellow server...
Anyone else "enjoying" the change?
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1eaosz/our_restaurants_first_casualty_of_getting_rid_of/
| 49
| 46
| 1,368,506,873
| 8
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ag324z
|
TalesFromYourServer
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Had a table who got about 250$ on their check comped.
|
This is going to be super long so bear with me!
So this happened a couple days ago and it still makes me super mad when I think about it. I'm a server at an extremely popular theme park at a restaurant that is a specific kind of cuisine. I had been a double that day and was put upstairs for dinner and my section was 2 big tops and a 2 top. So, I finally get sat at one of my big tables (my other 2 tables were already sat as well) with a 7 top. They order drinks and all their food (the check is about $360 at this point) and once everything came out, I did a table touch to make sure everything was alright. They start off by telling me that 2 of their dishes had hair in it so I apologize ask if they would like us to remake it for them. They say no and ask me to just take it off their check. So I said of course and take it downstairs to a manager. When I inspected the hair, it was very clearly long and fake hair like from a wig/weave. Our kitchen staff are predominately males that are Asian so at this point I can see where this is going. I get the dishes comped and run back upstairs to check on them again. They then say 3 of their other dishes were cold and to take them off the check. So I run back downstairs to tell a manager again. This happens 2 more times with "cold food". At this point I'm fuming. They ask for the check and all that's left on their check are their drinks, 4 food items, and my gratuity which has now gone down to 25$ since over 200$ was comped off their bill. The guy paying the bill then asks what the grat was for and that I was fantastic, but they weren't happy with thefood. So I grab my manager and hes trying to explain that that's the service charge for me and asked if there was a problem with the service. He says absolutely not, but that ALL the food was horrible. So my manager takes the check and takes the rest of the food off and keeps that 25$ grat and just the drinks. The guy then points out to my manager that the gratuity should be lower if he took more off the check. He then tells my manager to send me out because he wanted to give me cash and tell me thank you. So I put the fakest smile on that I can and go out to say good night and he tells me again that i was great but my manager was unprofessional (which he is the most amazing manager ever) and the best part? He tells me they all work in the industry and one of them is a manager. Gives me a pat on the back and says good night. I hope you and your family enjoyed your almost free dinner and me only making 17$ when I should have made over 60$.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/ag324z/had_a_table_who_got_about_250_on_their_check/
| 1,558
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| 1,547,515,795
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bt2dgz
|
TalesFromYourServer
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Don't think you should have to pay an extra dollar, huh?
|
Hi server friends! This story happened today and I had a pretty good laugh over it, hopefully you will too. tl;dr at the bottom.
&#x200B;
I work at a small chain place. The restaurant is fairly large & can get quite busy, and tonight was no different. We also have a patio, but not enough servers to make a section of it, so we all take turns taking patio tables as well as our usual section. Maybe you can see where this is going- it's 7pm, the entire place and patio are packed, and I'm running around like a wild woman trying to get everything done. With no bartender, hostess, food runner, or busboy, I have a fuckton to do.
&#x200B;
Enter Garbage Table, three adults and a child.
Garbage Table ran me back and forth to the kitchen five times in a row (yes, five) asking for things one at a time. Garbage Table had a shrieking infant that they completely ignored. Garbage Table drank four refills of Coke. Garbage Table took upwards of five minutes to order. Garbage Table was garbage, in summation. Generally not what I needed on a night where I'm handling upwards of 30 people by myself.
&#x200B;
When GT asked for their check, I dropped it and saw them scrutinizing the whole thing, which I don't blame them for. Mistakes happen. They wave me over and the gentleman informs me they've been charged for extra tortillas that they did not receive. I internally debate telling him that yes, he did receive extra tortillas, but with his appetizer and not the entree when I quickly realized that I had forgotten to charge him for the table's second round of beers. I tell him sweetly that I'll take that off the tab.
&#x200B;
I 'correct' his bill, take the tortillas off, and add the second round. I drop the check just as sweetly as I had taken it away and tell him it's been corrected, and silly me- I had forgotten to add the beers! I thank him for his correction and take off. Watching his face fall as he realized he now owes more than if he had just kept his mouth shut & paid for the tortillas (that he literally did eat!!) was absolutely priceless.
Garbage Table grumbles, his wife scolds him, they leave me 10%. Worth it.
&#x200B;
tl;dr: Man is upset at an extra dollar charge for something he forgets he received, I take the dollar off the bill & instead add the beers I had forgotten to put on. Bill comes back higher, man is unamused but has no leg to stand on.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/bt2dgz/dont_think_you_should_have_to_pay_an_extra_dollar/
| 2,530
| 93
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gratuity
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relevance
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1cqjj9x
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TalesFromYourServer
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Caught my supervisor closing my orders under his name so he can collect the tip.
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I'm still new with Toast POS and I have been working with this supervisor who was hired at the same time as I. He is a cool guy and it's his first time being a supervisor as he used to work as a server previously.
We both work mainly at the small buffet of the hotel and then we turn it into a small restaurant. Most of the time it's just the 2 of us. I get tips and gratuity from the buffet but he doesn't. Since he has been helping, I decided to be splitting the cash tips.
The hotel has been in chaos with some upper F&B people quitting and the payroll is been done now by the managers/supervisors. This supervisor didn't know that I make that much in gratuity so he has been pissed. He is hoping to hire more people so I can pool it. He also told me that management hasn't told him anything about getting tips and he is hourly, so it should be fine.
Anyways, today I realized that he closes my Toast orders under his name. Not all of them to avoid that I notice. Yesterday I saw my tips being so low after taking so many orders. Today I realized after I served some tables that there was no way I only made so little since I remember then tipping.
I checked the POS and yeah, I saw that a bunch of my orders were closed under his name. It seems he did it when I went to lunch break since I had 2 tables still being there. I managed to transfer the orders back to my name and close the shift and he will realize.
I don't want to act hostile and make it unable to me to work there. I'm just thinking to report it when he hires more people so he won't know who did it.. assuming that he will be doing it to other employees too.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1cqjj9x/caught_my_supervisor_closing_my_orders_under_his/
| 182
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| 1,715,552,021
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gratuity
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hot
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168ljkl
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TalesFromYourServer
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Been doing banquets but kinda get out of it.
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I work for 2 hotels in banquets and sadly they don't pay much. I was told since I am living in LA, I should be making $30+/hr on banquets. My one hotel pays $21/hr flat rate and sometimes they offer overtime but they also put you to so housemen work since they don't have enough people.
The other one is $15.50/hr + gratuity but the gratuity is not being split equally. Basically the more hours you get, the more of a percentage you receive and at the end the housemen make more since they are both servers/housemen and they work on days the hotel has no serving work.
So yeah I think for LA those wages are low and also the whole on-call thing is inconsistent. Sometimes I get schedule at both hotels on the same days/hours and I have to call off from one. I am not sure if working at some actual restaurant would be a better path.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/168ljkl/been_doing_banquets_but_kinda_get_out_of_it/
| 4
| 4
| 1,693,709,436
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gratuity
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hot
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15t272w
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TalesFromYourServer
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Is anyone else tired or banquets?
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I live in Los Angeles and when I first moved here I worked many banquet events through temp agencies. I gained experience and I applied for hotels. I got hired by two. Both don't pay much and sadly after working at these places for sometime now, i have to say I am not fond of the environment. Many people in banquets have been there for like 20 years, many don't speak English(no offense but if you are not a Spanish speaker you can feel the exclusion from the group) and they everyone is trying to be a boss.
One of the hotels I work at pays me $21/hr flat rate, they get angry if I am not available to work, when they have a very inconsistent amount of work. They have seen I am physically strong and they always ask me to move hot boxes, queen marry, heavy trays, etc. They don't ask from the other female servers because they are old apparently. Most of the housemen are also old so I am always being asked for heavy stuff. I am being approached by many servers asking me to do this or that at the same time. I see everyone is trying to be a boss but makes me angry.
My other hotel offers gratuity but only 1 paycheck is a 'good' one. It seems other employees who have been there forever take more of a gratuity percentage.
Overall I haven't made that much money out of banquets. Sonetimes it might be weeks with no work. If you tell them you can't come x day, even on-call, they might not schedule you. Makes me wonder how all these senior banquet servers are always available to work, it's never enough to pay the bills.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/15t272w/is_anyone_else_tired_or_banquets/
| 6
| 8
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hot
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nom4ms
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TalesFromYourServer
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Idiot doesn't know how to use DoorDash, shows up an hour early and starts screaming at everyone, owner has enough and terminates partnership with DD
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Let's be real; DoorDash is a plague unto this world. Ridiculous service fees, abysmal customer service, predatory practices, few protections for their workforce, and the gig economy in general is a parasite on the industry. Now that the end of lockdowns is on the horizon, its necessity has diminishing demand and should be excised for all but the few desperate establishments.
Come out and eat, everyone; we're almost there!
/end rant, on to story...
It's Memorial Day weekend, graduations are in full swing, and there's optimism in the air for the vaccinated. We are slamma-bamma-jammin, and there's a healthy wait list, phone is non-stop ringin, and the annoying DoorDash bell-tone won't stop blingin. We're still running with a skeleton crew, and the bottleneck of a small kitchen means we're already hitting 1hr+ wait times on our to-go orders right from the outset.
The volume won't stop, so eventually have to put a pause on DD orders once we hit the 90-minute mark. One of the last orders that snuck in before we shut it down was for a modest number of dishes that the customer had opted to pick up instead of using delivery (hey, saves like 20% off exorbitant fees).
We've got our hustle in full swing, and this guy shows up to the window soon thereafter and says he's here to pick up an order for... hmm, let's say "Karen". We're a little confused, since none of the ready bags have that name, and no upcoming orders are listed under Karen. One of the hosts pulls up the DoorDash tablet and points at the 20th order down on the list. "Was it this order?" as she names off the items.
"Yes!" he says excitedly.
"Uhh, I guess you showed up quite a bit early, it's still got more than an hour til it's ready."
"What!? The app said it would be ready in 30 mins!"
"Not sure how that happened, we set the time on that order for an hour and a half."
"Oh no, my wife is gonna be very upset."
"Alright, well it's still gonna be about an hour. Sorry about that."
He leaves in a huff.
Back in the flow, until someone shows up at our window again. She's got her arms crossed and hungry for a confrontation. "Hello?! I'm Karen. My husband just told me that our order is going to take over an hour?!"
I remain stoic. "Yup, it's behind about 20 other tickets."
"The app said it would be ready in 30 minutes!"
"I'm not sure how that happened. When we confirmed the order, we set the wait time to an hour and a half." I pull up the tablet to show her there's still 62 mins left.
"Well that's bullshit! I'm already here, so isn't there anything you can do to speed up the process?"
"Unfortunately no, there's already several tickets ahead of you, and we've got a full house for dine-in service. It's going to be about an hour."
She continues stewing. "Ok, I want to cancel my order!"
"That's fine. I understand. I can pull your ticket off the line, but you're going to have get in your DoorDash app to cancel it so you don't get charged." She stares down at her phone and angrily paces back to her car. My coworkers and I are looking at each other like wtf.
Not a few minutes later, she's back at the window, looking more livid. She holds her phone out and starts jabbing her finger against the DoorDash app. "I can't log in!" She starts handing it over to me like she wants me to do it.
I step back. "I can't do that for you. All I can do on my end is pull the ticket off the line."
She tries one more desperate plea. "I spent $70 here! Are you saying my money's no good? You can't make it faster?"
$70 is a weird flex when there's a few orders ahead of hers in the $200-300 range. I couldn't help but chuckle, which honestly is not the best "customer service" response.
She points at me sternly and says, "You're a dick!" and wallows off. Guilty as charged. But also, her problem, not mine.
The entire staff and I are laughing about this because it's just so absurd. I give the owner a heads up and he laments, "It feels like DoorDash brings us nothing but headaches." Don't you know it, brother.
Five minutes later, we get a phone call. It's Karen, and she's a lot more conciliatory. "Hi, I'm calling about earlier. If we still want our food, how long is it going to take?"
I'm easy-going. I don't take shit, but I'm also in the business of trying to make people happy, so I don't take anything personal. The app now say 56 mins. "Let's see... we're still looking at roughly about an hour."
"What?!" I also hear her husband fully guffawing, on speakerphone in their car. "We were just there 15 mins ago and you told us an hour. Is this some game where you just keep telling us an hour until you eventually close and never make our order!? We want our cash back!"
I was fully on board with trying to help them out, but now I give no fucks. They ask to speak with a manager. I skip the line and ask the owner if he wants to share a piece of his mind. He gladly accepts.
He's a super chill, easy going guy, and after being on the phone for 15 minutes with them, I see new veins in his forehead. "How'd it go?" I ask.
"I was explaining things to them and she told me to *shut up and listen*. No one talks to me like that." He gathers himself. "Okay, fuck DoorDash. We're deactivating the account."
And like that, our prayers were answered. DD may account for 20% of our business, but 90% of our headaches. Good riddance.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/nom4ms/idiot_doesnt_know_how_to_use_doordash_shows_up_an/
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r0ori5
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TalesFromYourServer
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"You should never worry about cutting someone off, because you're definitely not the first."
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I am NOT on mobile. English IS my first language. All errors are my own.
I'm a bartender in an Irish bar in the United States. I've been in the service industry off and on for 25 years. But for the first time last night, my fellow bartender said the above and I had never thought of it that way.
The reason he said it was as follows:
I came in last night to take over from the manager who had been behind the bar all afternoon. It was going to be me, and let's call him Lucky, all night. Lucky is an older gent and he's originally from Ireland, still has his accent. The manager closed out with all of his tabs, except one which he transferred to Lucky, then the manager leaves. The one tab he transferred is a woman in a yellow jacket, so we'll call her Old Yeller, not because she was old. Or because her jacket was yellow. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Old Yeller is drinking with one guy at a table. The last drinks the manager made for them was a single, tall vodka soda with a lemon for the guy and that is exactly how the guy ordered the drink. "Single, tall, vodka soda with a lemon." Old Yeller says "Margarita" then walks away. We don't have a blender, so they're all on the rocks. Since she didn't specify, the manager makes it with well tequila in a normal, short cocktail glass. The dude walks back to the table with both drinks, then comes back a second later.
Dude: "She wanted it in a tall glass."
Manager: "Does she want a double?"
Dude: "No, just a tall glass."
Manager puts it in a tall glass and adds more sour mix and lime juice. Dude is back a second later.
Dude: "She wants a salted rim."
Manager salts another glass, pours drink one into what is now glass three. Dude leaves, but is back a second later.
Dude: "She says she can't taste the alcohol."
Manager: "That's because it's a single in a tall glass. Does she want a double?"
Dude: "No, she just wants to be able to taste the tequila."
Manager: "There's one shot of tequila in there. The only way to make it taste more like tequila is to double the amounts of shots in there." Dude leaves, but then is back in a moment.
Dude: "I would like to order a shot of tequila."
Manager: "Well tequila?"
Dude: "Yeah, that's fine." Manager pours shot of well tequila. Dude leaves. Dude returns.
(This is all happening while I'm counting my drawer.)
Dude: "What kind of tequila is this?'
Manager: "It's the well tequila." Manager brandishes the bottle again.
Old Yeller, from the table twenty feet away: "I DIDN'T ORDER WELL! I ORDERED CASA MIGOS!"
(Spoilers: I heard her say one word, "margarita" and walk away.)
Manager: "I gotta charge you for the first round because she's already drank most of it."
Dude: "Fine."
Manager: "Casa Migos margarita with salt. Single or double?"
Dude: "I guess double." Manager complies. Dude leaves. Manager rolls his eyes at me, transfers the check to Lucky, gives us a rousing pep talk, then the manager leaves.
Bar gets busy for a bit, then dies down. Dude has been ordering drinks from Lucky and I'm not really paying them any attention. When the bar empties out a bit, Old Yeller and Dude move from the table to the bar and are joined by two other guys, Dude 2 and 3. Dude 2 opens a separate tab with me for him and 3 and orders a round of tequila shots for all four of them.
Me: "Well tequila or do you want something nicer?"
Dude 2: "Well is fine."
Old Yeller: "CASA MIGOS!"
Dude 2: "I guess Casa Migos."
Me: "Do you want limes?"
Dude 2: "Yes, please."
I pour four Casa Migos shots and put a lime wheel on the side of each glass.
Me: "Do you need anything else?"
Blank stares, no response.
Me: "Cheers."
I walk about ten feet away.
Old Yeller, slapping her hand repeatedly on the bar: "Hey! Lemons! Here and here!"
Lucky comes over and says to me, "Madhatter555, you should never worry about cutting someone off, because you're definitely not the first."
At this point, Old Yeller is not slurring or wobbling. She does not appear visibly intoxicated. After the shots, she walks outside with Dude 1 and Dude 2, leaving 3 at the bar while they have a cigarette. I ask 3 if he needs anything.
Dude 3: "Just don't give her any more tequila shots. We're trying to get her to Uber home."
Lucky: "Fair enough, I'll close out her tab." He runs her card and has the receipt waiting behind the bar.
Old Yeller, immediately upon her return: "Hey! Hello? Four shots of Casa Migos." She's snapping her fingers at me and pointing at their empty glasses.
Me: "No thank you."
Old Yeller, like I slapped her: "Excuse me? What the f\*\*\* did you say to me?"
Lucky: "Sorry, miss, we won't be serving you anymore tonight."
Old Yeller: "It's either you give me shots, RIGHT NOW, or I'm closing my tab and leaving!"
Lucky immediately hands her the credit card slip and her credit card. "Here you are. Get home safe, love."
Then she starts interrogating Lucky about if she should tip us 20% or 25% and I had other people to attend to. When I come back she says potentially the funniest thing a customer has said to me in a while.
Lucky and I look nothing alike. If we were going to make a movie based in this bar, the actor playing Lucky would be John Mahoney, the actor that played Frasier's dad on Frasier. The actor playing me would probably be Conan O'Brian, but when he had a beard and he'd have to be really low energy and monotone. No one is confusing me on the street for Conan, but Conan and John Mahoney look nothing alike is my point.
I come back to that end of the bar to pour a beer. Old Yeller is now super complimentary.
Old Yeller: "I had such a good time and you guys are such great bartenders. And I just realized you're kind of hot. Is that your dad?" Points at Lucky.
Me, sarcastically: "Yeah, Lucky is totally my dad."
Old Yeller: "Not gonna lie, your dad is mad f\*\*\*able as well. Have a good night. Thank you so much. Good-bye." (That was also the hardest I've ever heard Lucky laugh when I told him that.)
You'd think that was the end of it. We aren't serving her drinks and her friends are trying to get her to go home. Our downfall is that we were too nice. And the fact that we use the same glasses for water and cocktails.
Old Yeller leaves with Dude 1 and 2. Dude 3 is at the bar still. Old Yeller returns and asks if Lucky can hold her purse behind the bar for a few minutes. Fine. She leaves again. Thirty minutes pass and Dude 3 is worried that he got ditched. But her purse is behind the bar and two extra phones are on the bar. Dude 1 had ordered a tall, vodka soda with a lemon right before he walked out with Old Yeller.
Dude 3: "I'm kind of worried. They've been gone for a while. Here's my card for the tab, I'll be right back."
I put the extra phones behind the bar. Dude 3 leaves, but is back in five minutes, shaking his head. All he says is, "They're trying to convince her to get out of the middle of the street."
Now all of them are back. Old Yeller asks very politely for water while she waits for her ride. She is still not visibly intoxicated. I give her a glass of ice water. It now becomes a debate about all the places she's been cut off at or thrown out of. Her side is that every place she goes people are super rude to her and she needs to stand up for herself against the A-holes that work in bars and restaurants around the city. The Troika of Dudes position is that she's the Drama Network: All Drama, All the Time. I'm a little busy because Lucky went to eat something, but I keep hearing things like:
"...and none of us ever allowed to go back there because of that..."
"...and that's why we stopped inviting you out for drinks in 2018, because we didn't want to keep breaking up cat fights..."
Everything was someone else's fault, those glasses were broken when I walked in, honest.
That's when I realize that her "water" has a lemon floating in it. She took Dude 1's cocktail. I mention this to Lucky as soon as I notice and with his charming Irish accent gets the drink from her and urges her to go home.
She finally leaves with all of the dudes in tow at around 11 pm.
At about 1245, I hear Lucky say, "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," as he hustles from behind the bar towards the front door. Old Yeller is back. But with new friends. I'd say that she was in her late 40s and all the original Dudes were about the same age. She's now with eight "kids" that look barely 21. She's also visibly intoxicated and can barely stand.
I didn't hear what he said, but Lucky told her she was cut off and he wasn't serving her or any of her new friends while she was present, knowing that she was going to steal other people's drinks.
Old Yeller: "I'VE NEVER BEEN IN THIS BAR IN MY WHOLE LIFE!"
Lucky: "Love, you're wearing the same yellow jacket from earlier. I can't serve you, you need to go home."
Old Yeller: "Oh, you're right. I'm sorry. I should go home. Have a good night."
They all leave.
Five minutes later, I kid you not, she walks back in, with her coat partially wedged into her purse.
Old Yeller, trying very hard to appear sober: "I'd like a shot of tequila, please." (I'd like one alcohol, please!)
Lucky: "Out or I'm calling the authorities."
She stomped her foot, made a pouty face and sulked out. I left shortly after that but I wouldn't be surprised if she came back with Groucho glasses and a hat after I left.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/r0ori5/you_should_never_worry_about_cutting_someone_off/
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1hm94v7
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TalesFromYourServer
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A Shout-out to my Bartender
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This is more like a tale **for** my server.
I went to my local TGIChilibees last night and sat at the bar (as I usually do when alone). Now I wasn't expecting superior food and service because it was Christmas Eve. And I got about what I expected. The food was poorly cooked even for a TGIChilibees. The bartender wasn't very attentive, though she did refill my drink pretty quickly when I asked.
I wasn't about to complain though, because what can you expect on Christmas Eve? But when I got my check, the bartender (who I thought hadn't been paying attention) had only charged me for one (of three) drinks. So thank you ma'am! (And yes, I tipped 25% on what the bill should have been).
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1hm94v7/a_shoutout_to_my_bartender/
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baet4a
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TalesFromYourServer
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Guy left bad review because we didnt have his favorite beer
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This older couple comes in like every week so they're regulars. We have 50 different craft beers on tap and we typically have a lot of specific local breweries' beers on, but like anywhere, we eventually run out from time to time.
So he immediately got annoyed by that but I recommended a different beer that looks and tastes very, very similar. Like if you were to blind test me on both I wouldnt be able to say which is which.
So he starts acting like if I'm in charge of what goes on tap and I tell him that's the bar managers job, when we run out we usually have it back on in the next couple of days.
Halfway through the beer I recommended he tells me just to take it away. Then leaves a review to corporate after they left, along the lines of,
"My wife and I come here all the time, and the food wasn't as good as all other visits, the kitchen staff needs to get their act together. More importantly the jackwagon whose apparently the bar manager can't keep beers stocked. The service was good but we won't be back in the foreseeable future."
Lol, ok? First of all, its pizza. Its kinda hard to fuck up a pizza unless its over/under-cooked or doesn't have enough toppings, etc. It looked damn fine to me. Secondly, the beer he's obsessed about is local. He can literally go to the gas station and get a 6 pack or even tall cans of it, its nothing rare.
He still left me a 20% tip, but damn, you grumpy old man, going out of your way to complain about something so little. We all just laughed over the review including the manager. "Jackwagon" LOL
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/baet4a/guy_left_bad_review_because_we_didnt_have_his/
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1d1lh8q
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TalesFromYourServer
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Sitting Pretty
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I no longer work in the Service Industry, but I've been reading some of these stories lately and taking a bittersweet stroll down memory lane. Thought I'd share a summer story. TL,DR at bottom
I worked at a private restaurant in Southern US a few summers back. We had a shaded patio area that was lovely if the weather was nice, but there's no such thing as nice outdoor weather in the South in the middle of August. It just doesn't exist. The picturesque patio became a stifling oven with air hotter than Satan's farts. Turning on the few fans we did have created a swirling vortex of hellish wind that was somehow worse than the suffocatingly still air. The nonstop shrilling of cicadas as they serenade anyone foolish enough to venture out to the sweltering hellscape is a nice touch.
*It's important to note that anyone who decided to dine at our restaurant would have to exit the gloriously air conditioned interior of their car, walk through the fire and brimstone themed temaptures (over a large parking lot at least 20° hotter than it's surroundings) up a small cobbled street and steps to get to our door.*
Read: you know how flipping hot it is outside.
Cut to a slow Wednesday afternoon, aforementioned weather in place. I'm rolling silverware in the kitchen because the cooks have all the fans on blast and I'm miserably hot and bored. The hostess comes thru the swinging doors with a "look". I immediately sense there's an issue. "What? Walk in 10 top right after we cut the floor?" I shake my head and make a 'gimme' motion with my hand. She hands me the menus and seems reluctant to relay the bad news. "3 top of church ladies at 217" she confesses with a wince. "*WHAT?* " I yelp in frustration. The 200s are all patio numbers. "This can't be real, is there even furniture still out there that hasn't melted yet?!" I quip as I head out the doors. The hostess scurried back to her stand without answering. I make a mental note to take some gum to the front as a peace offering. I'm sure she did everything she could to sway this abominable decision.
Instead of immediately greeting my guests, I stopped to get 3 ice waters. I was positive that would be more welcome to them than my sweaty, pasted on smile once they'd had two seconds to process the error of their ways. It may even be medically necessary if one of them were suffering a heat stroke. Bracing myself for the onslaught of the sweltering inferno, I walked out and set down the waters as I introduced myself. I took the menus from where I'd tucked them under my arm and decided not to do that anymore today, as my uniform was already damp up there. I tried to discreetly wipe at them as I began telling them the specials for the day. Once the menus were passed out I was already teetering from utter lack of oxygen in the oppressive heat. "May I start you ladies off with some teas while you look over things?" I knew better than to offer cocktails to church ladies, I'd simply get a look of reprimand and a judgmental 'no' for my troubles. The ring leader (ie biggest hat) ordered an Arnold Palmer and her court followed suit. I practically ran back inside where I gulped in the sweet, chilled air that only moments before I'd mentally complained wasn't cool enough. Never again, I swore to myself. This luxury should never be taken for granted.
I took my time making their teas just to linger in a.c.before my next trip to purgatory. I set them on the tray and went to work arranging the lemons in a wheel on a doilied b&b plate (older church ladies always loved silly fluff like that). I forced myself to open the door and walk back outside. The cicadas had noticed they had an audience, and had reached full crescendo level. I could barely hear the ladies over their song. Once all the ladies had ordered, I noticed even they finally seemed to have realized they were being slowly baked to death. I saw one pull out a hand fan as I quickly retreated inside to put in their order.
I stopped by the hostess stand with olive branch gum and she filled me in on the details of their check in. The smaller hat ladies had wanted a booth by the window, but big hat had wanted to enjoy the day outside. Big hat was insistent the shade would keep them cool, despite meek protests by the other ladies and the hostess' sincere warnings about how the patio cover absorbed the sun, Priscilla (Priscilla is what we called fussy older women that take charge) wanted to be outdoors and that was that. Well, Pricilla, how's it working out for you? I wondered as I entered their order in the bar POSI.
I grabbed a couple pitchers, premixed the lemonade and tea in one and filled the other with water and set off to check on the ladies' drink levels.
As expected, they'd consumed a good deal of their refreshments already. Probably the only thing keeping them and their floofy hats from spontaneously combusting, I thought with a mental eye roll. Priscilla had definitely gone from an 'Isn't this nice' mentality to 'Oh my, it's hotter out here than I thought' since my last pilgrimage. She was visibly sweating and a little too eager to have her water refilled. She lifted her glass expectantly even though I was already in the process of reaching over the table. Of the three, she had an overly ample busum that was probably adding to her discomfort. The lady wearing what seemed to the hottest of the hats looked at her companions to gauge their reactions as she suggested we turn the fans on. *Sure* , I thought. Now you'll have a desert storm minus the sand, but have fun. The other lady looked relieved it was brought up, but the queen bee seemed ever resolute in her choice and made a non committal sigh. After starting up the fans, they sluggishly moved the air around as if they, too, were tired in this blistering heat.
I went back inside as quickly as possible and didn't return until their order was up. I already knew I was in for 10% of teas and the $9.99 lunch specials, and it wasn't worth my sweat to me to make extra trips.
The line cooks asked me if they were still outside and I nodded. I stuck my hand under the heat lamp on the line and said " *This* feels better than it does out there". The fry cook, who was plating up one of the ladies club sandwich grimaced at that description. "Gnarly" he muttered as he shook out onion rings between the cut sandwich fourths. I loaded everything onto a tray, snagged a tray jack and made my way back out to my own personal hell.
I handed out their entrees, then all of the many extra items and sauces they'd ordered and some they hadn't begun asking for until after I sat it down in front of them. Priscilla seemed peeved I had anticipated their needs and she couldn't send me scampering off on some side quest. She hautily shook her encumbered, hat clad head and demanded I summon a manager. I was thrown by this, and asked if there was anything I could help her with. She shook her head again and shooed me away. Alright, Priscilla, *now* I'm annoyed.
I then had the fun task of locating our day manager and also requiring him to put his Pokemon Go on pause and actually do his job. After searching the smoking area, the back truck deck, and the corridors around the banquet rooms, I checked the absolute last place I expected to find him- the office. He was splayed out in the office chair in front of a fan that was still clinging to life from the 1980's. "Hey, Pricilla with the big hat wants you at 217" I huffed as I walked in. "Why the *hell* is anyone at 217 and what the 🦆 does she want??" he moaned. "If I knew that I wouldn't need you, Kyle". I leaned against the doorjamb, tapping my foot in frustration. "Ugh, FINE" he snapped and made an effort to adjust his disheveled jacket and crumpled tie. The heat was making everyone cranky. He trudged towards the side door to walk around to the patio. I chose to walk back through the restaurant to avoid spending one extra second outside.
He was just stepping through the patio door, shaking his sweaty, moppy haired head as I came out of the back hall. "Well? What did Princess Pricilla want?"
"I need a new job" he grunted as he walked to the POSI. "Ok, but...." I prompted him. He opened the check for 217 and rang in a promo dessert of our house made ice cream sampler. "Oh, you want them to curdle the milk in their bellies and suffer an even worse fate than they've already chosen?" I chuckled. Kyle slouched and walked back to the kitchen, muttering under his breath. He walked over to where the fry cook and the dishwasher were standing under a fan. "High hat said, get this- it's really warm out here and we'd appreciate it if you could cool it off-" he made exaggerated air quotes here- "and you shouldn't seat folks out here knowing it's this hot" he mocked her haughty tone perfectly. Shaking his head in disbelief, he grabbed a dish towel and tried to dry the never ending stream of sweat running down his dated sideburns. "COOL IT OFF?!? Yea, **SURE** lady, lemme just go talk to God real quick, brb I'll ask him to turn down the sun" he practically yelled.
"What is wrong with people?" I asked as I laughed. Line cook snorted and shrugged. "Well guys, let's keep living the dream, as our fearless leader would say." I said in an over the top, upbeat tone as I went to check on the church ladies.
They were practically wilted at this point, even Priscilla was devoid of all her blusters and pompous air. Even their hats seemed deflated , defeated by the sizzling humidity. They'd scarecly eaten their food and were practically begging for the bill. I reminded them with the biggest fake smile I could muster that they still had ice cream to enjoy out here to "beat the heat". They all turned slightly green at the thought. I offered to pack it to go, because I was well over them at this point. They hastily agreed. I cashed them out with the group hovering behind me at the POSI station. They were almost swooning in the air conditioned restaurant. Our a.c., strained as the beast was, made it easily 20° cooler inside. I gathered up their signed credit card slips and wished them a happy afternoon. The hostess couldn't resist a cheeky "Hope you enjoyed your lunch on this pretty day!" as they shuffled past her to the exit. They made some grunting noises that may pass as words in some language, but didn't translate to us. As soon as the door closed we both laughed. I already knew the manager had come by to regale her with his 'special request' story.
She looked at the seating chart and said "Boss says you can be cut now since it's slow, and the pm opener came in early to pick up before the rush." "Oh, lawd thank you sweet baby Jesus!" I sang as I danced away to finish up side work. At least this crap day was finally over.
I didn't see Priscilla or her friends again for a week or so, but when they did come in for a late lunch on one of my doubles, I noticed they did *not* ask for a patio table.
TL,DR: Some fussy church ladies wanted to sit on the patio in ridiculously hot, as in heat advisory, weather and then had the nerve to complain and ask us to make it cooler/get free food. Manager made quip: Hang on, let me go ask God to turn down the sun.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1d1lh8q/sitting_pretty/
| 40
| 16
| 1,716,792,532
| 8
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service charge
|
hot
|
1crxxxl
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
How broken bottles shut a pool bar down for an entire weekend
|
For background, I work at a resort restaurant. Our resort has around 6 restaurants with three also operating pool bars during the summer months. About two years ago or so, my co-worker's husband, Dave, witnessed the before-and-after of a really bizarre situation that resulted in a pool and bar getting shut down for a whole weekend.
Dave worked in the engineering department of our resort and was tasked to do some maintenance on the pool before it opened in a few hours. As he walked in, tools in hand, he noticed a group of men and women in the pool. Now, them being there was beyond strange because the pool's gates were locked so only select employees could access, meaning these people had jumped over the fence to get in. He also noticed as he got closer to them that they were drinking beer from glass bottles and the women were entirely topless. Dave would tell my co-worker that one or two of the guys were looking at these women like hungry wolves, which was really gross to think about. They were also all visibly drunk and loud. Dave walked up to the group and told them that they weren't supposed to be there and they needed to leave. They kind of brushed him off and said it was fine. Dave didn't want to start any trouble so he just said that they just needed to leave before the pool opened and staff showed up before going to do what he was supposed to in the main building. To this day, I don't understand why he didn't call security or someone right then and there, but whatever.
I can't remember how long he was gone for, but when he came out, the group of people were gone. However, what was left behind were countless shards of shattered glass all around and inside the pool. It was like a bomb had dropped and glass of all different colors littered the pool's floor and around the edges. Dave's theory was that the women probably got fed up with the men staring at them and this resulted in bottles being thrown. They probably left right after, probably because even in their drunk states, they either realized swimming in broken glass wasn't safe or that they would be royally screwed if they were caught. Whether or not it was true, how else would so much glass end up in the pool? Dave immediately called security and police got involved since the broken glass was considered vandalism. Unfortunately, by that point in time, the group was long gone and at the time, there were no functioning cameras so no suspects could be identified or charged. No one knew if they were even guests at the resort or people who lived nearby. These people basically got away with it.
It took the resort an entire weekend to clean the pool as it had to be drained, scrubbed top to bottom, and then filled manually before it could be safely reopened for service again.
It was supposed to be a really busy weekend and this particular pool was a staple of the resort, meaning the group cost our resort potentially THOUSANDS of dollars.
Now, I actually didn't know about this story until the day after. On the day of, I was supposed to work a shift at my pool and unfortunately for me, not only did my bartender call in sick with no substitute, but I was also the only other employee scheduled that day. So I was on my own and had to deal with the much larger crowd as best as possible. I did have some bartending experience I learned from my coworkers, but I still struggled to keep up on my own and we didn't have enough staff to spare that day. It was rough, but I made it through. However, I've become very strict about glass being anywhere near my pool ever since.
Also, about a year after, working cameras were installed at every pool. Aside from this incident, I think there were others that led to it being enforced, but still it's nice to have.
I know it should be obvious why shattered glass doesn't belong in an area where 90% of its inhabitants usually walk barefoot, but please don't bring glass into a pool.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1crxxxl/how_broken_bottles_shut_a_pool_bar_down_for_an/
| 46
| 9
| 1,715,707,935
| 8
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service charge
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hot
|
9u9u3i
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
I’m not remembering your discount m’am
|
So I work at a hotel restaurant( 4 star, full service blah blah blah) and we have all types of events and people who we give discounts too. Now it is the guest responsibility to remember their discount, not ours because we can’t remember what group is what and I’m not asking everyone “ are you a part of xyz group?”
So a group of ladies came in ordered a bunch of stuff, I made their order and rang them up. Easy peasy right?
NOPE
One of the ladies came charging at me with the typical “ can I speak to your manager hair do” and said
Her: we were supposed to get a 10% discount!!!
Me: I’m sorry m’am, but I wasn’t informed that you were a part of any group.
Her: I don’t have to, I’m a apart of the knitting conference and the front desk told us we have a discount here.
Me: well I will have to void the order and get a manager.
Her: Well you do that *condescending smirk*
Now it takes awhile for a manager to show up because this hotel doesn’t want to hire anyone. So Margaret is standing in front of the booth with her arms folded fuming mad. Finally a manager comes in and refunds her a whopping.
$1.25 😑😑😑😑😑😑
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/9u9u3i/im_not_remembering_your_discount_mam/
| 363
| 22
| 1,541,386,308
| 8
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service charge
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top
|
5mm1kq
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Bad Restaurant Guest? Woman writes to advice column for justification on 10% tipping.
| null |
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/5mm1kq/bad_restaurant_guest_woman_writes_to_advice/
| 616
| 305
| 1,483,815,222
| 8
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restaurant tip
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relevance
|
1e9oxay
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Why can't people read menus??
|
When QR codes were a thing I remember people asking for a "real" menu. Now we have real menus and suddenly nobody can read them. Even in fine-dining this seems to happen at least once a week.
Other night a guy, with full confidence, asked for grilled salmon with "the Brussels sprouts that have the bacon in them" (direct quote). At a fine-dining Spanish restaurant. Proceeded to tell him we don't serve either of those things (we never have).
Guest: "Well what about the mashed potatoes? Also my wife really wants a Caesar salad"
Me: "We don't sell those either but we do have crispy potatoes which I think you'll really like"
Guest: "Well what DO you have? It's like you're out of everything" (Laughing at me like I'm stupid)
we have everything that's ON THE DAMN MENU!!!
Won't even dive into the "mocktail" Mai Tai he also tried ordering. It's like people walked into the entirely wrong restaurant or just assume we can make anything they ask for. I'm burnt out on making recommendations that are never good enough and trying to accommodate people who want made up items in their head. I've given up more or less on these types and resort to "I'll give you a few more minutes to look through the menu". They always end up tipping 10% or less anyways, probably because they have no idea how restaurants work.
EDIT: since this seems to be growing in popularity, thought I should clarify a few key things about this recurring situation.
First, thank you all for sharing your similar experiences, now I feel like I'm not crazy for feeling this level of frustration.
SECOND (and most importantly), this particular couple absolutely could read the menu. Mentioned in an earlier comment (that's likely buried by now) that I tried on multiple occasions to make suggestions and recommendations and was promptly cut off just to be asked about another random thing that was never on our menu. I actually gave them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps they couldn't read the menu, as they had spanish-speaking accents and our menu is mainly in English, which prompted me to try and elaborate on menu items. This particular couple then proceeded to complain about the prices of certain items that "cost way less at XYZ restaurant" which made it reasonable to believe that they COULD read & comprehend the menu. They just chose to continue to argue about it to try and make me feel "below them" or just be difficult for whatever other reason I can't explain.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1e9oxay/why_cant_people_read_menus/
| 1,387
| 343
| 1,721,681,102
| 8
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restaurant tip
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relevance
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1hhhwm9
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Had A Woman Try to Cash Herself Out at a POS Today
|
y’all. never in my fucking life.
so we were short a server and a manager today.
three servers. no expo. no food runner. no busser. no cashier. no host. no manager (basically). no help. for important context, customers pay at the front, and it makes cashing people out incredibly inconvenient when we’re doing a million other things. we each had about 8-10 tables and every other table in the restaurant was dirty. it was a nightmare. coming out of the kitchen, hands full, i see about six people at the door waiting to be sat. at this point, im questioning how badly i need heat this winter, because fuck this job. when, with my own eyeballs, i see this great value sybil trelawney looking woman behind our cashier POS, tapping on the screen. yall, my flabber was fucking gasted. i stop dead in my tracks, hands full of plates, and just stared at her like she had eight heads.
i drop the plates off at the table and slowly walk to the cashier stand, still with same dumbfounded look on my face. i say, “is there something i can help you with”
“oh i need to pay”
her friend says “she’s trying to figure out how to use your computer”
both of these women are behaving as though this is perfectly normal behavior.
as though i’m chastising a toddler, i slowly and clearly say, “okay. if you could remove yourself from behind our cashier stand, and return to the customer side, i can do that for you.” the initial look of shock still on my face, i cash them out. they tip 20% and tell me to have a nice day, as if attempting to access a restaurant POS (with a register attached) is a perfectly normal brunch activity.
edit: to everyone saying we need to hire more people, i’d love to thank you for your helpful advice, that never occurred to us as we were running around begging for a manager to help us. i will be sure to pass this brand new, never before thought of, advice to our manager.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1hhhwm9/had_a_woman_try_to_cash_herself_out_at_a_pos_today/
| 1,181
| 120
| 1,734,573,162
| 8
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restaurant tip
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relevance
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1gy3aje
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Didn't want to take the table, but it ended up being exactly what I needed.
|
Going to be a decently long post but I really feel compelled to share. For context, I'm a 21-year-old college student. Born and raised in the deep midwest (basically Canada), but I currently go to school in the South, and I serve 2-3 days a week down here.
I've been struggling with mental health issues my entire life, and these past few weeks have really kicked my ass. One thing about depression is the constant feeling of being a burden, of not having value, and just kind of being there floating through life. In the past few weeks, those feelings have been as bad as ever, to the point where a part of me genuinely believes that I'm not really worth anything. The worthlessness obviously isn't true, but it's all too real in my head. I've been scraping by recently, and it's certainly impacted me at work. Anxiety and depression is a parasite, taking any small hold it can on your brain, and latching on harder and tighter, growing by the day until you give in and let it fester. I've had these episodes before, and I've always been able to push through them eventually, but it doesn't make it any less brutal to experience.
Because of this, I've been a shell of my usual personality at work recently. I'm a veteran there, one of the longest tenured servers on staff, and usually an emotional leader so it's been pretty obvious that something's up. It was to the point that last night my manager was concerned that I was pissed at him. I wasn't. I was just pissed. On the close last night, we were super busy until about two hours before close, but by 9:30 or so we were pretty much finished with closing work and just sitting around waiting for 11 pm.
At 10:40, a 7-top walked in. Six of them only spoke Spanish, with one woman in the group able to speak a bit of English. I'm a Spanish minor, so I've taken tables in Spanish before, but at this point in the night I was not in a good mindset to do anything besides mop and leave. It wasn't my turn in rotation, but I begrudgingly agreed to take the table, because honestly there was no way anyone else was going to be able to efficiently and competently give them service.
I walked up to them and greeted them in Spanish. As I mentioned, I'm very obviously midwestern. I look like any copy-and-paste business frat bro (not in a frat but I look exactly like every guy in the business school) and I've been told I have a pretty obvious midwestern accent. When I came up and introduced myself in Spanish, they were floored, and then they all got really excited. I told them kitchen closed in 15 minutes, and requested they try and get their orders in quickly before kitchen close. I grabbed them waters, and when I came back, most of them were ready to order. I helped translate the menu for those who weren't, and somehow managed to get all of their orders in three minutes.
I'm definitely not fluent, and there were a couple of translation issues, but I could tell how thrilled they were to be able to order in their native tongue. A couple of the guys excitedly dapped me up when they ordered, and I realized how much they appreciated the fact that they were able to do so.
The food came out, all correct, and later on they were taking a selfie. I asked if they needed me to take a pic of them, and everyone once again got really excited, telling me I was the best and how much they appreciated me.
They all were separate checks- no problem. They ate quickly, and I let them know about the auto grat for a large party. I told them in both Spanish and English, because I wanted to make sure that I could communicate clearly that there was no pressure to tip on top.
On the way out, one of them told me that they had gotten together in the States for a week, and they were all flying back tomorrow. They all were from different countries- Venezuela, Colombia (I could have told you that one, I suck with Colombian accents lmao), Ecuador, basically all over South America. This was the last night they had together, and they thanked me because usually going out to a restaurant is incredibly difficult, but I had made it easy on them. It struck me how I would never see these people again, but I had managed to make a tangible difference in all of their lives. I was only their server, but I managed to help make a memory for a group of friends in what had been their first in-person meetup in years. This was the last thing they all would do together for a long time, and I was able to make a positive impact on their last night together.
They all tipped cash on top of the 20%- I made sure to let them know they didn't have to, but they told me to keep it, and that I deserved it. They left, and I finished closing, but as I was mopping I realized that that table was the first time in a long time where I had genuinely felt valuable and needed. That night out is the type of random memory that they'd go back and tell their families, how on the last day of the trip some random gringo college student was able to take their orders in their native tongue. My Spanish was by no means perfect, but damn it if it didn't get the job done.
It's so weird how life works. I didn't want that table. I was really just working to run out the clock so I could go home. And yet, by pure chance, they needed me and I needed them. As I'm writing this, I'm smiling in memory of how I was able to help them out, how nice they were, and the looks on their faces when I walked up and they realized how much easier of a task ordering would be.
I'm not making this post as a celebration of myself. I just work here, man. I did what I had to do. But my table last night truly changed my perspective on my own self-worth, and how even the smallest actions and interactions can make such a big difference in someone's life. So thank you to table 41, because a random group of South Americans were able to rip off the parasite that told me I didn't matter. In half an hour, I went from believing I didn't really matter to joking and talking to a table who really, truly needed me.
But apparently, not as much as I needed them.
Edit: Comments are taking me out thank you guys
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1gy3aje/didnt_want_to_take_the_table_but_it_ended_up/
| 1,897
| 76
| 1,732,378,768
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restaurant tip
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relevance
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so2ajs
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
"Why does he have more tacos than I do!?"
|
Normally, I just make tortillas. But today, my boss is out recovering from surgery (she's doing well), and her husband is home with her. So as the highest ranking staff member on site, I was the boss lady today.
About an hour ago, just as the dinner rush is picking up steam, one of my servers comes into the back and lets me know that a customer is asking for a manager because she's upset about her order.
I don't even make it to the table before this miserable pile of woman shrieks the titular phrase at me, while pointing to the man sitting across from her.
So, I grab the tablet from the server to check their order. The woman had ordered one of our meal deals. It comes with 3 tacos, yellow rice, beans, and fried plantains. The man had ordered 7 tacos from our à la carte menu.
I read the order back to her, and ask her if the server had entered it correctly. She confirms that the order was right.
I tell her that they both received exactly what they had ordered, but that I could happily have 4 more tacos out to her right away if she wanted to order more.
She says "And I suppose I'd have to pay extra for that?".
I tell her that of course she would, as tacos are not free.
She then informed me that not only did she not want the tacos, but she would not be paying for her meal.
**I** then informed **her** that we have cameras in both the restaurant and the parking lot, so if she left without paying, the police would have her face and her license plate number.
They finished the meal, and the man I assume was her husband (he did not utter one word in my presence, and never made eye contact) paid the bill, and left a solid 34% tip with the word "sorry" scrawled at the bottom of the receipt.
Ok, break time is over. Time to get back to the taco mines.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/so2ajs/why_does_he_have_more_tacos_than_i_do/
| 3,986
| 232
| 1,644,374,178
| 8
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restaurant tip
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relevance
|
1gi2uxb
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
“If you try meditating, maybe you’ll learn to listen and get my order right.”
|
It’s ya boy, back at it with the tales from the crazy sports bar I work at. Thank god I’m graduating college in the summer, cause this place is exhausting after almost 3 years working here. This will definitely be both my first and last job in a restaurant, even if I love working expo the most.
So, this happened a couple nights ago while I was working a serving shift! I got this table and the host warned me that the man is a total condescending asshole, everyone hates him, and I was confused since some small interactions I’ve had with him in the past were overall pleasant. I get his drinks and then we ended up talking for a good 10 minutes (I didn’t have any other tables at the moment, so it was fine), and it turned out he had Asperger’s like me, along with his son, so we took time talking about our experiences and struggles, like how when I can tell someone is being shitty to me my coworkers tell me I’m probably wrong and didn’t read the tone right because I’m autistic. Like, no, I got called a bitch?
Anyways, after we finished chatting I got his food order and here’s what happened:
Him: Could I get the grilled wings with all drums and this flavor?
Me: Oh, our grilled wings we can only do mixed, so we can’t do all drums or all flats with them.
Him: That’s alright, sign me up!
Me: Got it, and it’s alright that the grilled can only be mixed?
Him: That’s all good.
I take his order and go put it in. Grilled wings. When the wings are ready I bring them out to him, he says they look great and we talk for a bit more. I go to take care of some tables I got and eventually come back to check on him, and this is the exchange that had things doing a whole 180:
Him: You got my entire order wrong. I didn’t order it like this. I didn’t want grilled. I wanted all drums.
Me: Oh, uh… I thought you said that you were fine with the grilled and them only being mixed?
Him: No, I said it was fine and to sign me up. For regular wings, all drums. And I wanted the sauce on the side, I can’t eat them like this.
Me: Oh, I’m so sorry…
Him: You should be. Take it back and remake it. This time the regular wings, all drums, with the sauce on the side.
I take the wings and get them remade. I was a frazzled and confused mess. Let me tell you, it was like in the span of 20 minutes I experienced the time I just got a boyfriend and he seemed great and chill, only to turn around after one day and be a total overbearing creep, like what a WHIPLASH.
Anyways, I got them remade and brought them to him. He said they were much better and then:
Him: Do you know how to meditate?
Me: Uh, yes?
Him: You should try doing it more. It’s very good for the mind, helps you slow down. Helps you listen better. Learn to listen, listen to learn. If you did it more you’d learn how to slow down and listen better, and you’d have heard me and gotten my order right the first time!
Yeah. He said it like he was being very helpful. I was sent away and then when he finally checked out he gave me a tip over 25% which is…
I am so CONFUSED.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1gi2uxb/if_you_try_meditating_maybe_youll_learn_to_listen/
| 39
| 6
| 1,730,571,844
| 8
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restaurant tip
|
hot
|
1gfmlaw
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
“My wife is a hero”
|
This is an oldie but goodie from one of my favorite unhinged guest interactions at my restaurant.
Let’s set the scene. It’s late. About a half hour before close. A couple walks in, probably in their 50’s. The man is dressed nicely in a suit. The woman is not. She is, also, hammered drunk. I hate this for me. The hostess is both a timid 20 year old and about to go home so she does not care to stop what’s about to happen to me. They go to sit in the lounge. We do not seat the lounge when the bartender (me) is solo. The 20 year old tries explaining this but, because I am too good for this world, I come up behind her and say “you know what it’s ok why don’t yall just sit anywhere I can take care of you”. The hostess mouths “thank you” and goes home.
They sit on the same side of the table (there’s a long booth) and I walk up to greet them and ask if they will be dining or just having cocktails. I barely get this out of my mouth before the woman snaps “we’re eating obviously that’s why we’re here and I need a glass of wine.” To the contrary, dear reader, she did not need a glass of wine. She was nearly at the point of needing an IV. Now before you give me shit the laws about over-serving where I live are non existent. I am not about to argue with this creature and also her husband was completely sober to take care of her. So like a good little bee I go get the menus and start to set the table to dine. This is where I made my first of many mistakes.
You see, the table they were sitting at is comically small. They all are. So with them both on the same side of the table there is no way for me to mise two sets of silverware. So I begin to pull the table next to them over.
“What do you think you’re doing” the swamp monster snaps.
“Oh I was just pulling the table over so you have room.”
“I don’t WANT room.”
“Oh, ok, not a problem.” So I set the other side of the table with the napkin and the silverware like they had an imaginary friend joining them. I then make my second mistake. I bring them water.
“What is THAT?” The creature screeches.
“Ma’am that’s water.”
“I DON’T WANT WATER I DON’T DRINK WATER.”
I know you don’t you fucking hellspawn. I can tell by your terrible skin and the fact that you’re blackout at a fine dining restaurant on a Tuesday. I don’t say this. I just silently remove the water. I’ll spare you the details about trying to wrangle this food order out of them and the awkwardness of trying to serve two people sitting on the same side of an 18 inch table. Just know it was terrible.
Now at this point they are the only people in the restaurant. My GM (the lovely woman from my other post who should go in to foreign relations) is standing at the host stand. I am also a woman. This becomes relevant. I bring over the check and set it down, hoping for an end to this dystopian nightmare that was the past hour and a half. As I’ve mentioned multiple times they are sitting at the world’s smallest table. I could not have possible sat this check down in front of a single person. It was in a neutral space because that’s all there was. This was my final mistake.
“DON’T GIVE THE CHECK TO HIM! What is wrong with you? You don’t think I can pay for it. You two clearly don’t know what it’s like to be a woman who works for a living”.
I know it sounds like I’m making this up. I am not. She said this. Out loud. To two woman. Who are currently at work. I look at my manager with the biggest eyes and then start to laugh. I can’t help it. It’s too much. This infuriates her, obviously. She storms up to go to the bathroom.
This is when the husband decides to chime in for the first time of the entire evening.
“I’m sorry for my wife’s behavior. She’s been a ER nurse for 25 years. She’s a true hero. Sometimes she just needs to blow off steam.”
Blow off steam? Blow off steam? Go to the fucking batting cages. Go stand in the park and yell at strangers passing by. Go get blackout in the comfort of your own home and punch holes in the drywall. My restaurant is not your own personal rage room you eldritch horror.
Then, for some crazy reason he follows this up with “Tell (sommelier’s name) I said hi. I’ve known her for years.” As if I would have a single nice thing to say about this interaction when I tell her about it. “Oh yeah your buddy Tim was in with his wife. She screamed at me for an hour and a half because she has unresolved trauma and no coping skills or healthy outlet for it. Real nice guy.”
Anyway so that’s my story about the hero nurse who blows off steam by getting blackout and yelling at waitstaff. Craziest part? Tipped me 20%. Real curveball at the end.
Have a good shift tonight! With the nursing convention in town I know I will.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1gfmlaw/my_wife_is_a_hero/
| 522
| 49
| 1,730,295,098
| 8
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hot
|
oke7tg
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Sexist table makes female teenage server cry, doesn’t have a single problem with me (M 24) even though I am sarcastic and intentionally short with them most of the night.
|
A 14 top came in about a month ago at the same time of another 14 top. One asked specifically for a table and the other didn’t.
The one that didn’t ask for a table was accidentally sat at the tables that were pushed together for the other group, but the situation was realized before they sat down, and the hostess and server quickly redirected them to their section, which was mostly tables and a corner booth.
Not too big of a deal, right? Wrong. The male “alpha” of the group made their female teenage server feel so awful she went in the back and cried.
Obviously frustrated she wasn’t getting the 14-top anymore, but no longer wanting to be their server, she asked someone to take them, and I (M 24) volunteered to serve them after nobody else seemed too enthusiastic about it.
I went over introduced myself and essentially said something to the effect of “Hi folks, my name is Shmithead, I’ll be your server for tonight. I understand there was a minor mixup, but we’re gonna get this show on the road and move on with our night. Now I’m gonna come around and start getting your drink orders.”
I didn’t hold back a single sarcastic comeback to any of the usual quips the entire time, and even messed with the “alpha” a little bit here and there.
Not a single major problem or complaint the entire night and left me well over a 20% tip.
Felt so bad for my coworker I gave her both of my 7-top dinner reservations later that night. Even worse is that this same server has been approached by men multiple times inappropriately, but is too shy/too quiet/too nice to say anything about it.
Working as the only full-time male server at my restaurant has helped really open my eyes to the problems facing the opposite sex ESPECIALLY younger women, in the food service industry.
The small amount of tables I do have problems with have never laid hands on me, or even raised their voice at me in both of my 2 years of working at my current restaurant. And comping something or getting a manager almost always fixes the problem.
What are some of your stories/examples of the dark contrast between how people treat women and men in the food service industry?
Edit: Young WOMEN, not girls. Respect yo.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/oke7tg/sexist_table_makes_female_teenage_server_cry/
| 3,328
| 281
| 1,626,298,367
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top
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gv0sii
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
I fucking hate all of my customers for forcing me to come back to work
|
I work at a local neighborhood restaurant that has been super crazy busy since we opened last Thursday. My first day back (Friday) was a 10 hour serving shift. I have actually been grateful for my city's curfew (started Saturday) just so I don't have to work as long of shifts. (Oh btw on friday the tear gas made its way to where I work. that was pleasant.)
So can we decide if we're worried about COVID19 in the US or not? Because wearing a mask for more than a few hours outside in the heat really fucking sucks. All the "precautions" we're doing are just bullshit time-wasters anyway. There is no time to wash hands or even use hand-gel between every table interaction. Plus we're way busier than we were the same time last year. Half the people need to be reminded to wear masks. 10% of them will argue with us about the mask policy (it's a city/state order). Most of my tables have been groups of people who obviously don't live together. And a lot of the customers know each other, so it's impossible to keep tables from visiting one another. Most people have been hugging and sharing food and drinks with no care in the world.
And the kitchen doesn't even wear masks! That's how I know this is all bullshit security theater.
But every day since I've been back I've overheard numerous people saying how *they* have made some huge risk to go out to eat. Seriously fuck off. I don't want your 25% tip. I wanna feel safe at work. Maybe if you see a full restaurant, go somewhere else. Or better yet, stay at home.
I realize we'd have to eventually reopen, but I was hoping we'd do it slowly. Not 0 to 100 overnight. If/when someone comes in infected, it will spread like wildfire. And honestly, I don't give a fuck anymore. I've caught myself daydreaming that I caught the virus just so I didn't have to go into work. I'm exhausted.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/gv0sii/i_fucking_hate_all_of_my_customers_for_forcing_me/
| 3,106
| 348
| 1,591,073,517
| 8
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top
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cexas3
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Party reserved an entire section on a BUSY night and 80% of the group showed up hours late, asked for some of the tip back in the end
|
Not a table of mine, but a friend of mine.
I work in a restaurant with a large feature in the middle that also acts as a section that you can sit in. Last night we had a reservation of 18 people that wanted the whole section, which wasn’t an issue because that’s about how many people that area can fit, and one server would be enough to take it on them-self (where I work you can take a party of up to 20, anything more and another server will be sharing the party with you).
The party had confirmed earlier in the day that they would all be there for 6, the time of heir reservation. Around 615-630 only 6 people had shown up. They kept telling their server (I’ll refer to her as “M”) that the rest of their group would be arriving “soon”. M waited an hour and still nobody else had arrived. We had the entire section on hold all night, and it was pretty busy. Unfortunately we had a full staff which meant she couldn’t take any surrounding tables as they would be taken from another server. She essentially lost money waiting around for 2 hours with a that one table of 6 while the rest of us were slammed with full sections and tables turning fast. We all felt so bad for her.
Eventually when more people showed up they were real assholes to her for the rest of the night. One guy even said “sorry I was late, I was getting lucky. And do you MIND bringing some WARM bread? The one you gave me is cold.” Yeah, no shit buddy, it went out two hours ago when you were supposed to be here.
In the end they ran her up and down all night making crazy demands and when it came time to tip M made sure they all knew it was autogratted, one guy tipped extra anyway and then threw a fit and demanded he get his tip back.
She had such a bad night, and lost out in so many potential tables because these guys took hours to show up and camped in the section long after they all arrived.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/cexas3/party_reserved_an_entire_section_on_a_busy_night/
| 2,937
| 177
| 1,563,479,446
| 8
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fossd2
|
TalesFromYourServer
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Old couple eat all of their food and reduse to pay
|
This is the 1st time posting on this sub and I hope it entertains you
2 years ago, I worked at a hotel that was so isolated from the community, only old people went there. So this couple were international guests and had that "our country is richer than yours" and "I'm better than you because you're a waiter" attitude going on. Annoyed me to no end.
Our hotel had a special menu everyday from a different country. So we basically had 7 boards at the back with those menus. Tuesdays were Indian food.
One Tuesday evening, the couple comes in and they are sitted in my section. They order the special and I inform them that it will be a bit longer because I also had a table of 12 that ordered the exact same thing, not to mention other sections. They say it's fine, they will wait. Awesome!
Their food get to them and they eat everything. Of course I popped up and asked if their meal was fine, they say the food is perfect. I'm happy to hear that.
After the main meal, I clear up their table and ask them if they want the dessert menu. They say yes and i bring it to them. I can still remember what they ordered; an Amarula pilaif and White Chocolate Ganache.
They finish up and I ask them if they want any tea and petit fours. They say no and ask for the bill. I leave them my pen because I assume they are just gonna charge it to their room. A minute later, I come back to ask if they need a card machine and all that. That's where it got amusing for some of us. The Mrs decides to take charge and tell me that they will not be paying for the mains because the pieces of meat in the soup were too big for a soup, only 4 pieces in the bowl and really spicy. What?
I ask what they mean and they repeat the very same thing. I tell them I can't do anything about it now because they already ate all the evidence and told me that everything was fine throughtout the whole dinner. They say that's not true and that they will not be paying. So naturally, I go and inform Duty Supervisor who is my hero because this woman doesn't take ish from anyone.
After 20 minutes of arguing, they take their things and leave. My hero take a card machine and follows them. I laugh and continue on because I still had tables and I also had to clear up theirs and reset it. Not even 5 minutes later, my hero walks in with a receipt that not only shows that the bill was paid in full, but a 20% tip was also charged. They never tried to pull anything else for the rest of their stay.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/fossd2/old_couple_eat_all_of_their_food_and_reduse_to_pay/
| 2,987
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| 1,585,152,166
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100r5g5
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Advise on tipping in the US for a Brit please (apologies if this has been asked before or if it’s not an appropriate question for this sub.)
|
Hi everyone - I hope you are all having a lovely New Year’s Day and are recovering from your hangovers!
I am going to the US on holiday in March for the first time as an adult (I’m in my 40s but haven’t been to the states since I was a child when obviously tipping wasn’t my responsibility) and having followed this sub for a while I’m anxious that I tip appropriately whenever, wherever, and whomever I should.
Tipping isn’t really a thing in the U.K. (we might give a couple of £ to a waiter/taxi driver/hairdresser if we are feeling generous but it really isn’t an obligation here) so I don’t imagine we have a terribly good reputation however I don’t want to feed that reputation so would appreciate some guidance on how much, and how to do it (cash/card/tipping discreet/being open about it - anything you think could help a clueless woman with a fear of getting things wrong!) I hope that’s ok?
Again, apologies if this has already been asked, I’ve tried to do a search but couldn’t work out how!
We will be eating out a fair amount and travelling around, staying in various hotels in case that’s relevant.
*Edited to add*: Sorry, I should have asked this before (and I know this is very subjective!) but what constitutes great service vs not great service? What are the metrics I should look for because I would imagine that they might be quite different in the U.K. vs the US… that being said, chances are I’ll hedge my bets and go for 20% but for interest sake, what would be the difference would you all suggest?
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/100r5g5/advise_on_tipping_in_the_us_for_a_brit_please/
| 184
| 331
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relevance
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18snni6
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
To the people who told my manager I didn’t check on them the whole time they were there
|
I dropped off water with a smile,
While you waited for your husband I cheerfully asked if I could get YOU anything at all while you waited
I checked in super often even though I was extremely busy because I felt bad that you had to wait so long for your husband
I took your order and ensured everything was correct since you claimed nothing was right last time
I brought out all the side dishes and salad since your husband took a while to get here
I apologized about your husbands food taking a while
I stood and apologized while your husband berated me for not bringing a Pepsi neither of you ordered
I apologized for the food taking a little longer than usual and I stood there while my manager lectured me for “not checking on you once” even though I swung by your table more than any.
I apologized to my manager while he said, “I know they never tip good and always complain but you should’ve checked on them.” Even though I’ve never served you guys before and I KNEW for a fact that I did everything to the best of my abilities and put in 100% of effort.
And the fact that I did everything a million times better every other time you came in yet still you complain about me and every other waiter that works with you.
I still serve you with a smile on my face, even knowing you will complain, even knowing I will get lectured by manager because of you, even knowing you will leave no tip.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/18snni6/to_the_people_who_told_my_manager_i_didnt_check/
| 481
| 84
| 1,703,746,651
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relevance
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vkwbnu
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
the first couple i have had that stayed 30 minutes past closing and i wasn’t even mad
|
to preface, the restaurant i work at is very popular since it’s in a small town, so it’s pretty common to have people stay past closing. we close at 9pm every day, but we don’t have our hours posted in big bold letters inside the restaurant, they’re only available online and on a small sign outside so i understand that some people will stay past 9pm on accident.
for context, we don’t sit anyone after that hour, but we’re not allowed to deny a party of 6 who walk in at 8:59 (no matter how much it annoys us). we also can’t make people leave, and it’s common for assholes to abuse that policy. everyone i’ve worked with (and myself included) has had their fair share of late nights when one table doesn’t want to leave no matter what. we hate those people, but this is the first table i had that i wasn’t annoyed by.
this couple had sat down in my section at 7pm, and finished their food in 30 minutes. every time i’d go and check on them, they’d be very deep in conversation and i hated to interrupt. in fact, they were so caught up in one another that they didn’t even realize i was there at first, i had to announce myself to get their attention. i offered dessert and to refill their drinks, but they said they were good, so i brought them their check and worked on my other tables.
flash forward two hours later and by 9pm every other table except for them have left. my fellow waiters were mopping their sections, the cashiers were counting money, and the busser was collecting all the trash. all in all, it was very obvious we were closing, but this couple was still so caught up in one another that they didn’t even bat an eye. i was the only one not able to clean, so i was helping the cashiers. 30 minutes of that when the busser asked me if i could take their cups so they could wash them and go home. then the cashier asked me to take the mobile register to them instead of the front so they can already be paid for and the money can be closed so they can go home as well. when i did, the guy finally looked around and asked, “oh wow, are you guys getting ready to close?” i just laughed awkwardly and politely replied, “sir, we closed 30 minutes ago.”
the guy immediately went, “oh SHIT! i’m so sorry!! you should’ve kicked us out hours ago!” they both scrambled up to leave and were out the door in 10 seconds flat. i checked the receipt and they left me a 70% tip!
when i left around 10:15pm, i saw them standing at the front of the restaurant still so caught up in conversation. it was actually adorable, and i wasn’t even mad.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/vkwbnu/the_first_couple_i_have_had_that_stayed_30/
| 1,025
| 28
| 1,656,217,023
| 8
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waiter tip
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relevance
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eybhuw
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
which vegetables are vegan?
|
I work at an expensive pizza place known for our Chicago deep dish in California, and this happened on Saturday, which got pretty busy. I was walking away from taking two table's orders, after which I was planning on grabbing waters and greeting a new table that had sat down maybe 3 minutes before.Since our restaurant is pretty small, when it gets busy it gets super loud, plus we have a full bar so the customers drinking get pretty loud as well.
As I'm walking back to input the orders, the father from my new table flags me down as I walk past him and asks who their waiter is. It's a party of three, a mom, dad, and daughter who looked about 16. I look at their table and see he has his phone timer on facing me, thankfully the timer was at 2 minutes, but I could tell they were going to be a fun party.
Father: F
Mother: M
Me: I'm actually your server tonight, would you like me to take your order now?
F: Yes, I would like a small cheese pizza
Me: Great, would you like thin crust or deep dish?
F: Thin crust
Me: Okay, and for you? (to the mother)
M: I want gluten free and vegan
Me: Okay, we have a gluten free crust that's the same size as the small thin crust and a vegan cheese option, would you like any toppings on that?
M: What comes on it?
Me: Well you can choose any of our specialty pizzas or you can build your own with any of the toppings on this list (pointing to the list on the menu).
M: But what already comes on it?
Me: So far I just have vegan cheese on it, would you like just cheese on the pizza?
M: Well I don't know, what toppings come on the vegan cheese?
Me: The vegan cheese is just the replacement we use if you want vegan cheese, it doesn't include any toppings. You can choose any of these toppings or one of our specialty pizzas.
M: Oh, so I choose toppings that you add to the pizza?
Me: Yes! (I still have two tables' orders to put in and this conversation has been going on for at least five minutes)
M: okay, what vegetables are vegan?
I'm not even joking, she didn't say what TOPPINGS are vegan, she said VEGETABLES!! I had just gotten back from a table that thought it was funny to mess with me all night (the salad was too small HAHA just kidding, acting offended when I asked if they wanted anything else tonight before handing them the check, etc) so I just stood there and smiled at this lady.
F: Did you just hear yourself? You asked what vegetables are vegan, that doesn't make sense. She's asking what toppings you want!
M: Oh hahaha okay. I will get pepperoni.
I say nothing about the lack of veganness in pepperoni, I am tired and I am not going to repeat this whole thing.
Me: Wonderful! Anything else for you guys?
F: She (the teenage daughter) will have the kids cheese pizza. Actually pepperoni. With bacon. Only bacon actually. Maybe pepperoni and bacon. Actually, no bacon, sorry daughter, maybe next time.
I read back their order, starting with the thin crust the father ordered.
F: Thin crust??? I wanted thick crust! I wouldn't come here for thin crust, I always get thick crust everywhere!
Me: Oh I'm sorry, deep dish. (I clarify deep dish and not thick crust because those are two different crusts and I don't want this man expecting a fluffy pizza and getting a deep dish... which is not at all fluffy or has a thick crust.) That's cool that you're able to find other good deep dish pizzas, I haven't seen another pizza place in the area with deep dish. (I'm genuinely just trying to be friendly, Chicago deep dish is very uncommon in my area.
He just stares at me and looks slightly mad that I corrected him from thick crust to deep dish, and that I commented on how he only eats deep dish apparently.
I finish up with them and put their order in, they leave me a 15% tip so that's good, but it was just so weird how bad they were at ordering, plus timing me to see how long it took to greet them was not cool.
Edit: they ordered a salad at first and the father said he wants the cheese on the side because his wife likes the cheese, so lactose intolerant is out of the question.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/eybhuw/which_vegetables_are_vegan/
| 620
| 87
| 1,580,754,858
| 8
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waiter tip
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relevance
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787evz
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
They called me bullets… though I’d never shot a gun.
|
The year was 1994.
Nancy Kerrigan got clubbed in the foot by Tonya Harding’s boyfriend.
Kurt Cobain committed suicide at his home in Seattle.
And I got a job waiting tables at the Olive Garden in North Miami Beach.
It was my second in what would become a string table waiting spats.
Anyway… some background:
When you start new as a waiter or waitress at a restaurant… they usually stick you with the crummiest most not profitable shift… otherwise known as… LUNCH… But if you’re Adam and Eveing it with the manager… your schedule can change pretty quickly.
Problem was… the manager was a guy.
And Brokeback Mountain… wasn’t out yet.
Neither was I.
So… I worked lunch.
It was HORRIBLE.
For starters… Olive Garden had this lunch special at the time where for just $2.99… you get unlimited soup and salad… as a meal!
Do you know what unlimited means?
It means the waiter (me) has to run back and forth to an inferno of a kitchen refilling your soup and salad 1000 times.
And I don’t know if they still do this at the “O.G.” (now the place sounds like a series on FOX) but… when I was there… they had fresh grated cheese.
You know what fresh grated cheese means?
It means the waiter (me again) has to stand there… feverishly turning some tiny cheese grating knob… a million miles an hour… so some miniscule flecks of cheese can snowflake themselves onto your plate.
You think most people were happy with snowflakes.?
No… they weren’t.
They didn’t want snowflakes… they wanted a freaking blizzard!
So by the time I was through grating cheese for a table of five… I lost feeling in my arm.
Oh… and by the way… I was 100 pounds over weight.
So there you have fat me… running in and out of Hell’s kitchen… Sylvester Staloneing my right arm grating cheese… panting like a purse snatcher.
Oh… and I was sweating… probably more than Dick Cheney’s rifle instructor.
Bullets of perspiration were perpetually niagra falling down my face.
It was AWEFUL.
But it did help with tips.
My table’s thought I was working hard so they always gave more than 20%
Heck… even other waiter’s tables threw me a couple bucks every now and then ‘cause they felt sorry for me.
As for management…
They called me bullets… though I’d never shot a gun.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/787evz/they_called_me_bullets_though_id_never_shot_a_gun/
| 1,075
| 57
| 1,508,762,119
| 8
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waiter tip
|
relevance
|
15vvl3e
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Do food servers give bad service when the customers order cheap?
|
My husband and I always tip 20 percent but notice when we spend a little bit at a restaurant the waiters don’t try ie don’t fill up our drink or ask us if we need anything.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/15vvl3e/do_food_servers_give_bad_service_when_the/
| 68
| 88
| 1,692,489,041
| 8
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waiter tip
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relevance
|
14spgb8
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Sometimes being flirty with customers for tips doesn't always work 🙃
|
Let me preface by saying I'm not the server in this story, though I have worked in the industry for the last year in the half.
This happened back when I was 16, though from an outsiders perspective most people thought I was 19 for some reason---I was out with my brother getting a meal before the movie and we had this youngish looking waiter (probably around late 20s), and every time she kept leaning forward, making direct eye contact, pushing her chest together, tilting her head and talking in a UwU type voice.
Now, I'm autistic, I can't understand flirting, or social cues in general, I only realize this was someone trying to flirt too months ago because of a tiktok, so the entire time she's doing this (and she did it literally every time she came around) and I'm trying to figure out what she's doing?!!? Like there's absolutely no reason for her to be doing this, is like, some type of server technique I'm not aware of? Maybe it helps her hear better?
My conclusion was she was being rude and insulting me (for whatever reason), and so when the bill finally came around (again she kept trying to be flirty with me, playing with her hair and such) I gave her a 0% tip for being super rude the whole time. I almost feel bad, because she was probably just trying to pay some bills and pulling all the stops out to squeeze some money, but my autistic ass came to the conclusion she was insulting me lmao.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/14spgb8/sometimes_being_flirty_with_customers_for_tips/
| 46
| 28
| 1,688,685,744
| 8
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waiter tip
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hot
|
128ugn6
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
A boss who takes care of their employees
|
This was a couple years ago. It was my first serving job but I had a year under my belt at this point.
To the point, it was a Tuesday night. Everything was winding down at this point. Two top comes in. It was two younger gentlemen who appeared to work construction for a major company local to the area. They had on shirts with the companies logo. Came in for some food and beer. I did my greeting and got them some beers and put their order in. They finish up their food and ask for another round and say they’re going hang out a bit. Cool with me, I’ll go out back to have a smoke and shoot the shit with the cooks.
5 minutes go by. The host comes back all flustered and tells me my table wants the close up. Okay? I was just there but maybe something came up. As we’re walking back she tells me our boss has put a 20% auto grat on their tab. Which was weird since we only auto grat large tabs or large parties. They had a $50 tab.
Host tells me they referred to me as the “[spanish word for black] waiter”. She told the manager and she put on the auto grat.
Now I grew up in a country that only recently became desegregated. So racism was always a factor in my day to day, I’ve learned to just shake it off. And words like negro or the N word don’t phase me since they weren’t really apart of racist vocab.
I run them their checks and of course they had an issue with the auto grat. I tell them my manager put it on but I can have her swing by if they have an issue. They concede and leave after paying.
Talk to my manager later and she threw on the charge because she figured they wouldn’t tip me and that she’ll send up an email to the owner who’s buddies with the owner of the construction company the pair work for. I tell her no need. She goes along with my wishes but does say she has their names saved and will ensure they’re never allowed back. Sure enough a week later they came back on my day off and she confronted them. Told them they were banned and if they had an issue they could speak to the restaurant owner about why they were banned.
Also: these dudes were very much white. Not Hispanic whatsoever. I just censored the word in case auto mod tries to smite me.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/128ugn6/a_boss_who_takes_care_of_their_employees/
| 82
| 5
| 1,680,373,704
| 8
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waiter tip
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hot
|
wvb5rt
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Isn't it the worst when
|
You invest so much time into a table. You answer all of their questions, give them more above and beyond knowledge about the food and the establishment, all with a smile and order accuracy. Engage in conversations as if they're your friends, etc. Over hear them say "wow he/she is an excellent waiter/waitress" to their crew.
Tip 10%
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/wvb5rt/isnt_it_the_worst_when/
| 24
| 5
| 1,661,217,578
| 8
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waiter tip
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hot
|
18q17ws
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Why is “don’t worry I’m a server too” a silver lining for a 12% tip?
|
I swear. Everytime someone lets me know their service industry, it’s a garbage tip. Like come on, you know better. There’s no excuses
My favorite service industry people are the ones who don’t let me know their service industry but you can tell they are by how they were not demanding, no complaints and how they tip. Shout out to this group.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/18q17ws/why_is_dont_worry_im_a_server_too_a_silver_lining/
| 81
| 69
| 1,703,443,732
| 8
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server tip
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relevance
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1gyx015
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
I yelled at a customer
|
Full disclosure I am not a server but the owner/general manager.
Yesterday a couple came in just before the dinner rush arrived. The woman was being difficult from the moment they arrived.
They order food and the woman gets upset when it all brought out at the same time. Apparently she wanted the soup first, then the basket of fries and other appetizer they ordered. Alright that’s not the end of the world. It had gotten busy so we were able to use the food items to sell other tickets up at the moment.
Then approximately 20 minutes later I brought out their remade appetizer and fries. Before I even had a chance to set the food down on the table the woman was irritated. She insisted the food was not hot and had been sitting back there. I assured her no it had not. I watched and instructed the kitchen crew to remake the items, they are hot.
She then stuck her fingers in the food and said “See? It’s not hot, it’s warm but it’s not sizzling.” “Ma’am I assure you these items were made moments ago for you, they are fresh.”
She insisted on having them remade and that’s when I lost it. I told her if she wanted me to toss this perfectly good food and get her another order she will be paying for it.
She then asked me where I get off thinking I could speak to her that way. She said she had a stressful day and was wanting to go out to eat to relax.
My response was “Well, I am actually the owner. I don’t care how stressful or difficult your day was. It gives you no right to walk in here, be disrespectful to my staff and then to me.”
We re made the food AGAIN. I dropped it off at the table and she barely ate any of it but did thank me that it was HOT.
When their poor server swung by the ask how the appetizers were I guess the woman told her “He (the husband I guess?) is acting like he is embarrassed of me but he knows I am right”
Anyways, they did pay for it all like I told them they had to and their server still got a 20% tip. I am now patiently waiting to see if she leaves a review lol
Getting to snap back at someone felt good but not something I do often at all
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1gyx015/i_yelled_at_a_customer/
| 1,382
| 83
| 1,732,470,913
| 8
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server tip
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hot
|
1fxiicb
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Why doesn't management recognize how this only hurts everyone in the long run?
|
Ever wonder why your favorite server/bartender left a "good job"?
I've worked for several restaurants and every....single.....one I've worked at has eventually fallen into the trap I'm about to describe.
Of course, many businesses have trouble getting good and reliable people. Restaurants are no exception. But then this happens.
A restaurant is finally doing well and has a staff that gets along, is good at their jobs, LIKES their jobs, and provides great service. And most importantly for the staff people are making money.
But then the unthinkable happens! The restaurant starts to get busier! More customers! This SHOULD be a good thing!
For servers, it can be a sign to start looking for another job. And here's the reason why.
Most people understand that busier = it takes longer to get things. And most customers understand this. Nobody reasonable expects to go into a restaurant or movie theater on a Friday night and have things go as smoothly as on a Monday afternoon.
But management wants everyone to have perfect service all the time. So decides to hire more people. But they almost always OVERHIRE. Any why not? If servers only make $2.13 an hour, labor cost for management is next to nothing!
So Susie the Server, who had been used to working with a staff of 5, comes in for her next shift and there are now 10 servers. Business has increased MAYBE 10- 20%, but her tables have been reduced 50%. Her pay is cut in half for doing well. She becomes angry and frustrated.
And the new hires have the same problem. They've been told how much people make there, but then they work these overstaffed shifts, and feel they've been lied to. So they quit pretty fast. And the veterans are looking for other jobs too.
Three months later, you now are back to the original size of staff, but you've gone through a lot of people, your veterans are gone, and service has dropped, and therefore your customers start going elsewhere.
It's kinds funny that tip culture promotes the exact opposite problem of most other jobs. Other businesses don't hire more because it costs the company. Restaurants over hire because it costs them nothing, and just pulls money away from their current staff.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1fxiicb/why_doesnt_management_recognize_how_this_only/
| 722
| 37
| 1,728,227,031
| 8
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server tip
|
hot
|
3pcggi
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
To my 7-top who came in 15 minutes before the end of brunch service and then stayed for an hour...
|
...you tipped 25% on top of the autograt, despite the fact that I circled it to let you know we applied it. Plus, we had so much backed up sidework that we were there until 2 hours after the end of service anyway.
Y'all are welcome back any time.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/3pcggi/to_my_7top_who_came_in_15_minutes_before_the_end/
| 723
| 37
| 1,445,257,773
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15%
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relevance
|
1e8fl4k
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
How do you guys handle demanding delivery drivers?
|
I work at a big chain bubble tea place, so as the days get hotter and the sun is always out every single day of the week we could get pretty busy.
The thing is we often get big delivery orders (4+ drinks) around 60% of the time. There is at least a 10-20+ cups order twice a week. While I'm completely fine with that, it could get a bit hectic especially on the weekends.
For example, we got a big order. I usually set the time to (amount of drinks × 2 minutes) so we have enough time to make them and deal with in-store customers.
I understand that the drivers do not know or get informed of when the drinks is ready, but they often arrive 5 minutes after the order came in. Of course at this point the order is not ready, but they continue to ask when it'll be done.
I've tried to explain to them that we just got the order 5 minutes ago and I'm sorry, but it's a big order and we need 10-15 minutes to finish it. But they often not understand and looked really annoyed.
Or sometimes they could see that people are lining out of the door and keep asking why the order is not ready yet. I will usually just explain to them that as you can see we're busy and I already set delivery time to 20 or 30 minutes.
Once again I know this is not their fault, but I can't help but feel a bit angry about it. This could be the delivery platform fault as we always set it to "busy" to make sure we have enough time to prepare the order, but they keep coming way earlier that the set ready time and get mad at us.
Today, we were busy since opening and there's only two people working (me and a fairly new full time). By the time my other coworker arrive (around 5pm), I need to give him a list of what he need to do ASAP because we're running out on boba and tea. Then I continue to make the drinks and help my new coworkers with the topping and answering customers question.
We already set the delivery time to 30+ minutes and change the store status to "busy" but the driver arrives way to early and keep asking if the order is ready, went out and go back again to ask if it's ready multiple time.
At this point I already showed him our tablet and told him that the ready time is set to 30 minutes and we still need time as it was busy (people lining up outside the door). I could see that he got super annoyed and I said I will try to make it as fast as possible but you need to understand that we're busy and that technically speaking we still have 20 minutes to make the drink.
Well, the drinks are ready within 5 minutes of that because I don't want to keep him waiting. But he ended up writing a bad review online later, saying how "this store never make the food and I need to wait 15 minutes, don't order from this store, etc...."
It's probably not going to affect us in any way, but I still feel kinda pissed because of this. And this happens a lot more nowadays, even with us adding extra time on the app.
So, please share me your smart and not overly aggresive way or tips on how to handle this.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1e8fl4k/how_do_you_guys_handle_demanding_delivery_drivers/
| 15
| 19
| 1,721,541,829
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15%
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hot
|
ihayzl
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
I'm OUT!!!
|
I never thought I would be writing this. I thought I was a career server, a lifer. After twenty-three years of waiting tables, I am out.
I have a wonderful new job at Costco. $15/hr to start, and we are getting an extra $2/hr. hazard pay. Full benefits after 90 days. Raises based on the number of hours worked. So, the more you work, the quicker you get your raises. Time and a half on Sundays.
Everyone has been so friendly and helpful, it's like night and day from where I came from.I left a job of 14 years to make this major change. It's time. There has never been a better answer to "Why do you want to work at Costco" than, "The restaurant industry is in total collapse."My restaurant is still at 25% capacity for the foreseeable future, and I was making 1/3 of the money I used to make.I love how my boss was commenting on people who "use the system" and were getting the extra unemployment benefits, but never once stopped to think that his employees were still collecting partial unemployment and relying on that to cover what we were usually making. Then he is surprised when his best employees leave?
Goodbye. None of the headache and heartache is my problem anymore.
ETA: THANK YOU everyone for all the well wishes and awards. I am shocked and delighted to read the comments. This is my first ever Reddit post, so I'm a little overwhelmed!
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/ihayzl/im_out/
| 2,977
| 117
| 1,598,488,155
| 8
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15%
|
top
|
pl2zvz
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
The time when one coworker was solely responsible for 1/3 of the staff quitting in one day
|
Hello friends! I'm new to posting and am still unclear on how flairs work...but strap in because this is gonna be a long one.
Our story begins at a small fast-casual chain restaurant, with a total staff of about 16 people. Due to staffing issues, shifts were run with the absolute bare minimum: the skeleton of a skeleton crew. Enter the coworker...we'll call her Jane.
Now Jane was an interesting case. About 16-17, in our one year of having her she caused us no end of trouble. Constantly late to her shifts, damaging or breaking nearly everything in the store, multiple issues with customers (ranging anywhere from "bad attitude" to "how did we not get sued"), the list goes on. By this point, most everyone in the store was beyond frustrated with her antics. But because of the staffing problems, she never got fired.
The day of "The Incident", I was working a double. I was closing with Jane in the kitchen after my lunch break, much to my chagrin. When I return from my lunch break however, I see a different coworker (let's call him Adam) in kitchen instead. He lets me know he traded shifts with Jane, and that she'll be in at 6. Mood considerably lifted, we get to work. 6 o'clock rolls around with no sign of Jane. We wait for about 15 more minutes, then call her to ask where she is. She responds that she's "not emotionally stable enough to come in right now", then promises she'll be 20 minutes and hangs up. Everyone's a strange combination of baffled, concerned, and annoyed at this, but there's not much time to think on it, as we're now in the thick of our dinner rush and it's shaping up to be one of our busiest.
7 o'clock, and everyone's furious. We're all already stressed from such a busy day, front is livid that Jane ditched them, I'm angry because we've been dealing with this nonsense for months, and the manager (who wasn't in that day, but we'd been updating him on the situation) is similarly displeased. Eventually we all agree that if Jane comes in, we'd just send her home right away. She'd already missed a good 75% of her shift, and we had enough people to close without her. And then, Adam gets a call...it's Jane. She insists she'll be in to close "just give her 10 minutes", but Adam is firm that if she comes in we'll just send her home and not to bother. There's some back and forth, and eventually they hang up. We think that's the end of it...but no.
20 minutes later and who shows up but Jane...completely and utterly wasted. I'm stunned she could even walk. She clocks in despite our protests and takes one man's order, slurring her words so badly he has to ask her to repeat herself about four times. Then she heads to the back, sitting on the floor and staring into space. Everyone (and I do mean everyone) in the store tells her to go home, but she's adamant that she "doesn't mind" and that it's ok. It takes about 3 of us cornering her in the back and repeatedly telling her to get out and go home before she finally leaves. We all breathe a sigh of relief and get back to closing...only to find the bottle of tequila she'd brought in and "hidden" (quite poorly) behind the register.
The next day, 5 of us (completely independently of each other) put in our two-week notices.
TLDR; underage coworker is 1.5 hours late to shift, so drunk we have to send her home, brings alcohol into store with her that we then have to clean up, causes 1/3 of the staff to quit on the same day
Edit: Thanks everyone for all the replies! I completely forgot i posted this, but I've read a couple comments and wanted to clarify some things.
1. I ABSOLUTELY could've handled the situation better. I was pretty young at the time and had no experience with dealing with an on-the-job crisis like this, coupled with the fact that there was no manager and the shift was basically all teenage employees, it was just asking for trouble. Now that I've got some more experience, definitely would've done it differently.
2. For those worried about her drunk driving, i want to reassure that we made sure she didn't drive herself home. We walked her to the front door and saw her get in the passenger side of her boyfriends car.
3. The place absolutely had management issues, and y'all are right, it wasn't fair to put all the blame on Jane who was clearly going through a time. This particular incident had happened pretty recent to the time of posting, so I was definitely still hopped up on fury at such a terrible shift.
I hope that provided a little more insight into everything!
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/pl2zvz/the_time_when_one_coworker_was_solely_responsible/
| 2,817
| 124
| 1,631,210,361
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|
bapnwt
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Large group of "woke" Brooklynite hipster 20 somethings all stiffed me tonight.
|
Posting from phone.
I bent over backwards for 12 of these people with their menu altering bs and put up with their crap for hours. I had to listen to bitches in trendy farmer hats talk about how aware they are of social issues and dudes in unbuttoned, imported, loose fitting shirts explain to everyone at the table why we all need to be aware of some current problem.
They all we're so overbearing with every stupid sound that came out of their disillusioned, priviledged little fucking hot air holes...
...oh I'm sorry. Are you wondering why I'm so upset? Well that's because almost all of them closed out separately and almost all of them left NOTHING. The ones that did leaving anything at all left 5%. The total for the whole table was well over $600.
PLEASE. Tell me more about how woke to some issue you are. Fucking please fucking fill me in.
Well I'm upset now. Thanks for letting me vent.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/bapnwt/large_group_of_woke_brooklynite_hipster_20/
| 322
| 65
| 1,554,699,843
| 8
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20%
|
relevance
|
1i404ea
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
So… who was John? ((LONG))
|
In 2019, I started working as a hostess at a restaurant. I actually applied to be a frycook but they recently had their ONLY hostess quit and decided my 20 year old lady self would do better as a host. They were kind of misogynistic like that and never really hired women to be frycooks anyway. But I accepted the hostess role, social anxiety be damned, I needed money. This restaurant was also really popular as a takeout spot though, and as a hostess one of my main duties was handling phone orders and walk in to go orders.
We had a lunch special that was a really good deal. So good that some people came in multiple times a week to order it to go. We took down names for takeout orders instead of giving numbers so I got to remembering names. John was one of these regulars. He was older than me, probably mid 30s and always looked kind of sad and nervous. But he was cute to me and I remembered him well.
Once he came in a couple of hours after the lunch special was over, and like I said the guy always seemed skittish and sad in the first place. He seemed disappointed but was understanding and willing to order it at full price. I felt bad and told him this one time only I would give him 10% off because I wanted to cheer him up. Still not as good of a deal as the lunch special but it was something and he actually smiled, thanked me, and looked happy for once.
He hardly ever missed the lunch special after that (and when he did, he didn’t expect the discount. I told him it was one time!). Whenever he came in I would already start typing his name and punching in his order and just wait to confirm he wanted the usual before sending it to the kitchen and taking his payment. When it came out I would call, “order for John!” And he would come grab it and thank me smiling.
COVID happened and we didn’t see a lot of our regulars like we used to. We were takeout only at that point, but even some of our takeout regulars weren’t going out like that. And with masks it was harder to recognize regulars, but I tried. I kept working, but then I moved away for a while (I met a guy). After a few months I ended up moving back (I brought the guy with me).
When I came back to my restaurant, I was unsure of my knowledge of regulars. It had been too long and plus I was in love now. Clouded the brain. So when I saw people I’d seen probably a hundred times before, I still asked them to confirm everything.
Except for John. I kept pre-typing everything in for him and continuing my process same as before, he would still smile at me as I passed the order over after calling out “order for John!” I felt like maybe I hadn’t completely lost my knack, since I still remembered John.
I stayed at that restaurant long enough to where eventually they made me a manager. I was in the kitchen 90% of the time, actually doing shit like working the fryer which I had applied for allllll those years ago.
One day we were short a hostess and I, as the manager, had to fill in. I was feeling especially self conscious, doubting myself since I wasn’t FOH as often as I was before. So when he came in, I did my usual and started pre typing everything. He came up to the host stand, smiling. He mentioned not seeing me in a while, i explained and he congratulated me on the promotion saying i deserved it. I thanked him, read back his regular order, and asked to confirm “Aaand it is for John, right?”
He was still smiling when he said to me “Actually, my name is Chris. But I know sometimes I look like John.”
WHAT THE FUCK. I CALLED HIM THE WRONG NAME FOR YEARS. WHO IS JOHN?? HE KNOWS JOHN?? WAS HE TROLLING ME?? I 100% knew it was the same guy I had been calling John for years there's no doubt in my mind.
I moved away shortly after (for reasons. not just because i was terribly embarrassed) and never saw him again.
TL:DR guy named chris allowed me to call him john for YEARS but knew i meant him. who the fuck is john?? are they twins??? why did he never correct me??
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1i404ea/so_who_was_john_long/
| 166
| 17
| 1,737,176,318
| 8
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|
hot
|
cx1ny3
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
So a bartender tells a joke in a bar the other day...
|
I (24F) bartend at a tiny local bar in a place that's primarily restauraunt over bar. However, it's one of very few bars in my small town so dayshift attracts every retiree in town and I meet some awesome folks with fantastic stories and quite a few oddballs. On a dayshift last week the old gent (OG) comes in and immediately asks if I want to see bar tricks. He showed me and the two regulars i had at the bar a couple beer bottle and toothpick tricks that were honestly pretty neat. He keeps it up though til it gets irritating and eventually the bar clears out and it's just him and I.
OG asks me to tell him a joke. I tell him my favorite joke that I actually read on Reddit about the rope walking into the bar (I can comment it if anyone cares). Ya'll, this man went NUTS! He loved the joke, laughed for 10 minutes and made me repeat it 3 times. But wait, there's so much more!
He proceeded to ask for a pen and paper and wrote the whole thing down, line by line. His memory was awful (as he kept reminding me) so I had to repeat the 10 or so line joke over and over for LITERALLY 45 minutes while he wrote it down word for word. Then he rehearsed the joke for another 20 minutes, practicing inflections and facial expressions. At this point, a group of 3 construction guys have come to sit at the bar and can clearly overhear OG right next to them. Eventually OG asks them if they wanna hear a joke (which they already have overheard several times). They say sure, and OG absolutely butchers the delievery. So he starts over. Takes him 3 tries. Then he hands the paper to the other guy, "You tell me the joke now!!" The guy halfheartedly tells him, OG laughs like it's the first time he heard it.
Finally, after theater practice ended, OG wandered out of the bar leaving me with a 600% tip and some new bar tricks. When he left the construction guy asked me "And how long as that guy been here?!" Implying he must be wasted. I said he came in like that, some people are just characters and that's a hug part of why i stay in the business.
During my conversations with OG, he mentioned the reason he has so many bar tricks and jokes (and such a bad memory) is due to the fact that he spent several years basically living in bars after the death of his 16 year old son. He admitted to a period of alcoholism but seemed proud of his ability to go into a bar for just 2 beers and some laughs now. This post is pointless, but I just wanted to share a story about a jolly and strange old man who violently enjoyed a simple joke.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/cx1ny3/so_a_bartender_tells_a_joke_in_a_bar_the_other_day/
| 3,220
| 108
| 1,567,088,886
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top
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fiexo5
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Do only bad tippers come out during pandemics??
|
Tonight my work was definitely slower than usual, but not too bad. We got up to an hour wait, usually we get up to two at least. I got stiffed twice, got $2 on $80, $7 on $100, the rest weren’t bad enough to mention but nothing great. I had ONE table who made a big difference and left me $35 on $16. Bless her heart because my night would have been total trash without her, but I ended up leaving with $160 on $1300 in sales. With all the panic I expected I wouldn’t make too much, but I thought it would be due to lack of customers. Has anyone else had experience with this lately?
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/fiexo5/do_only_bad_tippers_come_out_during_pandemics/
| 16
| 37
| 1,584,171,980
| 8
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bad tipper
|
relevance
|
xowscy
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Are we in the wrong?
|
I need advice on a situation going on at the restaurant where I work.
So there is a host who has worked here for probably 6 months, she has always had a bad attitude and a lot of ppl don’t like her but we’re all civil and nice still, about a week ago she mentioned to 2 servers that she “gives the tables who are nice/seem like good tippers to her favorite servers & gives the trashy rude tables to servers she doesn’t like, even if it means going out of rotation or double seating” when I found out about this I got super mad because she isn’t the biggest fan of me. And I started to realize maybe that’s why I’ve been getting way more bad tables and way worse tips than usual.
Last night i was getting double and triple sat even though nobody else was and they were all the rudest & most impatient people.
Another thing she said was that if she doesn’t like you she won’t buss/wipe our tables off once we’re cut because she simply doesn’t want to(even though she’s still supposed to because we tip her out on every table even after being cut)
So last night she refused to help buss and made the other host do it ALL night and once he was sent home she still refused to help. So 90% of the servers on the floor last night and me wrote a note saying that we want all of the tip out to go to the person who was actually bussing and helping the servers, we also included we want to write statements about her playing favorites when it comes to seating tables.
*also forgot to add, she has told multiple people she has no respect for white people because we don’t live a hard life like she does as a POC*
She has accused me and multiple others of being racist simply because we “give off republican vibes”
So I need to know what I should do? When she found out everyone was mad at her and wanted to write statements she was crying in the bathroom last night, part of me feels bad, but it’s not ok for her to be messing with peoples $ simply because she doesn’t like us.
Was leaving that note about the tips over stepping?
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/xowscy/are_we_in_the_wrong/
| 522
| 92
| 1,664,228,375
| 8
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bad tipper
|
relevance
|
c5saq0
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
BAD TIPPER CONVENTION - You guys experienced these guys?
| null |
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/c5saq0/bad_tipper_convention_you_guys_experienced_these/
| 5
| 0
| 1,561,568,324
| 8
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bad tipper
|
relevance
|
3ikcod
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
Have you ever confronted an unfair tipper.
|
We've all been there, a situation where we gave someone great service and still only got a 10% tip. Intellectually we know that someone tipping like that would never be happy, and never be convinced. But wouldn't it feel good to just say something to that one guy that really stiffed you?
I'm wondering if anyone's ever taken the plunge and actually done it? If so, what were the circumstances, what did you say, how did it go?
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/3ikcod/have_you_ever_confronted_an_unfair_tipper/
| 16
| 45
| 1,440,654,447
| 8
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bad tipper
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relevance
|
7v5bxq
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
The dreaded compliment tippers
|
I’m just here to complain and commiserate with those of you who’ve had these customers before.
I work 2 jobs with one taking up 90% of my time and on my one day off I go into my serving job. It’s not bad, I like the spot and the people I work with, so whatever.
The last 3 saturdays in a row have been so dead that it’s starting to make me regret giving up my one day off. It’s really not worth the money at this point.
So this Saturday is no different. So fucking dead. Nothing to do. Then I get this 6 top. Nice family, chatty, outgoing, I’m vibing with them really well and my service is top, BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO. I even grab them a free specialty dessert because they mentioned 2 recent birthdays. Fuck it.
I knew something was weird when, before I’d even dropped the dessert, let alone the check, the “head of the family” approached me away from the table and slipped me cash
HOTF: “I just wanted to give you this and tell you what a great time we’ve had. We’ve never been here before and you’ve taken great care of us.”
Wow. I’m so floored. How nice. I’m beaming. I’m not the type of server who gets overwhelming praise on yelp, but I also don’t get negative comments. I do my job and leave, that’s it.
So I count the cash. 9$. And I knew their tab was well over 150 at this point. So I tell my coworkers and they’re like, oh he’s probably giving you something special but they’ll also tip on the bill. Sure.
So I drop the check and they swarm me telling me how WONDERFUL I am. They’re gonna go on our Facebook page and tell everyone to come visit this location and sit in DeliciouslyCrazy’s section. THEY CALL MY MANAGER OVER TO TELL HIM HOW GREAT I AM.
They left me 0$. A 180$+ bill and I got 9$.
Beware the compliment tippers.
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/7v5bxq/the_dreaded_compliment_tippers/
| 75
| 11
| 1,517,727,507
| 8
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bad tipper
|
hot
|
9e0upj
|
TalesFromYourServer
|
“I’m a good tipper”
|
In my experience bartending and serving, 9 times out of 10 anyone that uses this phrase is actually a horrible tipper
|
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/9e0upj/im_a_good_tipper/
| 116
| 22
| 1,536,373,817
| 8
|
good tipper
|
relevance
|
ah17xi
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TalesFromYourServer
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What are some shitty behaviors you will put up with if you know they’re a good tipper?
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I’m talking regulars/semi-regulars that you know tip very well but may not be the best customers/do some annoying things. For example I have a regular who is extremely picky and will often order custom items not on our menu, expect me to box their food for them (I work in a sports bar type restaurant, not a 5 star joint) etc.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/ah17xi/what_are_some_shitty_behaviors_you_will_put_up/
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good tipper
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relevance
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7b616d
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TalesFromYourServer
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Sushi bar stripper
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While I've had my fair share of terrible experiences as a server, I definitely feel bittersweet leaving the restaurant industry. It was fun, I had (for the most part) amazing coworkers, and the customers were almost always sweet. And this is one of those times..
At the restaurant I worked at, we had this one regular who came for business dinners and he always sat at the sushi bar. Sitting at the sushi bar meant you get a free appetizer and dessert, and you can interact with the chefs. He always bought the chefs a couple shots of sake and tipped them personally. This guy was one of my personal favorite customers to serve because of the way he tips.
At the beginning, he hands me a five while asking to be taken good care of. I get another five for bringing them their drinks, a five for their food, a five for being sweet, a five for pretty much everything I do for them. And he still tips over 20% on the final bill.
In a way, I felt like a service stripper and it was awesome.
Do you guys have any experience with some fun tippers?
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/7b616d/sushi_bar_stripper/
| 802
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good tipper
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relevance
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a72o8a
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TalesFromYourServer
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A plea from a customer
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I am not a tough customer. I know to look my server in the eye, wait for the greeting and speak once my server is ready to receive my order. I read and believe the menu, I do not ask for complicated modifications and I expect to pay for what I ordered.
You may not believe it when I write it here, but I am a concientous tipper with 20% my minimum. I will not BS you with non existent allergies, I do not care what animal products are in my food.
So when I ask if you have any Decaf Coffee, please do not BS me and pour Regular Coffee in my cup. I will be happier if you are honest and tip better for your honesty.
I know, most folks in the hospitality business live on Regular Coffee and you may not know how Caffeine fucks up someone who has been off the stuff for 30 years.
Do not worry about disappointing me, it is a meal not a life time commitment. Just tell me the truth.
Thank you, have a nice day.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/a72o8a/a_plea_from_a_customer/
| 286
| 36
| 1,545,072,912
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good tipper
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relevance
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5pse77
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TalesFromYourServer
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I served an NBA starter and he was a terrible tipper.
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I work at a bar and grill near where our NBA team plays, and last night had a table who I later found out was a starter for the team (I lack sports knowledge and didn't know until I saw the credit card slip with his name on it). Treated him and the other guest great, they were extremely satisfied with their meal and drinks...
And he left me a 10% tip. Goes to show you can make millions and still not understand the importance of tipping!
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/5pse77/i_served_an_nba_starter_and_he_was_a_terrible/
| 38
| 84
| 1,485,212,519
| 8
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good tipper
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relevance
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6mf7wo
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TalesFromYourServer
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A Regular Asshole
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New to this sub, but I have a good one. I have been working at a local bar and grill for the last seven years. I live in a rural, small private community that is at least a 20-30 minute drive from any sort of a town. During summer months our population doubles due to a private lake being here, but on average there are roughly 250 people that live here year round.
As we are the only business around, you get to know your locals and regulars very well. I can generally have their drink ready and at their usual spot before they're even seated.
I am usually the only one on my shift which means being the bartender, waitress, bouncer and cook regularly. 99% of the time people recognize and understand that if we're busier than usual, they may have to wait a few minutes for another drink. Not a big deal. Except one.
This man is loud, boisterous and generally pretty obnoxious but is friends with many other regulars and seems to enjoy his time with his 'pals' as he calls them. He drinks his beers so quickly (maybe 5 mins tops) and would wave around or bang his empty beer can on the bar until you got him another. You barely have time to take care of anyone else during this and he was there 5-6 days a week for hours on end. Spent good money and was treated well despite his childish behavior.
Here's the kicker. He doesn't believe anyone deserves tips, but he still expects to be treated like the best tipper in the house. One night, I was particularly busy and on my own. I wasn't worried as a coworker was in with her family and had offered to jump in if I needed help. He was trashed and starting to slur and get very loud and bully. I was fed up with him banging his empty on the bar and told him he'd have to wait a minute as I had 2 people ahead of him. He lost his shit saying "I spend a lot of money in here and if I want a cold beer, you need to bring it now!" I repeated myself and that it would be just a minute. After a few more disrespectful comments that he thinks are hilarious, I turned and told him that if he was going to continue to act that way I'd cut him off as he was clearly too intoxicated to be courteous.
Oh boy. He goes on a rant. Again about being a regular spending a lot of money. At that point, I'd had it. I turned and said "There are lots of regulars here, but they at least tip me." The bar erupts into laughter because he is extremely vocal about his disbelief in tipping. He calls me every name he can think of so I told him he had to leave for the night. Didn't kick him out for good, just for the night. He tells me he's not leaving until he finishes his beer that was supposedly empty. He puts it up to his mouth, takes a drink and when he sets it down I grab the half full can and chuck it in the recycling. He then reaches into his pocket, grabs a handful of quarters and throws them at me. Now he's banned for good and I got more in tips from him that night than ever before.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/6mf7wo/a_regular_asshole/
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| 1,499,701,121
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good tipper
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relevance
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aq9dk0
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TalesFromYourServer
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One of the most awkward, and then weirdly redeeming interactions I’ve ever had with a table
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I’ll to keep this as brief as possible. Happened last night and wow.
4 pm, me, going to coffee shop a block away from my job to get a cup before my shift. Start chatting it up with the cute cashier. She asks me where I work, I introduce myself and say restaurant right around the corner, she goes “oh awesome! I’m grabbing drinks there with a friend later. Little friend date. This extra shot’s on me :)”
So I was like cool, little flirt flirt. Hope to see her later at work, maybe chat it up more.
So fast forward, it’s a slow slow night, snowy and rainy outside, but we still get a happy hour pop. Within 15 minutes back-to-back I have 5 tables sat. Nbd. One of them is this guy, by himself, but the host told me he’s waiting for someone. I offer to get him a drink while he waits, he orders a drink and an app. Says to me “yeah man just waiting on my girlfriend she should be here shortly.”
Guess who shows up 15 minutes later? Coffee girl. At the table. With this guy. Her “boyfriend.”
I’m like oh, guess I misread the flirt. Things happen. But then I remember she did explicitly say friend date. I go over to greet her and she goes “FramingHips, right? I thought I remembered your name.”
The guy gets defensive and is like, “oh you guys seem pretty friendly...?”
She then points to the guy and goes “this is my *friend,* I met FramingHips today and told him we were having a little *friend* date.”
Well, I saw the blood drain from this dude’s face. I’m thinking oh god, this dude thinks he’s on a date and she just friend-zoned him in front of me, and I’m “the other guy” to him and I don’t even know this girl. And now I have to serve them.
Well, after that, rather than being a machismo bro, this guy started being really buddy-buddy with me, talking about how great of a job I was doing, how great of a tipper he is, yadda yadda. I’m like I get it dude, you’re trying to save face.
After awhile we all get more comfortable, and the awkwardness sort of dissipates between jokes. Then they call me over to ask me a question about polyamory versus monogamy, and if I’d ever had a threesome.
I’m a pretty wild and crazy guy so I humor them and open up a bit. It’s a slow night, all the guests are happy, paid, or both, so I can spend some time chatting. We get a nice rapport going, I learn to dude is bi, oh that’s cool, and I’m like alright where is this night going...? Am I going to have a threesome later?
Cutting through the awkwardness, I end up kind of becoming friends with this guy, in a weird way, and sort of lose any interest in the girl completely. The more I talked with her I was like oh alright, she’s kind of a bitch. Golden rule kinda thing, would I even want to be with a girl who shut down our date in front of a stranger? This guy though, he’s funny and nice, good looking, seems like he’d be a pal.
So at the end of their night she goes to the bathroom and I start chatting it up with this guy about how embarrassing the whole situation seemed in the beginning. Guy is super cool, he’s like “yeah man turns out she has a boyfriend anyway, jokes on us, but I live up the street if you wanna grab a beer sometime.” He tipped 25%.
Funny thing is they friended me on Facebook after.
EDIT: he just passed my job and ducked in with his buddy to say hey and we made a beer date haha
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/aq9dk0/one_of_the_most_awkward_and_then_weirdly/
| 278
| 15
| 1,550,080,746
| 8
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good tipper
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relevance
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11uvci1
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TalesFromYourServer
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No chips? No tip
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Had a lady last night who seemed kinda rude from the start. She was short with me when ordering, interrupted me when I was asking for specifics on their order, and just didn’t seem happy all around. Right after she and her (I assume) adult son got their food, I got sat a table of 7, which turned in to 9 when two people came in later than the rest. They had a strange way of splitting their bill, the couples paid for their own liquor while the main man paid for his wife and his drinks and everyone’s food. I had to take my time to make sure I split it right and get regular drinks for them too. By the time I got their food order written down, I was finally able to check in with the woman and her son.
She seemed very irritated and ready to go, asking for the check and some to go containers. I got them and her check, she threw her card at me, I checked her out, then she asked for a to go bag of chips. I said I’d have to ring it in because we charge for a half pound or a full pound bag of chips to go. She scoffed and said she always gets a bag to go, saying she’s never been charged. I suggested I could bring another to go box for the remaining chips in their basket and she just scoffed again and said “Never mind then!”
I went and let my manager know what happened and also suggested he stop by the table since she got a survey check so if she does it, I’d probably get a bad review. When I went by the now empty table, she had written two frowning faces on both copies of the receipt, three 0’s in the tip line, and a note saying “I always get a bag of chips to go!” on the restaurants copy.
It’s just our restaurants policy to charge for to go chips. We even have an entire section in the POS dedicated to chips and salsas for “to go”! Heck, even those “complimentary” chips and salsas have to be charged for if that’s all someone is eating and that’s about 5 bucks and change.
Jokes on her. I still walked out with over 100 bucks last night!
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/11uvci1/no_chips_no_tip/
| 551
| 61
| 1,679,162,725
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no tip
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relevance
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6txt7v
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TalesFromYourServer
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No tip for US waitress with LGBT tattoo - BBC News
| null |
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/6txt7v/no_tip_for_us_waitress_with_lgbt_tattoo_bbc_news/
| 352
| 125
| 1,502,836,928
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no tip
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relevance
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2umfu8
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TalesFromYourServer
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Received an 8% tip on a really big check and was pretty bummed out, until he came the next day with this..
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/2umfu8/received_an_8_tip_on_a_really_big_check_and_was/
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| 94
| 1,422,958,338
| 8
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big tip
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relevance
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u136f0
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TalesFromYourServer
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It's My 21st Birthday...But I Don't Have My ID
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I'll preface this with the fact that I'm now in my mid thirties and legitimately can't tell the difference between a 19 year old and a 27 year old with a good skin care routine. That being said, I'm probably the most aggressive server at my job in terms of carding people. If you don't look at least old enough that we could've gone to high school together, I'm asking for your ID.
I'm consistently fucking FLOORED by how many people just...don't bring their ID with them when they go out? I say this as a guy who brings my wallet with me when I check the mail, just in case some comedically improbable shit happens and I somehow lock myself out of my house and need to prove to whomever eventually shows up to help me that yes, I do indeed live here.
So when I ask for ID and get the response (always after digging through a purse or wallet), "I guess I didn't bring mine, but I'm 25." I always respond "well I do apologize but I am legally unable to serve you."
The one that mindfucked me the most of all time was a 4-top last year. Parents, daughter and her boyfriend. The second I greeted them they let me know it was the daughter's 21st birthday and that was what they were dining with us to celebrate. Daughter ordered a glass of bubbles, and I (legitimately with good and humorous intentions) said "Absolutely! Well lets see that license so I can be the first to card you as a legal adult!" All of a sudden the girls expression changed from "it's my birthday" to "you just ran over my puppy."
Daughter mumbles "well, I actually left my ID at home." I legit did not expect this at all. In my day, turning 21 meant going to as many places as possible just so that you WOULD get ID'd and you could flex on the bouncer or bartender like "yaaas bitch, I'm legal now! You have to let me in!" Who in the actual fuck goes out for their 21st birthday and doesn't bring their ID that says they're 21 as of that day?!
So I tell her that I literally, legally, can't serve her without ID, and all of a sudden Dad is in Aggressive Southern White Man mode, telling me that he's a man God damnit and if he says his daughter is 21 then I need to take his word as bond and give his little girl her birthday drink. Daughter is embarrassed at this point, and is literally saying "Dad he's right, I forgot my ID because I changed purses right before we left, this isn't a big deal." Dad is having none of this, and gets up from the table shouting that he's going home to get her ID and this is bullshit and honestly probably something about Obama being a communist from Kenya as he disappeared down the stairs.
Motherfucker drove 90 minutes round trip back to their house to bring me her license, during which time the 3 people left there honestly just looked like they wanted to die. I asked repeatedly if they wanted to order anything but no, we're waiting til Dad gets back. I eventually sent them a couple of small plates out of pity because holy fuck, being sorta dumb and forgetting your ID does not mean you deserve this to happen on your birthday.
Two hours after they sat down, Dad shows back up with her license and waves it in my face like it's a search warrant and he just kicked my front door in. He won't let me actually hold or look at it, so in my best walking-the-line-between-proper-and-condescending tone I say "Sir, if you might be so kind as to allow me to actually read the details of the young lady's identification? Unless you wish for her birthday beverage to be unnecessarily delayed, of course."
I legit thought this middle aged man was going to swing on me. And I probably went a little over the line needling him like that, but by the same token, fuck him. The daughter recognized her mistake and was fully willing to just go ahead with the night as she had been for the last 20 years and 364 days. He's the one who "had to make a point" and make himself the main character.
At the end of the day, her ID was legit and it was her 21st birthday. I brought her prosecco immediately, and let her know that it was a birthday gift from the house. They eventually ordered, had their meal, and I sent them several desserts as gifts because I now felt legitimately terrible for this girl. Of course Dad had to talk to all 3 FoH managers about "how terrible I was towards his daughter" which was finally stonewalled by our GM asking him if he would personally pay to have our liquor license re instated if we lost it due to serving a guest without ID. As he was stammering about that, she wrapped up the conversation with "So TrenchcoatFullaDogs was simply doing their legally obligated duty, and also chose to send your party 6 different dishes courtesy of the house in order to help your daughter celebrate, as well as taking care of her beverages for the night. May I ask what your specific complaint is?"
Unsurprisingly that was like a 10% tip. But as famously articulated by the late Heath Ledger, sometimes "it's not about the money. It's about sending a message."
Any other fun "well I didn't know I had to bring my ID to a place I will certainly be carded at" stories from the community?
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/u136f0/its_my_21st_birthdaybut_i_dont_have_my_id/
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big tip
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relevance
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9a7ekl
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TalesFromYourServer
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When is a vape not a vape?
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When an entitled, attractive white girl is using it.
So she's sitting at the bar with her friend drinking Crown and Cranberry juice (because UGH we didn't have Crown Apple) and she's puffing on one of those little Jewel vapes.
Me: (very politely) How are we doing, can I get you anything else? No? Great. Also, miss, I'm afraid you can't use that vape in here. Its state law.
Her: (incredulous that someone has told her she can't do something) This isn't a vape! Its a jewel! Look! (*takes it apart to show me the tiny liquid tank*) It's just nicotine. It's not a vape.
Me: Riiight. Well its vaporizing the liquid into vapor. I'm sorry, you can't use that inside the restaurant, its a state law.
Her: Did your manager ask you to tell me this? I come in here all the time, and your other bartender introduced me to these Jewels.
Me: No, the manager hasn't said a word to me about it. I'm just letting you know you can't use that vape inside the restaurant because its a state law.
Her friend: Well can she just go on the patio to use it?
Me: Yes of course! The patio is perfect for that.
Her: Are you kicking me out?
Me: (*Jesus Christ lady, for fucks sake*) No, I am not kicking you out, you just cannot use that vape inside.
Her: But its not a vape! Look! Its so small!
Me: Its state law. (and it really fucking is, I'm not lying)
This bitch gets up, goes to find the manager, and tries to plead her case all over again. Demands to know why she can't use her jewel vape at the bar.
Side note, my manager is fucking awesome. He goes, "ma'am I've been vaping for 7 years. That's a vape, whether you call it that or not. Your bartender was 100% correct, you can't use it inside. It's state law. Please use the patio if you want to vape."
Her face gets bright red, and she walks outside with her head hung low. Comes back 10 minutes later, and her friend paid the tab (thank God) and left a good tip. He must have been entertained.
Bitches. I swear.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/9a7ekl/when_is_a_vape_not_a_vape/
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| 291
| 1,535,209,435
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big tip
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relevance
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1e1hkyh
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TalesFromYourServer
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Old Watron tips
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Someone posted up here earlier today, and I aptly gave them some suggestions. But realized that this shouldn't be buried in a bunch of comments. I wanted to share some of my easy memory/tip-making suggestions.
THESE ARE ALL MY OWN OPINION, AND DO NOT REFLECT ANY PARTICULAR COMPANY
Also, don't be argumentative about it. These are what work for me—best of luck to everyone that tries some of these suggestions.
1. Gender Neutral!! Seriously I started this back in 1999! Read the table! In mixed company, I always said FOLKS!
2. Now, as I've gotten older and significantly greyer, sometimes I'll try KIDS in mixed-age company, but be careful on this one. I had a walkout, but they were entitled college kids who didn't like being called kids after I asked who wanted something other than water with lemon. But my district manager gave me a pat on the back after.
3. Now, this one works 99% of the time. GIRLS, you get a bunch of ol ladies out for lunch, particularly the RED HATS. Call them girls. They feel young and vibrant again. Only one table it 20 years growled back.
4. get to a table of older teens: "ok, shots!" they will have a good laugh and ask them to come back again when they are old enough. They might even leave an actual tip!
5. An awkward first date with BIG anxious vibes? Talk to your dessert guy and hook them up with a slice of cake! Order under your name and see if your GM will comp it or at least give you a discount.
6 tables with babies: make sure to put all the plates, utensils, drinks, etc out of babies' reach! Be funny about it! Butt up to the table, get down to the kid's height and use your arm to measure. Don't forget the extra napkins! and even a small plate if the parents are trying to share with the baby.
7. Table with kids, and have them order if you feel like it's okay to take control of the situation. 3-7 years olds will always ask the grown-up to ask you. If the adult pushes them on, just say, "Sorry, big kids gotta order big kid food," or something to inspire them. (that was when i was working for a certain restaurant with a happy ending sundae)
8. Slow down!!! So many servers are too quick to get back on their phones or turn and burn tables. Talk to your guest! Don't just rush through the introduction.
9. Back in 2 bites (this is an old tried and true), most corporate places teach you, but as long as you are genuine, it makes a difference.
10. Double-check steaks!!! You might have the best grill cook in Texas. But when you drop those plates, ask the guest to go right down the middle of their steak! That way, the proper doneness is right, and the person doesn't scam an extra steak out of the restaurant.
I've worked for corporate and private companies, and in 20 years, these have become my go-tos. and even served me when I jumped ship into hotels
You might not always get tips, but the interaction and memories you make can be even more rewarding!
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1e1hkyh/old_watron_tips/
| 23
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big tip
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hot
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1cvfd4q
|
TalesFromYourServer
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Mothers Day Boot
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Here’s the story on how my table got booted on Mother’s Day. (It’s pretty epic) (long read but plz it’s amazing) (cussing)
Backdrop: So. It’s Mother’s Day. The BUSIEST day of the year for my restaurant and many others! It’s so busy, that we will have numerous parties (at my place it’s 10+ to be considered a “party”) as well as countless floor tables.
We are all assigned parties at the beginning of the shift and then expected to take the walk in parties. There will be a line to the door all morning!
Story: Well. This Mother’s Day, that line lasted ALL DAY LONG. I was in the weeds the entire shift! (It’s a long shift for us. We will be there like twelve hours.) Anyhow, I finish a three with a three dollar tip, I finish a six with a five dollar tip :))) (screw you guys) and then I finish a nine with a great tip. In comes a six, so I take them. Then I have to take the eight behind them and the eleven beside the eight. This is fine and dandy except the kitchen is backed up. They had been behind since square one as well have a lot of newbies.
Well, I burst into tears because my six top was really passive and I wanted to get them their food but it had taken nearly 45 minutes for basic entrees. I am not angry with the cooks because they’re cooking buttloads of food all day long but it is absolutely stressful regardless. I finally get them their food and the guy at the table murmurs about a third refill. Dude spilt his drink earlier. His eyelids are barely open. He can’t speak above a mumble.
Well, I guess prior to this, this asshole got angry and started to look around the restaurant for me despite me telling him it was INSANELY busy and I’ve been in the kitchen three separate times to look for the food but that the cooks are swamped. Mind you, all of us are running circles and we have more tables and customers than we can handle. The owner who is in his eighties, we shall call him “Bob” was standing next to our busser “Frodo”. Big dude comes out of the room and Bob thinks he is looking for the bathroom. Big dude mumbles something and Bob laughs and says “ok” because he couldn’t hear him. Bob then looks over to Frodo and is like “what did he say?”
Frodo is all like “Bob. He was cursing at you. He said ‘I’m not looking for the fucking bathroom, I’m looking for my fucking server, she fucking sucks.’”
Middle Rant: Like bitch. First of all, stop spilling your specially made lemonade. Stop SUCKING DOWN your lemonade when clearly I am pissing sweat and waiting on THE ENTIRE ROOM BEHIND YOU.
Story (Continued)
So I get the salads out for the eight and I am about to take drinks for the eleven but I stop to make sure these assholes are Gucci. Here’s the encounter.
Me: Are you guys doing alright? Anything I can grab you?”
Cheese lady: YOU CAN GRAB MY CHEESE I ASKED YOU FOR FIFTEEN TIMES FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO.
Let’s pause. That’s one cheese request per minute. That’s a lot of requests.
Next, don’t be condescending. We servers have it ROUGH on Mother’s Day. It isn’t my intention to not bring you everything you ask for every five seconds, it’s simply the fact that I am waiting on multiple LARGE tables, all of which are pissed to oblivion because they waited in line for an hour to be seated only to wait another hour for their food to come up.
Back to the story:
Cheese lady: AND HE NEEDS A REFULL. MY FOOD IS COLD- BLAH BLAH…”
(Disclaimer. Her food wasn’t cold. I was crying when they finally handed it to me. I legit waited till they had it in tears)(Also as a server iykyk the tone and attitude she’s giving me)
So, at this point, much like Mob in Mob Psycho has his crazy meter, mine had hit the 100% jackpot of pure rage and adrenaline. I looked at her straight in her angry, boiling eyes, and I said.
“Ma’am… it’s almost like… it’s the busiest day of the year!”
Cheese lady: “YOU CAN GET YOUR BITCH ASS ATTITUDE OUT OF HERE!! *cussing shrieks.*
*indistinguishable shrieks of faux success at making a server cry*
So I start pissing tears, as I do. I was done man. Legit worked my butt off to get two really crappy tips and then be cussed out by someone who looks like she’s never worked a day in her life. (Not stereotyping, I just mean these people have clearly never worked food)
Frodo (that busser) tells me what they said earlier and tells me to go tell Bob (the owner)
I go to Bob, tell him what they said and even what I said, and he says.
“Wait right here, dear.”
I hide out in his office wiping my face as I hear the mean table screaming at him from down the hall. Then Bob pulls out The Big Guns to the big dude.
Bob: “WERE YOU BORN TO BE RUDE!!?”
Big Guy: “Wwehhh! My wife is the one who spoke to her! not me! 🥺🥺🥺👨🏻🦯➡️👨🏻🦯➡️”
Bob: “THAT DOESNT FREAKING MATTER. YOU DONT TREAT OUR STAFF LIKE THAT HERE!”
Cheese lady: “YOU DIDNT HAVE TO FUCKING PUSH ME EITHER!!!!!”
Bob: “I NEVER LAID A HAND ON YOU! 💅👑“ (Multiple gawkers and two bussers confirmed she was full of crap)
Cheese lady: “UG! YA HUH” (paraphrased)
Then they were forced to leave and Bob let me wait on his family and they tipped me nice and I cried happy tears
☀️ THE END ☀️
Jk. There is more. They left a really annoying review on Google so that inspired me to post my experience. The owner and I were called hateful and she is still mad about the cheese. It’s my first bad review in the two and a half years I’ve worked here!
Also, Bob comped the entire meal of the poor souls that had to sit next to them and they said he did the right thing. Bob rocks!
Thanks for reading! Hope your Mother’s Day wasn’t too crazy and congrats on surviving it!!
(TLDR)
Table is super mean
I clap back super saiyan mode.
Table gets HUGE MEAN and tries to go god tier
Boss gets the final clap.
Bob rocks
Edit: Sorry for formatting, I’m on mobile. I also fixed my typos but then deleted all of that and had to copy over from my notes again. Rip.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1cvfd4q/mothers_day_boot/
| 68
| 14
| 1,716,090,825
| 8
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big tip
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hot
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1cwhxcx
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TalesFromYourServer
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Entitled/impatient old lady
|
I used to serve at an Asian fusion restaurant in Naples Fl that closed about a year ago. The demographics of Naples is largely elderly folk who have second homes here. Working lunches there were very hectic sometimes because I was the only server most of the times and there wasn’t a food runner/busser/hostess or bartender. The restaurant was in a good location and it was a very big restaurant. Sometimes it would get so busy, I’d literally have to run to go run food or run to go make drinks. Sometimes I’d be taking care of close to 20 tables all at the same time. Anyways, we had this one older lady who was a regular. She said she had some immune system problem and demanded a bowl of hot water to clean her silverware the moment she sat down. She claimed she had diabetes and would hound me to get her food as soon as possible no matter how many food tickets were ahead of hers or how busy I was. She would never leave anything more than 20% despite being so needy and demanding. She was one of my least favorite customers of all time. Most people were very nice to me and even impressed seeing how I handled that many tables with no help. A lot of times it led to good tips or people being very patient. She would come eat at the restaurant very soon after Covid with her mask and I’m thinking why are you out here eating at a busy restaurant if you’re this old, immune system problems, diabetes and you’re scared of Covid? It honestly felt like she just wanted to give me problems, I wonder if she would do that to other servers at different restaurants or just mine because we accommodated her insane needs. Just wanted to share this story about one of least favorite customers of all time.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromYourServer/comments/1cwhxcx/entitledimpatient_old_lady/
| 14
| 14
| 1,716,217,909
| 8
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big tip
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hot
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