Saturday, March 04, 2006

Waiting on the insane public


The following is a true interaction I had with a customer tonight. Every time I think I've seen the dumbest person I've ever waited on, somebody goes and lowers the bar. This was the case again tonight.

After asking about drinks to a mid 50's year old grandmother with 12ish year old grand daughter in tow:

Lady: I'd like a sherry.
Me: I'm sorry, we don't carry a sherry ma'm.
Lady: I said I'd like a sherry.
Me: I understand that ma'm, and I'd love to give it to you, but we do not carry any sherrys, we do have some wines...
Lady (now looking at me like I'm being rude to her): If you won't give me a sherry, then I want a coffee drink (glaring at me now, looking like I should know from that which coffee drink).
Me: Which drink would you like? Baily's and Coffee, Coffee Nudge...(interupted)
Lady: Baily's, with decaf. And for an appetizer, I want this bisque.
Me: A bowl or a cup?
Lady: I want a bowl of it for my meal.
Me: Very well, I will bring that as your meal mam.

15 minutes later I deliver the food and then do a 2 bite check back to see if they need anything else. I approach the table, and the lady abruptly slides the large china bowl of scalding hot soup across the table at my crotch and exclaims in a rather perturbed voice "I don't want it."
Me: Did you dislike the soup, or would you like it to go home?
Lady: I said I don't want it.
Me: Should I tell a manager that you disliked it?
Lady now in a very agitated voice: I said I DON'T want it.
Me: Mam, you've clearly made that point, I just need to know what to tell the manager, the reason we are returning this.
Lady: I said I don't like it. (she had NOT said this previously).
Me: I must have missed you saying that ma'm, I'll have it taken off your ticket.
As I walk away, I hear the granddaughter say "you never told him you didn't like it grandma, that wasn't very nice." Since the computer is close to this table, I pause for a moment to listen to the rest of this discussion (I was where she couldn't see me).
Lady: I said I don't like it.
Granddaughter: You didn't say that until after you were yelling at him. How was he supposed to know what you wanted?
Lady: I don't know, he should just know. I'm tired.

So this insanity concludes when after the lady pays and walks out through our PACKED lobby, that she literally yells at a manager in training about wanting sherry and not getting any. Our MIT (who was previously a bartender) tries to explain to her again nicely that we DON'T have sherry in the restaurant.

After the exchange the MIT comes over to me and tells me about it, and I say yeah, that's the bisque you comped 20 minutes ago. She says what's up with that lady, I kept explaining we don't carry sherry. I said "I think she may be nuts." She shook her head, and I explained my exchanges with the lady, and by the time I was done the MIT was rolling with laughter. But at least the lady left me a solid tip.

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7 comments:

Rita said...

Nuts, going through menopause . . .

Potato, potahto

Anonymous said...

heheheh first poster got it right

Anonymous said...

Should have brought her some cooking sherry from the back - she probably would have downed it.

Lobster Boy said...

Red Lobsters don't carry a cooking sherry. There was nothing I/we could do that was going to please this nut job anyhow.

Lobster Boy

Anonymous said...

I've never worked at a restaurant, but I have worked retail and I can tell you the worst and rudest customers are older women. Being an older woman, I have vowed not to be rude to waiters and retail employees ever. There's too many bitches out there as it is.

Anonymous said...

Just thought I'd mention that there are many early signs of Alzheimer's and other degenerative neurological disorders (like Huntington's disease) that cause the kind of behavior you have mentioned here, especially characterized by the woman's irrationality.

Or maybe this woman is just really opinionated and not afraid to tell what she thinks. She does seem to be lacking in some self-awareness and perhaps is having a cranky day.

Gosh it sound just like some bloggers, except that bloggers who start their own blog with the only purpose being to complain about their company, and don't have the nerve to post their name, are really more scared and dishonest than a rude, honest older woman. Menopause or not!

Lobster Boy said...

So says the anonymous poster...

Lobster Boy