Be careful where you eat! - Part 2

I used to work at a pizza place, I won't specify, but it was one of the Top chains, and I was a manager at the time. I was working the front counter one night when I over heard a conversation from one of my phone girls she was having with a customer. This gentleman was a regular customer for many years, but I was only at this store for a short time and had only dealt with him a few times. He was a complete jerk that did nothing but find a reason to complain every time. One of those, that no matter what the service was, thought he deserved a free order or discount every time so he would make up reasons. I bought into it the first few times, but I instructed everyone in the store that I was the only one to make the order from now on anytime he called.

Well, this time he called and made the young lady cry when he ripped into her. I knew that the order he got was immaculate, because I made it and made sure the delivery driver had no other deliveries to make. An experienced driver, so no excuses right? Well he found one and I was ready for him. I told the young lady to put him on hold and I got on the phone.

Now, I spend my time doing whatever I can to give customer satisfaction, to the point I have bent over backwards and I still restrained myself from telling him what I truly felt. My cooks were young men that were good friends with the young lady and were highly agitated by this man making her cry needlessly. In any case, I told the customer i would redo his order and have it ready for him to pick up. I wanted him to inspect it in front of me this time and any time in the future he would not get delivery service, to make sure his order's were perfect before he left the store from there on. He agreed, to come pick it up, I also, asked him to apologize to the young lady for his behavior and agreed to this as well. I then told my cooks to remake the order, only they would not have to worry about me standing over their shoulder this time, I needed a smoke and went and took a break. They made the order without my supervision, and I did not want to know what they did, but I know they had revenge on their minds and for the sake of store morale I looked the other way. To this day, I still feel guilt over this and that was many years ago and many jobs ago. I found out after I left the company a few weeks later, I was offered a job and took it, what they had actually done, and here goes along with the the completion of the order with the customer pick up.

First they dropped the dough in the toilet (with both ps & sht in it), then they dropped it on the floor and stepped on on it with their work boots, then they spit all over it, then they made the pizza, when it came out of the oven they laid it on the floor again and used soiled utensils from the same toilet to cut it. He, also, had an order of wings that received the same treatment. He showed up, apologized and checked his order, said he was satisfied and I said I would follow up later with a courtesy call. When I called him back he said it was the best pizza and wings he ever had. The dough was fresh, it had plenty of toppings the chicken was cooked properly and that he would call corporate and give them a compliment on our service. It was true, the dough was fresh, there were plenty of toppings and the chicken was cooked right, all things that had been done previously exactly the same way without the revenge factor.

I guess the moral of the story is, be careful when you complain for the hell of it and make little girls cry, you may get exactly what you deserve.


Take care and thanks for stopping by!


Ascension211

I'm always polite when dealing with everybody. If I'm displeased with a service or product I usually just smile and never come back. Even when my order is wrong I'll eat it if I can. A missing piece of cheese or a big mac instead of a quarter pounder or mayo instead of mustard don't really amount to squat in the end. Maybe it's because I was raised to eat whatever was put in front of me and like it.

Besides, it usually isn't worth the time to have it fixed.

Also, a good restaurant that gets it right every time deserves a break if they make a minor mistake on occasion.

I've always had a rule, never mess with people who serve you food.

I am always polite and tip generously.

When there is a problem I still am absolutely polite and reasonable.

But that comes from working service jobs in my youth...

reply to post by Erectus


Thank you for your reply.

Read my first thread, Be careful where you eat! part 1, for further info, but I believe there are limits to what should be expected to be accepted. Cost is not the issue. I, also noted that this person complained for no valid reasons other than to get free food. Every customer is entitled to get what they order in a timely fashion, fresh and hot or fresh and cold, the way they specified, if at all possible, regardless of the establishment. Also, there is a proper way to get your point across without making the server cry or get out of line. Simply, treat them with respect, don't point fingers and assess blame. But you never have to settle, unless it really is not important to you, that is your choice.

Take care,

Ascension211

reply to post by ascension211


I know you say you feel bad, but I think you already handled yourself very well for having a customer who treated you and your employees like that. Of course I know you feel bad about what they did but don't hold yourself responsible. I have had experience in the work place with your EXACT situation to where customers would be rude, cause scenes,and literally come up with problems to get a free meal or discount. I think its cheap and sad and a perfect example of someone taking advantage of you and your company. We literally had a man who did it so often,that we had to inform corporate and we were not aloud to give him a free meal or discounts after so many times,because it was OBVIOUS he was doing it on purpose, knowing he was using our customer service motto against us. Once it got to the point we told him we couldn't give him any free deals or discounts anymore because corporate put a limit on how many times one person can have that treatment, he threw a fit,but corporate had our backs and didn't come back again. Im sure off to his next place to fake throw a fit for free treatment. I am always nice to people who make my food and am even sure to tell people who I eat with when they are rude to be nice. I was with a female recently who treated a waitress like crap, her excuse was she was the paying customer, but I just knew she was going the right way for a big spit or something along the lines of that in her food. Always be nice to people serving you!!

reply to post by benrl


Thanks for your reply. I, also, have another thread under the same heading you may wish to read.

I have been with my dad and he has never worked a service job in the food industry, so it does help to have been there, done that. My father can get quite annoyed, I have had to apologize behind his back to make sure servers calm down and take it with a grain of salt. He is a very generous tipper and I make it clear to them don't take it personal they will be rewarded for their efforts in spite of his behavior. My mother, on the other hand is quite the charmer. She will get her point across in a way as to not piss them off but want to make them try even harder to please her.

I wish more people would compliment the service, and the food when it is done right. Usually, it is always a complaint.

Take care.

Ascension211

reply to post by Katharos62191


Very well said, thanks. Still, I have always remembered that experience more for what I did. That was over 12 years ago and to me it was like yesterday. You are correct, about treating people right, but not just because they serve your food, it has more to do with do unto others, but I know you get that. I wrote another thread that you might care to read about other instances, it's is the same heading.

Take care,

Ascension211

these days, that's considered biological warfare and falls under the category of terrorism.

I ran a Pub in London and one day, a Friday we opened up and as usual were very busy on the food orders and I noticed a big fat man come in and sit down, he just sat there for a while and after 10 mins he smacked his hands on his table shouting in an American accent "When can I get some god damn service in this joint" I walked over and explained he should order at the bar like everyone else.
He huffed and puffed and started complaining that the service in this #ty country was bad, and he ordered a starter.
The starter came and he complained it wasn't big enough, he was so loud shouting this and that and I said to him "look pal if you do not like the portion size he can go and do one" he still moaned and I told him to order something else or leave, he ordered a steak and kidney pie all the while trying to snap his fingers trying to get table service.
I was young and he really pissed me off so I went to the kitchen and spat in his pie .
After he had eaten it I went over asked how the pie was and he said it was "#ty" I replied "Thats because I spat in it and he should feck off outa my pub before I threw him out.
He got all red faced shouting so myself and my head barman chucked him out while the rest of the customers cheered and clapped.
No one ever moaned about our food again .
Yeah I still feel bad for spitting in his pie but hopefully it taught him a lesson, do not piss people off who serve your food.

Its not just customers who deserve disrespect.
About 10 years ago I ordered a pizza and it was duly delivered.
After the driver left I opened it up to find that it was NOTHING like the pizza I had ordered. A completely totally wrong incorrect pizza that was simply a stuffup somewhere by them.

I phoned them up to let them know, and *I* got a stream of abuse, and they (both the person who took the order, and then the chef) insisted that they got the order correct and I was mistaken.

Maybe they get a bunch of customers like the one you mentioned (always trying to get free stuff) but in this case they themselves had genuinely made an error.

Never ordered from them again.

Once I was working in a popular fast food joint that had a "drive-thru" service like many have these days where the customer will speak into a microphone placed near the large outdoor light-up menus as they browse said menus. Their voice could be heard by the people wearing headphones that were working in the drive-thru section, so the employees working in the drive-thru could hear them clearly. But, for general convenience for the cooks working to be prepared for upcoming orders, the customers voice was also heard over a speaker system in the kitchen.

One day i was working and this cute asian girl who I had a crush on was working the drive thru and a customer and his buddy, older sounding guys in their 30 or 40s who should have known better, began to flagrantly mock her accent and laugh, saying t&ings like "chi choy chong! Hahaha!" The girl was not crying about it but still she was upset, and they had insulted her. That was all that was needed for me to go into "teenage hero mode" and spit in their food and take over the drive thru window so that she would not need to see them or deal with them.
I did not let on that anything was wrong, though I'll admit I did not give them my usual excellent service attitude and smile, I did not want to alert them to any potential alterations to their food. This place was a frantic circus when it got busy, so the managers never noticed you unless they were standing over your shoulder watching you, which there was no time for anyhow. So it was no problem and I could've done worse, but it was my first and only time messing with someone's food. I usually give every customer the best service I possibly can, but you should never underestimate a boy's foolhardy devotion to a girl he really likes. XD

reply to post by ascension211


Don't feel too bad! I have a similar story:

Years ago I waited tables at an Italian restaurant. There was this one mean old lady that came in twice a week who complained about EVERYTHING! She complained about the food, the service, the wine, she even complained about me personally to management twice- once because she said my perfume was too strong and was making her sick (I wasn't wearing perfume) and again because there was a tiny spot of marinara on my cuff.

So one night I was waiting on this grumble puss and she orders an appetizer pizza. She sent it back three times because "it didn't taste right". When I brought her the third one and headed back to the kitchen alley I almost ran into the two guys who worked the appetizer window. They were watching the woman and giggling and whispering. Apparently they had put "an illegal hallucinagenic substance that violates T&C" in her pizza!

I must admit when I went back to the woman's table she seemed to be in much better spirits. She ordered more wine than usual, was laughing and grinning, and was nice for the first time ever! She even left me a huge tip, which is something she never did previously.

The next time I waited on her she was nice, polite, and asked for another one of those wonderful pizzas!

I'm certain this is not what people really want to hear about their favorite restaurants and the possibilities of what may happen. I promise to give some positive experiences in the very near future.

Originally posted by boymonkey74
shouting in an American accent "When can I get some god damn service in this joint" I walked over and explained he should order at the bar like everyone else.

Yaaa see, you been watchin too many gangsta movies, see. Joint? What did some American time travel from Roaring 20's to come to your pub?? Or just someone from Jersey?

reply to post by Advantage


Yeah right. I am pretty certain that someone would not sit in an English pub and say that. Ever seen the way those blokes drink and treat a soccer match?

Originally posted by ascension211
reply to post by Advantage

 

Yeah right. I am pretty certain that someone would not sit in an English pub and say that. Ever seen the way those blokes drink and treat a soccer match?

Probably get beaten with a cricket bat.

One thing I learned while in London was a thing called "pub time". It dwells in some alternate time reality.Its a reality where beer comes much quicker than food even if there are only 3 things on the menu.. and there is something to be said about room temp beer. I figure folks who have spent any time anywhere outside of their homes should figure out if you want immediate service, go to McDonalds. I'll gladly wait for good food and tip handsomely rather than getting reheated crap immediately.

reply to post by Advantage


To be fair to McDonald's not all of their food is reheated crap. Maybe not the best ingredients ( chicken nuggets, mcrib) they do have excellent chicken strips and french fries and the apple pies are decent, the salads are usually fresh. That's not to say I have not seen some questionable habits, but they are not alone. Your PUB , while taking time to serve you can still drop the food on the floor and you would never know.