Restaurant Stories from Hell

[Serayane]

I worked for a day at a buffet at a swimming pool.
- I got accused by a woman of stealing because she couldn't count. She made such a scene. And of course didn't want to admit her mistake.
- But the buffet workers weren't better...It was dirty everywhere, and the chief reprimanded me for washing my hands too often (!!!) - I was washing my hands every time I made a new kind of food, or touched something inbetween. The other workers didn't wash their hands at all. I felt to sorry for the customers (except for the idiots).
I quit after a day. I will never ever work at such a place again.

[caitlin1214]

I'm pretty sure the open Starbucks letter is a joke letter.

[meggyg8r]

Originally Posted by Divyaangana

Okay first off, Bennigan's did suck majorly. But with the waitress, I was just gonna say that she probably couldn't really do that much else. Servers don't have the authority to comp anything or offer to do that kind of stuff with manager approval and so the only thing she could do was bring the manager over. Granted, she really should have apologized. And this is in no way meant to give an excuse for your experience or anything. Just another possible side to the story.

Yeah, I don't think it was the fact that she didn't comp anything (even though the manager didn't offer that either), but she didn't even apologize. That was what really got me angry!

[meggyg8r]

Originally Posted by Divyaangana

Okay, forgive the like 4 posts in a row. In my experience it is considered polite to give a tip. Most of the time, employees that work counters/bars/areas where they take to-go orders, do make more than servers do but not that much more since they are still deemed tipped employees. It doesn't have to be a lot, even just a dollar or two is fine in my opinion. For example in my state/restaurant, servers make $2.13 an hour because it's also assumed we will be making tips. Our hourly wage stays the same no matter what. For our to-go area/bartenders (one in the same at our restaurant) we make $4.50 an hour. So yes we do make a little more hourly wage, but it's still assumed that we will be making tips so we still have a much lower wage. And it will also never go up.

That makes a lot of sense! Thanks for the insight. And yes, good point about their salary. I will continue to tip!

[Divyaangana]

Originally Posted by meggyg8r

Yeah, I don't think it was the fact that she didn't comp anything (even though the manager didn't offer that either), but she didn't even apologize. That was what really got me angry!

Now that I can understand. We go by the two A's in my restaurant, apologize and act. So the fact that she didn't was a a big no no. I would have been angry about it too.

[Divyaangana]

Originally Posted by meggyg8r

That makes a lot of sense! Thanks for the insight. And yes, good point about their salary. I will continue to tip!

Yay, thank you! I believe there such a misconception about restaurant workers and their salaries. Most people believe that we actually make much more money than we really do.

[Ledisis]

wow - what an interestest thread. I don't have anything to contribute, but appreciate reading what you ladies have experienced.

[KarraAnn]

OMG I worked at Subway for two years..I have stories!

First of all on the tipping subject..at places like subway or ice cream joints or whatever, I don't feel like it is necessary but it always made my day if I got a couple bucks from a nice customer.

Here is just a quick list of snappy one liners from customers since my laptop is dying:

"That Ham looks weird."
"Okay."..(don't get ham then)

"That ain't enough onion."
"...sorry?"...(you may ask for more)

"I said EXTRA mayo."
"Okay I guess drowning the sandwich wasn't enough hold on..."

"Are you sure that's a 6 inch?"
"No, would you like me to measure it for you, ma'am?"

I guess it was just when people didn't know how to order that really annoyed me!

[titania029]

DH is a vegetarian, and he doesn't like the taste of meat. He likes Morningstar's veggie patties, really good and tastes nothing like beef. Not saying your customers should have demanded their money back, because they should have asked if the patty tasted like beef. But just giving you a reason why they didn't like it.

I don't have a really bad story. I used to work at a Chinese dim sum restaurant. I pushed around a cart with snack-size dishes. On my first day, and it was super busy, this woman at a table of about 10 wanted me to cut up the taro cakes for her. They were only 2-inch squares and easily breakable by any utensil, including the knives/forks/spoons available at the table. It was just weird One of the waiters told me that she comes in a lot and is always demanding.

Originally Posted by twinkerbell1986

I had this one vegetarian couple come in and asked me to recommend vegetarian dishes to them. So I suggested the veggie (Boca) burger since that was pretty much it. They said it was perfect and was happy about the suggestion. After I brought them the food and went back to check on them, they had this weird face. I asked them if everything was okay and they reacted like they were furious. Apparently...the Boca patty was too "real" of a patty for them to handle! They said..."omg..it tastes like beef!" and I said "yes, because it is supposed to imitate beef." They said they couldn't handle it! WTFFFF??!! If it tastes so much like beef then that means whoever made the patties did a good job. Don't tell me "it's too real" for you and want your money back. Some ppl!

[Classic Chic]

ah the memories! I worked 12 years at family restaurants, which are known for the taste rather than the atomsphere, so I have my good share of good and bad customers....

I was in HS when I waited on a very rude old couple. Once they sat down, they immediately start pointing at our staff (it'a a Chinese restaurant, about 75% of the staff are Asian) and guess loudly how they 'come here'-'that old one looks like smuggle in by boat', 'the Mexians must get here by feet sneaking in the borders', and other racial comments. When I ignore the comments and checked with them on the last round before I hand them the check, the husband and I had an epic conversation, dubbed by my coworkers :

"So how did you get here?"
"I drove to work Sir." <---thinking he is making casual conversation.
"I don't think so, try again young lady. Did you get here by boat or plane?"
"?? I drove, it's impossible to sail a boat to work or rid a plane to work??"
"I don't believe you at all, it's impossible for you to drive here. But you do speak English very well"
"Ugh, ok? Glad to know we can communicate clearly?"
"You still have not answer how did you get here (USA), did you get on US ground by boat or jump the plane in CA to take grey hound down in TX?"
So this is what he meant by plane/boat! I was so shock at this offensive question, I was speechless w/this face The nerve!
This rude a** **** pull out his wallet and slam an ID on the the table
"Take a look at my real green card, but it won't be long til I get the passport. I bet you have a good fake ID, Asians are very smart, especially replicas. where's your ID, I'd like to see the quality between the two"
If I had a tray of hot soup or sizzling hot iron plate, I would've lost it and slip it on him right then and there. Now people around him were also stunned by his behavior, including some of our regulars. Beyond pissed off, I'm ready to bring the game on
"Oh is this how a green card looks like? I've never seen one before! But I'm sorry sir, I don't have a green card to show you"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure my wife tips so you can buy one soon"
"That's very generous of you to tip me (WTH, you weren't going to leave any tip on a $60 bill at a full service restaurant!?), but unlike you having to go trough the green card process, swear to abandon the citizenship of your home country behind, I am a citizen by birth. And Asians are just as smart as others, after all, my Chinese ancestors did invented papers 2000 years ago Please don't feel obligated to tip, because the application process is quite costly, I appreciate the thoughts. I look forwad the day you swear under oath to leave your homeland behind, and join me as US citizen. Good luck to Mrs. too if she is in the same process."
Ah, I never forget the scene of their face turned bright red from embrassment.

[Spinky]

^hahaha! Good for you! Would loved to have seen their stupid faces after that!

[Divyaangana]

^^^Me too. Serves them right for being so rude.

[meggyg8r]

wow, classic chic, that is really unbelievable. I would have had a hard time not slapping that guy across the face!

[yeliab]

Good for you!!

Originally Posted by Classic Chic

ah the memories! I worked 12 years at family restaurants, which are known for the taste rather than the atomsphere, so I have my good share of good and bad customers.... I was in HS when I waited on a very rude old couple. Once they sat down, they immediately start pointing at our staff (it'a a Chinese restaurant, about 75% of the staff are Asian) and guess loudly how they 'come here'-'that old one looks like smuggle in by boat', 'the Mexians must get here by feet sneaking in the borders', and other racial comments. When I ignore the comments and checked with them on the last round before I hand them the check, the husband and I had an epic conversation, dubbed by my coworkers: "So how did you get here?" "I drove to work Sir." <---thinking he is making casual conversation. "I don't think so, try again young lady. Did you get here by boat or plane?" "?? I drove, it's impossible to sail a boat to work or rid a plane to work??" "I don't believe you at all, it's impossible for you to drive here. But you do speak English very well" "Ugh, ok? Glad to know we can communicate clearly?" "You still have not answer how did you get here (USA), did you get on US ground by boat or jump the plane in CA to take grey hound down in TX?" So this is what he meant by plane/boat! I was so shock at this offensive question, I was speechless w/this face The nerve! This rude a** **** pull out his wallet and slam an ID on the the table "Take a look at my real green card, but it won't be long til I get the passport. I bet you have a good fake ID, Asians are very smart, especially replicas. where's your ID, I'd like to see the quality between the two" If I had a tray of hot soup or sizzling hot iron plate, I would've lost it and slip it on him right then and there. Now people around him were also stunned by his behavior, including some of our regulars. Beyond pissed off, I'm ready to bring the game on "Oh is this how a green card looks like? I've never seen one before! But I'm sorry sir, I don't have a green card to show you" "Don't worry, I'll make sure my wife tips so you can buy one soon" "That's very generous of you to tip me (WTH, you weren't going to leave any tip on a $60 bill at a full service restaurant!?), but unlike you having to go trough the green card process, swear to abandon the citizenship of your home country behind, I am a citizen by birth. And Asians are just as smart as others, after all, my Chinese ancestors did invented papers 2000 years ago Please don't feel obligated to tip, because the application process is quite costly, I appreciate the thoughts. I look forwad the day you swear under oath to leave your homeland behind, and join me as US citizen. Good luck to Mrs. too if she is in the same process." Ah, I never forget the scene of their face turned bright red from embrassment.

[HandbagLuvr]

This is not so much a story about restaurants as it is about tipping. I had a group of friends in my home town and we would go out once a week for dinner and drinks. We had one friend in our group who was notorious for finding small faults in the service we received and therefore would skimp majorly on the tip. She was way too harsh and it seemed like she was making up reasons just to be cheap. Well of course the rest of the people at the table would be embarassed and would tip extra to make up for it. After awhile we avoided any restaurants that required tipping or went out without her.