Comments on: Can I Accept the Challenge? http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/ Scenes from the podium...one pager at a time. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:18:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: P.S.BarChick http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-292 P.S.BarChick Mon, 19 Jun 2006 08:10:52 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-292 Love your blog, it's like the journal I'm always meaning to write, but have never been good at keeping up with! Good for you for writing it all down and sharing, I'm sure it helps you stay sane! Customer one is all too common, and it's hard to bite your tongue and be professional sometimes. My favorite is when they are so rotten that all their tablemates are embarrassed and apologetic ; they usually leave an extra big tip for having to deal with such rudeness! What a great experience to work with your daughter, it sounds like she's learning from the best. Thanks from a fellow f & b worker with 15 years experience....keep writing! Love your blog, it’s like the journal I’m always meaning to write, but have never been good at keeping up with! Good for you for writing it all down and sharing, I’m sure it helps you stay sane!
Customer one is all too common, and it’s hard to bite your tongue and be professional sometimes. My favorite is when they are so rotten that all their tablemates are embarrassed and apologetic ; they usually leave an extra big tip for having to deal with such rudeness!
What a great experience to work with your daughter, it sounds like she’s learning from the best. Thanks from a fellow f & b worker with 15 years experience….keep writing!

]]> By: Ex-Restaurant Manager http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-266 Ex-Restaurant Manager Wed, 14 Jun 2006 04:35:09 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-266 I never had a sibling, parent, or child work with me, and I’m glad. I don’t know that I would have had the self-control that you had.

I actually had the liberty of carte blanche with the customers at the restaurant I ran (in the middle of nowhere, South Dakota, 45 minutes away from the nearest police presence), and I did at times tell people to get the he__ out of the restaurant, because they had upset my wait staff.

After all, I had to work with these folks for the rest of the summer, knowing they would watch my back while I was cooking or whatever, and so protecting them from the vagaries of the unwashed masses was well worth my while.

That, and the wait staff were good people, and the customers mostly transients.

Anyway, I am reading the things that you have to put up with in the “civilized” city, and it makes me cringe.

Great blog – It almost makes me miss the restaurant business.

Almost.

]]> By: Bass Player http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-182 Bass Player Sun, 21 May 2006 00:49:29 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-182 "The cusotmer is always right" rule isn't an absolute. It applies to people who approach you with a legitimate concern or complaint. It wasn't meant to apply to people who walk in with flaring tempers and imperious attitudes right off the bat. I really like Lobster Boy's reply to people like that and his entire approach. A reaction like yours, RG, is normal, but (there's always a big but in there, isn't there?) to voice it in anger would have just escalated the situation. If I had been in your shoes and a patron spoke so rudely, without any provocation, to my own daughter, I would have reacted the same way. But I also liked your unspoken response, or at least the last three words: "Ma'am, that woman you just told to pour water? That's my daughter." And then just looked at her. That said, taking the high road was definitely the classy way to go. “The cusotmer is always right” rule isn’t an absolute. It applies to people who approach you with a legitimate concern or complaint. It wasn’t meant to apply to people who walk in with flaring tempers and imperious attitudes right off the bat.

I really like Lobster Boy’s reply to people like that and his entire approach. A reaction like yours, RG, is normal, but (there’s always a big but in there, isn’t there?) to voice it in anger would have just escalated the situation.

If I had been in your shoes and a patron spoke so rudely, without any provocation, to my own daughter, I would have reacted the same way. But I also liked your unspoken response, or at least the last three words: “Ma’am, that woman you just told to pour water? That’s my daughter.” And then just looked at her.

That said, taking the high road was definitely the classy way to go.

]]> By: echo http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-180 echo Sat, 20 May 2006 04:50:31 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-180 I've worked customer service for ten years, and I'm still amazed at how rude, demanding, and inconsiderate some people can be. Too bad Customer One can't spend a few days in your shoes and have to deal with her "twins". Perhaps that would effect a change in her attitude; one could only hope. Love your blog. Keep up the great posts. I’ve worked customer service for ten years, and I’m still amazed at how rude, demanding, and inconsiderate some people can be. Too bad Customer One can’t spend a few days in your shoes and have to deal with her “twins”. Perhaps that would effect a change in her attitude; one could only hope.

Love your blog. Keep up the great posts.

]]> By: ex-waitress http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-179 ex-waitress Sat, 20 May 2006 02:32:05 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-179 Oh dear; I know how hard it is to hold back that inner lioness and let the cubs deal with life themselves. bravo to you. Restaurant Gal. just reading it made me mentally want to spit in that water glass Oh dear; I know how hard it is to hold back that inner lioness and let the cubs deal with life themselves. bravo to you. Restaurant Gal.
just reading it made me mentally want to spit in that water glass

]]> By: Leslie http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-178 Leslie Sat, 20 May 2006 01:25:21 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-178 Nate, I agree with you about the customer is always right motto. That motto is causing us to lose good people at the company I work for because the customer gets to behave in an inexcusable fashion. And these are supposed to be executives. I'd be willing to bet that customer number one is an executive. Sometimes it's hard for me to read this blog, I get so furious on behalf of Restaurant Gal and her co-workers. I'd like to be part of the 10-top and put that woman in her place on her behalf. Nate, I agree with you about the customer is always right motto. That motto is causing us to lose good people at the company I work for because the customer gets to behave in an inexcusable fashion. And these are supposed to be executives. I’d be willing to bet that customer number one is an executive. Sometimes it’s hard for me to read this blog, I get so furious on behalf of Restaurant Gal and her co-workers. I’d like to be part of the 10-top and put that woman in her place on her behalf.

]]> By: Jaz http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-177 Jaz Fri, 19 May 2006 23:52:51 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-177 Hah! The two of you sound just like my mom and I. My mom would have felt the need to restrain herself from ripping customer one's arms off and beating them with 'em. She's especially scary since she just got her blackbelt in karate. :D We worked in a call center together for several years, however I started first and taught her the ropes instead. Just the basics tho, she already had more customer service experience than I ever want to have, and she's amazingly good at it. She had a lady one night that I would've done the same to had I the chance (rip her limbs off like a fly), but alas... we worked over the phone. Only frustrating because you aren't allowed to *use* that disconnect button. But probably safer because you can't maim them either... ah well. Thanks for the blog! I think I very much like you. Will have to get mom to read. :) Hah! The two of you sound just like my mom and I. My mom would have felt the need to restrain herself from ripping customer one’s arms off and beating them with ‘em. She’s especially scary since she just got her blackbelt in karate. :D We worked in a call center together for several years, however I started first and taught her the ropes instead. Just the basics tho, she already had more customer service experience than I ever want to have, and she’s amazingly good at it. She had a lady one night that I would’ve done the same to had I the chance (rip her limbs off like a fly), but alas… we worked over the phone. Only frustrating because you aren’t allowed to *use* that disconnect button. But probably safer because you can’t maim them either… ah well. Thanks for the blog! I think I very much like you. Will have to get mom to read. :)

]]> By: Lobster Boy http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-176 Lobster Boy Fri, 19 May 2006 16:03:46 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-176 As waiters we have ways of dealing with pricks like customer one though. I will often times not acknowledge the person being rude, and talk (and look) at the other guests as I do my thing. When I do finally acknowledge the prick, I tell them I will get that XYZ for them in just a moment. Their reaction dictates my speed of response. Generally, the get the idea. It sets the tone for the rest of the meal. This is especially true for large parties that are being gratuitized. I am here to serve them, but I am the one who will be leading this transaction. If you loose that control of a large table, all hell generally brakes loose and it only goes downhill from that point. On a smaller table it is easier to deal with in other ways. Lobster Boy As waiters we have ways of dealing with pricks like customer one though. I will often times not acknowledge the person being rude, and talk (and look) at the other guests as I do my thing. When I do finally acknowledge the prick, I tell them I will get that XYZ for them in just a moment. Their reaction dictates my speed of response. Generally, the get the idea. It sets the tone for the rest of the meal. This is especially true for large parties that are being gratuitized. I am here to serve them, but I am the one who will be leading this transaction. If you loose that control of a large table, all hell generally brakes loose and it only goes downhill from that point. On a smaller table it is easier to deal with in other ways.

Lobster Boy

]]> By: Nate http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-175 Nate Fri, 19 May 2006 15:39:47 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-175 Love the blog, and as a fellow resident of [East Coast City] I've been having fun trying to figure out which restaurant might be your employer. My latest theories revolve around a place with the same initials as the jurisdiction in which it's located . . . Regarding today's story, I sometimes wonder if the "customer is always right" service philosophy has actually been exacerbating the trend towards rude and overly demanding behavior. Everyone's so afraid of losing current or future business that obnoxious customers are allowed to get away with murder, and the negative behaviors get reinforced rather than addressed. Any thoughts? Love the blog, and as a fellow resident of [East Coast City] I’ve been having fun trying to figure out which restaurant might be your employer. My latest theories revolve around a place with the same initials as the jurisdiction in which it’s located . . .

Regarding today’s story, I sometimes wonder if the “customer is always right” service philosophy has actually been exacerbating the trend towards rude and overly demanding behavior. Everyone’s so afraid of losing current or future business that obnoxious customers are allowed to get away with murder, and the negative behaviors get reinforced rather than addressed. Any thoughts?

]]> By: Natalie http://www.restaurantgal.com/2006/05/can-i-accept-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-174 Natalie Fri, 19 May 2006 13:40:12 +0000 http://www.restaurantgal.com/?p=68#comment-174 Having to hold back your inner lioness? How sweet. =) Having to hold back your inner lioness? How sweet. =)

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