September 2009

Arrogant P.O.S.

September 23, 2009

in Diner Stories

It was a busy Tuesday night at Downtown Disney and I was having a horrible day already. My back was killing me and the hosts and managers had no sympathy for my pain.

There was a family of 4 with 2 young children that was seated in my section. The husband was an arrogant P.O.S. right from the start. I was slammed with a full section as well as a party of 15 that I was trying to keep happy. I mis-rang the wife’s food and I apologized and had it fixed immediately; it took a while for the kitchen to re-make the order. The husband decided to take out his frustrations of his kids out on me by throwing the condiments on the table, and huffing and puffing the whole time. He then proceeds to yell at me because the kitchen wasn’t being quick enough. Then he insists that he not pay for the order even though they ate it and took it home with them.

The man then decides to go on Yelp.com and write a ever so lovely review stating that I had messed up on the orders of two other tables (which is not true) and claimed that my restaurant would be losing tons and tons of money because of me. And that I should be fired. I think arrogant insensitive assholes like that who go into restaurants and complain so they can get free food need to be stoned. I hope that man gets his identity stolen or something horrible. He completely deserves it.

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Tagged as: pay refusal/discount demand, restaurant review

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Separate Checks

September 18, 2009

in Diner Stories

Oh how I love getting to work right before the dinner rush comes. Pick up a few tables from lazy servers who stroll in 15 to 20 minutes late coffee in hand. I myself enjoy stealing those tables and picking up the extra 50 to 60 bucks. But of course not on this day.

I had a five two top table section, which is great money on a Friday night. The rush had passed and my section was full. Generally one or two people eating dinner and having a drink before going to their final destination for the night. Not the best tips but good enough to be first cut.

Two disabled gentlemen sat at my table and presented their coupons and discount card before they even ordered their drinks. I brought them back the waters with extra lemon (AKA Lemonade) and asked if they needed more time. Indeed they did. I helped guide them through our massive three page menu and pointed out our pasta entrees. One gentleman inquired if we had chicken parm, which we do and there’s a giant picture of it at the top of the page. I brought them the side salad which they split and complained about because it was not very big for two people. I tried to explain, but my reasoning fell upon deaf ears (no pun intended but they did both have hearing aids). When their food arrived they asked for freshly grated cheese; I told the gentlemen that we do not carry that and they must have us confused with another restaurant. He insisted that he have fresh cheese for his meal and I retired to the kitchen to get him some FRESH cheese from the line.

The meal itself did not have any hiccups until the end. They could not use both their coupons and a rewards card. Once I ran the discounts and returned the check I was asked a question that pushed me to the point of almost no return. The man who could not find a giant picture of chicken parm on a three page menu turned to me and asked, “Seeeeperate check.” I, as most other servers, become enraged when asked this question. I decided to do it for them anyways because the faster they got done the quicker they’re out of my section. I dropped the check and asked if they needed me to run a card for them; of course they did. As I looked down at the card, as I always do, I broke out into laughter that stopped all the tables near me. The card read “Autism Speaks.” My only response was to muffle my laughter and say, “No it doesn’t…”

From time to time the gentlemen walk in and sit at the same table. I no longer take them but I do always run their meals and whisper “seeeeperate checks” as I drop that lovely chicken parm.

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Tagged as: check, disability, discount coupon, server

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Hell’s Bells

September 4, 2009

in Ask Dev

Hey Dev,

I am allergic to several foods and one night I ordered my usual at my former fav Mexican restaurant. I asked for no bell peppers and I always tell them that it will make me very sick (hospital sick) if they are in the dish. This time they forgot and left the peppers in and I pointed it out and asked for a new dish, this one came out with a pepper still in it; it looked like they had just picked them off. I told them that I can’t eat anything that has touched bell peppers as I stop breathing. They brought out another plate and it still had peppers on it. The manager came over and I told him what happened and he offered another one but I told them that I didn’t want anything, to just forget it, and that I wouldn’t come back again. I sat there while my daughters finished their meals. Was this the right thing to do?

Thanks,

- Julie, the girl that can’t eat carrots, walnuts, bananas, bell peppers, mangos, melons, tropical fruit and now the newest addition-celery

Dear Julie,

Let me see if I’ve got this right – you informed the server that bell peppers might lead to your demise and yet you were served them anyway 3 times – and you want to know if you did the right thing by refusing to eat there? Here’s my reply in 2 words – HELL YES!

Alas, the world is full of shades of gray rather than black and white, so my full reply isn’t going to be so succinct. While you had every right to get hot under the collar over the peppers, I wonder if perhaps there was a misunderstanding. I can’t see the restaurant wanting to intentionally put you into the grave (for one thing it wouldn’t be good for business). Unlike many of the chain restaurants which are training staff to be aware of food allergies, smaller mom-and-pop establishments don’t get many diners reporting the problem. Combine unfamiliarity with a language barrier, and you have a recipe for disaster.

You might want to bring with you cards that simply note which foods you’re allergic to which can be handed from the server to the chef. Maybe one side can be in English and the other in Spanish. There are websites where such cards can be purchased, but the ones that I found only offered cards for the most common types of food allergies. You can create your own cards, perhaps including graphics to help get your point across, such as this not-too-subtle one that I put together:

Food Allergy Card

Best wishes to you Julie. Say “Hola” if you ever run into me in a  Mexican restaurant. I’ll be happy to treat you to some margaritas and a dinner – sans bell peppers of course.

senor_dev

[Note: Dev the Dining Devil is frequently in parts unknown and is therefore often unavailable to answer questions about restaurant dining. Questions may still be submitted to him (askdev@dinnersfromhell.com), but there's no guarantee if or when he'll respond.]

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Tagged as: food & beverage issues

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