I’ve been working at this certain restaurant for quite some time. The past Sunday afternoon I was working a lunch shift that typically lasts from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Sunday is the day that the trashiest and worst tippers come out to eat, and leave you cards with pictures of Jesus rather than tips. It was slow and I had only had three tables, all of which were white trash. Being white myself, I have no problem saying that I consider the white trash tables worse than “trashy” people of any other ethnicity because these tables know how to tip and disregard it. I pride myself on the fact that I care more about creating a great dining experience for guests than for trying to get a good tip. I do my work and don’t think about the tip until the end. However, when I get three $2.00 tips on $30.00 meals, I get very annoyed. My typical tip percentage is between 24% and 30% because I am very personable and nice to guests.
Anyways, as I am getting cut, I see a table of seven approaching the door. I needed the extra cash, so I request to stay on for the table. My manager agrees. The table of seven consists of seemingly 80+ year olds. Although there are seven chairs (four on one side and three on the other), they argue with me for five minutes that there are not enough seats. Finally, I persuade them to just try to fit and, of course, it works. I take drink orders and bring seven waters in about two minutes, along with rolls.
I let the table know about the special for the day – $3 off prime rib! Everyone at the table orders a 12 oz prime rib except for the old man on the end. He orders a 12oz ribeye. I repeat orders back twice, since I know old people get confused and can’t hear. Everyone smiles and nods their heads, so I put their orders in.
About 15 minutes later, I spot food runners heading to my table. All the prime ribs are set down and when the ribeye is set down, the old man YELLS at the food runner, “This is NOT what I ordered. What the heck are you doing???”
I instantly tell the food runner that I have control of the situation and approach the old man. “Sir, I have it written down here that you ordered a 12oz ribeye. Everyone else ordered prime rib.” On my notepad every seat’s entrée is listed as “12oz PR” except his, which is “12oz RIBEYE.”
The man looks up at me in outrage and yells “Are you calling me a LIAR? I KNOW what I ordered. This isn’t it. You wrote it down wrong and put it in wrong.”
Normally I follow the customer is right rule, but I was pissed off at being yelled at for nothing, so I told him “Sir, I said it back to you twice and you agreed it was right.” This infuriated him even further. Obviously this guy is constantly corrected for his bad memory because he got PISSED!
Another customer told my manager about the commotion, so he came over and asked what was wrong. The old man proceeded to tell my manager that I purposely put the wrong steak in for him then called him a liar. WTF? Luckily, my manager is used to crazy people and just kind of nodded his head and asked what he could do. Another old man at the table felt bad for me and switched entrees with the crazy man. Everything was then fine… or so I thought.
The crazy old man begins screaming at me as soon as my manager walks away and says I “PURPOSELY” gave him a SMALLER steak than everyone else because I was mad at him. Umm… hello psycho. Your friend switched with you. I haven’t taken a step away from the table or touched your food. Are you insane?
Eventually my manager gives him an additional 6oz just so he will shut the F up. The old crazy man proceeds to treat me like shit the rest of the night, and keeps muttering about me under his breath. I hear him tell the rest of the table that I am not getting a dime as a tip.
I did not stay an extra two hours to be yelled at and not tipped. We don’t do a gratuity where I work, but how would they know? On the check, under the total, I wrote, “Recommended (18%) Large Party Gratuity: $20.45″ (their bill was over $100). And guess what? I got it! And even better, as they walked out the door, one of the old ladies slipped me $7.00 and said “In case he didn’t tip well enough.” How nice.
Wow, sorry that your family dumped you in a retirement home old man. Don’t take it out on me!
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