Grief For My Boss

January 9, 2010

in Diner Stories

I work as a kitchen assistant at a restaurant and I feel compelled to tell this story of what happened to my boss. He works both as the restaurant’s manager and host, so he has to meet everyone that comes in and show them their seats. I feel sorry for him as he has to deal with many stupid and arrogant customers, but when he told me this story I was shocked.

It happened on a bank holiday and I was not at work that day. It was also pouring with rain outside and the restaurant was very busy with only about two tables free. A snooty businessman came in and asked my boss for a table for ten people! He clearly did not notice the busy atmosphere. Anyway, my boss explains that they do not have any room for that amount of people. But this snooty bootie does not take no for an answer. The following argument went like this.

CUSTOMER:  But I can see some tables free over there.

BOSS:  Yes but there is still no room.

CUSTOMER:  Well can’t you join them up together or something?

BOSS:  There is no room to put all those tables together sir.

CUSTOMER:  But there is plenty of room here!

He points to the space that the staff need to use to move from the restaurant to the kitchen doors.

BOSS:  I’m sorry sir but the staff need that space to get to and from the kitchen.

CUSTOMER:  But there is plenty of room!

BOSS:  Sir if you all sat there, you would be blocking the other customers and staff and have food spilled all over you. I’m sorry sir but what you are asking is just not possible.

CUSTOMER:  Well where else am I supposed to go then?

BOSS:  Well sir on a rainy bank holiday, there are only two other restaurants I can suggest to fit in ten people, McDonald’s and KFC!

CUSTOMER:  I WANT REAL FOOD!

I d0n’t know how it finished but there is absolutely no excuse for the way this snobbish son of b**** treated my boss.

{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

Jack January 9, 2010 at 4:27 pm

When you work with the general public, you meet all kinds of people, and you have to try to accommodate them if you want to stay in business. If that had been my restaurant I would have found someway to fit them in. If anything your boss was rude. Remember the customer is always right, even when he is wrong.

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Yourbosssucks January 10, 2010 at 10:25 am

Sounds like your boss missed out on a big table with a big bill. I've worked in several restaurants and bars and we always try to accommodate everyone, especially those that may spend money. They may have had to wait for a little while but that's probably to be expected during a busy time. Then your boss tells them to go to a fast food joint. He sounds like a horrible restaurant manager.

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Nunya Business January 6, 2017 at 5:29 pm

Hell to the no. I've been a server & the snooty businessmen are the worse. Always arrogant, always demanding. Rude as hell. I've had the average joe come in & be much more polite & understanding. Snooty businessmen think because they get what they demand from their employees, that everyone is their employee. Not in my house.

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gfdsrf February 18, 2018 at 8:56 am

Do you not understand? THERE WAS NO ROOM.

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ps January 12, 2010 at 8:09 am

I miss the UK

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Jody January 14, 2010 at 5:01 am

I think y0ur boss was right! What the other posters aren't considering is that maybe those tables were promised to other customers? (does your restaurant take lunchtime reservations). The snooty customer deserves what he got. If he'd politely asked your boss for a table he may have been accommodated. Why should the boss inconvenience his current customers for one bonehead?

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Nunya Business January 6, 2017 at 5:35 pm

Exactly. What did the guy expect the boss to do? Tell all the other patrons who are already eating to get up so their tables can get moved to provide access for snooty businessman while all their food gets cold? If he was any kind of businessman he'd have brains to see that the other area was in line with kitchen access. Must not be a very good businessman if common sense isn't part of his thinking. According to Jack & Yourbosssucks, the boss was supposed to put out all the other customers just because 1 guy had money. I can believe they own businesses. Just like the snooty a$$hat businessman in the story. Too busy worshiping the almighty dollar to care about the ones giving them their lifestyle.

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The Black Dog January 20, 2010 at 1:31 pm

Jack, you're out of your damn mind for thinking the boss should have created a major hazard for his staff to accommodate one snooty customer. Based on my own experiences, that customer would have complained about every aspect of the meal and then stiffed the server on a tip.

The customer is right, until they're wrong. The customer is never always right.

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Jack January 20, 2010 at 2:45 pm

To begin with it was TEN customers. Customers are what keeps a restaurant in business. Yes, I would have found some way to seat them, I may have asked them to wait, but I would have tried to seated them. Telling them to go to McDonald's or KFC is rude, and condescending. If that manager worked for me, I would have fired him on the spot. You simply don't turn customers away just because you don't like their attitude, or are afraid they may complain.

I've been a manager for a large hotel chain, and I've worked at retail, and have been very successful. I've never turned customers away when I had even the remotest chance of earning their patronage. After all with out the customer I don't get a paycheck.

If you own a restaurant or retail store, please let me know it's location, I'll be sure to put it on my "do not visit" list.

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Kim Craig April 2, 2011 at 8:39 pm

Jack is just a pile of negative crap that should be cleaned up and chucked in the trash.

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Jacks#1fan April 10, 2011 at 11:23 pm

Jack,

You seem to be extremely opinionated and obnoxious. The boss of OP was absolutely correct. If sitting a party that big would cause a dangerous situation for the staff and also the customer, then he had every right to deny them. It cleary says the party could have had food spilled on them. What it if was a hot dish and a customer received burns? The restaurant would be held liable. Did you not stop to think that maybe it was a small room and there was no other way to accommodate them? You seem to be the type of person who has absolutely no social skills outside of the Internet and probably fails at every social function in the real world, or someone who drives a hummer that just screams, ” I’m a huge douche and I have an extremely tiny p****!”. You worked at a hotel and in retail? Wow! So impressed, because those low end jobs really qualify you to be all- knowing about the restaurant business. I really think it’s because you just like to hear/ see yourself talk, and you’re making up for what you lack in the p**** area.

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Katherine July 2, 2013 at 4:51 pm

Jacks#1fan and Kim Craig, not trying to start an argument here, but just because Jack said that does not mean you should be saying those things about him. Maybe he's right. You don't know him, and he doesn't know you. Therefore, why would you say that about him? Just saying.

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Amber May 12, 2016 at 12:08 pm

What your boss should have said was "I cannot accommodate a party of 10 at this instance, but if you don't mind waiting for a couple tables beside each other to open up I will gladly accommodate your party as soon as we're able."

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