I set the two bowls on the table.
"Is there anything else I can get you two?" I ask.
I wait for a response, but the couple is silent. Something is clearly wrong and I get the feeling I know what it is.
"Where's my wife's egg-roll? The vermicelli bowl is supposed to come with an egg-roll." (bingo!)
The husband and wife look up at me demanding satisfaction. I prepared the same speech I'd been giving all morning.
"I'm very sorry sir but we're out of the egg-rolls at the moment."
The husband gives me a flustered look. He pauses for a moment, attempting to comprehend the situation. I brace myself for whatever he's going to say. The look in his eye tells me it won't be pleasant. He leans back in his chair.
"Well how are you going to make this up to us?"
"Excuse me?"
You could feel the tension in the air.
"Well aren't you going to give us a discount?"
I can't believe what I'm hearing. I suggest an alternative.
"I can't offer you a discount, but I can ask the kitchen to add more chicken to your wife's meal."
The husband ponders this as his wife watches quietly from the sidelines.
"Oh just forget it! She's not much of a meat eater."
This is the point in the conversation where my brain was crushed instantly under the weight of such stupidity. If the woman isn't "much of a meat eater," why is this old man dragging me through a mile of broken glass over an egg-roll literally bursting at the seems with pork? I walk away from the table in a stupor. I can't believe that guy!
For some reason the past week at work we have been running out of ingredients left and right. As the face of the restaurant it's up to me to convey this message to the customer.
"I'm sorry ma'm but we're out of the spicy beef noodle."
Every customer is disappointed upon hearing their desires cannot be met, and justifiably so. I however cannot sympathize with the customers who act as if I'm the one who is personally responsible for these unfortunate circumstances. I'm just the middleman; a messenger bringing news from the back. Please don't sour my day with negativity and bad attitudes. My job is challenging enough without being dragged down by the weight of other's negativity.
It's my philosophy to be nice to everybody I have to deal with in the service industry. You might be really upset that it's taking so long to get your appetizers so you take it out on the waiter. But wait a second; you don't know what kind of day this waiter's been having. He could be having an awful day the last thing he or she needs is somebody bringing them down, especially when it's their job to stand there and take it with a smile.
The whole notion of the customer always being right has always rubbed me the wrong way, more so now that I'm working in a restaurant. I'm happy to serve you, but you're not a king ordering around your lowly subjects.
"More flagons of ale you wretched peasants!"
That was obviously an exaggeration, but I feel that some people loose sight of that when they go to restaurants. These troublesome customers really bolster my appreciation for those that are kind and polite. Thank you! So please be kind to your waiters and waitresses, and be sure to tip them! Take it from me, if it weren't for tips I'd basically be working for free.
