I work at a great local restaurant in the city. We have a diverse menu, take lots of care to make it special and unique. Yet every week, at least one table has to come in and shit on it. “I don’t understand this.” ”None of this appeals to me.” “Who eats this food? Yuck.” This without ordering a damn thing. I am a nice, pleasant human and will go through anything you don’t get or understand, but for fuck’s sake work with me, be a half decent person!
Here’s a thought—before you make the reservation, look up the menu online. If it doesn’t appeal to you—go to Montana’s. I get different strokes, but why come into a restaurant to shit all over it and make me uncomfortable.
P.S. After you stopped your assholery and ordered, you loved everything. Dick. —Server Grip
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 1, 2017.
Legit bitch. There’s no need to be rude if you don’t understand the menu or have questions about the food. If expanding your pallet is so out of your comfort zone go to Mickey-D’s.
“I don’t understand this. “
You are the server, explaining it to them is your job.
“None of this appeals to me.”
Would you like to order some drinks?
“Who eats this food? Yuck.”
This in not the time for you to get defensive, instead you should see it as an open invitation to give them your best recommendation.
“Now seating Donner, Party of 12”
It probably has nothing to do with your restaurant. Some people are chronically negative and like to put down everything and everyone. It’s in their nature.
Here’s some online advice:
“This person likes to put down anything and anybody. They will criticize minor mistakes and pick apart your food, your staff, etc.
How can you deal with them?
Carrie Mason-Draffen, author of 151 Quick Ideas to Deal With Difficult People, writes that this type of person grew up around negativity. They were probably criticized by their parents or others, and developed a negative attitude by replicating what they heard.
These people will wear you down if you keep listening to their continuous complaints about everything – from the way your napkins are folded to the temperature of the food to a two-minute delay in the delivery of their appetizers.
You must remember that these complaints may be directed at your place or your staff, but the root of the dissatisfaction is not in your restaurant. These people are just venting their unhappiness and negativity at your establishment.
Ask your waiters to try to diffuse the negativity by responding with understanding and saying something positive. For instance, if your Critic claims that the food is cold then your staff can respond by saying, “I’m sorry about that. I will bring it back to the kitchen, warm it up and get it right back to you.”
Remind your staff to always be positive in their attitude, and not to take the criticism personally. Critics thrive in conflict and they look for it.
You owe it to your other customers to keep a nice, relaxed ambience. If they see that, despite these complaints, your staff is trying to correct the situation and keeping a positive attitude, they will value your place even more.
Please notice that I am talking here about a person with a pattern of negativity, not an angry customer that may be reasonably upset because of a specific dining issue. “
http://www.4hoteliers.com/features/article…
I did enjoy the woman in Ray’s Lebanese Cuisine bitching because the salad she ordered (from a board with a photo of a salad with no olive or feta, and with the title “Salad”) didn’t have Greek dressing. “What kind of Greek salad is this?” I pointed out the sign on the door.
did you spit in the food?