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vozveratu
Advanced Member
Username: vozveratu
Post Number: 661
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 22, 2006 - 10:35 am: | 
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Here is something that good customers are powerless in getting revenge.
Bad server = low or no tip.
Bad food = refund or another item.
Bad Environment = Don't come back.
But what does a customer do when another customer is acting like a jack@ss? |
westley
New member
Username: westley
Post Number: 42
Registered: 03-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 22, 2006 - 11:21 am: |
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Depends on the circumstances, but I have gotten my fair share of revenge. I'm not proud of some of these, but I will list the ones that come to mind, regardless:
Mention it to server. Sometimes something happens, but probably not.
Accidentally tripped and my salad bar plate ended up on their table. (I was young when I did this one)
Sat next to them and been profane enough to be unsettling; example "that c--- in the bright red dress" in a very loud voice. Voice not directed at their table specifically, but the head of their table was wearing one. This has happened many times.
Keyed car (small town, and I knew what they drove, this was when I was young, too)
Just glare at their table the whole time. If you can do it expressionlessly - no smiles, nothing, don't bother saying anything, even if they ask what's your problem - it's very uncomfortable. I actually had one table tell the manager that I was acting threatening, and he asked what I was doing, they said I was looking at them. "Did he say anything?" No. "Make any gestures?" No. "What was threatening about looking at you?" lol.
Basically, you can do stuff, but it's going to ruin your own personal experience, so it's not worth doing unless they've already ruined your experience, at which point I'd probably just leave if it happened now (those things listed above mostly happened a long time ago). |
vozveratu
Advanced Member
Username: vozveratu
Post Number: 662
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 22, 2006 - 11:39 am: |
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The stare reminds me of the commercial where the two cavemen are sitting at the table of the business man insulting them in a commercial. One of them orders the duck with mango sauce while the other states, "I don't have much of an appetite." Then proceeds to stare at the host.
Classic and makes me laugh everytime. |
eaterofworlds
New member
Username: eaterofworlds
Post Number: 6
Registered: 06-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 08:20 am: |
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A year ago, there was a table across from me at a Friday's that was being so loud and rude and nasty to their server, that it completely ruined me and my girlfriend's dinner. They complained about everything, made things up (like rubbing the silverware on the floor and telling the server it was filthy), snickered about how much free stuff they were going to get, etc.
So eventually, I got pissed enough that I started talking to my girlfriend loud enough for the other table to hear. I said things like "Yeah, some people have no class. They think they're entitled to a free meal when they go out to eat."
The snickering at the table across from us fell silent.
"In fact, I can remember a table that did that here not too long ago," I went on. "They were loud, rude, and one of the guy's girlfriend's was a big fat COW."
I went on like this for about twenty minutes. My g/f played along, and let me tell you, that table didn't care about complaining anymore. They were red-faced and furious. It was most amusing.
They never confronted me about my conversation, nore were they waiting for me in the parking lot... people like that are mouthy and brazen until someone stands up to them. Then they cower like the dogs they are.
(Message edited by eaterofworlds on June 27, 2006) |
teleburst
Advanced Member
Username: teleburst
Post Number: 956
Registered: 06-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 08:52 am: |
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Funny thing last night. First night of training as a server. Had a great trainer. Guest started talking about his restaurant. Flirting a little with my trainer. Very needy and talky. Gave the impression that he was a savvy diner (although I could tell that some of his patter was contrived). Needed a lot of personal attention (IOW, wanted my trainer to talk to him a lot). Talked about how we should visit his restaurant and that he'd give us a business card. Bought a $120 bottle of wine. So that meant that his deuce came to $250. At the end of the meal, I reminded him that he was going to give us each a business card and I said (quite sincerely, I might add) that the next time I was in his town, I'd love to check out his restaurant (he had shown us a picture of it on his cell phone and it looked nice). He did and I put it in my wallet. And yet, after all of that, he ended up tipping about 14%. Now, before anyone jumps on me and says, "Isn't that pretty much a "normal tip?" I'd say, this guy demanded far more than "average service". My trainer gave him a lot of her time (no biggie because it was slow) and attention and we catered to him, partly as a professional courtesy. And yet he didn't return that courtesy (something that I've noticed happens more often than it should with "owners"). So when she opened up the check presenter and made a face, I asked her what was wrong. She said, "He didn't even tip 15%!" Without even missing a beat, I took out my wallet and tossed his card in the trash. She howled and did the same thing. Since her sister lived in a town very close to his restaurant and she visits quite often (which is what prompted him to invite us to his restaurant), his saving $10 - 20 cost him a certain restaurant visit or worse, series of visits (and a possible one from me, since I could very easily find myself in his city).
No, if you've got to grease the wheel occasionally to make it roll. When good tippers give me their business card, I use it, whether to use their services myself, or recommend them to their friends. Here's a hint for cheapskates everywhere - don't give up your business card unless you are going to tip in a way that will make it advantageous to do so. It might come back to haunt you, because if you treat me shabbily enough, I might just SAVE your card and use it to dissuade people from using your services. Tit for tat, if you will. |
regularguy
New member
Username: regularguy
Post Number: 3
Registered: 06-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 04:37 pm: |
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Teleburst, the guy certainly wasn't stingy $250 for one person (which I find hard to believe is typical at your or almost any other restaurant) and from your 14% comment he gave you $35 as a tip sounds pretty good. I won't retread the idea that you could think of it as 20% on 130 ($26) excluding wine and $9 just to get a glass and fill it a couple times. 
This guy could have not chatted with you (or still been 'needy') bought a meal for uhm.. being generous here $40 (probably could have been even lower) and gave you that elusive 20% tip coming to $8.
At 14% I'd sure as heck prefer the $35 cash on a gigantic bill for 1 person versus the $8 20% in my pocket. True? |
jammie
Senior Member
Username: jammie
Post Number: 1171
Registered: 06-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 07:28 pm: |
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Teleburst, the braggarts are always the ones. He is the one who wore it like a badge, the big restaurant owner, expensive bottle of wine, passing out cards. If he didnt want to show off, and need so much attention, you guys wouldn't have known a thing about him. Good place for his business card might I add.
Sorry reg, we expect a little more out of restaurant people. |
longjohn720
New member
Username: longjohn720
Post Number: 16
Registered: 05-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 09:52 pm: |
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"regularguy: ... on a gigantic bill for 1 person..."
Hate to break it to you guy, but a deuce is two people. |
teleburst
Advanced Member
Username: teleburst
Post Number: 959
Registered: 06-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 10:28 pm: |
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"Teleburst, the guy certainly wasn't stingy $250 for one person (which I find hard to believe is typical at your or almost any other restaurant)
As I said, it was a deuce. So it was two people. And the bill wasn't out of line with this restaurant at all. Tonight was my second training night. Again, we only had three tables all night. One of them was a 6 top that spent $700. Left my trainer $140. And they were far easier than the deuce, if you want to know the truth. They didn't need to be stroked or entertained.
and from your 14% comment he gave you $35 as a tip sounds pretty good".
Not for someone "in the business". Not for someone who wants ME to patronize HIS business (whether it's a restaurant or not). It wasn't particularly good for the 2 1/2 hrs that he chewed up that table. That was 1/3rd of the 3 table section.
" I won't retread the idea that you could think of it as 20% on 130 ($26) excluding wine and $9 just to get a glass and fill it a couple times".
I'm sorry, but I'll never think of it that way.
"This guy could have not chatted with you (or still been 'needy') bought a meal for uhm.. being generous here $40 (probably could have been even lower) and gave you that elusive 20% tip coming to $8".
And if he had chewed up a third of my station for the bulk of the night, I wouldn't have been particularly happy, but at least I would have thought better of him and I would certainly returned the favor of his patronage (although, as a restaurant person, his server would have gotten quite a bit more than 20%).
"At 14% I'd sure as heck prefer the $35 cash on a gigantic bill for 1 person versus the $8 20% in my pocket. True"?
Nope. Now it's YOU who seems to make it all about money. A lot of it is pride, and the expectation that someone should pay you appropriately for your service.
Besides, we gave him great service and the only thing we did was choose our own "right" not to patronize his business. We didn't spit in his food, or embarass him in front of his guest or do anything untoward. And I don't really care, nor is it relevant, what YOUR opinion of it is, because you weren't part of the transaction. You're welcome to your opinion, of course, but it's easy to criticize someone's occupation from behind the cloak of the internet.
BTW, don't get me wrong - he wasn't a big a-hole or anything - just slightly annoyingly needy. I guess that went to his wallet as well. |
goldenfoxx
Member
Username: goldenfoxx
Post Number: 117
Registered: 10-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - 02:12 am: |
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Yeah $250 for a duece isnt to rare in my restaurant. Last weekend one of my fellow waiters had a check $1000+ on a duece. That was a quality couple and they obviously knew thier wine and how to celebrate a birthday... love waiting on people like that...even if it wasnt mine...sigh... |
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