I just got back home and before unpacking anything got a message saying that I have to work the following day and today was that day. After being out of the loop of the restaurant some things have changed such as a server suddenly being trained to be a sushi chef, a hostess being pregnant and a whole schmuck of other things. To top that off I was jet lagged like no other and had a stuffed nose and can barely breathe. I was a man destined for failure today yet I somehow found it comforting to be back in the interior walls of my restaurant, it felt warm, it felt nice, it felt like home.
Barely able to operate I march to my table, with the intent to serve, so vicious that it’ll drop them dead and sure enough I nailed that first table. I got a 50% tip as a starting point, I mean sure $15 on a $30 isn’t much but the fact that it was my first table made it all the sweeter. The day progresses and we found ourselves in the middle of dinner service. Restaurant packed with people and everyone speaking in a tone of liquor and raw fish, it was almost intoxicating even to the servers. Everyone was so happy and out of the seven tables I was juggling around, four of them we’re my regulars, this night is one of the nights all servers wish to get. Money is going great, my sales hitting a peak and the only problem I have is one table that is still waiting on their food. This is where the night takes a turn.
A British man with his wife we’re waiting on an entree. The woman’s meal had already been taken to her and so did some side dishes for the mans meal. As I was grabbing the woman’s meal, I saw what I assumed was my dish being almost done. I rush the meal to the woman and for what it seemed, all was fine. Fifteen minutes later the meal still wasn’t ready so I apologize to the man and immediately find my way in the kitchen to grab the mans food. The manager following me with the other things that came with his meal, we act with haste only to be halted by the man saying, “I do not want this, take it back”, “This is the worst experience I’ve ever had” and among other things causing quite a commotion over something so menial, all while his wife finishes off her meal(I know, how classy). Now don’t get me wrong, I know that 15 minutes is quite some time but I don’t think he took care of the situation gracefully. Had he not been a jackass he would’ve got taken care of like a king but instead he decides to be a child and actually raise his voice in a dining room full of people.
There are better ways of taking care of a situation like this, and let me tell you, it isn’t to be a fuckin asshole. I ended up giving them all they had for free, just so I could get them to leave quietly. No tip, no nothing, just a table that needs to be cleaned and a attitude of bitterness and resentment. If you ever get in a position like this, please have some decency to act like a human, chances are you’d get free food, alcohol and we both don’t end up hating each other. Nothing is gained by causing a scene, only loss of respect.
Please take my word on this. Give us the respect you’d give your wife, mother or loved one and we promise that your stay with us will be as good.
Sincerely,
Your waiter today.
(Though the man reminded me so much of Gordon Ramsay, because he was British and had nothing good to say about my restaurant…)
