How to piss-off you customers...

The BBQ Pit
1

To all of the current and former restaurant employees out there, please tell me what you would have done in this situation:

I’m enjoying a ribeye at a not-to-be-named steak restaurant (that doesn’t serve kangaroo or kaola, despite their name) when the waitress brings the serving of sauteed mushrooms I ordered as a side item. I scoop out a heaping portion of mushroom and plop them on my plate, covering my steak and everything else. I’m about to take another bite when I notice somthing else. There are onions in the mushrooms. Onions in the mushrooms! Big honking chunks of nasty, evil disgusting onions all throughout the sauteed mushrooms and now all over my plate. Onions are nasty. I won’t eat them. I can’t eat them. The small, the taste, the texture - everything about them makes me want to hurl - and now they’re covering my plate and my food.

When I ordered my meal, I was very careful to ask for no oinions - green or otherwise. I specified no onions in my soup, no onions on the baked potato and no onions on anything else. I was polite, but adamant in my request. I was also very specific - No Onions! And now they’re covering my plate. I can’t just scrape them off, because now everything will taste like onions. In fact, just looking at my ruined meal, I’m suddenly no longer hungry at all.

I call over the waitress and explain what has happened. She offers to bring another steak, but I’ve lost my appitite and we don’t have the time anyway. Take it off the bill and I’ll leave peacefully. I’m not happy, and I let her know this, but this is the remedy I want.

When the check arrives, I’m stunned. They’ve subtracted the steak from the overall meal (there were two of us dining) but now they’ve charged me a’la cart for the side items that normally come with the meal - five dollars for the soup and two dollars for the potato. Huh? Are you actively trying to piss me off, now? You’ve ruined my meal. I don’t want it comped, I want it subtracted from the bill because I ate very little of it, thanks to your inattention. And now you’re going to nickle and dime me for side items? To charge me for anythng after the whole incident speaks volumes for their customer service attitudes.

I called over the manager and told him that I would pay whatever the bill said, but if he thought I would ever return to his establishment after this slipshod treatment, he was sorely mistaken. I pointedly told him that he had one more opportunity to keep my business. He appologized and subtracted the a’la cart items. Actually, he made excuses, hemmed and hawed, and then made the adjustments. Bottom line - I’m not going back. Seems to me that if you screw up that badly and the customer is that unhappy, you should be making extrodinary efforts to please, not feeble excuses. I’m too young to be bemoaning the lack of civility and basic customer service in the world, but I felt like these people just didn’t care.

So again, I ask: what would you former and current restaurant people have done?

BTW, I’ve been reading and posting to the board for two and half years now but this is my first Pit posting. Cathartic, I must say.

2

Sorry for your bad, very bad dining experience. You were right in asking/telling the manager to remove your part of the bill. After an explanation, on your part, about being sure not to order onions of any kind, the waitperson screwed up. Perhaps all mushrooms at that resturant are cooked with onions. If so it should have been known and you should have been told about it
I like mushrooms. With or with out onions.

I like onions. Blooming or not.

3

I’m sorry, too, that you had a bad dining experience. But I do have to ask… Didn’t you look at the mushrooms at any time before you put them all over your steak? I know if I disliked onions as intensly as you do, I would have looked before I put them on… if only to make sure the order was right.

As far as the sides… if you ate them, you should have paid for them.

While I never worked as a server, I have worked as a cook. Often servers are not aware how things are served, especially if the server is new, or if the menu has changed. I know the restaurant you are speaking of, and I know that every one of them I’ve seen operates at capacity almost all the time with long waits to get in. While I know it sounds like an excuse, but when you consider the number of people that server waits on in one evening… it would be very hard to remember if there are onions in the mushrooms or not, or if the cook did it the way it was ordered. It seems to me that the customer should also take responsibility for some of the meal…
If you didn’t want onions, why didn’t you check to see if they were there before it ruined your meal?

4

oops… I knew I’d think of something else. :slight_smile:
When my niece eats out with us, we have to be careful what she eats because of a health problem. If we aren’t sure what is in something we ask. When her food comes, we look at it. If you have specific dietary needs, the best thing to do is to speak to the manager on duty and explain your dietary needs. The manager will be able to make sure you don’t get what your dietary need excludes. If you look on the menu of some restaurants, you will even see that printed there. (TGI Friday has it in bold print on the bottom of the first page of the menu.)

Often times the server has too much going on - especially with a shortage of servers that appears to be going on now, or they honestly don’t know.

5

The onions were disguised, the bastards! Seriously, though, the mushrooms were piled on the top but a good heaping spoonfull brought them all out together. Believe me, if I’d noticed even a hint of onion in those mushrooms, I would have rejected them outright. And though I’m paranoid about having onions served to me, I have never had them mixed in with mushrooms like that before. Totally blindsided me.

As for the sides, If you want to get technical, I ate all of the soup, a third of the potato and a quarter of the steak before the mishap. As I told the manager, if he wanted me to pay for those items, I would. But I would think his first impluse would be to make me happy so that I would come back to his restaurant, not nickle and dime me and piss me off and therefore guarantee that I would never darken his door again.

He made a half-hearted attempt to appease me and did not win me over. Now he’s lost a customer. His call.

6

i’m really surprised. maybe it’s just in houston, but everytime i’ve eaten at that restaurant (any location around here), i’ve gotten exceptional treatment. once the manager comped part of a meal because some guy hassled us in the parking lot. another time they brought us free dessert just because we knew somebody that the waiter also knew. he told us that the management encouraged them to give food away because it meant people wanted to come back. worked for us.

7

A similar thing happened to me at a not-quite fast food, not-quite fine dining chicken restaurant not to be named. Although, I think perhaps it might have been started in the largest city in Massachusetts.

I am eating, and as I am working on my chicken, maybe 1/4 done with the chicken and a couple bites into my side dishes, I take a big bite of mac&cheese. I feel something in my throat, and it seems that I partially swallowed a hair. A LONG hair. Now, normally a small hair in my food doesn’t bother me that much (but I don’t even order a side dish of hair, either) But this long hair is still in my mouth, and down the throat as well. I have to pull it back out, and I don’t know how many of you have had to feel a hair being pulled out of your esophagus and throat while eating, but lets just say it isn’t really appetizing. I didn’t want to eat anymore of my meal, and I tell the lady at the counter what happened. She wants to give me $2 back, the cost of the side item. Are you kidding me? TWO FUCKING DOLLARS? I calmly ask for the manager, and tell him the story. Now, this dick-splint must have been in a really generous mood. He offers me HALF the cost of my meal as a refund (“Well, your chicken is still perfectly edible, isn’t it?”). I tell him that I won’t bother returning to this place and he doesn’t seem especially concerned with it. I take my $4.25 and leave.

I guess these two shitbreath cretins can’t grasp the concept of being so disgusted by something that was the restaurant’s fault that your ENTIRE meal is ruined.

8

I have worked in customer service in various respects my entire life. It has made me a bitter and resentful person. Perhaps I shouldn’t be in customer service, but that’s beside the point.

I have in fact worked in a restaurant (only for a short time however). From what I can see this waitress appeared to do everything right. She took your order, got it mostly right, and when she realised there had been an error somewhere (maybe it slipped the cooks mind, who knows, they serve a lot of people) they offered you another steak. In no way is it their fault that you are so afraid of onions you lose your appetite. They even took the steak off of your bill. The facts - you did eat soup, some of the potato, and you chose not to have the steak they offered. It seems logical that you should pay for the other items a la carte.

Now perhaps from a public relations perspective it would have been a good idea for them to charge you less for the soup and potato, but I don’t feel that they were obligated and you can probably tell I would have held a similar stance as they did. Your bill IS less than what it would have been had they charged you for the steak.

Perhaps for everyone involved it’s best that you don’t eat there again because you undoubtedly caused that waitress a world of unnecessary stress. I feel for her.

9

They even made the adjustments…I missed that part.

rolls eyes

10

It is several years ago one Sunday, along about one o’clock in the afternoon, and my stomach is thinking my throat is cut, so my ever lovin’ doll and myself get to thinking about putting on some roast beef at the Cotswold equivalent of Mindy’s.

Well, we get there and find a couple of seats, which is by no means easy as many other parties also wish to eat at this time, what with it being a Sunday and people not wishing to be bothered with washing up or, for that matter, cooking meals of any kind.

So I look at the specials which are available at this time and I observe that roast beef is featured on the menu, which is indeed fortunate as otherwise there would be no story.

My ever lovin’ orders up a roast beef with the trimmings, which include such delicacies as potatoes and vegetables of various kinds, and she states that she would like to eat this roast beef so rare she can practically drink the blood, and who is to say this is a wrong move.

I order up these very same items, but I am careful to inform the waiter that I wish my beef to arrive well done, as if I am thirsty for blood I would as soon sink my teeth into the nearest available neck, which is something I never consider doing at any time in my life.

Well, these dishes take a while to serve up for some reason, and when they are ready I observe to my distress that my beef is practically straight from the cow, and is a stranger to cooking of any kind.

Now, errors occur in the best of houses so I inform the waiter to please acquaint my beef with the oven for a while longer, and that I am pleased to wait while this is done.

So I am hanging around for a spell, thinking about not very much, and what happens but my beef returns, and what do you think but the items are still swimming in blood.

I am more than somewhat annoyed at this turn of events, but I conceal this, being a guy with great patience in such matters, and I request the waiter to please put a bit more roast into the beef.

What happens next but the manager arrives and says as follows:

‘Who is it around here who is causing trouble at this time?’

So I point out to him that I wish my beef well done, if that is OK with him, and I repeat my request for more cooking, and I am careful to say please.

‘The roast beef in this establishment is served rare, if that is OK with you, and furthermore if you do not like this you may leave,’ says the manager.

Well, I am commencing to think that I am having a dream here because nowhere can I find a sign which says the beef is exclusively rare, and I point out this absence of information to the manager.

‘One and all in this restaurant know that our beef is especially rare, and I see no complaints from any other parties present here, so I am asking you to eat your beef, or please go away.’ he says.

Now, this conversation is attracting quite some attention from the other customers, and I wish to say that you can hear a pin drop at this moment, if there is a pin, and if pin dropping is permitted in this restaurant, which I have to say is a doubtful proposition.

So my everlovin’ doll ceases to eat her roast beef, and I leave the place with her in close attendance, to find a restaurant where we can understand the rules before taking on whatever is on the menu.

I learn after this incident that the manager is having trouble with his ever lovin’ wife and leaves her to go to Manchester, or some such place where it is always raining.

I hope and pray that he gets very wet in this new location, and that he does not possess an umbrella of any kind.

11

mayberrydan I’m not questioning the right of the establishment to charge me for what I actually ate (which wasn’t much). I’m questioning the utter wrongheadedness of their stance. Was it worth the few bucks they got out of me? I tend to judge an establishment (or vendor or contractor, etc.) on how well they react to problems. These people failed miserably.

Let me put it this way. You and I both know that the restaurant isn’t really there to make me happy. It’s there to make money for the corporate shareholders. Fine. They got a few extra bucks out of me last night, but at the expense of my ever visiting the place again. Five dollars vs. all of my potential future patronage. Not a very sound business decision if you ask me.

As for the waitress, I was always unfailingly polite. I’m sorry that either she or the kitchen ruined my meal, but who it was that caused the problem really isn’t my concern. The restaurant caused the problem and in my eyes, in any customer’s eyes, each and everyone of them represents the restaurant.

I should also point out that I’m not particularly angry at these people. Once I realized I wouldn’t be eating anything else at that table, the interplay and discussions between myself and the restaurant staff became utterly facinating. I simply could not believe that the management would take the stance they did. Yes, they did make an adjustment, but only after I challanged them on it. And I even got an argument out of them over it! (Albeit, only half hearted.)

Please explain to me how this whole scene was good for anyone.

12

So what? There was NOTHING wrong with the rest of the stuff-it was only the steak and the mushrooms. Tough shit.

I would not go back there, if I were you.

13

I was simply taking the place of the waitress. It seems to me that she did everything in her power to remedy the situation. I would be willing to bet that she would have caught shit for giving you that extra discount herself.

YOu say the discount wasn’t much. Then why fight them??? My major problem is that you actually thought it necessary to talk to the manager. Five bucks?

Lets not talk about how the management handled the situation. There is no friggin way you should have ever talked to them. I don’t feel the restaurant should have to pay for some customers lack of logic…no matter how small that amount is. The fact is you need to have a steak to have the discount on the soup and potatoe. YOu did not have the Steak and CHOSE not to. Case closed.

Just so you know, both the manager and the waitress went home to their SO’s and started the conversation with
“You would not believe this guy at the restaurant today…”

14

Well since I work at a certain not-to-be-named restaurant I kinda had to reply:

First you should know that the mushrooms always come with onions. That’s how they’re made. Your server should have known this. It’s quite possible she did know but didn’t think of it . Yes, it helps to be very specific - to the point of asking if there are onions in anything. We’re not perfect, and we’re also not mind readers.

As far as your comped meal goes - I’m a little surprised that they charged you for the potato, but circumstances vary. And that decision is always made by the manager, not the server.

You did say you were polite to your server - thank you for that! So many people aren’t. In fact, after a little while in the business it’s hard to hear a complaint without being afraid the person is going to scream at you.

And if you wonder why a restaurant is careful about giving discounts - well, one reason is that some folks just love to try to get things for free. Yes, it hurts everyone else.

Arghh. The stuff I could tell you…just tonight some guy (an adult) was licking his plate at the table. So classy. I love this business.

15

I am not quite sure I understand what the restuarant did wrong. They made a mistake, They offered to fix it, you declined, and they comped you for the part of you meal that was ruined. Sounds about right to me. There was nothing wrong with the sides. I work in the restuarant business. I am a server actually, so I hear complaints occasionally. This is my response to your question:

If you have such a problem with onions you should do two things when you go out. Tell the server that you are so allergic to onions that you will die if you eat them (She defenatly won’t forget if you tell her that) and check you freaking food before you eat it! I personally can’t stand ham. It has much the same effect on me as onions do on you. So what do I do? I ask if there is ham in the mashed potatoes before I dig in. I doesn’t take much effort from you and will save you and your waitress a lot of stress.

16

In general, what is the point of asking for (or giving) money back?

You’re not satisfied with the service of said establishment. Presumably, you do not want to return to a place that offers bad service. How is getting money back (no matter how much) going to make you return is the service does not improve? How is demanding money back going to make the service better?

curious minds must know.

and while you’re at it, tell me too

:slight_smile:

17

I do specify ‘no onions’ in everything I order. I do check my food for onions before I eat it. Unfortunately, I’ve never had mushrooms served to me that way, anywhere, ever. I’ll now store that into my database of ‘things-likely-to-have-onions-in-them-even-though-I-specificly-told-the-wait-staff-NO-ONIONS-IN-ANYTHING-PLEASE.’ Curiously, after we ordered the entres, the waitress asked if we would like sauteed mushrooms or onions with the meal. I had just finished with my ‘no-onion’ specific order so I made a face at her mention of sauteed onions. We both laughed, I ordered the mushrooms, yet onions were still brought to the table. I know she made a mistake, I just wanted a solution that didn’t border on the insulting.

Yes they offered to bring me another steak, but as I mentioned we did not have the time to wait another 15 minutes for it to cook. They offered to give me a steak to go, but we weren’t going straight home, and reheated steak doesn’t really appeal to me anyway. Regardless of my reasons, I told the management I didn’t want another steak.

So they took it off the bill. Sort of. He broke down the meal into it’s constituant parts and then charged me for everything, minus the steak itself. Some of you have said you don’t find anything wrong with this practice, but I can’t be the only one who sees the underlying mean spirtitedness of this action. “We’re going to get something out of you, goddamit!”

To call up an oft-misused phrase, it was the principle of the thing! (Pause as everyone rolls their eyes.) No, the five or so bucks wasn’t going to make a difference in my wallet, I just wanted the management to know what I thought of the situation. In fact, I started the conversation with “I’m going to pay you whatever you tell me to, but…” I had a point to make, folks, not a dollar to retrieve.

Unfortunately, it looks like I’m shouting into the wind with a lot of this . . .

18

I think the restaurant did the best they normally do. Your expectations are too high for a chain restaurant. If it was a fine dining place, I might have a different view but you chose to get a cheap steak and should adjust your expectations accordingly.

When you sit in coach on an airplane, all cramped up, you do so because you got a cheap ticket and don’t expect Royal treatment like the guys up front who paid 5 times as much.

Lower your expectations, you will live longer.

19

May I use this as a sig?

20

No service company should accept anything less than delighting their customer. dwtno obviously had his entire meal ruined by the onion fiasco, and should have been comped for the whole thing. Remember, he ordered a single item, the entree, not a list of individual items. They made the extra effort to break that entree item into individual pieces to charge him.

A personal story:
I was eating with friends at a Friendly’s (not exactly fine dining) I ordered a hamburger deluxe thing, with fries, coleslaw etc. Lo and behold, as I’m assembling my burger, a living bee flops out from underneath the tomato. Guess what, they comped me for the whole meal. They didn’t pick out the burger portion and charge me for the unaffected fries and slaw. If they had tried to, they would have had a serious tirade on their hands, and one lost customer. I do not harbor any resentment over this incident, and have eaten at the chain many times since then.

Frankly, I’m surprised that people here would apparently accept having the restaurant take a complete meal item, and bust it up into its component parts to charge you for OK parts of a ruined meal.

IMHO, in addition to the comp, the manager should have given dwtno a coupon for a free appetizer for his troubles.

That’s called going the extra mile to make a customer happy. It was impossible to fix the error that was made, but that doesn’t mean your customer has to leave your establishment pissed off. If the manager had gone that little extra step, spent a buck or two on a coupon, dwtno may go back there again and again, paying that money back ten times over.