Let me explain something to your dumb ass - when you walk into a busy restaurant on a Saturday night without a reservation and ask for a table, if I tell you there is a wait it isn’t because I’m waiting for you to wave money in my face. It’s because – (get ready for this) – **I DON’T HAVE ANY FUCKING TABLES AVAILABLE. **
It isn’t because I’m on a power trip.
It isn’t because I’m being mean to you and the gargoyle you have on your arm. And it sure as shit isn’t because I’m trying to get money out of you.
I get paid a hell of a lot more than you think if you believe I would be willing to risk my job for fifty measly bucks.
Also, asking to speak to Francisco won’t do you any good.
He isn’t here anymore. AND, when he was here, I was his boss so he couldn’t overrule me anyway.
BTW, his name is Federico, and he actually hates you more than I ever will because you never got his name right.
To you I’m just “The Gay Guy with the Beard”.
Fucking bigot.
Here’s the deal:
• I actually feel obligated to accommodate people who have called ahead and made a reservation.
• I’ve been doing this job long enough and am good enough at it that if I tell you the wait without a reservation is 90 minutes, guess what? It probably will be 90 minutes.
• My objective every night is to keep the restaurant as full as possible. Full = $$$. Being able to PLAN is crucial to making as much $$$ as possible. And, (surprise) the more the money the owner makes, the more money I make.
So trying to bribe your way ahead of everyone else just makes you look like a bigger shit than you can imagine. And when I make it clear the bribe isn’t working, repeating “C’mon, it’s the American way, it’s the American way” over and over just makes me sad. I mean really? You actually think bribery is an American virtue?
Clearly you’re a bigger moron than those hair plugs make you look like.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But serious question: Do you not have reservation no-shows at your restaurant? Maybe he was hoping that he’d get first available no-show.
And how do concierges at swanky hotels manage to secure last-minute reservations?
In my city they do. It’s a tourist town, and it’s far more sensible for the maitre de to stay on the good side of the Hilton’s 40+ year concierge than of the dude in town once for a conference. That’s often the difference between “slammed on the weekend /dead Tuesday through Thursday” and a really successful restaurant. In larger cities, the concierge may have less clout.
When we stayed at the Four Seasons in Boston, the concierge was able to get us two decent tickets for “Rent” and dinner reservations at one of the nicer restaurants in town, all in about 24 hours notice. Of course, that was ten years ago and things may have changed.
The tickets may be a matter of knowing the scalpers or the sales locations which reserve a % for last-minute sales; the reservations, “Joe! Open the small room!”
Yeah, they really do. Here’s a Today show clipwhere one of their reporters was challenged to do the same, starting at about 1:55. She failed. The concierge (Michael Fazio) did it. It’s all about connections and personal relationships with a generous side of schmooze.
I agree with you but it happens everywhere. Some people are assholes. They fell that they are entitled to more than other people. They feel that thier needs, wants and desires are more important than others. They have an inflated sense of self-worth. They treat people like shit. They think they can buy people with money.
I do, however, think tat if this guy was a major celebrity he owuld have gotten a table. Right?
I absolutely hate it when people try to bypass the queues in social settings where I’m expected to be polite and customer friendly. Chivvying, name-dropping, even outright bribes make you less likely to get service, not more. (And if you’re friends with the director, you could bet your ass she’d have made me aware of the fact or would have welcomed you herself.)
Speaking as a hotel receptionist in a country where concierges are almost non-existant and restaurant bookings and recommendations are usually handled by the desk staff, we do have a lot of connections. We’re not the almighty holders of the Golden Keys like in France, but we can on occasion do the impossible.
This is mostly because we send a lot of traffic to restaurants, especially outside the tourist season, and accomodating hotels means the hotels will remember you as helpful. (Some hotels even keep statistics.) A lot of restaurants and nightclubs also invite reception staff to free dinners or drinks to showcase the place.
And that’s notwithstanding all the social networking between leaders and workers in the different jobs on seminars and fairs, where you usually leave with enough calling cards to start your own phone directory.
Exactly. And if I’m the hostess, I’m going to be willing to piss off someone with a reservation by giving their table to your guest, because I know you’ll send me another dozen tables this month. I’m going to pick a name I don’t know off the reservation list (ie, not a repeat customer) and assume that I may lose their potential repeat business in favor of your more sure repeat business. But I’m not going to do that for Mr. $50 Asshole.
I assume he was trying to impress his date and was embarrassed at failing. It’s also likely that he really did think a $50 tip would make it happen. Which is all understandable. What I can’t take is the argument after finding out he was mistaken.
Question, would the $50 buy the first available no show, providing the guy was decent about it? I know once someone is labeled arrogant ass, I’m a lot less likely to help.