As someone who has worked in sales and customer service their entire working career nothing makes me more mad than seeing a customer trying to make an employees life a living ****.
My boy and I went out to dinner last night. The restaurant we went to was busy, but not packed. We were seated, placed our drink and food order (I of course knew exactly what I was getting after looking up calorie counts online before we even got there). And about 5 minutes later the Ice Queen was seated behind us. The server checked in to see if they could get them started with anything but they were still perusing the menu-- we spent the next 30 minutes of our dining experience listening to this horrible witch. She complained how none of the servers offered her this specific wine (Who the **** goes to Coco's for their wine selection anyways?!) then she would only be served by the manager (after two of their server's, ours included, didin't meet her expectations), she went on and on and on about how slow the service was, about how she wasn't offered this and that. I also listened as the manager threw all of her employees under the bus to appease this horrible woman. And you know what? The little biatch's meal was probably comped!!
So when my boyfriend and I were done I asked to speak with the manager. I told her that our server was great and I just wanted to compliment him on his friendliness and promptness. Then I left him a 50% tip.
These people make me lose faith in humanity.

Oh, wow. That's crazy. What a great person you are to do that. I'll tell you this, even though she is a peace of **** and she was treating the servers like that, what you did shows that I can have faith in humanity becuase of great people like you. <3 Gezzz, what a *****.

I hate people like that. When I served and bartended I had the best manager! He always stood up for his staff. I remember one time a customer was complaining about his ceasar salad. It was a full lettuce leaves wrapped with red pepper ring. You need a knife and fork to eat it. A customer complained. I stated that it was described on the menu, and he looked at me and said, "I can't be bothered to read the menu!" My boss overheard, took the salad cut it up in the kitchen. Walked it back to the table slammed down the now cut up salad and said, "There I've cut it up for you, now do you want me to feed it to you too?"

I loved that place! Best restaurant to work for sure!

That woman acted like that cuz the manager let her. She should not have had her meal comp'd. She only did it knowing that would happen at the end.

I went to Denny's one time and this guy was pissed off and talking crap to the server cuz his french toast had powdered sugar on it. The server said the same thing- that it's written on the menu that it comes with powdered sugar. She then offered to have another one made for him without french toast and he refused. At the end the manager was like we can either make you another one and you pay for that or you don't have to eat this one and it will be free. And the worst part was the other people at HIS table were telling him to stop being such a jerk lol. My hubby and friend and I were at the next table and we were just giving him looks like "are you for reals?" I so badly wanted to go over there and tell him to grow up.

My husband used to work at a restaurant and he said people would come in, order the most expensive item on the menu, and then eat it all but 2 bites and say they didn't like it and didn't want to pay. I mean if you didn't like it you shouldn't have eaten ALL OF IT! They happily replaced items if a person took a bite or two and didn't like it.

Heck one time I went out to eat and had like two bites of the meal and really just did NOT like it. And I always like everything! lol. The server walked by at one point and asked if everything was okay. I said yeah and then he was like but you haven't touched your food... I was like yeah well I don't really like this but it's okay... and he insisted I order something else and didn't charge me for the first item I ordered.

I worked at a large chain restaurant for years and this used to happen ALL the time! I honestly think some people are just so unhappy with their lives that they need to treat people like crap to make themselves feel better. I also think some people perceive servers as a lower class or something so they feel they can talk down to them. I just feel sorry for people like that.

On the other hand, I have been to a restaurant where I ordered something and took two bites and honestly just did not like it. When the server asked if everything was ok I told him how I didn't like what I had ordered (it was a spinach and cheese filled crepe and was burned on the edges and tasted horrible) so I ordered something else. When we got the ticket both items were still on it and I didn't want to ask for my first one to be free (I kind of hoped he would get the hint and take it off) so I payed for both. Oh well.

One thing I started doing a few years ago it thanking people who help/wait on me. I get the feeling that that doesn't happen that often in resturants because most of the time the server stops in their tracks, looks at me blankly, then says "oh, you're welcome". And I always get good service.

I used to work in a bakery, and I got the 'lower class' feeling a lot. I work in a bakery therefore I'm stupid, and don't deserve to be treated with respect.

That's what customer service has become. The general public knows that they don't have to act with any sort of decency, throw fits that a toddler would be ashamed of, and get stuff for free just to shut them up. I'm a manager at a movie theater and I see it happen all the time. The most common one is people coming after their movie has ended and complaining about the sound/picture/temperature/other patrons/something and claiming that it ruined the movie experience. Well, that's bull right off the bat because if it was so distracting, you would have come out during the movie to tell us. "But I don't want to/why should I have to leave the movie to complain?" BECAUSE WE'RE NOT PSYCHIC! BECAUSE WE CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM AFTER THE FACT!

General policy is to give these people passes, but I've stopped doing that. Screw that. I will not reward you. Especially since people have taken to outright scamming us because they know they just have to make a generic complaint and chances are that they'll get passes.

I used to get this as well, when I waitressed. One night this awful man had been talking down to me and basically implying that I was stupid. "I looked at him and said in my sweetest as pie voice: "Sir, what do you do?" He replied that he worked in a bank, then asked me why it mattered. I said "I just wanted to serve someone of his stature properly, after all, little ole me just working on my masters , should know how to treat those who are better than me properly. (I wasn't actually working on my masters -shhhh!) He didn't say a word to me for the rest of the evening. The women he was with, left me a 50% tip.

I refuse to be treated without respect, just because I'm waiting on you. I'm witty, and direct, unfortunately most of the people I dealt with didn't realize that I was insulting them..... Thank-god my bosses stood behind me 100%, anywhere else and I'd have been fired!

When I was interviewed for my last job, my boss asked what were the most important things I learned while serving. I spewed out the usual, multitasking, people skills etc. Then looked him dead in the eye and said "And most importantly how to say F off in the politest way possible" He laughed and said that's a skill everyone should have and offered me the job on the spot!

IrisRose. This woman at the restaurant most likely acts like this wherever she goes.. Her hair was cut too short, or not short enough. Trying to get an item at a sale price that ended 2 weeks ago.Somebody took her parking space, etc.....it is always something.They are never satisfied.

I work for a company that owns several restaurants, nightclubs and a music venue and I have heard it ALL. Some people really are D-bags.

I also would bet that most of our servers have more education than most of our customers. People will look for any excuse to talk down to others, that's for sure. I deal with most of our customer complaints and it's insane what people call to complain about. Also, the credit card company holds a full 20% over the bill and then drops the charge when it hits the bank, and bad tippers out themselves all the time by calling us to yell about our "dishonest waiters".

No, they didn't add the tip. You're bank did. And you're a bad tipper. They get so embarrassed about this

On the other hand, I know when someone is messing up and when comps are deserved. If you forget to put my ticket in because you threw it away and don't ask for our order again for an hour and you're a jerk about it... I will ask for your manager.

this isn't the worst serving story I have, but the end kinda relates to your good nature...
I worked at a Chili's years ago, and was taking care of a table of 24 people all by myself. I was a seasoned server, and if I do say so myself, very good at serving. The whole meal went by just fine, everything came out timely, i was quick with refills and everything they needed. and believe me, they were NEEDY, but happy.
anyway, at the end of the meal, I brought out the sheet cake that they brought in themselves, which I stored in our walk in, and set it down in front of the main dude whose birthday it was. They all erupted in cheers and loudly sang Happy Birthday and all in all, made quite a noise.
Now, what I did not know at that time, the louder the crowd is, the louder the music automatically gets in that section of the restaurant. So when all of their ruckus settled down quickly, the music was still very loud, it hadn't adjusted yet. I walked back to check how everybody was doing with the cake and the main dude whose birthday it was game me an ear full of F-bombs and rude remarks about me and how I must have turned the music on loudly to let them know they were being too loud.
I was dumbfounded and confused, and the soft soul I am ran to the back and burst into tears. My manager was so mad he went out to the table, told them why the music was loud, pay their check and get the H out for "making his best server upset"
I got the automatic 18% tip from the large table, but not a cent more. My other 3 tables who all saw it happen, all gave me 40-60% tips.


shantroy, that's funny. One time a table was really treating me like I was beneath them and left me a crappy tip when they left... it happened so I needed to get my phone out of my car as they were leaving. as I got my phone out of my 5 series BMW, they saw me as they were getting into their little crappy whatever they were in. I know it's wrong, but I laughed inside.

I am SO glad I don't work in the restaurant business anymore.

HokieLoki, that's not my best serving story - I have many. My personal favourite is the guy who kept snapping his fingers at me and calling me "Waitress" - you know the type. I believe he was trying to impress his date. I finally walked up to him and said "I have a name tag and it's conviently located on my chest. For once in your life a women is giving you permission to look!" I stood their for about 5 or 10 seconds and he finally said "Shantroy - can we have another round?" My manager pulled me aside and said "Shantroy, you cannot talk to the customers like that. But that was awesome!" The guy even left me a fairly decent tip!

A few months ago, corporate sent out a new policy that gives employees at my job the right to tell a customer they are being inappropriate if they are verbally abusive. I'm assuming the corporate lawyers had to really twist their arm over that one.

Workplace harassment is harassment, period. If a company forces employees to endure it from customers, they should be held liable for a hostile work environment just as much as if it was a manager or supervisor causing the problem. That goes double for sexual harassment and drunk/high customers who could be a physical threat.

Morgan, I wasn't aware of that. Makes sense to me. It's one thing to bend over backwards for ones customers. But I don't think that means having no standards.

Completely agree. More than once I have had to say, "You have no right speaking to me like this and this conversation is over" because people just want to be abusive jacka$$es. If you won't let me make it right then there's no point to screaming at men and I'm going to hang up on you or ask you to leave.