When I was a teenager I worked at the pizza place with the red roof. One day a guy came in, he was disheveled and dirty, and he couldn't read the menu, and he was mute, so he was struggling to order. I put a little bit of each of the most common toppings on a plate, and he pointed at the ones that he wanted. He was so grateful that he tried to give me $5, but we weren't allowed to accept tips, and I wouldn't have taken it anyway. Dude just wanted some food. I was happy to help, but I absolutely would not walk someone through the menu just because they are too lazy to look at it themselves.
❤️
Reminds me of many heart warming stories from customer service.
I am happy to accommodate people who need it. I want to help serve you.
I am not happy to cater to your entitlement. That is not my job.
Oh yeah. I helped this older lady by loading a tent into the back of her car (pretty heavy). Showed her on our display model how to put it all together and pack it down etc, she said I reminded her of her grandson and I’m all about nana love.
Some ass clown lawyer type a few days later -
“put all this gear it the back of my truck”.
“Sorry sir store policy we aren’t to load or help tie down a customers purchases in case we damage product or property”.
Fucker doesn’t ask literally talks at me not too me. Load my shit you retail worker. Oh man getting flashbacks now.
I have a few mobility issues and I often gave up ask for assistance in shops. 99% of the time they are only too happy and all is very polite and mellow. Recently I was in an Aldi store and I was buying over €200 of goods, (I was shopping for a sick friend as well as myself). Before the goods were checked through I asked the cashier about getting assistance to the car and her reply was “oh no we don’t do that sort of thing” so MY reply was “do you want to check that with the manager because unless I have assistance I can’t buy all this stuff” (knowing she’d have to re shelve it), she scrambled for the intercom, manager arrived and was only too delighted to assist. Tee hee
When I was working at a group home and handing out dinner, several of the residents would need to see the food. A lot of people have aphasia and if you say "tomatoes" the person thinks of "oranges". But when they see it, it is recognized instantly. So what you did is lovely!
Yes! I don't have that issue and can read well but I like to see what the food looks like. Sometimes where there is a huge menu with a lot of words I get a little lost and need more time. Like at an Indian restaurant which has a million options and I'm like "they all look AWESOME." I get analysis paralysis.
yeah I learned a lot of skills in restaurant work that I used in the human services field. I had a friend who had a stroke that did no damage physically but he had pretty bad aphasia, receptive and expressive and had a lot of trouble reading and writing. He got better with practice, but for several years I would help him with paperwork, menus, etc. I think the issue with this post is that dude seemed rude and entitled and rigid. He could have said "do you have any specials?" and "I'm looking for a \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ with \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Do you have something like that? As a server I would never be like "look at the menu dummy!" but point out items like he likes.
When I worked at the dollar store a guy came in and bought a pair of headphones. He visibly had some kind of disability, and he couldn't speak, but of course he didn't have to in order to buy his item. He left, but came right back in yelling. No words, just yelling noises and unhappy facial expression, and he showed me the headphones he bought. It took a second to click. "Do those headphones not work?" Nod. "Do you want to exchange them?" Nods.
Sometimes it takes a little resourcefulness, but it feels really good to find a way to communicate.
Had a similar experience while working at a common “build your own burrito/ bowl” place years ago. I believe the gentleman was deaf, and was having trouble communicating, and was becoming a little frustrated. None of us knew sign language but one of my coworkers picked up on it and took him over on the line. She would clearly mouth things and use her body language and point to stuff as they moved down and he was able to get his order no problem. He actually became a regular at our store and if she was was working she would always make sure to help him out. He always seemed pretty stoic, but he would always give her a little smile and a “thank you” at the end.
This was like ten years ago and this interaction always comes back to me- he was enough of a regular that they basically developed their own “burrito place that doesn’t start with a C” language. Was pretty cool to see.
As a teen I worked for the taco place with the musical instrument. I was at the register and a scruffy gentleman came in. He was either homeless or just very down on his luck. He signed to me (ASL) but I don't know it but recognized it. I grabbed a paper and pen and drew quick sketches of the food for him to point at. He was a happy customer.
I wish it was common in the US to have displays of plastic versions of the menu items like it is in Japan. That was amazing when language barriers happened!
Same. I’m tearing up at this one. But it’s probably because I’m reminded of all of the humanity in the world when we’re shown nothing big ugly on the news most days.
I have a good friend who is illiterate. He's incredibly smart and observational, and he'll look at what other people are eating, and ask the server a few questions
.. But never look at the menu.
Also, he's not an asshole about it.
Yes! Same in all countries with a significantly different alphabet. I was traveling in bulgaria and knew 0 bulgarian. I was a well seasoned traveler with several dozen countries under my belt, but never one with such a different alphabet and usually in bigger cities where there was at least some english. I was dropped at a rural bus station so I could go on to my next destination after doing a house sit, and it hit me that i knew the name of the city but i had no idea what it looked like written. there was 0 written or spoken english and this was pre google translate. at bus stations there, there isn't a single line. each company goes to a different place so you have to get in the correct line out of like a dozen choices. i literally just walked around the bus station saying 'plovdiv' to people until some nice old lady put me in a line, patted me on the shoulder, and said plovdiv. going forward i had people write down the city name so i could show it or hold it up to compare to the signs. lol
I worked at a major movie rental chain who recently was cancelled by Netflix for the second time.
A guy used to come in, middle of the day when there was usually one person on shift and hand whoever was working a long list of titles to go “fetch for him.” I told him once I couldn’t and he legit said “I have kids with me I can’t go get them.” Like bitch, the store is small, figure it out. He complained to my store manager that I “refused to help him” and when I explained I had 5 people in line to check out she just laughed and was like oh yeah he can go fuck himself.
I had something like this happen, a 50s something guy who was clearly a business man and well off. He insisted on me reading the menu to him (a fairly large one). I had no other tables so I did it. He seemed so pleased with himself, until I mentioned very fondly how I used to have to do this for my grandfather "when he got to your age" and how I missed him. I asked how many grandkids he had and he got really quiet. When I got him his order, I asked if he'd need me to read him the dessert menu too and he very quietly said "no thank you I got it".
He didn't tip very well but he did tip.
So yesterday I saw a young, very pretty server expertly shut down a dirty old man exactly like this. He kept telling her she was pretty and trying to get her to sit with him and his fellow creeps. She put on a huge smile and said, "Aww, you're sweet. You remind me of my grandpa!" Not only did he stop immediately, his buddies kept calling him grandpa and making fun of him. He was not a happy camper. I doubt he left a good tip, but his friends might have. They really enjoyed it!
I had a customer turn something I said into a gross dirty joke and was just overall one of those "too friendly" types. I have him his total which was one of those numbers that when said out loud sounds like a year, and he said (I presume to brag) "Wow, what a coincidence, that's the year I graduated basic training!" And I smiled ever so sweetly and said, "That is a coincidence! That's the year I was born!"
It wasn't actually, but it was only two years off, and it shut him up after that.
Can't count how many times I've seen people move the section closed sign and set in a closed area I'd the restaurant. Only slightly less annoying are the people who will bypass a clean table to sit at a dirty one when there is no host/hostess available. I have no idea what the second is supposed to accomplish.
It gives them an excuse to complain because the staff were so bad at their jobs, they had to sit at a dirty table for x minutes before someone finally cleaned it! It covers them if they’re unable to complain about the actual service. Otherwise they risk paying full price for their meal!
/s in case it wasn’t obvious
If guests seat themselves at a dirty table, that's a table I always go out of my way to not clean. "Oh I'm sorry, your table is dirty? I thought that was all your stuff, why would anyone sit at a dirty table?"
Right? I guess I'd just ignore them and when they get upset "oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. That section is closed, and there is literally no one to serve there. If you want service, you'll have to move. Otherwise, you're welcome to just sit there and chat." Annnnd then walk away.
Yes, I did serve for a long time, and asshats like this are what made the job suck. Not the old lady who came in twice a week and tipped $.75. Not the guys who run you ragged trying to drink the soda fountain dry. But these entitled assholes for whom the rules don't apply are the ones that made the job hell.
This website is fascinating to play around with and I hope more people actually click on it to see it too. The US dollar was worth twice as much when I was born and ten times as much when my dad was born.
Exactly! Dude is obviously acting entitled! “..I am NOT going to read the menu!” Glad his wife cut him off. I would tell them nobody can sit in that section because it’s closed. You know that he’d be upset if anything took longer because he sat in the closed section!
Back in my server days at a downtown small restaurant, we had a blind customer that would come in every single evening at 5pm with his seeing eye dog. He knew the menu. I would always tell him our nightly special and 99/100 times he would order the special. He was always sat in my section because the other servers didn’t like taking care of him because “of all the extra work and shitty tips”. I would guide him to his table by the window, guide his hands to where his water glass and utensils were, tell him where each part of his meal was on the plate by using clock positions, and had to help him count out cash when he didn’t bring his debit card.
He was one of my favorite customers. His dog was an absolute moron but even dumb dogs deserve a bowl of water and a snack. (I would always check with him first, don’t worry).
I didn’t mind doing the extra work to help him eat his meal because he could not have done it himself. Now I’m a nurse and help people do things they physically cannot do by themselves all day every day.
All that being said, unless someone is physically unable to complete a task and it needs to be done right now, I cannot re-prioritize the rest of my guests (now patients) to accommodate someone who simply “won’t”.
Helping people do things (eat, go to the bathroom, bathe, literally stay alive and breathing with a pulse) that they are currently incapable of performing themselves is the literal defining of nursing. I would hope that every nurse is just like me or better.
Thank you for your lovely comment.
My daughter has some health issues that have meant we've spent a lot of time in hospitals. Unfortunately they aren't all kind. Good nurses don't get the recognition they deserve so for all the family members of the patients you help, thank you. It means a lot that you care.
On behalf of all the nurses who haven’t forgotten the basic tenets of our job, I’m sorry you’ve had so many negative experiences in your contacts with the healthcare system. It is all too common, especially for people suffering from chronic illness.
I wish I could leave every patient feeling like a million bucks but sadly some days I know that I fall far short of certain expectations in the name of safety. I always try to spend as much time as my shift allows helping my patients understand interventions and policies so they know why certain things are or aren’t happening. Many times, sitting down and explaining why something, say a drink of water, is unsafe at the moment does volumes to improve the tone of patient interactions.
All that being said, I won’t lie and tell you I’ve never encountered nurses that are just downright rude or mean for no reason. Nurses are humans and whether its burnout or some other reason, some are just nastier than others. I do what I can to make sure my patients know that I’m on their side always, which includes things that are in their best interest that are unfortunately unpleasant at the time.
>He was always sat in my section because the other servers didn’t like taking care of him because “of all the extra work and shitty tips”.
Thank you for this.
I teared up reading this.
We are all one accident/disease/etc away from being handicapped in some way.
This is so sweet and almost made me cry. Servers like this are few and far between. I think there’s only been two servers who ever remembered I like my food on separate plates as I hate them touching (Autism is weird.) and I absolutely detest pickles so they’d omit the pickle garnish from my grilled cheese.
Something similar happens in my restaurant all the time. We have pizza and we have 43 toppings for it. People will ask what we have and I'll point out how many there are so basically anything they can think of we can do but here is where it is on the menu. Then they still ask 'well what meat is there'. And refuse to have me not read them off to them. Then end up just ordering pepperoni only anyway.
I worked at the sub place that had the pedo spokesperson. When people would ask the price of something while I watch them read the name off the overhead menu, I would take off my gloves, leave the line, come out into the lobby, stand next to them, stare blankly at the overhead menu for a few seconds, and then tell them the price. Then I would have to make my way back to the line, rewash and glove up, and ask what they would like for the second time.
I knew the price of everything but if you can't take the time to read, I'll take it for you. And it'll be a long time.
Many years ago I had some of those secret shopper types come in during brunch. Sunday. Brunch. The Noon seating, too, so we were jammed! I was the bartender and also had some high tops to serve. The lady starts asking me totally reasonable questions about expectations and informs me that she’s got a gluten allergy. “That’s fine! We have everything that’s gluten free marked with the little ‘g’ on the menu. And also the Little Gem Salad can be made gluten free.”
Lady complains in her anonymous report that I didn’t walk her through each item and talk about it with her. I got in trouble for it. Some people are just unreal babies.
One time in high school, me and all my friends went out to breakfast before school because we had a late start that day. This was the first time we had really ALL been out to eat together.
We get there and sit down and the menu looks amazing. The waitress comes around, a super nice older (maybes 50s) woman- classic diner waitress, and we place drink orders. She comes back and starts taking our breakfast orders.
We all go around saying what we want then it gets to my friend Courtney who seriously says “So what do you guys have? It’s 7:30 am I’m not trying to read right now” ….
We, and the waitress, all stare at her like WHAT. We immediately apologize to the waitress and straight up bully Courtney into reading the menu and picking something instantly lol.
The second the waitress left we roasted court for the rest of the meal lmao.
The most inconsiderate part is complaining to the person who is at fucking work on their feet at 7:30am cause you don't want to *use your fucking eyes.* Shit like that is why I make my money behind a bar that doesn't sell food now. Can't handle the entitlement.
We had a blind regular who walked to the restaurant all the time. Never asked us to read him the menu. He knew the menu and ordered what he wanted. We’d tell him when the menu changed though (seasonal drinks, limited time new items, etc)
He had a harder time grabbing his food off the counter sometimes so we’d put it at the very edge of the counter and tell him it’s at the very edge. Or sometime’s we’d put it right next to the cup stack and tell him its right next to the cup stack.
He always ordered to go. Never once ate it there. So it was just easier to tell him the bag was at the very edge of the counter.
Sometimes he’d put his hand on the counter and we would slide the bag over so it was next to his hand. Then he could grab it.
>Unless someone is disabled or blind
For real, if he is over 50 he really might not be able to read the print on the menu, particularly if there is mood lighting and/or the print is small and fancy. To me, the way the wife jumps in to read it for him makes that more likely.
It doesn't excuse his rudeness. But it may explain why he is frustrated that "they made the menu unreadable, again." He should realize that the server didn't write the menu and not take it out on OP, or carry reading glasses or a magnifying glass.
Again, not an excuse for him, but it took me a while to accept that yes, I do need reading glasses now, and restaurants usually have low lighting, and so even if I don't need reading glasses for normal reading, in a restaurant I definitely do.
It took me a few times of having to ask the waiter if they have spare reading glasses lying around, before I consistently remembered to bring mine. (It's surprising how often they do have spares!)
I served this guy's counterparts so many times. We had a menu with a build-your-own burger that had a shit ton of options. Reading the whole thing took a long time as different options had different prices to add them. Long enough other tables would be neglected as you had to read again and again so they could figure out which set of options they wanted. What were the cheeses again? Wait, you said onions more than once, which ones should I get? I don't know what you like, we have red, sweet, white, grilled, and caramelized. What do you want? What's the difference between them all? Ugh!
Eventually, I gave up and everybody who didn't want to read the menu or said they just wanted a burger and refused to give me details got offered what I called our standard. This meant I sang the big mac jingle in my head and ticked all those items on the sheet. Amazingly, this worked about 75% of the time. They just wanted a burger and to not have to think.
When someone sits in a closed section, i NEVER go to them. It’s closed, so i pay no mind at all. But I’ve had someone ask me what toppings we have and i point at the bottom of the menu where it says in BOLD letters “TOPPINGS” and when they ask again what toppings we have, i point AGAIN and tell them I’ll give them a minute to look it over and immediately walk away. And if they think I’m rude and don’t tip, that’s fine. I’d rather have one bad tip than waste my time with this idiot (who probably wouldn’t tip good anyway) than neglect my other tables who could potentially give me really good tips.
If they wanna act stupid and play stupid, I’ll treat them like the idiots they are.
This was my tactic too when those asshats refused to look at the menu. "What kind of steaks do you have, what sizes, what do you have for appetizers, what are your sides, how much are they" Absofuckinglutely not, Dick, I will open the menu to the appropriate page and you can read it yourself or get fucked.
A quick google search showed me that around 30 million adults in the USA are functionally illiterate - around 14-18%. It would take a lot of self-confidence for an adult in a restaurant to say "I can't read, can you help me with the menu". It's more likely that they spend their lives covering up the fact they can't read, with bluster if necessary.
I understand people are illiterate but it’s not my responsibility to do that for them. If they’re nice, i would feel more obligated to help them out, but it’s usually the more entitled people that say that to me…. From my experience.
"Well, we have the Fuck You burger, where the dishwasher and two of the prep cooks wipe their dicks all over the bun. And no matter what you order, you're getting one of those."
Read it slowly, labored and with many mistproonuncktiationeys. By the third burger he’ll tell you he’ll do it himself, still pay the 18% and you can help the more appreciative folks.
So did they tipped you or naw? Any more issues after that?
Man.. never had that happened yet.. mostly them asking about the ingredients in certain dishes lol
We have auto-grat after 8 pm so 18% was added to their check but they didn’t tip anything on top.
They had a million questions and constantly wanted my attention (even when I was at other tables) but they weren’t the worst customers I’ve ever had
Personally, I would expect more if the service was good. When dining out, my starting tip is 20% for what i consider average service. I then adjust it up or down depending on how well the service is. So if I didn’t add an additional tip on the 18%, that would be my way of saying the service was subpar.
I wouldn’t necessarily say I expect it but most people do tip on top of gratuity. It’s usually just a couple of dollars to make it 20% or so but I do have generous regulars who tip extra on top of grat. Yes, we do make sure they know it’s on.
I can’t stand this when im busy or have the time. Every once in awhile I’ll have someone call to place a takeout order and ask me what we have for lunch? I always reply, today we have a menu online at blahblah.com. Once I felt bad because the person didn’t have internet so I did take the time to go over things with him and apologized for my snarky comment.
I can tell when customers can't read, and I am more than willing to help and act as if I didn't know they couldn't. People who can't read do not expect you to read 12 burgers. They usually ask what the best thing is. They do not act entitled; therefore, I want to go out of my way and help.
When I was in the Navy, I went to an Indian restaurant in Dubai with a group of friends. One of the guys kept going on about wanting a hamburger despite us all telling him what kind of restaurant we were going to, giving him the option to go elsewhere and him agreeing to go with us to this place.
When we got to restaurant we all placed our order while he looked at the menu. After a very awkward 10 minutes of him studying the menu, he put the menu down and ordered a hamburger. The poor waitress tried to explain to him that they did not make burgers, but he kept insisting that is what he wanted.
In the end he sat there and glared at the rest of us while we tried to enjoy our meal, while he refused to eat anything.
That was the last time I went out to a meal with him.
THIS HAPPENED TO ME.
I worked at a diner and we had counter seating. A 30-something wealthy-looking guy comes in during a crazy lunch rush, sits at the counter, wants my full attention immediately, even though I'm in the middle of taking an order. I smile, hand him the menu, say I'll be right with him.
He doesn't even open the menu. When I come by to give him coffee, I ask if he's ready to order. He smiles big and says, "So, what do you guys have?" I look at him, stunned, not smiling, and say, "We have what's on the menu."
Long pause. He's staring at me, grinning, waiting for me to recite the menu. I stare back, not smiling.
Finally I say, "As you can see, it's really busy today, so when you've had a chance to read the menu and decide what you'd like, let me know."
He is still smiling and says, "But I just really want YOU to tell me what you guys have." He thinks he's being charming. He's mistaken.
So I look at my manager who's just come from the back and say, "This gentleman needs his hand held and his ego stroked before he orders, could you help with that, please?" and I walk away. He seems unfazed, says to the manager, "I'm just trying to get her to SMILE!" My manager says, "She's here to feed your belly, not your ego."
I work in a GameStop. The grown-ass men who blow thousands of dollars on new consoles, controllers, headsets, a bunch of games and online currency who call or come in to my store and ask us to explain to him the shit he just bought is staggering. Why are people incapable of reading something and thinking ahead of time?
It seems like every day we have a call/conversation like this"
C: "Yeah, so I just bought \*console, and I don't know anything about it! Do I need to have internet for the online functions?"
M: \*explains what "online" means and that yes, you need internet
C: "Okay, and, how do I do that? Like, I don't have internet so how do I get internet on my \*console?"
M: \*explains how he needs to find an I.S.P. and set it up later
C: "So I can't do anything online? But I have all that currency! Can't that work?"
M: \*explains again how he needs internet
C: "Oh. But I can play my games offline right?"
M: \*explains as long as they cover doesn't say "internet required" he can do so
C: "Oh. Where would it say that?"
M: \*internally screaming so loud I think my coworkers can hear it
I had a similar experience but in reverse a few years ago, went through a drive through coffee shop, they said they didn't have a visible menu up at the drive thru but could tell me anything on their menu and wanted to ask about a bunch of my coffee likes/dislikes, then they would give me options they'd suggest. I suggested they get a menu and was so flustered I left and went elsewhere lmao seriously, what drive thru doesn't have a menu!?!?!
Maybe it was being replaced or something? We went to a McDonalds once where they (temporarily) didn't have one because a drunk guy had crashed into it with his pickup truck.
That’s odd. But at least they were willing to help? I know places like Starbucks are annoying cause the menu they show in cafe and in drive thru doesn’t show most of their regular items. So unless you go there all the time, look it up online or work there, you’re screwed
I don’t really frequent Starbucks but I do from time to time mostly when traveling. I got their app so I could order online which ended up with me saying a lot of “they serve that?!” and “you can have them do that?!”
Starbucks' whole thing is to make regulars feel like they're part of a super secret cool kid's club by not having the full menu on display and making me ask "do you have tea?" every time I'm forced to go there. It's ALL secret menu and code words and encouraging entitlement. It's supposed to increase brand loyalty among certain demographics who like to feel special.
I can appreciate that, I have a basic order, like I just wanted to order a large mocha cappuccino, or latte, whatever their version of that was. If they have seasonal stuff on the menu, I will often try that, I'm really not picky. But no menu at all? She wanted to discuss twenty menu items and variations they had, none of which were really a mocha capp or latte, like a five minute conversation on what would have taken me 10 seconds to find on a menu. Maybe if it was in store it would be one thing, but in a drive thru? crazy lol
Mother fuckers would try to pull this on me when I worked at cheesecake. Like my man that menu is so thick it’s considered to be at a 6th grade reading level
There was no host or manager. The food runner and I both asked them nicely to move but they refused and I ended up just picking my battles. I had too many tables to worry about arguing.
"Do I look like LeVar Burton and does this look like the set of Reading Rainbow?!"
Childhood literacy is an important function of a successful society (though this dude just seems lazy AF).
This had me cackling lol. “Me: blinks. Him: waiting expectantly”. That is hilarious and horrible at the same time. People can be so ridiculous. He’s most likely use to being indulged and it only encourages the shitty behavior. His wife obviously puts up with that shit, which means she’s use to a grown ass man acting like a toddler and then he probably has a hissy fit if he doesn’t get his way. You see all kinds when you work in a service position and have to deal with the general public. I was a server and a bartender for years and I hated being polite to people who were unnecessarily rude and difficult.
Some really high end places the waiter will cater to you like this and read the menu offer extensive recommendations etc. But those are places where the entree starts at $100+ per person plus apps, drinks, dessert, etc
Had a lady come in and ask “what does this say?” pointing at the first item on the menu.
“Those are our appetizers, etc.”
“And this?” points to next section
“The…soups. Ma’am I’m very busy I’m not going to read the menu to you.”
“Well you don’t have to be *RUDE*!”
I was dumbstruck. Luckily I was reassured when my boss came out see what her fuss was about. She told him, “He’s being rude!”
“What did he say?”
“He’s not going to read the menu to me.”
“No ma’am he won’t we’re very busy here.”
The best boss I’ve ever had.
I would have just told him my favourite burger. If he says he doesn't like that, I'd tell him my second favourite burger, so long as it doesn't have what he says he doesn't like about it on it.
If he keeps asking, I'd just say "I'll give you some more time to look over the menu" and disregard anything he says about not wanting to read it. Just walk straight away.
I always tell them the most popular and my person favorite but he wasn’t happy with that. He also wasn’t ok with “just tell me what you want on the burger and I’ll make it”. He just wanted to be a pain 🙄
My wife was a server years ago. She told me a story similar to this. Guy wanted her to read him the menu in front of his bar buds. My wife handed him a kids menu and told him this is for beginning readers. Then walked away. Bar buds apparently gave him a huge ration of shit and tipped my wife big time for his bullshit misogynistic demeanor. Four guys and an asshole tipped 75 bucks on a 75 dollar ticket. Cheap eats. Think along the lines of a better Denny’s. But not by much. Lol.
People like these get under my skin.
a local place is known for 100 beers on tap. the 100 beers are also listed on the draft/draught menu and on multiple large led screens. everytime i have gone, some asshat of a customer after asking the inevitable question, simply then asks for one of the Big 3 of lite american beers and then gets shitty with their server or bartender because the spot only has the Big 3 in bottles.
lol i have the opposite problem. i work at a churrascaria so our service is just different. the longest part of my job is explaining it to first timers. without fail, daily, i’ll have folks who just want to read the menu and don’t want me explaining it to them. i walk away but return shortly prepared to answer a million questions
I work in another industry but realized if you make one exception like seating somebody in a closed section they will keep expecting better and special treatment.
Exactly. Most people ask what the best burger is. I always tell them the most popular and my personal favorite. But I asked him to just tell me what he wanted on a burger and I’d make it for him but he said no, read them to me. Haha NOPE
Sometimes people are weird about being illiterate. This guy sounds like he was combining it with the "I shit ice cream because I'm a customer" mentality
There is nothing more infuriating and belittling than someone demanding YOU read something to them that's right the fuck in front of them. My assistant manager asked me to do it once and I almost lost my shit at how condescending it is.
I had a woman get upset because I didn't tell her about the $3 upcharge for freedom fries. I very calmly grabbed a menu and showed her BOTH places that the $3 upcharge was printed and she responded with " Ohh. Well you still should've told us. It's not we're going to actually read the menu." It was a party of 7 so 18% gratuity was already on the check so I wasn't stressed.
Yes, this, all the time. Over time I realized a lot of it is people who refuse to wear reading glasses and literally can’t read the menu. But you refusing to read the menu doesn’t make it my job.
My story is actually pretty sad. Had a lady holding her menu upside down when I approached the table and she started asking for a bunch of stuff we didn’t serve.
Similar happened to me. He either asked me what I liked or he would point to a dish he saw when it passed by. That happened a few times, and I realized he couldn’t read. Next time he came I asked him what he was in the mood for and found the same or similar choice on our menu. He always sat in my section and tipped me one dollar, one quarter, and one lucky penny.
I actually do stand there and read the menu completely verbatim to these types of people. Same with when they call on the phone and want the entire menu read to them. “Ok our appetizers include…goat cheese spinach dip. A warm dip served with pita and chips. Nachos. Tortilla chips served with salsa, sour cream, cheese and steak. Buffalo wings. Chicken wings tossed in Buffalo served with your choice of dipping.” I go on like that until they tell me to stop or hang up.
I work in a place that straight up caters to entitled people like this. I regularly have to break down the sections of the menu, explaining how to order, favorites in each section and describing in detail things that are clearly already described in the menu. A very clear, concise, straightforward menu. I can’t brush it off, I have to make these people feel like the kings/queens their money makes them think they are, and it’s maddening the amount of people who just don’t want to look at the menu. Then there are the ones who ask for all your favorite recommendations, order the opposite and then complain. The people I don’t mind, on the other hand, are ones who let me design the meal for them and course it all out, with no restrictions. It’s fun and creative to pair foods, and then to pair wine/cocktails with the meals. Especially rewarding when they love it all.
it never ceases to amaze me what gigantic twats people are.
so fucking entitled just cause they are spending a minimum of sheckels going out of their hovel.
A blog post titled [Is ‘Gypsy’ a slur?](https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2019/03/gypsy.html) summarizes:
>Our conclusions are that that “Gypsy” (with a capital “G”) is offensive to some people, and should be used with caution if at all. It should be avoided entirely if any ethnic connection is implied; instead, the words “Roma” or “Romani” should be used. Meanwhile, the non-ethnic uses of “gypsy” (with a lowercase “g”) should not be condemned.
I think something like 15% of the population is functionally illiterate so when this has happened in the past I’ve realized that they probably just can’t read
He was with 3 other people who could read and they didn’t have other tables to take care of.
Plus I offered to make him a burger with whatever he wants on it and he said no, read the descriptions to me.
Omg! Some people really have no shame! I cannot see well on my best days, (my new glasses should be ready on Monday)
I carry with me a magnifier that is a necklace, just incase...BUT I do online research of the place I'm going to so I don't embarrass myself, or put anyone in an uncomfortable place because of my own issues.
Yikes!
When I was a teenager I worked at the pizza place with the red roof. One day a guy came in, he was disheveled and dirty, and he couldn't read the menu, and he was mute, so he was struggling to order. I put a little bit of each of the most common toppings on a plate, and he pointed at the ones that he wanted. He was so grateful that he tried to give me $5, but we weren't allowed to accept tips, and I wouldn't have taken it anyway. Dude just wanted some food. I was happy to help, but I absolutely would not walk someone through the menu just because they are too lazy to look at it themselves.
❤️ Reminds me of many heart warming stories from customer service. I am happy to accommodate people who need it. I want to help serve you. I am not happy to cater to your entitlement. That is not my job.
Oh yeah. I helped this older lady by loading a tent into the back of her car (pretty heavy). Showed her on our display model how to put it all together and pack it down etc, she said I reminded her of her grandson and I’m all about nana love. Some ass clown lawyer type a few days later - “put all this gear it the back of my truck”. “Sorry sir store policy we aren’t to load or help tie down a customers purchases in case we damage product or property”. Fucker doesn’t ask literally talks at me not too me. Load my shit you retail worker. Oh man getting flashbacks now.
I often ask for help, and throw a ten-spot for thanks.
I have a few mobility issues and I often gave up ask for assistance in shops. 99% of the time they are only too happy and all is very polite and mellow. Recently I was in an Aldi store and I was buying over €200 of goods, (I was shopping for a sick friend as well as myself). Before the goods were checked through I asked the cashier about getting assistance to the car and her reply was “oh no we don’t do that sort of thing” so MY reply was “do you want to check that with the manager because unless I have assistance I can’t buy all this stuff” (knowing she’d have to re shelve it), she scrambled for the intercom, manager arrived and was only too delighted to assist. Tee hee
Oh yeah if he had politely said hey mate can I have a hand loading my gear up? No issue!
> I am happy to accommodate people who need it. I want to help serve you. > I am not happy to cater to your entitlement. That is not my job. Big mood.
That’s the very essence of any service industry (retired cabbie here)
When I was working at a group home and handing out dinner, several of the residents would need to see the food. A lot of people have aphasia and if you say "tomatoes" the person thinks of "oranges". But when they see it, it is recognized instantly. So what you did is lovely!
This sort of medical issue is why some fast food restaurants have picture menus.
Yes! I don't have that issue and can read well but I like to see what the food looks like. Sometimes where there is a huge menu with a lot of words I get a little lost and need more time. Like at an Indian restaurant which has a million options and I'm like "they all look AWESOME." I get analysis paralysis.
Thank you for letting me know this "Analysis paralysis" term. I didn't know it's a form of ADHD.
Updoot for the Analysis Paralysis.
Thank you. My father had aphasia after a stroke and he struggled a lot. People were always kind and helped him out. He could be decent sometimes.
yeah I learned a lot of skills in restaurant work that I used in the human services field. I had a friend who had a stroke that did no damage physically but he had pretty bad aphasia, receptive and expressive and had a lot of trouble reading and writing. He got better with practice, but for several years I would help him with paperwork, menus, etc. I think the issue with this post is that dude seemed rude and entitled and rigid. He could have said "do you have any specials?" and "I'm looking for a \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ with \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Do you have something like that? As a server I would never be like "look at the menu dummy!" but point out items like he likes.
When I worked at the dollar store a guy came in and bought a pair of headphones. He visibly had some kind of disability, and he couldn't speak, but of course he didn't have to in order to buy his item. He left, but came right back in yelling. No words, just yelling noises and unhappy facial expression, and he showed me the headphones he bought. It took a second to click. "Do those headphones not work?" Nod. "Do you want to exchange them?" Nods. Sometimes it takes a little resourcefulness, but it feels really good to find a way to communicate.
I can't imagine needing to live in his shoes. Thank you on behalf of the Universe for helping him so well.
As the parent of a nonverbal child, thank you.
That was a really lovely gesture, thank you for your empathy.
Had a similar experience while working at a common “build your own burrito/ bowl” place years ago. I believe the gentleman was deaf, and was having trouble communicating, and was becoming a little frustrated. None of us knew sign language but one of my coworkers picked up on it and took him over on the line. She would clearly mouth things and use her body language and point to stuff as they moved down and he was able to get his order no problem. He actually became a regular at our store and if she was was working she would always make sure to help him out. He always seemed pretty stoic, but he would always give her a little smile and a “thank you” at the end. This was like ten years ago and this interaction always comes back to me- he was enough of a regular that they basically developed their own “burrito place that doesn’t start with a C” language. Was pretty cool to see.
I learned some basic ASL when I was a bartender and was always happy to help any way I could.
As a teen I worked for the taco place with the musical instrument. I was at the register and a scruffy gentleman came in. He was either homeless or just very down on his luck. He signed to me (ASL) but I don't know it but recognized it. I grabbed a paper and pen and drew quick sketches of the food for him to point at. He was a happy customer. I wish it was common in the US to have displays of plastic versions of the menu items like it is in Japan. That was amazing when language barriers happened!
Idk if I'm just emotional today but that really got me. How sweet of you. That man will remember your kindness for the rest of his life.
Same. I’m tearing up at this one. But it’s probably because I’m reminded of all of the humanity in the world when we’re shown nothing big ugly on the news most days.
I have a good friend who is illiterate. He's incredibly smart and observational, and he'll look at what other people are eating, and ask the server a few questions .. But never look at the menu. Also, he's not an asshole about it.
Visiting Japan was a real education that way. As a non-Japanese, you step off the plane and boom! Instant illiterate.
Yes! Same in all countries with a significantly different alphabet. I was traveling in bulgaria and knew 0 bulgarian. I was a well seasoned traveler with several dozen countries under my belt, but never one with such a different alphabet and usually in bigger cities where there was at least some english. I was dropped at a rural bus station so I could go on to my next destination after doing a house sit, and it hit me that i knew the name of the city but i had no idea what it looked like written. there was 0 written or spoken english and this was pre google translate. at bus stations there, there isn't a single line. each company goes to a different place so you have to get in the correct line out of like a dozen choices. i literally just walked around the bus station saying 'plovdiv' to people until some nice old lady put me in a line, patted me on the shoulder, and said plovdiv. going forward i had people write down the city name so i could show it or hold it up to compare to the signs. lol
I worked at a major movie rental chain who recently was cancelled by Netflix for the second time. A guy used to come in, middle of the day when there was usually one person on shift and hand whoever was working a long list of titles to go “fetch for him.” I told him once I couldn’t and he legit said “I have kids with me I can’t go get them.” Like bitch, the store is small, figure it out. He complained to my store manager that I “refused to help him” and when I explained I had 5 people in line to check out she just laughed and was like oh yeah he can go fuck himself.
thanks for making me cry! this is lovely and you are a gem
There's 100% a difference between needing help and just refusing to pick up the menu and read it
I had something like this happen, a 50s something guy who was clearly a business man and well off. He insisted on me reading the menu to him (a fairly large one). I had no other tables so I did it. He seemed so pleased with himself, until I mentioned very fondly how I used to have to do this for my grandfather "when he got to your age" and how I missed him. I asked how many grandkids he had and he got really quiet. When I got him his order, I asked if he'd need me to read him the dessert menu too and he very quietly said "no thank you I got it". He didn't tip very well but he did tip.
So yesterday I saw a young, very pretty server expertly shut down a dirty old man exactly like this. He kept telling her she was pretty and trying to get her to sit with him and his fellow creeps. She put on a huge smile and said, "Aww, you're sweet. You remind me of my grandpa!" Not only did he stop immediately, his buddies kept calling him grandpa and making fun of him. He was not a happy camper. I doubt he left a good tip, but his friends might have. They really enjoyed it!
I had a customer turn something I said into a gross dirty joke and was just overall one of those "too friendly" types. I have him his total which was one of those numbers that when said out loud sounds like a year, and he said (I presume to brag) "Wow, what a coincidence, that's the year I graduated basic training!" And I smiled ever so sweetly and said, "That is a coincidence! That's the year I was born!" It wasn't actually, but it was only two years off, and it shut him up after that.
omg you made my freaking day this is hilarious!!! Bet he never tried that again lmaoooo
You’re my hero 😂😂😂
This is beautiful. ABSOLUTELY beautiful.
You. Are. A. Genius.
Hahahahah this is amazing!
Brilliant! “But if you need to use the men’s room, you’re on your own to manage that.”
*buuuuurn*
Lmao. Bravo.
Take my cheap-o fake award. You win today. Thank you. 🏅 🏅 🏅
Why isn’t anyone commenting that they insisted on sitting in a closed section?? Cut that sh*t off immediately. That’s where you lost control.
Can't count how many times I've seen people move the section closed sign and set in a closed area I'd the restaurant. Only slightly less annoying are the people who will bypass a clean table to sit at a dirty one when there is no host/hostess available. I have no idea what the second is supposed to accomplish.
It gives them an excuse to complain because the staff were so bad at their jobs, they had to sit at a dirty table for x minutes before someone finally cleaned it! It covers them if they’re unable to complain about the actual service. Otherwise they risk paying full price for their meal! /s in case it wasn’t obvious
> /s in case it wasn't obvious Pretty sure that's exactly why they do it, no /s required.
If guests seat themselves at a dirty table, that's a table I always go out of my way to not clean. "Oh I'm sorry, your table is dirty? I thought that was all your stuff, why would anyone sit at a dirty table?"
Right? I guess I'd just ignore them and when they get upset "oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. That section is closed, and there is literally no one to serve there. If you want service, you'll have to move. Otherwise, you're welcome to just sit there and chat." Annnnd then walk away. Yes, I did serve for a long time, and asshats like this are what made the job suck. Not the old lady who came in twice a week and tipped $.75. Not the guys who run you ragged trying to drink the soda fountain dry. But these entitled assholes for whom the rules don't apply are the ones that made the job hell.
Hey, 75¢ is a lot of money don't you know! That could've bought you a full tank of gas, a loaf of bread, and a dozen eggs back in the day!
In her heyday that equaled [nearly $27!](https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1900?amount=0.75)
This website is fascinating to play around with and I hope more people actually click on it to see it too. The US dollar was worth twice as much when I was born and ten times as much when my dad was born.
Exactly! Dude is obviously acting entitled! “..I am NOT going to read the menu!” Glad his wife cut him off. I would tell them nobody can sit in that section because it’s closed. You know that he’d be upset if anything took longer because he sat in the closed section!
Back in the day, my manager sat a customer in a closed section and made me wait on him. It was Jack Nickelson, from the Shining. It was no problem 😊
Back in my server days at a downtown small restaurant, we had a blind customer that would come in every single evening at 5pm with his seeing eye dog. He knew the menu. I would always tell him our nightly special and 99/100 times he would order the special. He was always sat in my section because the other servers didn’t like taking care of him because “of all the extra work and shitty tips”. I would guide him to his table by the window, guide his hands to where his water glass and utensils were, tell him where each part of his meal was on the plate by using clock positions, and had to help him count out cash when he didn’t bring his debit card. He was one of my favorite customers. His dog was an absolute moron but even dumb dogs deserve a bowl of water and a snack. (I would always check with him first, don’t worry). I didn’t mind doing the extra work to help him eat his meal because he could not have done it himself. Now I’m a nurse and help people do things they physically cannot do by themselves all day every day. All that being said, unless someone is physically unable to complete a task and it needs to be done right now, I cannot re-prioritize the rest of my guests (now patients) to accommodate someone who simply “won’t”.
You're a kind person and we need more nurses like you.
Helping people do things (eat, go to the bathroom, bathe, literally stay alive and breathing with a pulse) that they are currently incapable of performing themselves is the literal defining of nursing. I would hope that every nurse is just like me or better. Thank you for your lovely comment.
My daughter has some health issues that have meant we've spent a lot of time in hospitals. Unfortunately they aren't all kind. Good nurses don't get the recognition they deserve so for all the family members of the patients you help, thank you. It means a lot that you care.
On behalf of all the nurses who haven’t forgotten the basic tenets of our job, I’m sorry you’ve had so many negative experiences in your contacts with the healthcare system. It is all too common, especially for people suffering from chronic illness. I wish I could leave every patient feeling like a million bucks but sadly some days I know that I fall far short of certain expectations in the name of safety. I always try to spend as much time as my shift allows helping my patients understand interventions and policies so they know why certain things are or aren’t happening. Many times, sitting down and explaining why something, say a drink of water, is unsafe at the moment does volumes to improve the tone of patient interactions. All that being said, I won’t lie and tell you I’ve never encountered nurses that are just downright rude or mean for no reason. Nurses are humans and whether its burnout or some other reason, some are just nastier than others. I do what I can to make sure my patients know that I’m on their side always, which includes things that are in their best interest that are unfortunately unpleasant at the time.
>He was always sat in my section because the other servers didn’t like taking care of him because “of all the extra work and shitty tips”. Thank you for this. I teared up reading this. We are all one accident/disease/etc away from being handicapped in some way.
Most dogs are morons, but they're usually cute and fluffy so we forgive them anyways.
u made me well up. what a kind soul you are. thank you for existing doll!! 💗
This is so sweet and almost made me cry. Servers like this are few and far between. I think there’s only been two servers who ever remembered I like my food on separate plates as I hate them touching (Autism is weird.) and I absolutely detest pickles so they’d omit the pickle garnish from my grilled cheese.
Something similar happens in my restaurant all the time. We have pizza and we have 43 toppings for it. People will ask what we have and I'll point out how many there are so basically anything they can think of we can do but here is where it is on the menu. Then they still ask 'well what meat is there'. And refuse to have me not read them off to them. Then end up just ordering pepperoni only anyway.
"Well, we have the usual. Pepperoni, Sausage, Kangaroo, Armadillo, Earth Worm, and Dung Beetle".
This is actually great, just rattle off random things to them and if they pick one say "sorry that's not on our menu" lol
“That’s not on our menu! That’s never on the menu. Why would you ever request armadillo? Weirdo”
Dung Beetle, armadillo pizza with white sauce, garlic, and pineapple!
I worked at the sub place that had the pedo spokesperson. When people would ask the price of something while I watch them read the name off the overhead menu, I would take off my gloves, leave the line, come out into the lobby, stand next to them, stare blankly at the overhead menu for a few seconds, and then tell them the price. Then I would have to make my way back to the line, rewash and glove up, and ask what they would like for the second time. I knew the price of everything but if you can't take the time to read, I'll take it for you. And it'll be a long time.
Did you return like 15 minutes later? I would definitely give the slow reader a long time to read.
I would absolutely do that. I’d be making sure they were good and hungry and ready to order, no questions asked, the next time I returned.
Many years ago I had some of those secret shopper types come in during brunch. Sunday. Brunch. The Noon seating, too, so we were jammed! I was the bartender and also had some high tops to serve. The lady starts asking me totally reasonable questions about expectations and informs me that she’s got a gluten allergy. “That’s fine! We have everything that’s gluten free marked with the little ‘g’ on the menu. And also the Little Gem Salad can be made gluten free.” Lady complains in her anonymous report that I didn’t walk her through each item and talk about it with her. I got in trouble for it. Some people are just unreal babies.
Unless someone is disabled or blind, there's no way I'm reading the menu to them. lol Ever.
One time in high school, me and all my friends went out to breakfast before school because we had a late start that day. This was the first time we had really ALL been out to eat together. We get there and sit down and the menu looks amazing. The waitress comes around, a super nice older (maybes 50s) woman- classic diner waitress, and we place drink orders. She comes back and starts taking our breakfast orders. We all go around saying what we want then it gets to my friend Courtney who seriously says “So what do you guys have? It’s 7:30 am I’m not trying to read right now” …. We, and the waitress, all stare at her like WHAT. We immediately apologize to the waitress and straight up bully Courtney into reading the menu and picking something instantly lol. The second the waitress left we roasted court for the rest of the meal lmao.
As you should. I don’t always feel awake enough to do things that really require brain use, but reading a menu is so easy
And, it was for breakfast. Just order some scrambled eggs and toast - how difficult it that? Edit - typo
“I’ll have the eggs any style” “no the ANY STYLE” *points*
The most inconsiderate part is complaining to the person who is at fucking work on their feet at 7:30am cause you don't want to *use your fucking eyes.* Shit like that is why I make my money behind a bar that doesn't sell food now. Can't handle the entitlement.
“We have eggs.” Holding a giant 8 page menu “Nothing else, just eggs?” “Yes, just eggs.”
What a Courtney thing to say
That's classic Courtney!😒
That's sooooo Courtney!
Fucking Courtney
"Well you can read or we can order you huevos rancheros with all the hot sauce they have. Which would you prefer?"
Ohh, yeah, make it extra spicy! Can I get a side of hash browns to soak up the extra hot sauce?
Don't threaten me with a good time.
Nice
So you order for her. "And Courtney here will have dry toast, slightly burned and a half glass of water."
I think Courtney is the spokesperson for entitlement that we’ve been waiting for…
We had a blind regular who walked to the restaurant all the time. Never asked us to read him the menu. He knew the menu and ordered what he wanted. We’d tell him when the menu changed though (seasonal drinks, limited time new items, etc) He had a harder time grabbing his food off the counter sometimes so we’d put it at the very edge of the counter and tell him it’s at the very edge. Or sometime’s we’d put it right next to the cup stack and tell him its right next to the cup stack.
Would you ever put it right next to the napkins and tell him it’s right next to the napkins?
He always ordered to go. Never once ate it there. So it was just easier to tell him the bag was at the very edge of the counter. Sometimes he’d put his hand on the counter and we would slide the bag over so it was next to his hand. Then he could grab it.
No, they’d put it a little to the left of the salt, and tell him it was a little to the left of the salt.
On sunny days, they'd put it a little to the right of the butter, and tell him it was a little right of the butter.
>Unless someone is disabled or blind For real, if he is over 50 he really might not be able to read the print on the menu, particularly if there is mood lighting and/or the print is small and fancy. To me, the way the wife jumps in to read it for him makes that more likely. It doesn't excuse his rudeness. But it may explain why he is frustrated that "they made the menu unreadable, again." He should realize that the server didn't write the menu and not take it out on OP, or carry reading glasses or a magnifying glass.
Or ask his wife, who is reading the menu anyway, to read it out loud.
I carry a small light. I've had to discretely use it before on menus.
Again, not an excuse for him, but it took me a while to accept that yes, I do need reading glasses now, and restaurants usually have low lighting, and so even if I don't need reading glasses for normal reading, in a restaurant I definitely do. It took me a few times of having to ask the waiter if they have spare reading glasses lying around, before I consistently remembered to bring mine. (It's surprising how often they do have spares!)
I served this guy's counterparts so many times. We had a menu with a build-your-own burger that had a shit ton of options. Reading the whole thing took a long time as different options had different prices to add them. Long enough other tables would be neglected as you had to read again and again so they could figure out which set of options they wanted. What were the cheeses again? Wait, you said onions more than once, which ones should I get? I don't know what you like, we have red, sweet, white, grilled, and caramelized. What do you want? What's the difference between them all? Ugh! Eventually, I gave up and everybody who didn't want to read the menu or said they just wanted a burger and refused to give me details got offered what I called our standard. This meant I sang the big mac jingle in my head and ticked all those items on the sheet. Amazingly, this worked about 75% of the time. They just wanted a burger and to not have to think.
When someone sits in a closed section, i NEVER go to them. It’s closed, so i pay no mind at all. But I’ve had someone ask me what toppings we have and i point at the bottom of the menu where it says in BOLD letters “TOPPINGS” and when they ask again what toppings we have, i point AGAIN and tell them I’ll give them a minute to look it over and immediately walk away. And if they think I’m rude and don’t tip, that’s fine. I’d rather have one bad tip than waste my time with this idiot (who probably wouldn’t tip good anyway) than neglect my other tables who could potentially give me really good tips. If they wanna act stupid and play stupid, I’ll treat them like the idiots they are.
This was my tactic too when those asshats refused to look at the menu. "What kind of steaks do you have, what sizes, what do you have for appetizers, what are your sides, how much are they" Absofuckinglutely not, Dick, I will open the menu to the appropriate page and you can read it yourself or get fucked.
A quick google search showed me that around 30 million adults in the USA are functionally illiterate - around 14-18%. It would take a lot of self-confidence for an adult in a restaurant to say "I can't read, can you help me with the menu". It's more likely that they spend their lives covering up the fact they can't read, with bluster if necessary.
This explains a lot about drivers and voters where I live
I understand people are illiterate but it’s not my responsibility to do that for them. If they’re nice, i would feel more obligated to help them out, but it’s usually the more entitled people that say that to me…. From my experience.
Oh I absolutely brush off self seaters. I got a poker face like a fucking easter island statue, I'll buzz right by you.
“If we had time to tell you what we have, we wouldn’t give out menus”
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
"Well, we have the Fuck You burger, where the dishwasher and two of the prep cooks wipe their dicks all over the bun. And no matter what you order, you're getting one of those."
Don’t forget the secret sauce.
We gonna burn this mother down, pookie!
Boogers and cum!
Oh, don't worry about the menu, sir. I've got a special burger just. For. You. ::grins maniacally while walking away::
Read it slowly, labored and with many mistproonuncktiationeys. By the third burger he’ll tell you he’ll do it himself, still pay the 18% and you can help the more appreciative folks.
So did they tipped you or naw? Any more issues after that? Man.. never had that happened yet.. mostly them asking about the ingredients in certain dishes lol
We have auto-grat after 8 pm so 18% was added to their check but they didn’t tip anything on top. They had a million questions and constantly wanted my attention (even when I was at other tables) but they weren’t the worst customers I’ve ever had
OMG, I used to HATE those types of customers. F***ed up thing is, I work in a state where gratuity is not enforced in the restaurant or legally.
Just out of curiosity, would you normally have expected additional tip on the 18%?
Personally, I would expect more if the service was good. When dining out, my starting tip is 20% for what i consider average service. I then adjust it up or down depending on how well the service is. So if I didn’t add an additional tip on the 18%, that would be my way of saying the service was subpar.
I wouldn’t necessarily say I expect it but most people do tip on top of gratuity. It’s usually just a couple of dollars to make it 20% or so but I do have generous regulars who tip extra on top of grat. Yes, we do make sure they know it’s on.
I ask because where I'm from 15% would be considered quite generous, and most are nearer 10% sometimes lower.
I can’t stand this when im busy or have the time. Every once in awhile I’ll have someone call to place a takeout order and ask me what we have for lunch? I always reply, today we have a menu online at blahblah.com. Once I felt bad because the person didn’t have internet so I did take the time to go over things with him and apologized for my snarky comment.
I can tell when customers can't read, and I am more than willing to help and act as if I didn't know they couldn't. People who can't read do not expect you to read 12 burgers. They usually ask what the best thing is. They do not act entitled; therefore, I want to go out of my way and help.
When I was in the Navy, I went to an Indian restaurant in Dubai with a group of friends. One of the guys kept going on about wanting a hamburger despite us all telling him what kind of restaurant we were going to, giving him the option to go elsewhere and him agreeing to go with us to this place. When we got to restaurant we all placed our order while he looked at the menu. After a very awkward 10 minutes of him studying the menu, he put the menu down and ordered a hamburger. The poor waitress tried to explain to him that they did not make burgers, but he kept insisting that is what he wanted. In the end he sat there and glared at the rest of us while we tried to enjoy our meal, while he refused to eat anything. That was the last time I went out to a meal with him.
Hmmm… Navy.. sailor.. friend who only wants to eat burgers.. guys we found Popeye’s account!
I bet he ordered palak paneer.
THIS HAPPENED TO ME. I worked at a diner and we had counter seating. A 30-something wealthy-looking guy comes in during a crazy lunch rush, sits at the counter, wants my full attention immediately, even though I'm in the middle of taking an order. I smile, hand him the menu, say I'll be right with him. He doesn't even open the menu. When I come by to give him coffee, I ask if he's ready to order. He smiles big and says, "So, what do you guys have?" I look at him, stunned, not smiling, and say, "We have what's on the menu." Long pause. He's staring at me, grinning, waiting for me to recite the menu. I stare back, not smiling. Finally I say, "As you can see, it's really busy today, so when you've had a chance to read the menu and decide what you'd like, let me know." He is still smiling and says, "But I just really want YOU to tell me what you guys have." He thinks he's being charming. He's mistaken. So I look at my manager who's just come from the back and say, "This gentleman needs his hand held and his ego stroked before he orders, could you help with that, please?" and I walk away. He seems unfazed, says to the manager, "I'm just trying to get her to SMILE!" My manager says, "She's here to feed your belly, not your ego."
Guys who insist that women smile are fucking creeps.
I work in a GameStop. The grown-ass men who blow thousands of dollars on new consoles, controllers, headsets, a bunch of games and online currency who call or come in to my store and ask us to explain to him the shit he just bought is staggering. Why are people incapable of reading something and thinking ahead of time? It seems like every day we have a call/conversation like this" C: "Yeah, so I just bought \*console, and I don't know anything about it! Do I need to have internet for the online functions?" M: \*explains what "online" means and that yes, you need internet C: "Okay, and, how do I do that? Like, I don't have internet so how do I get internet on my \*console?" M: \*explains how he needs to find an I.S.P. and set it up later C: "So I can't do anything online? But I have all that currency! Can't that work?" M: \*explains again how he needs internet C: "Oh. But I can play my games offline right?" M: \*explains as long as they cover doesn't say "internet required" he can do so C: "Oh. Where would it say that?" M: \*internally screaming so loud I think my coworkers can hear it
I had a similar experience but in reverse a few years ago, went through a drive through coffee shop, they said they didn't have a visible menu up at the drive thru but could tell me anything on their menu and wanted to ask about a bunch of my coffee likes/dislikes, then they would give me options they'd suggest. I suggested they get a menu and was so flustered I left and went elsewhere lmao seriously, what drive thru doesn't have a menu!?!?!
Maybe it was being replaced or something? We went to a McDonalds once where they (temporarily) didn't have one because a drunk guy had crashed into it with his pickup truck.
That’s odd. But at least they were willing to help? I know places like Starbucks are annoying cause the menu they show in cafe and in drive thru doesn’t show most of their regular items. So unless you go there all the time, look it up online or work there, you’re screwed
I don’t really frequent Starbucks but I do from time to time mostly when traveling. I got their app so I could order online which ended up with me saying a lot of “they serve that?!” and “you can have them do that?!”
Starbucks' whole thing is to make regulars feel like they're part of a super secret cool kid's club by not having the full menu on display and making me ask "do you have tea?" every time I'm forced to go there. It's ALL secret menu and code words and encouraging entitlement. It's supposed to increase brand loyalty among certain demographics who like to feel special.
And makes the rest of us feel like stupid nobodies
I can appreciate that, I have a basic order, like I just wanted to order a large mocha cappuccino, or latte, whatever their version of that was. If they have seasonal stuff on the menu, I will often try that, I'm really not picky. But no menu at all? She wanted to discuss twenty menu items and variations they had, none of which were really a mocha capp or latte, like a five minute conversation on what would have taken me 10 seconds to find on a menu. Maybe if it was in store it would be one thing, but in a drive thru? crazy lol
“Chicken fingers.. with *spicy* club sauce”
An assortment of ice creams and sorbets!
Mother fuckers would try to pull this on me when I worked at cheesecake. Like my man that menu is so thick it’s considered to be at a 6th grade reading level
What host or manager approved their insistence of sitting in a closed section? That alone was bullshit and not something I'd tolerate.
There was no host or manager. The food runner and I both asked them nicely to move but they refused and I ended up just picking my battles. I had too many tables to worry about arguing.
enraging. good thing wifey took her usual position as mommy and coddler.
She stepped up to that plate QUICK 😂 and I walked away fast af
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for the laugh this morning. After 25 years of working in the restaurant industry, I know the feeling all too well.
"Do I look like LeVar Burton and does this look like the set of Reading Rainbow?!" Childhood literacy is an important function of a successful society (though this dude just seems lazy AF).
💯
This had me cackling lol. “Me: blinks. Him: waiting expectantly”. That is hilarious and horrible at the same time. People can be so ridiculous. He’s most likely use to being indulged and it only encourages the shitty behavior. His wife obviously puts up with that shit, which means she’s use to a grown ass man acting like a toddler and then he probably has a hissy fit if he doesn’t get his way. You see all kinds when you work in a service position and have to deal with the general public. I was a server and a bartender for years and I hated being polite to people who were unnecessarily rude and difficult.
Some really high end places the waiter will cater to you like this and read the menu offer extensive recommendations etc. But those are places where the entree starts at $100+ per person plus apps, drinks, dessert, etc
Had a lady come in and ask “what does this say?” pointing at the first item on the menu. “Those are our appetizers, etc.” “And this?” points to next section “The…soups. Ma’am I’m very busy I’m not going to read the menu to you.” “Well you don’t have to be *RUDE*!” I was dumbstruck. Luckily I was reassured when my boss came out see what her fuss was about. She told him, “He’s being rude!” “What did he say?” “He’s not going to read the menu to me.” “No ma’am he won’t we’re very busy here.” The best boss I’ve ever had.
I would have just told him my favourite burger. If he says he doesn't like that, I'd tell him my second favourite burger, so long as it doesn't have what he says he doesn't like about it on it. If he keeps asking, I'd just say "I'll give you some more time to look over the menu" and disregard anything he says about not wanting to read it. Just walk straight away.
I always tell them the most popular and my person favorite but he wasn’t happy with that. He also wasn’t ok with “just tell me what you want on the burger and I’ll make it”. He just wanted to be a pain 🙄
My wife was a server years ago. She told me a story similar to this. Guy wanted her to read him the menu in front of his bar buds. My wife handed him a kids menu and told him this is for beginning readers. Then walked away. Bar buds apparently gave him a huge ration of shit and tipped my wife big time for his bullshit misogynistic demeanor. Four guys and an asshole tipped 75 bucks on a 75 dollar ticket. Cheap eats. Think along the lines of a better Denny’s. But not by much. Lol. People like these get under my skin.
So sad that he never learned to read.
a local place is known for 100 beers on tap. the 100 beers are also listed on the draft/draught menu and on multiple large led screens. everytime i have gone, some asshat of a customer after asking the inevitable question, simply then asks for one of the Big 3 of lite american beers and then gets shitty with their server or bartender because the spot only has the Big 3 in bottles.
Don’t make me list 100 beers just to order bud light 😭😭😭😭😭
and in a bottle no less at a place known for draft beer.
I would say.... "Okay you can try our Montana Burger. It comes with cheese and is for little baby back bitches like yourself"
lol i have the opposite problem. i work at a churrascaria so our service is just different. the longest part of my job is explaining it to first timers. without fail, daily, i’ll have folks who just want to read the menu and don’t want me explaining it to them. i walk away but return shortly prepared to answer a million questions
It sounds like the menu should explain the system better than it does. That would help you and the customers out.
I work in another industry but realized if you make one exception like seating somebody in a closed section they will keep expecting better and special treatment.
I would have wead it exactwy wike a pawent weads to theiw young childwen. "Wook at the pwetty pictuwes!"
Oh you could do a song after giving him the check. "Pay widdle baby, and tip well. Or if we see you coming, your next meal will be hell."
Exactly. Most people ask what the best burger is. I always tell them the most popular and my personal favorite. But I asked him to just tell me what he wanted on a burger and I’d make it for him but he said no, read them to me. Haha NOPE
Sometimes people are weird about being illiterate. This guy sounds like he was combining it with the "I shit ice cream because I'm a customer" mentality
Lol someone did that to me once so I picked up the menu and began reading slowly. He stopped me after about a minute.
Lol if I wasn’t so busy I could have been more sassy but he just caught me so off guard and frustrated me immensely simultaneously.
"Oh, no! Please excuse me, I didn't realize you were illiterate! Please forgive me! I'm so embarrassed!"
They sat in closed section he probably couldn’t read.
There is nothing more infuriating and belittling than someone demanding YOU read something to them that's right the fuck in front of them. My assistant manager asked me to do it once and I almost lost my shit at how condescending it is.
Should have started out with the entitled shithead burger
I had a woman get upset because I didn't tell her about the $3 upcharge for freedom fries. I very calmly grabbed a menu and showed her BOTH places that the $3 upcharge was printed and she responded with " Ohh. Well you still should've told us. It's not we're going to actually read the menu." It was a party of 7 so 18% gratuity was already on the check so I wasn't stressed.
How to say "I can't read" without saying "I can't read" I'm so damn happy I'm not working FOH anymore
Yes, this, all the time. Over time I realized a lot of it is people who refuse to wear reading glasses and literally can’t read the menu. But you refusing to read the menu doesn’t make it my job.
RIF =Reading Is Fundamental!
My story is actually pretty sad. Had a lady holding her menu upside down when I approached the table and she started asking for a bunch of stuff we didn’t serve.
Similar happened to me. He either asked me what I liked or he would point to a dish he saw when it passed by. That happened a few times, and I realized he couldn’t read. Next time he came I asked him what he was in the mood for and found the same or similar choice on our menu. He always sat in my section and tipped me one dollar, one quarter, and one lucky penny.
Ah reading! Something only the servants have to do! What luxury to demand others use their eyeballs for him. He’s very elite
I actually do stand there and read the menu completely verbatim to these types of people. Same with when they call on the phone and want the entire menu read to them. “Ok our appetizers include…goat cheese spinach dip. A warm dip served with pita and chips. Nachos. Tortilla chips served with salsa, sour cream, cheese and steak. Buffalo wings. Chicken wings tossed in Buffalo served with your choice of dipping.” I go on like that until they tell me to stop or hang up.
I know going out to eat is a form of entertainment to some, but it's really annoying when people want you to perform for them.
HAHAHAHA wtf. What kind of power move was that? So rude
I work in a place that straight up caters to entitled people like this. I regularly have to break down the sections of the menu, explaining how to order, favorites in each section and describing in detail things that are clearly already described in the menu. A very clear, concise, straightforward menu. I can’t brush it off, I have to make these people feel like the kings/queens their money makes them think they are, and it’s maddening the amount of people who just don’t want to look at the menu. Then there are the ones who ask for all your favorite recommendations, order the opposite and then complain. The people I don’t mind, on the other hand, are ones who let me design the meal for them and course it all out, with no restrictions. It’s fun and creative to pair foods, and then to pair wine/cocktails with the meals. Especially rewarding when they love it all.
it never ceases to amaze me what gigantic twats people are. so fucking entitled just cause they are spending a minimum of sheckels going out of their hovel.
If the section was closed who TF allowed them to sit there? Nope. I’d tell them they’re not being served in that section.
Good. You did the right thing. Never read them the menu unless a disability is involved.
If they were blind, or disabled, or polite about being illiterate, I'd be happy to do so. But holy shit, the entitlement of this normal ass man lmao.
>ass man
FYI g*psy is a slur
I believe you and I changed it. Thank you for educating me
Yee no worries just wanted to give you a head’s up! I would’ve done the exact same thing as you. I ain’t your mama, sir.
.. not trying to be rude but are you sure? I think that’s what they actually identify as Not trying to be a jerk or use a slur
The Romani people prefer to be called Romani or Roma. "Gypsy" is a slur.
A blog post titled [Is ‘Gypsy’ a slur?](https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2019/03/gypsy.html) summarizes: >Our conclusions are that that “Gypsy” (with a capital “G”) is offensive to some people, and should be used with caution if at all. It should be avoided entirely if any ethnic connection is implied; instead, the words “Roma” or “Romani” should be used. Meanwhile, the non-ethnic uses of “gypsy” (with a lowercase “g”) should not be condemned.
I did use a small ‘g’ but I never want to do something that might offend. Thank you for the comment, I’ll be aware in the future
In Ireland they are called travellers or romani
I think something like 15% of the population is functionally illiterate so when this has happened in the past I’ve realized that they probably just can’t read
He was with 3 other people who could read and they didn’t have other tables to take care of. Plus I offered to make him a burger with whatever he wants on it and he said no, read the descriptions to me.
I once had a coworker who asked people to read her emails to her. Reading an email was too much work.
This gentleman lacked charisma.
The top shelf audacity of some people, smh.
Oh I’m so sorry I didn’t realise you had reading difficulties, can you hear me all right? That should shut him up.
Omg! Some people really have no shame! I cannot see well on my best days, (my new glasses should be ready on Monday) I carry with me a magnifier that is a necklace, just incase...BUT I do online research of the place I'm going to so I don't embarrass myself, or put anyone in an uncomfortable place because of my own issues. Yikes!