I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Oh, where to start again.  I have 13 things on my list and the one I’m going to write about isn’t even on it. 

I wrote on Wednesday, about how I might not be as understanding with guests as I should be.  It’s not on purpose, but sometimes I just can’t.

So, it’s never a surprise when I bet a bad review or a bad survey.  I’m prepared for it.  I know its coming. 

But imagine my surprise when I logged into Resy tonight to check survey results and I see this:

Please provide feedback on your experience.

The food was good and our waiter excellent. The front of house manager is rude, intolerant of requests, unaccommodating and frankly, just plain ignorant. He refused a very reasonable request to seat our together despite there being ample space. His demeanour , attitude and deliberate unhelpfulness need to be addressed.  (They typos are his not mine). 

And:

Is there anything we can change to make you dine with us more frequently?

Yes, your front of house manager !

WOW!!!

It took me a good minute to figure out who it was.  And then I pieced together the issue.

We had three tables check in at the same time on Wednesday night for their 7:00 reservations. 

Two of them had the same last name and I thought they might be together.

But when I brought this up to the six of them waiting inside, they clearly had no idea who the other group was.

Meanwhile, the 4 top and the other 6 top are waiting outside.  I see them chatting but it truly NEVER occurred to me that they were together.  I thought they were two groups waiting to be seated that were talking to each other. 

I get the 6 people waiting inside seated. 

Then I seat the other 6 top in our gallery. 

About 90 seconds later the woman who checked in with that party comes to me and says, that the table is big enough that the waiting party can sit with them.  I explain that I had a table for them and would be getting them seated now.  She says, you have it all mapped out then and I assure her that I did.

It never fucking occurred to me they were together, until the server comes to me at the end of the meal and said that the woman said, I don’t understand why we couldn’t sit together because the table is clearly big enough. 

I was not rude.  I was not short.  I was not anything other than efficient.

I had no idea they knew each other until the server said something.  The other party had the same last name, that’s who I thought they were paired with.  But no it was the Irish table, with the international number. 

How the fuck could I know this?

Yes, the table is big enough for you to sit together.

Fun fact, the decision on who goes where involves far more than whether you’ll fit. 

Also, you booked after I changed the message on our reservation system that said, do NOT make two reservations and expect to sit together.  We’ll honor the reservation but we will not move you to a common table. 

Also, if you’d told me you wanted 10 adults to sit together, I’d have had you email me and there would be an email chain following your requests for a table of 10.  This does not exist. 

And,

Also, let’s break this down:

The front of house manager is rude, (you didn’t speak with me, the woman from the other party spoke to me) intolerant of requests, (I said no, I would have said no if I’d known as well, but saying no doesn’t make me intolerant of requests), unaccommodating (unless I am mistaken, you were seated based on the reservation you made and seated on time I might add) and frankly, just plain ignorant. (This is the one that pisses me off.  How?  Why?  What do you know about me that makes me ignorant?  You don’t know me).   He refused a very reasonable request to seat our together despite there being ample space. (Was it reasonable?  Really?  You are mad as was everyone else this summer that you tried to skirt the system and didn’t get what you wanted), His demeanour , attitude and deliberate unhelpfulness need to be addressed.  (I can’t even with this shit.  I can’t.  I now know why they all seemed angry when they left and wouldn’t respond to my questions on how they enjoyed their meal).

I am angrier about this than I have been all summer.  The people who called me a fucking bad manager were bad but this is worse.

I am very tempted to reach out to the woman I spoke to about being moved together to explain why things went the way they did.  I probably won’t but I’d like to. 

And in what world does a person think someone needs to be fired, just because they were told no.