I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

I wrote this post three days ago and saved it to post on a night when I don’t work.  Adam suggested I write ahead so that I always have posts to share.

From Friday night:

I walked into the dining room tonight just behind Bob who was going to a dirty table to clean it.  

As I stepped behind him, I heard someone snapping their fingers, then I heard someone clap their hands twice and say, Bob, hey Bob.  

He didn’t hear them, but I certainly did.  

I turned and glared at them. 

Then I followed Bob to the wait station and said, table #25 just snapped at you, so I am assuming they need you. 

For those not in the business reading this, NEVER, EVER, EVER snap at a server to get their attention.

Nothing you need is that important, unless your guest is having an allergic reaction and needs an shot to the heart to survive, like in Kill Bill.

This is your public service announcement for the day.  

Update from today:

I was headed to my office to get my laptop, when I hear a whistle and realize that table #14 has their head stuck out of their room and is looking for someone.  They call me over, to tell me their chicken is undercooked. 

It’s not.  We smoke out chicken.  It’s smoked for hours before it’s served.  It was cooked through before they ever ordered it.  

Second, don’t fucking whistle at me.  You can only whistle at me if you are Ryan Reynolds or Jason Mamoa and you are about to fulfil a lifelong fantasy.  

Don’t do it.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

A story shared by a server tonight…

One of my servers comes up to say that table #37 when asked if they’d like to hear about dessert said and I quote, 

“Just bring me a spoon so she can eat out my ass.”

He replied, unfortunately that’s not on the menu.  

And that my friends is class.  

Through and through.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

We’ve had three bad reviews on Google, in the last three days.  This is not normal for us.  

I’d like to address them:

1.

First, let me say I was very excited to try this place. I had nothing but high hopes after countless recommendations. What followed was nothing short of the worst meal/experience of my life.

My wife and I ordered 2 Porterhouse steaks. Both of them to be cooked medium rare. They came out medium well. We ordered mashed potatoes (which had 2 hairs in them). When they replaced our whole meal, it came back out cold. The waitress basically threw the food down onto the table and refused to wait on us for the rest of the night. I went thirty minutes without water (I have severe acid reflux.. this could have been an emergency). I will never recommend this place to anyone. STAY AWAY IF YOU DONT WANT HAIRY FOOD AND BAD SERVICE.

How do I start?

How do I put this politely?  

BULLSHIT!!!

I call bullshit.

Why you say?

Well first, my staff knows that I want to know about every re-cook.  Whether it’s a burnt steak, or a steak that just needs to be cooked a little more I want to know.  So the odds of tables entire order being re-cooked without me knowing is very slim.  

If a server had food with a hair in it, I’m about 99.9999% sure I’d have heard about it.  I’d definitely have needed to make a table visit.  

Also, the odds of two porterhouse steaks being re-cooked and chef not knowing about it would be very, very slim.  He has no recollection of two porterhouses being over-cooked and having to make two new ones.  

The review says the waitress, basically threw the food down on the table…we have food runners.  Lots and lots of food runners.  Our servers run about .001 percent of their own food.  Of all the restaurants I’ve ever worked in, the servers run very little of their own food.  In fact, it’s highly unlikely that any server ran food that night.  

As for the acid reflux, I’m supposing that if you’d really need a glass of water in a life or death situation your wife would have spoken up.

And the post says a waitress brought their food, and so that tells me it’s not the bar, it’s not 30% of the staff.  Last night, I had about an hour till the dishwashers finished up, so I went through the last week’s orders.  All of he two tops, served by women.  And what would you know, there are no tables, with two porterhouses, served by women.  

I call bullshit!!!

2.

I made the rez about 5 weeks in advance -for a birthday dinner. I requested outside seating if the weather would be warm enough, which it totally wasn’t. The manager said that they had no inside tables. Outside seating has neither heat lamps, nor blankets to throw over guests who are freezing. One server told me bluntly “NO we don’t have any blankets”! as if I’d asked for a fur-lined coat.
If the restaurant had called earlier in the day and said that it was going to be between 54F and 60F after dark – and that we might want to bring our own blankets and such, we would have been prepared – though may have opted for elsewhere.
The server was knowledgable and friendly, and apologetic. I was so excited about the Argentinian BBQ style but was very disappointed – mostly with though meat -which soon turned very cold. The Empanadas were excellent. The listed Wine “Mirval” Rosé is misrepresented on the wine list – as its actually Studio by Mirval – a lower standard/taste. Note, The bottles of wine ordered by guests appear to be there for self-service.?? Hmmm.
We were so freezing and disappointed with the meal that we just paid and left. I wouldn’t return or recommend the restaurant. Oh… and the sign outside the front of the restaurant refers to “Pulled Pork” which my sister loves – the server advised that was from a previous restaurant 4 years ago.
There may be a lot of sizzle going on at the asado/grill in the kitchen, but the execution of the overall restaurant experience has fallen flat.

Let me break this one down for you…

He made the reservation on August 9.  Yes, about 5 weeks ago and I’m sure he had no thought of Maine in September, but their request did not say should it be warm enough.  His request said, if inclement weather, move inside.  Yesterday, was a beautiful late summer/early fall day.  Yes, it was about 60* but fun fact, you can watch the weather as easily as I can.  We had 6 tables seated on the patio after you and they all had a great time.  

It was actually not a server who told him, NO we don’t have any blankets.  It was a host, who he’d already asked several times about blankets as if she was going to pull one out of thin air for him.  

The list wine, Mirval Rose is misrepresented on the wine list- as it’s actually Studio by Mirval.   It’s misrepresented by the menu by listing it as Rose, Miraval Studio, FR.  If by misrepresentation you mean by listing it as it actually is then by all means it’s misrepresented.  

The sign you mention, is food items that are frequently served in chef’s area of the world.  It is a sign on the side of a building.  It is not intended to be a menu. And I didn’t ask but I’m sure your server never said it was from another restaurant 4 years ago.  It was a graphic design placed on the front of the building when we opened 4 years ago.   

To sum it up nicely, you were mad that you made a reservation 5 weeks ago, during the hot summer months and didn’t change it to inside, after the weather turned.  So, you made up other things to be mad about.  

3. 

Please be careful about deciding to spend your money here. Especially if you arrive alone. Apparently there is a policy that the bar is a reservation-onlyat dinner time. Unusual but fine; not posted anywhere that I saw. I had been here a month ago and the hostesses said that while there were no tables available, I could sit at the bar to have dinner. I did, and really enjoyed it.

Fast forward to tonight. I assumed the bar was always first come first served for dinner as it appeared to be on my last visit. A front desk manager (a man who was not present on my last visit), hastened over to tell me that all bar seats were reserved/reservation only- very sorry. I got up, but shared with him that I hadn’t known that because the last time, the hostesses welcomed me to sit at the bar. Period. End of story. When I told the young man this, he told me THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN. Accused me of lying then said “I’m not having this encounter with you here.”
I’m furious to have been treated so high-handedly. To be accused of lying? In what world. For shame.

I’ll start by saying, I had a conversation if you can call it that with this person while they were in the restaurant, she left a message on our voicemail, and a review.  My response will be combining the three sources. 

I’m always amazed at people, who think any restaurant takes pleasure in turning away guests.  Yes, my bonus at the end of the year, isn’t based on revenue and financials at all, it’s based purely on the number of people I turn away at the door.  

The fact that you were single has no bearing in this story.  None at all.  

Our bar is not reservation only – only at dinner time.  We are not open for lunch.  And it’s not reservation only. However, we do take reservations, so if it is fully reserved as it was for the first turn tonight, I’ll have no stools for you to sit on.  And all of your protestations won’t fix that, because if I allow you to stay at the bar, what will I tell the people who do have reservations.  Also, had you not stormed out I could have offered you a table which I’d have had.   And yes, we don’t post a sign at the door that says we take reservations at the bar.  I don’t know any restaurant that does that. 

Yes, a month ago, you might have been told you could sit at the bar to have dinner, done so and enjoyed it.  However, what you said in the moment and what you said on your voicemail are simply not true.  In the 15+ months I’ve been employed here, at no time has anyone told a guest, they could just seat themselves at the bar.  Not even on a Wednesday in January.  Also, as you said on your voicemail there were two girls at the host stand on August 14^th, when you came in alone for your birthday.  Simply not true.  We have this thing called a schedule, that I double checked tonight and we had one host scheduled for the evening and she was outside.  Guess what that means.  Yours truly would have been on the door and would have never told you that you could sit anywhere.  PS. You told me in person, and on the phone that I was not here the night you were here.  And guess what again, I’ve missed one shift in 7 months and it was two days ago….

You probably were welcomed to sit at the bar.  In a seat assigned by us.  Last time you checked in with the host.  Tonight, you did not. You pushed your way through the lobby and sat yourself, then told me that you were told to seat yourself in August.  Which as I told you tonight, I can assure you did not happen. 

I did not accuse you of lying, I said that I know for a fact that you were never told to sit anywhere you like.  And I’m pretty sure, I said I’m not having this conversation with you, as you were looking for a fight, I didn’t have time to have.  

I also did not treat you as trash as you suggested on the phone.  I simply told you that you could not sit at the bar and you immediately pushed back.  The only way, I’d have been seen as not rude tonight would have been to allow you to keep your seats and tell the people who’d made reservations, sorry, she got here first, when they arrived.  

Three reviews. 

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

On Thursday night, I got to leave work at 5:15 to go to a Chamber of Commerce event, where we won a little award. 

First, it’s the first shift I’ve missed since I was sick in February.  

It was nice to leave work while it was still daylight outside.  

Second, the event ended early, so I was able to meet a friend and try out a new restaurant near my restaurant.  

It was really good.  Service was good.  Food even better.  Space quite nice.  

Over dinner last night we discussed the award we won.  

We got a silver award for best place for a FIRST DATE.

And that brought up the discussion about how expensive should a restaurant be on a first date.  

Should it be casual?  Inexpensive?  Do you throw caution to the wind and just go for it?

My young staff all said, Applebee’s is a good place for a first date.  

My older staff said absolutely not.

One person said, never go expensive until you know the deal is sealed.  

What are your thoughts? 

Do you go all out and spend money to impress them?

Or are you cautious and meet for coffee at Starbucks?

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

I’ve appreciated all the responses to my question about whether I did the right thing concerning the guy at table 36.  

I reached out to my friend who has helped guide me through the last 9 years. 

She tells me when I’m being a jerk.  

She tells me when I’m being too nice.  

She has helped me figure out how to be the manager I am today.  

On Thursday night I called her to say, hey, what was your thought.  

She had two things to say:

First.

The story I told verbally to her had more nuance than the story I told on the blog.  

This is probably true. 

I like to tell a story as much as I like to write a story.  

But.

Second and most importantly, she said that I needed to stay true to myself.  

She went on to say, it’s great to question your decision because it means you care about doing the right thing and you care about becoming better at your job.  But one of the first things I taught her as an AGM was to trust your gut.  And if your gut tells you something, most likely it’s the right thing to do.

She ended by saying, she wouldn’t like it if I stopped being me.  

I appreciated everything she said.  

And she is right.  In my first week as a GM, I was convinced to hire someone that I knew absolutely in my heart was not going to work out, and three weeks later I fired her.  

Trust your gut.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

On a hot August night, a year ago, I had a table that received the bill for their dinner without their entrees on it.  

They told the server, the check was remedied, and given back to the guest.  

They called the server over and asked what their reward was going to be.  

The following exchange was the subject of my fourth ever Facebook, turned blog post. 

You can read about it here. 

https://id-like-to-speak-to-the-manager.com/2021/10/08/119/

Tonight, a server comes up and says, table 35 wants to know if there was a different manager here in 2020, because he had been rude to them when they came in for dinner.  

I ask if she is sure that it’s 2020 and she says yes, then goes on to summarize the subject of the blog.  She says to me that the woman has been back a couple of times, but her husband refuses to step one foot in the place. 

I laugh and ask her to let me know if they say anything else.

Fast forward to 9:15 or so and I’m talking to table 36 about their filet and watch the women sitting at the next table over and hear one of the say, that’s him.  That’s the asshole, as they get up to leave.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

I’ve become more and more reflective over the past year about whether I handle a situation correctly or not. 

I can be very stubborn, anyone who knows me will tell you that.  

However, I am also open to learning, and hearing criticism.  

I’ve been having a conversation with myself since around 10:00 about whether I handled a situation correctly tonight.  

______________________

I’m at the host stand tonight when a server finds me and lets me know that table 36 had sent back her filet because it was underdone.  

I’m stuck at the door, but I thank her for letting me know.

She says, she also wanted to let me know that their food came out a little faster than she thought it would, so they were still eating appetizers when it arrived.  

I check in with her about how they are and she says they seem fine.  

_______________________

About 20 minutes later the server finds me again to let me know that as she checked in with them about how they are doing, they tell her they are upset about the filet.  I ask why, and seems that it was still not cooked enough when they brought it back out.  I ask if they want it cooked more and she says, no, there’s only a couple of bites left.   

I’m still stuck on the door so I tell her to offer them dessert.  

________________________

She appears about 90 seconds later to let me know they aren’t interested in dessert; they are demanding the steak be taken off the check.  

I ask if the steak is still on the table.  She tells me that it is.  

I go to the table and say, Hi, I understand that you are not happy with the filet.  

It dissolves pretty quickly. 

He points at the filet and says look at that.  Look at that.  Does that look like it’s cooked medium+. 

It is in fact not medium+. The three small bites that are left are a perfect medium rare.  

I understand his frustration, and say as much.

I say that we’d have been happy to cook the steak more when it came out.

He says, at these prices we shouldn’t have to ask for something to be recooked.  

I hate this statement. 

I don’t care where you are eating.  You should get what you pay for, but you should have to pay if you consume it.  

We’d have cooked a brand-new steak if we’d had to, but you have eaten the steak, and now you want it for free and that’s not how this works.  

I say to him, I truly wish you’d let us fix this before you had eaten it, because we would made it right, but unfortunately, you’ve eaten the steak and I’m not going to take it off the bill.

This does not go over well.

He starts to get louder and now it’s not about the steak, it’s about the service.  

He’s been here less than an hour, spending $400 on dinner, and we are rushing them out of the building. 

None of this is true. 

I apologize for this, but this is a common thing, we say no to one argument so you pivot.  

IF, you’d started with the service and the rushing, the conversation would have played out differently. 

I once again ask them why they didn’t ask to see me before they ate the whole steak.  

The man is getting more intense, and says, she didn’t want to make a scene.  She didn’t want to complain. 

I say, I would have been happy to fix it then, but she at the whole thing.

He says, that she didn’t enjoy it, he watched as she forced bite after bite down her throat.  

That’s a quote.

I should point out that the woman has not made a peep in this whole exchange.  In every situation, I’ve ever had if there are two people, they both get involved.  She is sinking into her chair and quiet as a mouse.  

He finally says, I’m not paying for the steak.

I say, we’ll unfortunately, that’s not how any of this works.  

He says, well I guess you can call the police then.

I say, well, I don’t want it to come to that, but if it’s what you want, I’ll be happy to let them sort this out.

Somewhere around now, he’s decided if the argument is not going to work, he’s going to intimidate.  He gets very stern and raises his voice, very much like a person who is used to getting his way.  Very.  Very intense. Louder.  And louder.  

I let him finish and say, sir, you are looking for a fight and I’m not going to engage.  You ordered a filet; we gave you a filet and you ate the filet.  You need to pay for the filet.  

He’s getting louder, but I’m not biting.  

I finally say one last time, that I wish they’d asked for the steak to be cooked a little more and then I leave. 

As soon as I walk away, they ask for the check and pay the tab, in cash and with exact change.  

They leave.  I see them walking out the door.  They say nothing as they leave.

I end up giving the server  $20 I was given tonight as a tip.    

I finish up my night, get seated at the chef’s table and wonder if I should have just given him what he wanted and walked away.  

The easy answer is yes, but based on his wife’s face I don’t think he’s used to be told no or talked back to.  She didn’t utter word during the whole exchange. 

Is it better for the business, to eat the cost and not deal with the negativity?  

Of do you stand your ground and say no.  

I have no idea.  Everyone I’ve asked tonight said that if you eat the steak, you pay for the steak.  

The director of operations at a corporate restaurant would have told me to comp the whole meal.  

I’m left sitting here, contemplating the choices.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Tonight, a server comes to me and says that table #11 would like to see me.  She lets me know that they are visiting from Kentucky.  

Without a beat, I say to her, tell them I need to know which basketball team they root for, before I can come to the table.  

She comes back 15 minutes or so later, and says, they want to know if you are a part of BBN.  

She tells me that stands for Big Blue Nation.  

I laugh and say, I know what it means.  

I go by the table.

I say alright, who do you root for, because if it’s for the wrong team you are going to have to leave. McDonald’s out by the highway is open till 11:00.  

They confess they are Kentucky fans.  

We chat for few minutes. 

About Kentucky.  They are from Glasgow.  I probably knew where that was once.  

I tell them that a couple of weeks ago, I was seating a table and asked them if they were from here or away?

They said, they were from North Carolina.  I started to seat them and said, I have to know what basketball team you root for if you are from NC.  They say, they root for Carolina.  I say, good thing.  If you supported Duke, I don’t think I could let you eat here.

They laughed, and we chatted for a few minutes.

The table tonight, said oh my god.  It’s so crazy that was over 30 years ago, and we still fixate on it.  

A man at the table says, I also remember exactly where I was.  Kind of like when I watched OJ be chased.  

It’s true.  I was bartending at O’Charley’s on Nicholasville Road.  He who shall not be named, made the shot and in 90 seconds the bar was empty.  All of us trying to figure out what we’d just seen. 

I’m am gratefully pulled away by a server who needed a void.  

We catch up on the way out, and we chat more about the weather, how I got to Maine, etc.  

They were very nice.

However, the server showed me their credit card receipt.  They tipped her more than 20%.  

But they left $98.

She was curious what kept them from just leaving a $100.  

I told her to do a better job next time….

🙂

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Around 6:50, I answer the phone.

A woman says, hi, my name is Mary, I’m returning a call.

I say yes, how can I help you?

She says, yes, I’m calling you back?

I say yes, how can I help you?

She says, yes, you called me.

I say, if I left a message for you today, it’s because in the last 24 hours you left a message for a reservation.  How can I help you?

Oh.  Yes.  I called for a reservation.  

I ask her what day and time she is looking for…

She says, just a second, I’ll be right back.  I have to get my notes.  

She is gone for what seemed like four hours, but was a least more than 2 minutes, when four guests walk in for their 7:00 reservation.

I’m still waiting, and finally mute the phone and set it down.  

I help the guests that are in front of me.  Then the next guests.  Then the next.

She is gone when I get back to the phone.  

I have no idea if she called back, but hopefully, she left a message.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Hello, thank you for calling the restaurant, how may I help you?

Yes, do you have any reservations for tonight?

I hear Adam’s voice in my head making fun of me, because I’ve asked this question before. Yes, we have reservations. Lots of them.

I say what time would you like to come in?

it’s currently 6:00.

What’s the earliest reservation you have?

I think to myself, I can seat you now if you are in the parking lot, but I say, I can seat 2 people at 6:30?

Do you have anything later?

I say, yes, I can seat 2 people at 7:30?

She replies, you don’t have anything any earlier?

I say no, thinking to myself that if 7:00 was the time you wanted, why didn’t you ask for 7:00.

She tells me that she’ll discuss it with her daughter and call me back.

She called back around 6:30, I could see her name on the caller ID, but I am getting 6:30 reservations sat and can’t answer.

Ask for what you want out of life!