I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Today started as every day does.  I got to work, checked messages, got coffee, settled in with the phone.

There were about 27 messages today.  

I plugged through them one by one.  

At least four of them were reservation requests for the first week of December.  I can’t believe we are already booking into December.  

I get to the next to the last message and dial the number.  

A woman answers and I say, Hi, this is Jeff calling from the restaurant, you needed help with a reservation?

She launches in, without a greeting.  

Yes, I’m calling because I’ve tried booking a reservation online on Saturday.  But you are booked.  And I don’t understand…why you don’t have more reservations available.  She is aggressive but not rude…yet…

She continues, will we be able to be seated on Saturday night if we just walk in?

I explain, that we take reservations, but we do NOT save room for walk-ins as many restaurants do. Therefore, when we are booked, we are booked.

She asks about cancellations.  I explain that we do not run a list.  

She then inquires about the bar. I explain that we do take reservations at our bar, but unfortunately, I won’t have room for 4 people at the bar on Saturday night.   

She continues, explaining that they have come from out of town to visit their son, who is working in the area, and it would be ashamed if they couldn’t bring him as they’d promised they would.

She never lets me speak, and as she continues, she becomes less and less patient and more and more aggressive, and less and less polite.

We are on the phone for a good 10 minutes and she has yet to ask me for a reservation on Saturday night. She has been speaking at me, about our policies, our system, and all the ways we have wronged her.  Not once speaking the magic words, “Do you have any availability for 4 on Saturday.”

Fun fact:  If she’d ever said, do you have room for 4 on Saturday night, she’d be eating at my restaurant in a few days.  However, as she became less polite, I decided she would not be getting a reservation at my restaurant, even if she asked.   

Finally, she asks if she can put her name on a wait list.  I explain again that we don’t run a wait list, or cancellation list, and so she is welcome to check on line in case there is a cancellation.  

Great.

She then asks if we have a private room to host functions.

I explain, that we have space available but it’s not really private.  We have four semi-private rooms that can accommodate up to 10 people each, or 40 when opened up.  

She then asks about availability at the end of October.  I say, that yes, we currently have availability but that I wouldn’t be able to say for certain until we are ready to book.

I go on to explain that we have a group menu that we use, and that I’d be happy to check availability and send the menu and pricing if she just emailed me the details of her event. 

She pushes on, so we won’t be able to order off the regular menu.

Unfortunately, no.

She is continuing to get more and more aggressive.  

She then changes her line of questioning…

How big is your bar, could we do an event at the bar?  How many people can you accommodate at the bar?

I explain that we don’t do events at the bar and the most we’ll ever seat is 4 people at the bar.

Well, how many bar stools do you have?

I tell her I’m confused as to why she needs to know how many barstools we have.  The most we’ll accommodate is 4.  

She changes tactics again, and wants to know how big the restaurant is.

I say, it’s not very big. 

She says she wants to know exactly how many seats we have.

I ask, her why she needs to know this and that it’s a strange question.

She is beginning to lose her cool with me.

She says, it’s a common question people ask, how many people does the restaurant seat?  She continues saying, she has worked for a restaurant for the last 18 years and she gets asked this all the time.

I say great, we seat 275 people.

She says, that’s not small at all.

I have made the number up.

I say, well compared to other restaurants I’ve worked at, its not big at all.  

She pushes on, great.  I’d like to get more information; do you want my email address?

I say, uh, no.  You need to email me.

She says, you won’t email me?  

I say, no you need to email me.  

May I ask why?

Because I need to know the date and time and number of people before I can give you availability and a quote. 

She is really mad now.

Are you being serious?

Yes, I’m being serious.

Fine!  What’s your email?

She then explains that she’ll be in the area doing consulting for several restaurants in the area.  For the life of me, I don’t care.  She goes on about how she’s been in the business for years and blah, blah, blah.

At this point, I’ve been on the phone for an eternity and I just want to hang up.

Finally, she runs out of steam and she says, what do you need in the email again?

Just the date and time you are looking for and the number of people.  

And you’ll send the details along with the menu?

I say, yes.

She says, great, will you also send me the regular menu, since you have chosen not to put it on your website.

I explain, that unfortunately, we do not post our menu online, nor do we send it out.

Why, does it change weekly?

At this point, I’m just annoyed.

I say, no, it hardly ever changes.  

This makes her furious. 

Great, I’ll email you then, and can you please call me if you have an opening on Saturday night?

I say, of course and hang up.

She emails one sentence 90 seconds later.

And I emailed her back about 4 minutes later.

The price I quoted on the group menu was about 40% higher than we usually charge.  

The way I see it, if she’s this much of a pain before the event, she’ll be awful to work with.

After the shift, I told Chef the story and he said, I should quote double next time.