I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Remember a couple of weeks ago, when I wrote about people who tip on the remaining balance of gift card transactions?  

Tonight, I’m at the host stand when a server comes to me and shows me her credit card receipt.  It’s for a $150 dollar check, with a $30 dollar tip.  

She is annoyed.  Pissed.  Disappointed.  

It doesn’t help that we are slower than anticipated so everyone is going to have a sour night.

I apologize for them. 

I look at the reservations for the rest of the night.  She is slated to have one more table.  I ask her if she wants to take a cut and go home.  

She does.  

She is out of the building in about .0005 seconds.  

About an hour later the phone rings.  

A man is on the other line and says, I just had dinner there and when I got home, I realized that I tipped on the credit card receipt based on the amount after I used a gift card.  I don’t think I tipped enough.  

He asks if the server can change the tip amount.

I explain that she is gone for the night, but suggest I get his credit card information, and let her ring in a soda the next day and add the gratuity.

He says of course.

I get his information.  

Thank him for his kindness and hang up.

It’s nice when people do the right thing, when so often they don’t.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Last night I answer the phone and a man’s voice says:

Hello, I’m calling from the New York Times.  I am writing a review of the restaurant and can’t seem to find a copy of your menu on your website.

I say, that is right we don’t have a copy of the menu on our website.

He huffs and says, WELL.  Then I guess I won’t write the review then.  

I thought to myself as I laughed at the absurdity of it all, that the Times would be more successful if their reporters didn’t give up so easily.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Last Wednesday a couple come in because they have a gift card they can’t access.  

I explain that I am on the door, and therefore can’t step away to log in and find the card for them.  

They are more than a little annoyed, almost to the point of being rude.  Unfortunately, I can’t abandon the door to go to my office and look it up.  

I give the woman my email address and ask her to email me a copy of the receipt, that it won’t take long and I’ll email it back to them. I take her number to call just in case I don’t get the email.

Fast forward to Saturday, and no email.  So I call, and speak with her.  I explain that I didn’t get an email, it’s not in my spam folder and ask if she can send it again.

She says she will.

Fast forward to today.

I get in and there is an angry message from her.  

I had a meeting with Chef today, so I didn’t sit down to do messages until around 3:30.  I’m in the process of returning calls when the phone rings.

It’s her again.

She IS PISSED.

I explain that I have yet to get an email from her and ask if she’s sure that she didn’t get the email address wrong.

She then angrily say, I didn’t email it to you.  I texted it to the number you’ve been calling from. 

I explain to her that I am calling from a landline, that it can’t get texts and that she’d have to email it to me if she wanted me to find the card and send it back to her.

She is still angry, but about 4 minutes later the email landed in my box.  I’ll send her the card tomorrow.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

I hired 2.5 hosts in the past week.

Two of them are only hosts.  One of them is a server who is going to help cover the door to help us out. 

I had one of the hosts and the server in yesterday to start training.

We get to the phone part of the job, how to answer etc. 

Then the way to return calls.  

For example, you keep the messages you leave as brief as possible with no information.

My message is:

Hi this is Jeff returning your call from the restaurant.  You can reach us back at 555.555.5555.  

That’s it.  

I used to try to respond to them on voicemail, but WAY too many took the messages as a confirmation that I’d made them a reservation.  You don’t have a reservation until you speak with me.  Therefore I  keep it vague.

I’m explaining this to my new team, and suggest that they help return some voicemails while I’m sitting there.

I hand the phone to the first one.  She dials.  The call won’t go through.  

It takes a bit, but we determine that she didn’t dial the area code.

She tries again.

Still won’t go through.    

She forgot the “1”.

She finally completes the call.

Next host up.  

He dials.  

His call won’t go through.

Turns out he IS dialing the area code.  

I then give a whole lesson on how landlines work.  

He makes his call.

This goes on for about 2.56 hours, with me mostly teaching them how to use the dial feature of the phone.  

Turns out they are both YOUNG.  I’m not sure either of them have ever had a landline.  

Luckily, they had a great sense of humor about it.  

What should I teach them next?