Tonight started like any other day.

Staff arrived at 4:00.

Lots of scurrying around.

Preshift at 4:30.

Doors open at 4:50.

And the curtain went up.

The lights went down.

The music was turned on.

Action!

And all was well.

Until 5:55.

I’m standing at the window and chef says oh the Smith’s are here. I look up and recognize them from a couple of months ago.

About 90 seconds later a server appears to let me know the Smith’s are pissed.

They had requested to sit in her section and it wasn’t going to happen.

Ugh.

So I approach the door.

I get to the host stand.

And he launches into the fact that he had requested a specific server and had been told she wouldn’t be waiting on them.

I look at the seating chart.

I look at our options.

Backstory.

He’d had originally been scheduled to be in her section but had been moved because I made a mistake.

However.

This server had three requests tonight.

There was no way within the way we do our sections that she could have all three.

I had scheduled a 2 and a 6 top request in her section.

However, when I got to the door I was willing to make it work until I realize the angry guest had arrived with 5 people when he reserved for 4 people.

At this point to accommodate them they have to be across the restaurant from the severs section

He is not happy.

I look at him and explain that unfortunately we can’t let her wait on him tonight.

But we requested her when we made the reservation.

Yes, but it’s just a request. It says so when you make your reservation.

This only make him more angry.

I know what it says. I don’t care. There is no reason she can’t serve us.

I explain that once again this can’t happen tonight.

At this point he doubled down.

I don’t care. Make it happen. I’ve been a restaurant consultant for 30 years and this is just wrong.

He’s yelling at this point.

I’ve decided at this point that even if I could have done something that he wasn’t getting rewarded for bad behavior.

I finally look him in the eye and say, this is not going to happen. It can’t happen. I don’t have a way to make it happen.

He loses his shit.

He’s shouting how of course I can make it happen. He’s never coming back. We are losing a good customer. This is ridiculous.

I say I’m sorry he feels that way. I’m also thinking chef is going to kill me for this.

He continues yelling about how he’s never coming back as he walks to his table and sits down for dinner.

I find out later that he was rude to the host because she didn’t know who he was.

He was rude to her about the table.

He was rude to the server WHO did wait on him.

All in all he acted like a theee year old who was told he had to eat his vegetables.

And I don’t reward bad behavior.

Fun facts.

He repeated all the way to the table that he was never coming back as he was seated and spent 500 bucks on dinner.

He is a restaurant consultant. Which causes me to be embarrassed for him. If he’s advising management and thinks it’s okay to treat people like this way it truly makes me sad for him. And sad for a restaurant who is paying him.

He tipped his server 18%. I’m even more embarrassed for him now if he’s in the business.

If he’s in the business and doesn’t know you can’t just bring an additional person and not expect the restaurant to struggle to accommodate you.

With the host he pulled the don’t you know who I am card.

When the server explained the chef likes the whole order at one time he said our normal server never makes up rules we have to follow. If he was in the business he’d know every chef likes the complete order.

Perhaps he consults for fast food because he certainly does know how full service restaurants works.

And chef was not angry.

He supported me 100%. Basically agreed with my call.

Summer is here!

For those of you in the rest of the world, I work in a coastal New England tourist town.

We are quiet in the winter.

We are busier in the shoulder season (April, May, September, October).

But June, July and August is in season.

We talk at work that we have 18 weeks to make our money for the year. Memorial Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. Those 18 weeks are crucial for survival for most of us.

The reason these 18 weeks are crucial is that our towns are filled with people who summer here. From north to south people migrate north and make their homes here for the server.

The fun thing about these people is that although 99.9999% of them are wonderful, there is a small but loud contingent that makes their summer complete by treating the service staff in the area miserably.

They are entitled. They are often wealthy. They are boisterous. They are loud. They are rude. And they live to yell at people.

Well.

Summer is here.

The mean people have arrived.

I worked six days this week.

4 out of the 6 days I was treated like shit and received bad reviews.

I didn’t change. I do my job the same everyday.

The guests have changed.

So.

Summer is here.

I’ll be in the walk-in punching a wall.

How about a funny story tonight?

Chef went to the worlds largest restaurant supply convention last fall. It was in Milan and he was gone for a week.

He came back with a million ideas.

And he broke the bank buying new things for the restaurant.

Fancy lamps to replace the candles on our tables.

A fancy espresso machine that does everything except roll silverware at the touch of a button.

And a high end Italian gelato maker.

It took months for these products to come in.

And even longer for the plumbing and electric to be run.

As of a week ago the gelato maker is finally up and functioning.

Last week two people came from Italy and taught our team how to use it.

The team has been playing around with flavors while we work through the homemade gelato we had from before.

So chef has been sending out new flavors to people he knows to get their opinion on them.

Ferrero Rocher. Merlot. And Aperol spritz.

Today I’m called to the window to run some gelato to a table. The chef hands it to the expo and says have Jeff run this Aperol Spritz gelato to the Bar 6.

She hands it to me and says can you take this apple spritz to the bar please. B6.

I ask her to repeat the flavor.

She’s says it’s apple spritz.

And I laugh and ask chef what’s in apple spritz gelato.

Then we explain what it is.

Of course she’s only 22 and have most 22 year olds even heard of Aperol.? I’m not even sure I knew what Merlot was at 22. And a 29 year old had never heard of Ferrero Rocher yesterday.

The guests said it tasted just like an Aperol Spritz.

I can’t wait to try it.

I walk out to the patio tonight.

As I approach the host a table calls me over.

The let me know they aren’t happy with their table. It’s in the middle of everyone.

And.

They haven’t had a meeting moment of privacy.

I don’t know what they need to discuss in private.

I echo their sentiments. Tell them we’ll discuss it with the team at our manager meeting on Thursday.

About fifteen minutes later I go back to the table to deliver a steak that was undercooked.

I drop it off.

And go back to work.

Then.

I get this review tonight.

We have been coming to LF since you opened. always have had great service, especially with Tina, we understand she left. Last visit with Tom was memorable with great food and 5 Star service. Tonight was our worst experience ever. We were placed at a table directly in front of the bar/ host stand where all check ins were standing and overflow guest waiting all around us. We called the manager over and he basically ignored our feedback saying how this table should not be placed in this high traffic area. Our steak arrived rare when ordered medium and had to be sent back, once again the manager came to our table to return to steak, no apology offered. We tipped 20% with a bill over $150, Not at all high end dining that one would expect. Neither manager or Wait staff did anything to make up for a night of dissatisfaction. Need to remove the table from this high traffic area and give customer service when needed. Basic curtesy in the restaurant business. Hope this helps future guest and us on our next visit.

Hmmmm

I’m not sure what they expected me to do in the moment. Pick up the table and move it across the patio?

As for the steak. Yes I brought it to the table. And no I didn’t apologize. I stopped apologizing a few weeks ago after I read an article about customer relations.

Hi. I heard you wanted your steak cooked a little more to your liking. Enjoy. Please let me know if you need anything else.

It’s worked for more than a month.

Acknowledge that it wasn’t to their liking. It’s better now. Ask for me if you need something else.

Until tonight.

Meanwhile.

I’m bad at my job again.

Tonight I get called to the host stand.

I get there and an older woman is waiting to speak to me.

She launched into her complaint.

She has ordered the mashed potatoes. She did not know they had garlic. She is allergic to garlic. She is now going to be very sick because no one told her that the mashed potatoes have garlic.

I wait until she is finished.

I ask her if she told her server she was allergic to garlic.

No but…the menu should have said it had garlic.

I ask again did you tell your server.

No but…

She insists that the menu should have said it.

Fun fact.

Our menu doesn’t describe any of our sides.

Mashed potatoes.

Potato salad.

Quinoa salad.

French fries.

House salad.

Creamed spinach

Broccolini.

No description.

Just a list.

The potatoe salad has egg. The broccolini is grilled. The mashed potatoes have garlic.

Last night a man sent back the creamed spinach because it has cheese.

More than once someone has sent back the quinoa salad because they didn’t know what it was.

But.

I’m going to go out on a limb here.

If you have an allergy. One that is serious. One that will make you sick. It is your responsibility to tell us about it.

And.

It wasn’t till later I learned she had ordered the filet. It is brushed with seasoning that has garlic powder. But she wouldn’t know that because she didn’t ask or tell us about the allergy.

Tonight was a treat.

Around 5:30 a server comes to me carrying two empanadas. She says table 31 said they were disgusting. And burnt.

They look exactly like they were supposed to.

About ten minutes later I hear the bell in the kitchen ring twice.

One ring or a bunch of times means hands to run food.

Two distinct dings means they need me.

I go to the window and chef calls me over. A table has asked for a new server.

Table 31.

I go over and the man says he wants a new server.

This never happens.

I take the appropriate steps. Get them a new server.

40 minutes later they were gone.

They complained on the way out about to food. They gave us a zero on our survey.

And.

The tipped nada, nothing, zero to the server who took over the table.

This really is more about them.

And.

The server who was replaced?

Her cat was hit by a car about two hours before she arrived to work. She was doing her best to hold it together.

She was a class act.

Those two guys.

There aren’t words.

We’ll there are but I’m too much of a lady to use them.

We opened the doors at 5:00 last night.

I entered the lobby just as table 13 was being sat.

The host returns 45 seconds later and let’s me know the man is angry because it’s cold in the dining room.

I checked the thermostat and it was 68. Not cold. But the air was on. It gets warm in our dining room very quickly.

Three minutes later his server comes to me and says that he is angry at her because it’s cold in the dining room.

I go back to the thermostat and click it up one degree.

I approach the table and let him know that I’ve adjusted the temperature.

Here’s the thing though. Your comfort doesn’t supersede everyone else’s comfort. We adjust the temperature to be nice in the dining room.

For everyone.

I thought this was the end of the discussion.

Until we got this on a survey today.

My experience was not good at all. The ambiance was nice, but the food was just mediocre. My biggest complaint was it was freezing in the restaurant. I complained to the hostess, but she just ignored me. I then spoke to our server who did speak to the manager. He came by and said he’d make it less cold. This lasted maybe 10 minutes and then it became very cold again and stayed that way. I mentioned this to the manager when he came by, but he too ignored me. Basically, he was a total jerk. He walked by me several times and never once inquired as to how I was doing. I was not the only one freezing. Several other customers were complaining among themselves and were wearing sweaters and jackets. My wife and I had to keep out coats on during the entire meal. This is total BS and no way to treat customers . My bill was just short of $400. If it was me I would get rid of the manager immediately! I will never go back and will advise all my friends to do the same! I wanted this to be a fun evening, but instead it was horrible!

So.

Here’s the thing about people who write this shit.

At least tell the truth.

I spoke to the guy once. To tell him I’d adjusted the temp. I never spoke to him again. And more importantly he never spoke to me again.

Yes I walked by the table a bunch of times. As a manager it’s my job to walk through the dining room. It’s my job.

And no I didn’t ask him how he was. But he never indicated he needed my help.

And to call me a jerk.

Seriously.

As for being fired.

I shudder to think what it would be like to work for this man.

He played the victim.

And isn’t it inconvenient that the food was just mediocre. 99.9999% of the guests we serve love our food. Funny he is cold and just happens to hate the food.

I also love how he speaks for others in the dining room. I spoke to 70% of the guests last night. No one complained.

And the so called coat he kept on was a sports coat. It’s not like it was a parka. He’d have probably kept it on anyway.

And I spoke to his three friends on their way out. All three said they had a lovely evening.

Summer is coming.

Tonight I approach the host stand as a lady in white is asking questions about a large party.

The host answers the question correctly.

Later I’m at the front again and the host says the woman came back and wanted to know if we could do 10 people at the chefs table.

The chefs table are the two tables in front of our open kitchen.

We hold those tables for VIP’s and chefs friends.

The host tells the woman we don’t pull the tables together, so we probably can’t do it.

The woman won’t take no for an answer.

She is insisting we say yes.

So I tell the host.

Tell her to email me her request.

For big parties we use a pre fixe menu. I’ll offer her that and let her sit at the chef’s table.

I’ll let you know how it plays out but if we can charge her more we’ll gladly let her do it.

A year ago today I was invited to drive 45 minutes south to interview for a job as a restaurant GM.

A friend of mine was the executive sous chef there and had recommended me.

Actually he’d asked me about it a month earlier. I had asked a couple of questions but I already had a job.

Fun story.

My current boss the chef/owner had visited my previous job before we opened and we pretended neither of us knew each other. I shook his hand and said nice to meet you.

The interview.

I arrived 15 minutes early. Resume in hand.

The chef came out early and I was invited in to chat.

We sat at table 33.

I asked if he wanted to see my resume as he’d never seen it.

He told me my reputation spoke for itself.

I spoke less in this interview than any other interview in my life.

He told me about his vision.

He told me about his passion.

He spoke of the challenges he was facing.

He spoke about the things that were working.

He gave me a tour. The space was beautiful.

Finally he asked me to dinner that night.

Come see the restaurant in action.

I left.

Adam and I went back for dinner at 6:00.

It was amazing

Service was great. Food was great. Space was beautiful.

I could see things that needed to be fixed. (They have been).

But it was clearly a special place.

I accepted his offer the next day.

I gave my notice the same day.

Two weeks from today was my first day.

It’s was a great decision.

This is a 2 part story.

A year ago this past Saturday I was at work at my new job. We had been stupidly busy. Insanely so for a new restaurant still struggling with staffing.

At the end of the night the owner appeared to complain that two employees had parked in the guest parking lot. He reminded me that not even I was allowed to park in the restaurant parking lot.

I had ignored this fact since I started. As GM there needed to be some perks. So I parked behind the chef who was allowed to park in the lot.

I told the owner that I’d speak to the server who parked in the lot.

At the end of the night the server came into the office to give me his cash out. I checked his report and said:

Hey. Just so you know you can’t park in the restaurant parking lot. You have to park in city parking a mile away. (Really a mile away. It cost a 100 bucks for a pass).

The server lost his shit.

He shouted at me about all the reasons this sucked. And the reasons I sucked. All the reasons the rules didn’t apply to him.

I listened to him and let it slide.

This was not a star employee. I once had a guest he was waiting on call the restaurant ask for me then ask if they could get a round of drinks as they’d been waiting for service for 30 minutes.

This is not an exaggeration.

So Then.

I called the person I reported to so that I could tell her I’d be letting the sever go the next day.

She said okay.

She arrived at noon the next day to tell me all the reasons I couldn’t fire this particular employee.

All the reasons.

Then the owner appeared to explain that I just needed to get to know the employee. Perhaps I should invite him out to lunch and I’d see his side of things.

I sat there.

Seething.

The server was not much better that day.

I was off on Tuesday. .

That afternoon I called my boss and told her that if I was not permitted to let the offending server go I’d resign.

Six seconds later the owner calls.

He is asking me to calm down.

Not owning the issue.

Just telling me to calm down.

On Thursday I walked in and gave my notice.

The following Monday was my last day.

It was the first time I’d ever given an ultimatum.