|
I worked at a pretty well known BBQ place in Detroit. Sundays were typically full of customer service issues. You'd get large groups that had just come from church. Many of these people had given money at church, were done with their charity for the day, and felt pretty good about themselves. The restaurant I managed allowed waitstaff to implement an automatic 18% gratuity on tables of 6 or more at their discretion. Large groups take up more of the servers time, as well as tables in their section. The policy is a safeguard against people coming in with a group of 12 or so, taking up a servers entire section and then stiffing them. So a group of 8 adults and 2 children sit in Tiffany's section. They run her ragged (drink refills, a million questions, food sent back, confused at menu items, generally whiny). Tiffany is pretty much over it and she decides to hit them with the 18% gratuity because shes fairly sure these folks aren't going to tip above that. Servers tend to know how well a table is going, and Tiffany was a veteran. After the table receives their check, Tiffany informs me that the table has asked to speak with a manager to explain their bill. I greet the table and ask how everyone enjoyed their meal, I'm met with deafening sighs and eye-rolls. I as the man seated at the head of the table why he needed a manager. This is where it gets good. The man points to the bottom of his bill where it reads "18% gratuity: $XX.XX". I think the amount was somewhere in the $60-70 range. He looks me dead in the eye and says: "I'm confused we didn't order no Gratatouille" (pronounced like Ratatouille, the provincial French dish and its eponymous Disney film about a rat named Remy with culinary aspirations). Me: "I'm sorry sir I don't understand" Gentleman: "I said we didn't order no GRAT-TAH-TOO-EY" (forcefully) Me: "Oh I see" Gentleman: "Well OK, then" (crosses arms, stares) Me: "We don't serve ratatouille here, this is the 18% added to your bill for being in a party of 6 or more. It's stated on the front of the menu and has always been our policy. I apologize for the misunderstanding but the total at the bottom of your bill is indeed the correct amount" Gentleman: "$70 ain't an understanding (sic), you charging me for some poo poo we didn't order. Nobody here had no GRATATOUILLE" I mentioned earlier that this was a BBQ place. We sold ribs, brisket, smoked chicken, greens, beans, etc. Nowhere on the menu is there Ratatouille or anything resembling it I had to go and retrieve a copy of the menu, kneel down next to the man, and go line by line explaining that perhaps he's confusing the dish from the Disney movie with the word "gratuity". I then explained that servers can invoke this power of gratuity at their own discretion. I had to do this without belittling the man or being condescending. Knowing full well that this group planned on stiffing their server from the second they walked in. Eventually he begrudgingly paid, but not before he promised that he wouldn't be coming back, called us "thieves" and let his family leave a mess of the table (straws, food, napkins, etc thrown everywhere). While I was explaining, his partner (assuming wife) loudly rolled her eyes, tapped her fingers on the table and muttered "This some bullshit, this some bullshit, this some bullshit" over and over. She averted her gaze anytime I looked up. Tiffany was listening in on the whole interaction and thought it was hilarious. Once they left she just gave me one of those, "better you than me" sort of looks.
|
#
¿
Jun 5, 2019 11:54
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 17, 2024 22:10 |
|