Had a customer tell me my job was 'easy' yesterday at the diner in Tulsa

This guy watched me run 8 tables solo during the lunch rush and said I just walk food around. I asked him to grab a pitcher of tea from the kitchen and watch the counter for 2 minutes. He came back 5 minutes later with tea spilled on his shirt and three people complained about their checks. Has anyone else had a customer try your job for 30 seconds and get humbled?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_holly7d ago

Oh wow, that's incredible. I actually think there's a deeper issue here that nobody is talking about. That customer basically admitted he thinks all labor is the same when it's not. He thought pouring tea was just like making it or managing a whole dining room. But here's the thing, he probably also drives by construction sites and thinks those guys just stand around holding signs, or watches nurses and thinks they just hand out pills. His whole view of work is what you can see on the surface, not the mental juggling act behind it. You humbling him in two minutes was honestly doing the whole service industry a favor. How long did it take for him to even admit he was wrong?

the_sam7d ago

Haha @the_holly nailed it. That guy thinking pouring tea is the same as running a whole section is wild. I had a dude at my last gig who watched me cash out a 12 top and said "that's it?" So I had him try to split a check for five people with separate payments. He left a 5% tip and apologized.

lisa57d ago

Honestly, "watched me cash out a 12 top and said 'that's it?'" kills me because that's exactly what @the_holly was getting at. People see the physical part and think the brain part isn't real. Tbh I think there's a tiny thing in what she said though, not all customers who do this actually think all labor is the same. Some of them are just clueless about restaurant work specifically, not every job. But yeah, making him try that split check was a perfect move, and the apology plus 5% tip basically proved your point.