#difficultcustomers

i work in a small, popular restaurant.

i am a hostess/ cashier and my job is to seat the customers as soon as possible and run all the payments.

things that i loathe about the customers:

#1) when i tell you there is a 30-45 minute wait, it means it's estimated. NOT EXACT. it usually takes around 30-45 minutes for the customers to leave and a table to be open but sometimes customers will end up staying and chit chatting for much longer... so i'm sorry that the estimated time is not correct. it's not my fault that the customer isn't leaving, so stop yelling at me.

#2) there is a wait list right now with nothing but parties of 3's and 4's and two parties of 2's. one table of 2 is just opening up, you're number four on the wait list (and you have a party of 4) and the party of 2 is number eighteen on the wait list. i'm going to call "number eighteen; party for 2" and seat them. i don't care if you're numbers ahead of eighteen, this table does not seat more than 2 people, no matter how hard you try.

#3) RESERVATIONS. you make a reservation, you show up on time. if you know you're not, AT LEAST CALL US TO TELL US. our restaurant gets busy very often and we CANNOT HOLD A TABLE FOR YOU FOR 30 MINUTES. so of course we're going to give it away so don't yell at us when you find out that we're not going to seat you right away. you make a reservation for a reason; to tell us that you're going to be here at a specific time and we make sure to accommodate your reservation. so when you’re late, not only do you violate the whole point of a reservation, you also waste our time and the time of the customers that are actually here and hungry.

#4) RESERVATIONS... again. when it’s busy (which is most of Saturday and Sundays), please don’t call us to make a reservation when you are literally 5 minutes away from the restaurant. we need way more time to make arrangements for your table and 5 minutes is not going to magically clear out a table. AND EVEN IF IT DOES, there is most likely a long wait list and it would be unfair for anyone who walks in through the door before you to have a spot on the wait list before them when their whole physical being is here and yours is not.

#5) WAIT LIST AND RESERVATIONS. if you’re on the wait list and it is 6:00 PM right now (with lets say.. 3 reservations arriving at this time AND THEY ARE ON TIME), i’m going to seat the reservations first, of course. so don’t yell at me saying that its unfair for them to be seated as soon as they arrived. THEY ARE RESERVATIONS. THEY ARE PRIORITIES. these reservations were made for a specific time and because they arrived at the promised time, they receive absolute priority seating.

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treatment from our customers to the waiters that i find disappointing:

#1) our waiters work really hard to provide you the best service possible. they try to be fast, efficient, careful, and hospitable. so i believe that they deserve a tip. especially if you have a lot of needs to be accommodated or if you have a large party. our waiters use a lot of energy to make sure you guys enjoy and receive your meals. BUT if at any time, our waiters are the complete opposite of what i just said, please tell us so we can have another waiter take care of you. our waiters’ incomes come from tip: they raise their families, pay for their children’s education, and the rent with that money. a little tip is better than no tip!

#2) our waiters do not cook your food. so don’t yell at them for the long wait for your food. if anything, just ask to check up on it and they’ll be sure to provide you with an answer.

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things that i apologize for (in our performances):

#1) sometimes we are really dumb and we take way more reservations that we’re supposed to because of that (it happens rarely but it still happens), we end up dragging out your reservation (even though you came on time). i am deeply sorry for that. i know you made a reservation for a specific time and we violated the point of your reservation. it does not happen often, because we try our bests to make enough time for each reservation that comes in. again, i am sorry.

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but at the end of the day, there are some customers who really make our day: the customers who are understanding and make it as easy as possible. and usually as a small token of our gratuity, the hostesses will do their best to reach you on the wait list and seat you as soon a possible or find a nice table for you to sit at.