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I have a co-worker (older female) who always asks me to go to lunch, but I had to decide to NEVER have lunch with her again, because of how pushy she is in restaurants.
Every time I ate with her, she did at least 2 of the following, sometimes more:
Didn't like the table we were brought to, told the hostess to seat us elsewhere.
Sometimes she'd ask them to change our table after we were already seated for a while and eating.
Special ordered things that are not on the menu. "I'd like the grilled tilapia lunch special, but can I get that with salmon instead?" or "What vegetable does my meal come with? Oh, broccoli? Well I'd like spinach instead." When servers had to tell her that actually didn't have the salmon or the spinach, she would say something like "I can't honestly believe that you have not one leaf of spinach back there in that kitchen." When I'd gently ask her why she'd order things that were not on the menu, her answer was always something like "I like what I like." or "I'm paying good money, and I want what I want."
Told (did not ask, but told) the server or manager to turn the heat or A/C up or down for the whole restaurant because she felt too hot or too cold.
Debated the price of something on the check.
Complained when a place charged for beverage refills. Yes some places have bottomless beverages, but sometimes you might have to pay for two sodas or iced teas.
Sent food back, not because it was bad, or it had a hair on it, or it was cooked incorrectly, but because "I just don't like it" or "It's just not what I thought it would be."
After all of this, she would then try to give the poor servers a very poor tip. She would insist on putting the lunch on her card, and I'd give her cash, so she wouldn't have to go to the ATM later. I actually had to secretly slip the servers a few more dollars when she'd sign the check with a flourish and a 5% tip.
To me, it's just a disgusting sense of entitlement. If it's a restaurant I go to frequently, where they know me as a regular, I might order something different from the menu, if I've already established that this was okay. But for the most part, when I patronize a business, I accept the parameters already set up, or I go elsewhere.
I hate people like your coworker. Since she acts like that in public, just imagine how she is in her own home with a live-in boyfriend or a husband. A woman like her would drive me into alcoholism.
I've heard that Chick Fil A stuff is really good...!
Yes. I'm not even sure if that was the restaurant at the time. But it's there now and I'm pretty sure it was. Not that I enjoyed the food that time though.
Yes. I'm not even sure if that was the restaurant at the time. But it's there now and I'm pretty sure it was. Not that I enjoyed the food that time though.
I don't know about you, but when put in a stressful situation at mealtime, my appetite goes down the drain, anyway. Who in the heck wants to eat, when all hell is breaking lose around you? Jeez, that's why we never took our kids out to eat, until they could behave at mealtime. If you can't behave in a fashion, which is appropriate for your surroundings, you should not BE there. In other words, the OP's coworker is not mature or well behaved to be taken to a public restaurant.
Hey, if we wouldn't allow our children to behave like that in public, why would we go to lunch with someone who behaves worse than our little kids?
Even in our own home....everything can be chaotic, everyone going 12 different directions, stress galore...but...when those words, "BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER" get uttered, there is a calm that comes over the house...a sigh of relief...quiet, pleasant conversation and laughter.....ahhhhhhh.
I once worked in an art supply store that did a lot of wholesale selling to small arts and crafts shops. We were open until noon on Saturdays. There was one customer who would come in 10 minutes before closing nearly every week and give us a big order. She knew very well the entire staff would have to stay overtime half an hour (unpaid!) while her order was filled. Once in awhile is forgivable, but this was a regular practice by someone who should have known better. I think she just enjoyed seeing us all scurrying around helping whoever drew the short straw and had to wait on her. We all had plans for our Saturday afternoons, after 5 1/2 days of work, so that was the epitome of rude and inconsiderate. She was a shop-owner and businesswoman and should have learned to treat people more respectfully. Working in service jobs, you can run into some nasty customers who abuse you just because they can and you're supposed to grin and bear it. They just never learned to have any empathy for others; we're a nation of narcissists.
I do try not to keep people at work past the posted closing time. But I would also blame your employer for not paying for that overtime, since stuff like this does happen. If your employer didn't want to pay for the overtime, s/he should have moved the posted closing time to be a half hour earlier.
I have not worked at a fast food place, but I worked at a large department store during college. People would invariably show up ten minutes before closing and want to try on clothes. We could not close until everyone had vacated the store. We also had to clean up and make sure our registers balanced out after everyone left. Many nights we would wind up working an hour past our shifts. This was after going to school then working 6 or 7 hours. It is inconsiderate and rude to go to any establishment right at closing time.
I do try not to keep people at work past the posted closing time. But I would also blame your employer for not paying for that overtime, since stuff like this does happen. If your employer didn't want to pay for the overtime, s/he should have moved the posted closing time to be a half hour earlier.
But then, the woman would have still come in 5 minutes before closing. It's not about the time, I think it's sort of a control issue with her.
I have not worked at a fast food place, but I worked at a large department store during college. People would invariably show up ten minutes before closing and want to try on clothes. We could not close until everyone had vacated the store. We also had to clean up and make sure our registers balanced out after everyone left. Many nights we would wind up working an hour past our shifts. This was after going to school then working 6 or 7 hours. It is inconsiderate and rude to go to any establishment right at closing time.
I worked for The Gap in high school and college, and I used to HATE the people who would insist on coming in a few minutes before closing. the worst were the one who would insist in coming in right AT closing. We'd be out front pulling down the big overhead door to the mall, and they'd do an Indiana Jones dive under the door. And it wasn't like these were people who needed an "emergency" pair of jeans or turtleneck, and they would get in & get out. They wanted to browse!
But then, the woman would have still come in 5 minutes before closing. It's not about the time, I think it's sort of a control issue with her.
My point is for the employer to post a closing time a half-hour before he stops paying his employees to be there. That's more fair and sensible than requiring the employees to work a half-hour longer without pay because of inconsiderate customers.
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