This attitude is totally unreasonable. I understand a restaurant not cooking up special off-the-menu things on request but changes to existing menu items is a standard thing I expect to get anywhere. People have different needs. Different tastes. Allergies. If you can't fiddle your burger to hold the pickles or add an egg or whatever you're just losing business. People remember and they don't come back.
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If a sit down restaurant denies you a simple special order, do you stop going?
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This attitude is totally unreasonable. I understand a restaurant not cooking up special off-the-menu things on request but changes to existing menu items is a standard thing I expect to get anywhere. People have different needs. Different tastes. Allergies. If you can't fiddle your burger to hold the pickles or add an egg or whatever you're just losing business. People remember and they don't come back.
CornBurrito
Member
Lord Fagan
Junior Member
I guess there's nothing stopping them from getting food elsewhere, but it's not like the staff just said no without explanation.
It's a restaurant, not their restaurant.
It's a restaurant, not their restaurant.
Squirrel Killer
Member
To you guys saying no special orders, you do realize that the Soup Nazi episode was not supposed to be business advice, right?
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Yeah, that's totally fine if that's how they want or need to conduct business.
Honestly, this kind of thing and the expectation of tipping are probably a large part of why I simply do not go to restaurants unless it's part of a social or business obligation. When it comes to my meals, I really do not want to pay a premium and have to consider other people's problems or job performance.
That's just me, though! As you implied, my lack of patronage is probably welcome.
valkillmore
Member
The Soup Nazi is crazy successful, so successful they lampooned him on the most popular show on TV.
I wouldn't order something special in the first place.. If it ain't on the menu I'm not asking for it. The Chef's have a menu I'm not gonna tell them "nah I don't want it your way, I want it my way". Probably a bad analogy but it's like going to McDonald's and asking for a Big Mac with no Big Mac sauce. If I don't like what they have to offer on the menu then I just go elsewhere..
But it is an egg I don't see the big deal, just charge extra. And on the other hand, it's an egg.. I wouldn't have made a fuss over being denied it and I'd probably go back to said restaurant.
I find it hard to side with either party here to be honest..
But it is an egg I don't see the big deal, just charge extra. And on the other hand, it's an egg.. I wouldn't have made a fuss over being denied it and I'd probably go back to said restaurant.
I find it hard to side with either party here to be honest..
valkillmore
Member
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
They wouldn't give him what he wanted so he stopped patronizing the establishment. No one is wrong. It just is.
We have a hotdog place in our town that only sells hotdogs two ways, plain or with sauce. You dont get one if you ask for it any other way.
Long ago when i was a kid, i asked for a hotdog with ketchup. He threw a ketchup packet on the floor and said theres your ketchup. Now they dont even have ketchup packet.
It's the most popular hotdog place in town.
Honestly caring that much about having an egg on your burger is "wrong" in my book. As wrong as any other thing that doesn't matter. Dude might as well say The Beatles suck.
But he is special. He's one of your heavy spenders not some one off casual. I think management was in the wrong here and should have made a special order for him. I think honestly unless the order is something crazy, restaurants should be trying their best to satisfy what the customer wants It's just bad business otherwise.
Transistor
Banned
How it should go down:
"Can I get a fried egg on my burger"
"Sorry, we can't do a special order like that"
"Oh, OK, no biggee"
End scene
"Can I get a fried egg on my burger"
"Sorry, we can't do a special order like that"
"Oh, OK, no biggee"
End scene
peteykirch
Member
I haven't been back to this one chopped salad place that opened up near my Moms place.
I wanted the Cobb Salad, she got about 3/4 of the way through making it, and told me they didn't have any avocados so if there would be something else I'd want in it. I asked for extra turkey, she told that she would have to charge me.
I shoot her a look like she's crazy. The price for the large salad was 12 bucks. When you make your own salad, avocados are a premium topping that cost an extra 1.25 for. Extra meat is 1.50.
Good customer service would either be;
Give the customer the extra turkey
Give the customer a discount on the price of the salad
Offer the customer a free drink. Seriously a fountain soda costs places mere pennies
None of these were offered. I ended up settling for a little more hardboiled egg and red onion.
I wanted the Cobb Salad, she got about 3/4 of the way through making it, and told me they didn't have any avocados so if there would be something else I'd want in it. I asked for extra turkey, she told that she would have to charge me.
I shoot her a look like she's crazy. The price for the large salad was 12 bucks. When you make your own salad, avocados are a premium topping that cost an extra 1.25 for. Extra meat is 1.50.
Good customer service would either be;
Give the customer the extra turkey
Give the customer a discount on the price of the salad
Offer the customer a free drink. Seriously a fountain soda costs places mere pennies
None of these were offered. I ended up settling for a little more hardboiled egg and red onion.
excelsiorlef
Member
Tea is made up of exactly two things... tea bag and hot water... which of those do you think you're actually charged for?
Tea bag is the tea. You asked for two teas but only one cup of hot water
J
Jpop
Unconfirmed Member
$500 a month at $75 a visit is not a heavy hitter at all.
He isn't special, he isn't entitled. They offered him a refund because he threw a fit. They wanted him gone and probably would be happy if he didn't show up again.
I did, he said "sorry we don't do alterations" I laughed and said "good luck with that" and walked out
They offered a compromise that was more than fair. They are trying to bring in new customers so they aren't subject to the whim of entitled blowhards hence the effort to make good on the promotion going on. If you're going to be the type of customer that's going to act like they own the place because you enjoy the damn restaurant and go a lot for this very reason, then they are probably better off parting ways. Or was the reason this person was a regular not because they actually think the place was worth repeat visits but rather to build some sort of fabricated platinum status to hold over management's head? See? It's not like either party is doing the other a favor. Certain things may be taken into consideration but ultimately I don't think people that think they are special are nearly as special as they think.
A returning heavy spender IS special. You don't have too many of them. I'm glad I don't have my hands tied by corporate BS.
Seriously, $71 compensation because they can't give him one egg? I'd take it and ask my way up the... sorry the word but... fucking chain since obviously that's some corporate order that was given out. And some shitstains can fire you for overriding.
Seriously, fucking $71. I'd give the man his egg, go out and buy another 10 eggs and take 2 hours off and still save the company money. There is nothing reasonable in here except totalitarian corporate shit.
valkillmore
Member
Yes. YES.
UnemployedVillain
Member
Congrats, you're a reasonable, normal functioning adult
J
Jpop
Unconfirmed Member
Read the thread people have explained how restaurants operate and it isn't like you describe.
Also $500 a month as a regular at a decent restaurant isn't spending a lot. It is actually on the more frugal side.
Even super-high-volume places like McDonalds let you do special orders. I can go into my local Mickey D's and order any burger from the menu any way I want. Hell they even have a "make your own gourmet burger" thing at the moment. Special orders (within reasonable limits) are normal, man. It's expected. 99% of cafes and restaurants in Australia do this. When one refuses it mars the entire dining experience. You end up with something you don't want to eat or simply can't eat. It's a shit feeling and reflects poorly on the place you're at. You likely won't visit again soon or sing its praises to your friends. It's just dumb policy.
LOL. Where are you eating?
J
Jpop
Unconfirmed Member
McDonald's isn't a restaurant.
You don't know what you are talking about so please stop.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you think McDonald's is a restaurant.
Literally any decent restaurant you go to is going to cost about $100 to $150 for two people; when you factor in drinks ECT..
CornBurrito
Member
McDonald's
Fast food restaurant company
McDonald's is an American hamburger and fast food restaurant chain. It was founded in 1940
noun
1.
an establishment where meals are served to customers.
Expecting everyone to be an elitist snob isn't going to work. Words aren't defined by how Jpop uses them.
J
Jpop
Unconfirmed Member
CornBurrito
Member
McDonald's is classified as a restaurant.
This article might be enlightening: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_food_restaurant
J
Jpop
Unconfirmed Member
Okay, stop being pedantic.
You know very well what is being discussed in this thread.
Clockwork5
Member
I am the GM of a restaurant.
Put the fucking egg on the burger, you idiots.
Put the fucking egg on the burger, you idiots.
CornBurrito
Member
The restaurant in the thread being discussed is an average sitdown restaurant where 500/month is not "frugal" for a single customer.
MrToughPants
Brian Burke punched my mom
Free hotel breakfasts.
J
Jpop
Unconfirmed Member
Clockwork5
Member
It's nothing like that. The man wanted an egg on his burger and was denied for no good reason.
Also, give the dude salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
The fuck is this elitist snobbery bullshit?
Yelp's system breaks down:
$ Price range $1-10
$$ Price range $11-30
$$$ Price range $31-60
$$$$ Price range $61+
100-150 would classify under $$$ which is what I would consider more along fine dining than anything.
Also it's etc, not ECT.
So this person had eaten at the restaurant 100 times over two years by the time he or anyone he was with ever thought to place a special order. Yet when he finds out they don't do them, this is somehow such a dealbreaker that he leaves this restaurant he loves and never comes back? The fuck is wrong with this guy? I get that he really wants to make sure everyone reading his shitty sales book understands what a rich and valuable high roller he is--I've seen that a lot in those kinds of books--but try to think up a story that doesn't make you come across as a weirdo Seinfeld character to normal people.
GTFO with this elitist bull. We're talking about eateries. I mentioned McD because it's a high volume eatery. If any place should refuse special orders it's high volume eateries because non-standard orders fuck up the production line. A sit-down restaurant should be even more flexible. There's literally no excuse for not allowing small changes to menu items. It's just sheer bloody mindedness.
lol.
My wife and I went to a decent sit down Italian place in the next town over, about a year ago. Not sure if it's a chain, but I don't think it is. They had a GF pizza crust, which I was excited about as I had eaten there before I figured out my wheat allergy, but not since. My wife and I were out on a date.
I couldn't decide on a pepperoni or sausage pizza, so I asked for half and half. I wanted to try both, but didn't want all the grease of doubling up.
The kitchen doesn't do that, the waitress tells me. I'm like, what? They can't put pepperoni on half and sausage on the other half? Nope. I asked if she could go ask the kitchen if they could. I told her I was happy to pay for two toppings, if that would help.
She came back with the negative, and the manager had backed her up when she asked (while in the kitchen). They don't do half and half because it it would make them "look like a pizza chain". I thought it was just good customer service.
I didn't end up ordering any food because I was so frustrated. (My wife enjoyed a salad.) I will never eat there again.
So yeah, I'm one of those.
I couldn't decide on a pepperoni or sausage pizza, so I asked for half and half. I wanted to try both, but didn't want all the grease of doubling up.
The kitchen doesn't do that, the waitress tells me. I'm like, what? They can't put pepperoni on half and sausage on the other half? Nope. I asked if she could go ask the kitchen if they could. I told her I was happy to pay for two toppings, if that would help.
She came back with the negative, and the manager had backed her up when she asked (while in the kitchen). They don't do half and half because it it would make them "look like a pizza chain". I thought it was just good customer service.
I didn't end up ordering any food because I was so frustrated. (My wife enjoyed a salad.) I will never eat there again.
So yeah, I'm one of those.
Holy hell. :lol
FinalStageBoss
Banned
If I can't get what I want to eat I wouldn't continue to go, simple.
J
Jpop
Unconfirmed Member
Okay.
I've attempted to explain in this very thread why good restaurants do this. How bout this tomorrow I will do an entire write up for all of you guys elaborating on the operation of fine dining restaurants.
PM me to remind me.
Though maybe my opinion of a good restaurant is a bit biased because I've only ever been at ones where 2 people spend $200+ easy.
kingofthedead45
Member
So what gaf is telling me is that when I get my favorite Cajun chicken pasta, i have to take it with mushrooms(cause that's what it comes with). I can't ask for it with out the mushrooms? I love the pasta I love the sauce it comes with I love the Cajun chicken, i just don't like mushrooms.
CornBurrito
Member
On the other hand, why be loyal to a restaurant when they wont reward that loyalty in any way?
Yes. Agree.
I dont go to a car dealer and expect them to sell me a motorcycle just cause Ive got cash.
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