Hold The Tomatoes And Your Bad Attitude

My friends and I are eating at a restaurant where you order at the counter, and then you get a little number and they bring the food out to your table. I order a sandwich that normally comes with tomato. I ask them to leave the tomato off, and when I get my receipt, there is a big “NO TOMATO” printed on it right under the sandwich.

However, when the meal gets dropped off, there are tomatoes in the sandwich. Not a big deal. I ask for no tomatoes because I dislike the taste, not because I’m allergic or anything. So, I open the top, pull off the tomato slices, and set them to the side. As I do so, the waitress gets a snobby look on her face.

Waitress: “You know, you can ask for no tomatoes so you aren’t wasting food.”

I smile a little and try to be polite.

Me: “Yes. I did, but the cook must have missed it.”

The waitress rolls her eyes and apparently ignores me.

Waitress: “Just ask at the register, and they’ll take it off.”

I’m still trying to smile.

Me: “I. Did.”

I hold up my receipt and point to the large “NO TOMATO” printed on it.

The waitress jerks back like I shouted at her and hurries off. I am hoping that will be the end of it, but not even two minutes later, a manager comes bustling up to my table.

Manager: “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Me: “What? Why?”

Manager: “I have a waitress crying in the back after you shouted at her because you don’t like what you ordered. That is—”

Me: “No, I—”

Manager: “Sir, I—”

Me: “No!”

I slam my hand on the table, which gets him to stop talking.

Me: “I am going to explain what actually happened, and everyone here can tell you who’s telling the truth.”

I point at my sandwich.

Me: “I ordered my sandwich without tomato, but it came with tomato, so I was picking it off.”

I point toward the kitchen.

Me: “Your waitress started mocking me and telling me that I should have asked for no tomato.”

I hold up the receipt again.

Me: “I showed her that I did, in fact, ask for no tomato.”

I point toward the kitchen again.

Me: “She then ran off, I’m guessing to cry to you about me ‘being mean’ to her.”

The manager and I have a bit of a stare-off, while everyone else looks around, feeling awkward. I would, too, but I am just so annoyed at the fact that the waitress decided to make such a big deal about me picking off the tomatoes.

The manager looks around and gets nods from the friends I am eating with and a couple of people at other tables before finally looking back at me. The manager sounds like he is biting a lemon when he speaks.

Manager: “I’m sorry for the mixup, sir.”

He then heads to the back while the rest of us finish our meal. It is awkwardly silent for a bit before one of my friends pipes up.

Friend: “Imagine what would have happened if you asked them to hold the pickles.”

We were able to laugh at that, and we finished up without any more fuss, but I’m certainly not in a hurry to eat at that particular restaurant again.