Not Chickening Out Of Standing Up

I work for a famous chicken chain company and we are the only one in the entire area, so if they want this bucket of chicken, they have to come to us.

We are closing down, and on the last day, it’s hectic from the novelty of having this last chicken meal, but also because it’s the last day, half the staff don’t turn up. Since we’re understaffed and consistently busy with a backlog of orders, the front of house and the counter is a mess. It’s just slowing down near the end of the night, and we haven’t had a chance to fix anything. A woman walks in.

Customer: “This place is a mess.”

She then points out each thing wrong. I’m tired, I’ve had multiple bad customers, I’m near the end of a long shift, and I hope I never have to see this place again.

Me: “If you have so many issues, you don’t have to eat here.”

She gives me a look like she is thinking, “Why is this lowly server speaking back to me?”

Me: “Just leave. Many other restaurants are open that will be up to your standard.”

Customer: “I want to speak to the manager.”

My manager is listening behind the screen that separates the kitchen from the front of house.

Me: “I’m sorry, but I honestly don’t think you are worth his time. Now, I ask you to leave; we won’t be serving you.”

I’ve broken her a second time. She starts to yell and demands a manager’s attention. I just don’t care. I wait until she’s done.

Me: “No, I will not waste his time, and no, we will not serve you.”

She rages and turns to leave. As she’s going:

Customer: “I WILL BE BACK TO TALK TO MANAGEMENT TOMORROW!”

She wouldn’t. We were closing and the only thing she would see was a completely empty shut-down shop. My manager just started laughing.

Honestly, it turned out to be a not-so-completely-horrible night, and we still laugh at this over five years later.