Potato-No-No

I work at a family-friendly restaurant. I started right before my seventeenth birthday, the summer before my senior year of high school. This summer, I am the opening hostess on Saturdays and Sundays.

I have a customer order a breakfast that comes with two eggs cooked to choice, a choice of potatoes, a choice of meat, and biscuits and gravy. My manager is cooking the order and he watches me bag everything up.

Since I am still fairly new, anytime he doesn’t have a ticket to cook, he comes out and makes sure tables are clean and that I am caught up.

About twenty minutes later, we get this gem of a phone call.

Me: “Thank you for calling [Restaurant]; would you like to play a carryout?”

Customer: “No! I just ordered [Breakfast] and I came and picked it up. You’re the one who cashed me out, right?”

Me: “Yes, sir, was everything okay?”

Customer: “Absolutely not! Why didn’t you give me my potatoes?!”

Me: “Sir, you’re talking about the home fries, correct?”

Customer: “I want my d*** potatoes. What are you going to do to fix this?!”

Me: “Sir, I’m pretty sure I gave you your potatoes. Did I not go over the order with you before I sent you on your way?”

Customer: “NO! YOU DIDN’T! I want my potatoes!”

Me: “Okay, sir, I’m really sorry about that. I’ll go ahead and let the cooks know that I need an order of home fries, and for the inconvenience, we’ll include some extra in there and an extra order of biscuits.”

Customer: “Okay. But how are you going to take care of this problem?”

Me: “Oh! I’m sorry, sir, we must have a bad connection here. I said we’ll be happy to fix our mistake. We just need you to come back and we’ll compensate you for the inconvenience.”

Customer: “So you’re not going to do anything for me?”

Me: “May I ask what you’re referring to, sir? I’ve already offered extra food for the inconvenience.”

Customer: “I’m already at work, so now I have to leave and come back because you screwed my order up?!”

Me: “Sir, I do apologize. We can fix it at another time, but we don’t deliver. You’d have to come back now or at a later time. Would you like to speak with my manager?”

Customer: “NO! I want my d*** potatoes!”

Me: “Sir, I’ve already given you a couple of options. Now, would you like to speak with my manager?”

Customer: “No!”

Me: “Okay, sir, have a nice day.” *Hangs up*

I start working on other orders and cashing customers out when I get another phone call about two minutes later.

Me: “Thank you for calling [Restaurant]. Would you like to place a carryout?”

Customer: “No! What’s your name?”

Me: “[My Name]. May I ask who this is?”

Customer: “The customer you pissed off!”

Me: “Sir, did you change your mind? Did you want to speak with my manager?”

Customer: “No! I want my d*** potatoes!”

Me: “Sir, if you don’t want to speak with my manager, I’m going to have to hang up on you.”

Customer: “Hang up on me, brat! I dare you! I’ll have your job!”

Me: “Good luck, sir. Have a nice day.”

I’m near tears because I’m getting so frustrated. This is my first angry customer. He calls again.

Me: “Thank you for calling [Restaurant]; my name is [My Name]. Would you like to—”

Customer: “Let me speak to your manager, [My Name]!”

Me: “Yes, sir.”

I tell my manager about everything that happened and he starts laughing.

Manager: “He definitely got his potatoes. I remember that order because he got cheese on his sunny-side-up eggs, and he wanted white gravy instead of sausage.”

Me: “Thank you! Now he’s on the phone, has threatened my job, and now wants to speak with you after calling me a brat.”

My manager rolls his eyes and picks up the phone.

Manager: “Thank you for holding; my name is [Manager]. How can I help you?” *Pause* “Yes, sir.” *Pause* “I am the manager.” *Pause* “Sir, if you’d let me talk.” *Pause* “Okay. Are you done now?” *Pause* “Okay, great. Sir, I’m the one who made your order, so I know for a fact that your home fries were in the to-go box. I watched her bag your order up and go over it with you. She’s already offered that we make you more home fries with extra and extra biscuits. We don’t deliver, so there’s nothing she can do for you beyond offering you compensation for something we absolutely did not mess up.” *Pause* “Sir, she was not rude to you; I heard the conversation, and I know that this girl does not give off an attitude since she’s still fairly new and this is her first jo—” *Pause* “No, sir, I will not fire her.” *Pause* “No, I’m not going to make her deliver your food; in fact, even if you were to come back in for your ‘compensation,’ we now have the right to refuse you service as you’ve made my employee cry on her first morning shift by herself. You’re no longer welcome here. You have a good life, sir. Goodbye.”