I Say Tomato, You Say, “Causing A Scene”

(I work at a fast food restaurant, and I am used to getting ridiculous requests and dealing with unnecessarily rude people. Usually I just brush it off and move on, but there is one guy who will always be a story to tell.)

Customer: “Hi, I’d like a chocolate shake with chocolate ice cream.”

Me: “I’m sorry, we can add extra chocolate flavoring to your shake if you’d like, but we only have vanilla ice cream.”

Customer: “You’re telling me you don’t have chocolate ice cream? Since when?”

(I know for a fact this chain has never had chocolate ice cream, but I am still trying to be polite.)

Me: “Well, I’m not sure exactly when, but I know that there hasn’t been chocolate ice cream since I’ve worked here.”

Customer: “Well, add extra chocolate syrup, then, and there had better be a lot.”

Me: “I can definitely do that for you, but it will be about a $0.30 charge. Is that okay?”

Customer: *rolling his eyes* “I guess it has to be.”

Me: “Can I get anything else for you?”

Customer: “Yeah, I’ll have your bacon cheeseburger.”

Me: “Okay, does that complete your order?”

Customer: “Yeah, can you tell me how much it’s going to be?”

(As if that wasn’t what I was about to say next, regardless.)

Me: “That’ll be [price]. We’ll have that right up for you.”

(We get his shake and his burger out to him, and I continue to wait on the line of people. Within a minute of him getting his food, he is back at the counter.)

Me: “Yes, can I help you?”

Customer: “They forgot the tomato on my burger.”

Me: “Which burger did you order, again?”

Customer: “The bacon cheeseburger.”

Me: “Oh, no, they didn’t forget it. The sandwich only comes with bacon, cheese, steak sauce, and onions. Tomatoes are usually an extra $0.30 to add.”

Customer: “I’m not paying that for tomatoes. Just give me some tomatoes.”

(I originally had every intention of giving him the tomatoes and letting him know for next time, but he has been rude from the start and he is really pushing my buttons at this point.)

Me: “I’m not allowed to give you something for free. I could lose my job.”

Customer: “If I have to pay for tomatoes, I’m never coming back here again.”

Me: *thinking I couldn’t care less if he ever came back* “I can talk to my manager and see what he can do for you; give me just one second.”

Customer: “You better not tell me I have to pay for these tomatoes.”

Me: *to my manager* “This guy up here is being very rude and wants tomatoes that we ‘forgot’ to put on his bacon cheeseburger. What do you want me to do?”

Manager: *rolling his eyes* “Oh, just give him the tomatoes to shut him up. But make sure you remind him that he usually can’t come back up and get stuff that we usually charge for.”

Me: “I’ll tell him again, but he got pretty upset at me the first time.”

(I walked back up with the tomatoes in a cup for this guy.)

Me: *to the customer* “My manager said not to worry about it tonight, but that usually tomatoes are extra.”

Customer: “Well, don’t try and tell me I have to pay $0.30 extra for tomatoes.”

Me: “Not this time, but if you had ordered them on your burger, it would have cost you that.”

Customer: *walking away with his tomatoes* “If they charged me $0.30 for tomatoes I would have caused a scene.”

Me: *to the next customer* “Hi, what can I get for you today?”

Customer #2: “I’d like some tomatoes, but if you charge me for them, I’m going to cause a scene.”