A tornado has recently destroyed a large part of my city. When the tornado warning goes off, servers and the back-of-house staff gather up everyone. The staff goes into the walk-in coolers, and the patrons go into the bathrooms.
Chaos erupts outside, but thankfully, the building stands strong. The warning is eventually over and we all come out. An inventory of people is made: everyone is safe and accounted for. No one is hurt.
Outside, part of the parking lot is a mess. Vehicles are no longer neatly parked but have been tossed around like an upended box of Matchbox cars. Across the street… there’s destruction. The tornado plowed through the town literally across the street. We, obviously, have no power.
Then, a lady pipes up.
Customer: “So, why haven’t we gotten our food yet?”
Seriously?!
Me: “Ma’am, you were in the bathroom. The staff were in the fridge. Were you not aware that the reason for this was a tornado?”
Customer: “Well, we ordered over thirty minutes ago!”
Me: “Yes. And everyone was preparing for the storm. No one was going to continue making food and risking their lives.”
Customer: “Yes, and now it’s over. I expect my meal to be comped.”
Manager: “Well, since we have no power, you’re not going to GET your order. No one is. As of right now, we’re closed. I suggest you go see if your home is even still there.”
Customer: “You are being very rude!”
Manager: “And you’re being an idiot. Now get out of my restaurant.”
Male Voice: *From the crowd* “[Customer], let’s go see if we even have a car to take us home.”
Customer: *Storming out* “My car had better be there, or I’ll sue the s*** out of [Restaurant]!”
Male Voice: “Shut up, [Customer] just… shut the h*** up.”
The crowd slowly began to sort themselves out. I think most were in shock from seeing the mess outside, but at least everyone else had their heads screwed on straight. Even though the manager promised that meals were comped today, most people paid with cash and left impressive tips.
We got a phone call later with an angry woman’s voice screeching about how rude the staff was. The manager was the same, so she didn’t get very far.
Sometime later, higher-ups got in contact with us, not to hand down punishments, but to basically point and laugh at a series of complaints. There were several complaints about the restaurant not answering phones DURING THE TORNADO and demanding that the staff be reprimanded for job abandonment. The highlight of the list was a complaint about the restaurant refusing to serve food after the power went out and the rudeness of the manager.
It just goes to show you: nothing will stop an entitled customer from throwing a tantrum, not even a tornado.
