Using Her Inside Voice

(This sandwich shop has a system where you pay extra to eat inside because there is limited seating. This is a particularly busy day, but it’s cold outside and there is a free seat, so my friend and I decide to sit inside and pay extra. Both of us are ordering sandwiches which need to be heated up before serving. We also buy a small cake and a bottled drink.)

Employee: *as she hands me my drink and change* “I’ll give you the cake in a takeaway bag just because we’re out of trays, but I’ll bring your hot sandwiches over in a second, okay?”

Me: “Yes, that’s fine.”

(We go away and sit down to wait for our food and think no more of it. We haven’t started eating the cake at this point. Two minutes later another employee, possibly the manager, storms over to us with a face like thunder.)

Manager: “Did you two girls pay to sit inside? This is a busy restaurant, you know!”

Me: “Yes, we did. We’re waiting for our hot food.”

Manager: “Are you sure about that? You don’t want to tell me anything else?”

Me: “No. We paid to sit inside.”

Manager: “I don’t believe you. You have a takeaway bag. Why would you have that if you paid to sit in?”

Me: “Yes, I have a takeaway bag, but I haven’t started eating it yet. We paid to sit inside, and the girl behind the counter gave us our cake in a takeaway bag because you were out of trays.”

Manager: “Why haven’t you eaten it?! You’re taking up space!”

Me: “Because, as I explained, we are waiting for our hot food to be brought over.”

Manager: “You say that, young lady, but I don’t believe you! I’ll be watching you girls, watching you very carefully!”

(She then leaves, and my friend and I continue to wait for our food. A few minutes later the original employee who served us returns with our sandwiches.)

Server: “I’m so sorry.”

Me: “Bad day?”

Server: “I wish. She’s like that every day.”

(I understand if it’s particularly busy and you’re not sure if someone has paid, but the way she confronted us about it was totally aggressive and unnecessary!)