You Catch More Flies With Honey Than Vinegar, Part 8
I’d placed an order through the screen-based system this restaurant ran on and had been waiting to collect my order for over half an hour. The kitchen was clearly rammed, and people were getting their orders as soon as the poor workers got to them.
The man next to me, who had arrived very recently, didn’t seem to understand the problem. He kept asking when someone was going to come and serve his table (once again, everyone else in the queue had ordered through the screen system).
Customer: “Can someone come and serve table nine, please? We’ve been waiting for ages. I shouldn’t have to keep asking.”
Employee: “Yes, sir. Unfortunately, there are only two of us working front of house, so—”
Customer: “—Oh, should I employ more people to work here then? It’s hardly our fault. F****** ridiculous.”
Just then, I noticed that my order number had totally disappeared from the screen, which seemed to mean it had been completely lost in the system. I didn’t want to cause them any more stress, so at a convenient looking moment:
Me: “Excuse me. I’m really sorry to be a pain, it looks mental back there, but it looks like my order’s disappeared from your screens.”
Employee: “Can I have a look at that, please?”
I handed her the receipt and she immediately went back into the kitchen and emerged quickly with my meal. It was really hot; she’d clearly put it together herself just now.
Employee: “Sorry about that, love. Here you go.”
Me: “Not at all! I’m sorry it’s so crazy today! Thank you so much.”
The man gave me a very bitter look as I tipped her and walked away with my food. There are two lessons here: use the restaurant’s primary ordering system if you’re able to (he absolutely would have been) and be nice to people who are doing everything they can to get people’s orders out on time.
Related:
You Catch More Flies With Honey Than Vinegar, Part 7
You Catch More Flies With Honey Than Vinegar, Part 6
You Catch More Flies With Honey Than Vinegar, Part 5
You Catch More Flies With Honey Than Vinegar, Part 4
You Catch More Flies With Honey Than Vinegar, Part 3
