You Catch More Room Service With Honey…

I work as a chef in a hotel restaurant. Our kitchen closes at 11:00, meaning that we do not take any new orders after that, even if the chefs are still there for another hour to do clean-up and prep for the next day. This includes room service unless it’s something cold that only needs to be assembled.

The two people working reception at night could not be any more different from each other. [Receptionist #1] is always friendly with everyone, chats with the kitchen staff and servers, and actually comes in earlier to say hello to all of us and check if there’s anything to be discussed. [Receptionist #2] probably doesn’t know a single one of our names and is only friendly and all smiles to guests coming in.

One day at 10:45, we get an intercom call from reception.

Receptionist #1: “I am so sorry to ask this, but we have a VIP guest who’s called to let us know he’ll be checking in late, around 11:15, and asked if he could order some room service ahead of time so he can eat when he gets to his room.”

Me: “Depends on what he wants. If it’s warm, we’d probably have to prepare it and reheat it once he comes in. Otherwise, everything’s available.”

Receptionist #1: “I’ll ask him. I told him I couldn’t guarantee anything yet until I talked to the kitchen. Thank you so much!”

He calls back at 10:55, saying that the guest is completely okay with reheating food — it’d cool down a bit until it gets to his room anyway — and would like to order two of our hot dishes. With five minutes to spare before actual closing, the other chef and I prepare the dishes and arrange them all on room service table settings so that the receptionist only has to pick them up from the microwave station, ready to go. He thanks us profusely again and the guest leaves a very positive review the next day.

Two days later, at 11:20, when we’ve finished all the cooking stations already, [Receptionist #2] calls and starts talking without so much as a hello.

Receptionist #2: “I have an order for room service, late check-in. It should be in your ticket system.”

Me: “Yeah, no, the system is shut off already; no tickets are coming through. The kitchen is closed.”

Receptionist #2: “What?! You made two dishes for [Receptionist #1] this week!”

Me: “Yep. Not only did he contact us before closing time, but he also asked us first if we could do something after closing and made sure not to order things without the kitchen giving him the go-ahead.”

Receptionist #2: “But I promised this guest he’d have his food!”

Me: “Then you get to call him back and explain that that’s not happening and offer him the cold dishes we can still make.”

[Receptionist #2] just hung up on me. Then, he called back fifteen minutes later — we were pretty much done with the entire kitchen by then — and sheepishly asked for one of the cold cuts plates with bread. Apparently, the guest he’d promised the food to worked in the gastro-business, as well, and definitely understood the kitchen’s complaints, because our restaurant manager came in two days later with a private review from him, telling us that we did nothing wrong even while [Receptionist #2] was still complaining to management about it.

Honestly, we could’ve probably found a work-around for [Receptionist #2], as well, and offered at least some of our hot dishes, but it’s all in how you ask.