You Refuse To Listen, We Refuse To Care

I’m working the till during breakfast at a restaurant that makes its own biscuits. An older customer approaches the counter to order.

Customer: “I’d like an El Grande.”

Me: “I’m sorry, we don’t have anything called an El Grande.”

Customer: “Are you sure? Someone was telling me that you had one, but it wasn’t on the menu anymore because there wasn’t room for it. It’s like you take two of your biscuits and put them together like this.”

He motions stacking two items vertically.

Me: “No, that still doesn’t sound like anything we have. The closest we have to something like that would be [product], which is our biggest sandwich and has [ingredients].”

Customer: “No, that’s not what I want. I want an El Grande.”

I ask my manager if she could chip in. The customer goes through the same description of the fabled El Grande and my manager informs him that everything we have to serve is visible on the menu and there are no secret menu items. She also throws in that she has been here ten years and never heard of the item he’s describing.

The customer begrudgingly seems to accept this explanation and I take back over as he looks over the menu.

Customer: “I want the #4 there. The bigger one.”

Me: “The biscuits and gravy? Okay. Just so you’re aware, the item itself only comes in one size. The bigger price you see up there is the combo price.”

Customer: “I want your big one.”

Me: “All right. One biscuits and gravy combo. Would you like to upsize your hashbrowns and your drink to a medium or large?”

I’m speaking clearly here as I’m afraid he still thinks the combo price meant a larger-sized item.

Customer: “Yes! Large! I keep saying I want the bigger one.”

He pays for the food and goes to fill his drink. Fast forward a couple of minutes when I call for him to pick up his order.

Customer: “What the h*** is this?! Why is this so small?! I said I wanted the big one! I wanted an El Grande!”

My manager steps in before I can react

Manager: “We don’t have an El Grande! I listened to that entire order. You were told exactly what you were getting, you said it was correct, you are getting the biscuits and gravy you ordered.”

Customer: “Oh, to h*** with this!”

He turned around, dumped everything in the trash, and left.