What would you do?

[Alpo]

Two part.

 

First, you are a waiter. The customer orders something that is not on the menu. Instead of a salad he wants a sliced tomato, sprinkled with bleu cheese. "You have tomatoes for the salad - slice me one. You have blue cheese dressing - just sprinkle some blue cheese on the tomatoes."

 

Would you try to explain to the customer that you don't do that? Or would you write it down on your order pad?

 

Second one. You are the Chef when the waiter brings in that order. How would you handle it?

 

Several years ago my brother and I took my mother out to dinner on Mother's Day, and that's what he did. When they brought him his meal there were several cherry tomatoes cut in half on his plate, along with a spoonful of blue cheese salad dressing.

 

He was not happy.

 

Afterwards, I was thinking that there was a grocery store just down the street. They could have sent a busboy down there to buy a tomato. Because they did not have tomatoes for the salad. They had cherry tomatoes for the salad. And their blue cheese dressing came out of a bottle - they did not make it using real blue cheese.

 

But even if they had sent the bus boy after the tomato, still would not have gotten him his blue cheese.

 

So they ended up with an unhappy customer. But occasionally I have wondered how they should have handled it. As I was slicing a tomato for my supper tonight it came into memory, and I decided I would get opinions.

[Rip Snorter]

In fine restaurants there used to be a lot of flexibility.  In single days I would occasionally showboat on a hot date - look at the menu,  "Doesn't the Chef have something special?"  Inevitably, he or she (in those long ago days, He) always good and I was charged accordingly.  Again, in single days, I knew a lot of people in the Hospitality industry, and they would send someone down to the supermarket to meet a customer need.  Living far out in the country, I don't go to restaurants a great deal, and certainly don't showboat with my wife of decades, but I'd bet the good stuff still happens in fine venues.

[Rye Miles #13621]

It’s never entered my mind to order something that’s not on the menu! That’s just me though!

if I was the waiter I’d say , I’ll ask the boss.

[Cypress Sun]

 

As the waiter, I would tell the customer that "I don't know if we can do that, but I'll check". If the Chef said no, that's the end of the story.

 

If I was the Chef and the order came in as written, I would try to fulfill the order with what I had on hand or tell the waiter that we couldn't do it. No way in hell would I send a busboy or any other employee out to get stuff that's not on the menu. Even if there was a grocery store across the street, he'll be gone for at least a 1/2 hour. That's a 1/2 hour that someone else has to cover his job just to satisfy one picky customer.

 

Best to let them know right up front...ain't gonna happen.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

One place the Grumpy Lunch Bunch (I sure do miss that bunch) went to had roast turkey but no cranberry sauce.  I ordered it and walked across the street to a Von's market and bought a can.  Just to be sure I also bought a cheap can opener.  No one said anything about it.

[Black Angus McPherson]

19 hours ago, Alpo said:

Two part.

 

First, you are a waiter. The customer orders something that is not on the menu. Instead of a salad he wants a sliced tomato, sprinkled with bleu cheese. "You have tomatoes for the salad - slice me one. You have blue cheese dressing - just sprinkle some blue cheese on the tomatoes."

 

Would you try to explain to the customer that you don't do that? Or would you write it down on your order pad?

 

Second one. You are the Chef when the waiter brings in that order. How would you handle it?

 

Several years ago my brother and I took my mother out to dinner on Mother's Day, and that's what he did. When they brought him his meal there were several cherry tomatoes cut in half on his plate, along with a spoonful of blue cheese salad dressing.

 

He was not happy.

 

Afterwards, I was thinking that there was a grocery store just down the street. They could have sent a busboy down there to buy a tomato. Because they did not have tomatoes for the salad. They had cherry tomatoes for the salad. And their blue cheese dressing came out of a bottle - they did not make it using real blue cheese.

 

But even if they had sent the bus boy after the tomato, still would not have gotten him his blue cheese.

 

So they ended up with an unhappy customer. But occasionally I have wondered how they should have handled it. As I was slicing a tomato for my supper tonight it came into memory, and I decided I would get opinions.

 

It looks to me like he got what he asked for.  They fulfilled his off the menu request with the product they had on hand.  And, if it were me, I'd likely have charged him a premium for ordering off menu.  The fact he did not know what type of tomatoes or blue cheese the restaurant had on hand to fulfill his order is not the restaurants problem.

 

If someone expects the restaurant to send an employee to the store to pick up the necessaries for the order then they should also expect to get a BILL (big bill) reflecting all the extra expenses incurred plus a premium for such a special order.

 

Just because you can get whatever you want doesn't mean you won't have to pay a lot extra for it.

 

 

 

 

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

Sometimes good things can come as a result of pesky customers. 

 

[Eyesa Horg]

53 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

One place the Grumpy Lunch Bunch (I sure do miss that bunch) went to had roast turkey but no cranberry sauce.  I ordered it and walked across the street to a Von's market and bought a can.  Just to be sure I also bought a cheap can opener.  No one said anything about it.

We (I) went next door to pick up Bacon Bits for our salad at a restaurant once. Waitress didn't seem to notice.

[Bart Slade]

I'd like to circle back to "why was the customer unhappy"???

 

Sounds what was asked for was provided.

[Anvil Al #59168]

They tried with what they had to fill your order.

You knew it was not on the menu.

 

Customer is NOT always right. 

[DeaconKC]

Sorry, your brother acted like a jerk.

[Adolph Vancinghand, SASS #28923]

Five Easy Pieces Diner Scene - Bing video

 

This was the first thing that came to my mind...

[Eyesa Horg]

4 minutes ago, Adolph Vancinghand, SASS #28923 said:

Five Easy Pieces Diner Scene - Bing video

 

This was the first thing that came to my mind...

A hole, I'd a brought him whole damn sandwich with extra mayo. People like that irritate the hell out of me. Entitled POS. 

Rant off. 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

6 hours ago, Anvil Al #59168 said:

They tried with what they had to fill your order.

You knew it was not on the menu.

 

Customer is NOT always right. 

But they are ALWAYS the customer!

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

As a waiter, I may have asked the cook or whoever runs the kitchen if they’d accept the request. 
As a restaurant manager, I wouldn’t send a bus boy on a silly errand to humor a fickle customers whims. I also doubt I’d deliver on the request. 
So what if one customer is put off? Sounds too high maintenance of an individual to me, and if losing one customer hurts a business, that business isn’t doing well anyway.

You win some, you lose some,  you can’t win them all and the customer isn’t always right. You don’t go out of the way to piss them off, but some folks are too high maintenance to worry about them returning again.

I had a customer in a tight spot call and ask if I did plumbing. It was simple enough for most anyone to do. I said absolutely, but not professionally. It’s not always in your best interest to do anything for just anyone, even simple things. Some folks push it and word of it has a way of getting around.