Does a Waitress Have the Right to Refuse Service? (Long)

[Chattyaholic]

Saturday I went in at 3:00 and we had a group of 20 come in, that had just come from a funeral two blocks away. The other waitress and I split them, got them taken care of and I was standing behind the counter rolling silverware. This guy at the counter (the other waitress was waiting on him) looked at the group and asked "who died?" Rhonda told him and he started making fun. On and on and on. I tried to bite my tongue but I was concerned the family of the man who died could hear him, so when he said something about "dishonoring the dead", I said to him: "which is what YOU are doing right now!!"

He looked at me and said, "well, YOU just don't want to hear the truth you self-righteous, sanctimonious _____ fill-in-the-blank but the word rhymes with runt and starts with a "c"

I could hardly believe what he said, and to avoid further confrontation I walked back to the kitchen. He was mumbling all the while. When I came back out, and anytime I was within earshot he was mumbling.

When he left another waitress was at the register and he flipped her off.

Then as he was walking out the door he made did something similar to the BOSS!! She followed him out the door, wanting to know what was going on but he wouldn't even talk to her. Kept mumbling something about racism and Spanish....but wouldn't stop.

We ALL felt the boss should have told him he wasn't welcome at the restaurant anymore, but she didn't. The customer is a client of her husband's (he runs an accounting office in the back of the restaurant) so she was probably afraid of her husband losing him as a client.

The boss says we never have the option of refusing service to a customer, but we all disagree!!

I've already decided that if he comes in on a Monday night (I waitress alone on Monday night since it's usually the slowest night of the week) from 3:00 until we close at 8:00 and gives me ANY trouble AT ALL, I will tell him to get the heck out or I'm calling the police!!

People say his brain is fried from all the drugs he used to do, I believe them!!

 

[MzDiz]

Legally, you have the right to not be harassed. If you feel threatened, you can call the police. If your boss fires you over it, you can sue her. That's a little extreme, but so is your boss letting her employees get yelled at over her *husband's* business dealings. That's a bunch of BS.

 

[cardaway]

Always (short).

 

[liamsaunt]

I agree that you should not have to wait on this man. he insulted you and used rude language. It's too bad your boss won't back you up. I used to waitress in high school, and our manager always backed us up if we had a problem. He banned one guy for life from the restaurant because he kept leaning over the counter and untying my apron strings when my back was turned.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

You do have the right to not be harrassed. If a co-worker would get fired for doing that to you (which it is illegal to create a hostile work enivironment), you should not get fired for not accepting that behavior from a customer.


I refused to wait on a customer in a grocery store once and had to get my manager. The guy was being rude and was being harrassing. We were told if ever we felt uncomfortable with a customer like that, that we could get a manager. The guy was one comment away from getting kicked out of the store.

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

I used to be a manager and I asked a couple of people to leave and they weren't welcome back.

One night, right before closing, a couple teenagers came in and trashed the place. I called the police and they were told they were not allowed back, if they tried, they would be arrested.

I can't believ that your boss would allow someone to speak that way to an employee (husband's client or not). It is unacceptable.

 

[lovebuzz]

I wait tables too and I have refuse to wait on a customer for being rude. and if your manager does not want to back you up on this one then let him/her wait on them. that is what they get paid the big bucks for!!!!!!!!!

 

[annegal]

I said to him: "which is what YOU are doing right now!!"

Repeat after me "The customer is always right"...you nod, smile, give him his change and escort him in a friendly manner out the restaurant. No matter how much a jerk someone is, the customer pays the salary of everyome in your establishment. You never, ever "talk back" to a customer.

Now in your mind....call him all the names you want, put keep that smile on your face while you silently "shoot the bird" at him.

The above is advice I've gotten from my boss.

 

[Chattyaholic]

Nope, don't agree AT ALL with that. The customer is NOT always right!!
He had NO RIGHT to speak to me as he did, and flipping off the other waitress who checked him out (and had not said one word to him about anything!) and then making the lude gesture at the OWNER of the restaurant (he KNOWS she's the owner). Not acceptable. He should have shut his mouth and stopped making fun about the man who died, when 20 of the man's relatives were in the restaurant!!!

Repeat after me "The customer is always right"...you nod, smile, give him his change and escort him in a friendly manner out the restaurant. No matter how much a jerk someone is, the customer pays the salary of everyome in your establishment. You never, ever "talk back" to a customer.

Now in your mind....call him all the names you want, put keep that smile on your face while you silently "shoot the bird" at him.

The above is advice I've gotten from my boss.

 

[mrsv98]

Repeat after me "The customer is always right"...you nod, smile, give him his change and escort him in a friendly manner out the restaurant. No matter how much a jerk someone is, the customer pays the salary of everyome in your establishment. You never, ever "talk back" to a customer.

Now in your mind....call him all the names you want, put keep that smile on your face while you silently "shoot the bird" at him.

The above is advice I've gotten from my boss.

Nope, there are limits to what a customer has a "right" to do and this behavior goes over the line.

I used to be a phone girl at a limo company and the boss was really good about saying we didn't have to put up with abuse. After all, it wasn't my fault the car wasn't there or the driver charged him the wrong fee.

If he comes back in, stand your ground and ask him to leave.

 

[Chicago526]

Repeat after me "The customer is always right"...you nod, smile, give him his change and escort him in a friendly manner out the restaurant. No matter how much a jerk someone is, the customer pays the salary of everyome in your establishment. You never, ever "talk back" to a customer.

Now in your mind....call him all the names you want, put keep that smile on your face while you silently "shoot the bird" at him.

The above is advice I've gotten from my boss.

I respectfully disagree. No client or customer ever has the right to use foul language towards an employee of any company, at any time, for any reason.

Having a client/customer get mad at you (right or wrong), but not use foul language, then yes, you smile and do what you can to make them satisfied. Once they start screaming and/or using foul language, sorry, they crossed the line. I'm lucky, my boss, upper management and HR all back us up when our members cross the line (all though it's very rare that they do so, they're a good bunch for the most part).

 

[imsorry]

I agree with everything you said except one thing. Don't tell him if he doesn't get out you are calling the police. That gives him the chance to try to stop you. Just calmly walk out the back, or lock yourself in the ladies room and call 911 and don't go near him until they arrive. Make sure you have your cell phone in your pocket at all times.

 

[imsorry]

Repeat after me "The customer is always right"...you nod, smile, give him his change and escort him in a friendly manner out the restaurant. No matter how much a jerk someone is, the customer pays the salary of everyome in your establishment. You never, ever "talk back" to a customer.

Now in your mind....call him all the names you want, put keep that smile on your face while you silently "shoot the bird" at him.

The above is advice I've gotten from my boss.

Sorry, but your boss is wrong. No one gets paid enough to be abused.

 

[RobinMarie]

The boss says we never have the option of refusing service to a customer, but we all disagree!!

I think you can disagree, but if you want to keep the job, those are the terms of employment.

It stinks people are mean to you, but I think it's the nature of the business and nearly every business has deal with irrate customers.

 

[JadenLayne]

The customer IS NOT always right.

 

[Nancyg56]

Repeat after me "The customer is always right"...you nod, smile, give him his change and escort him in a friendly manner out the restaurant. No matter how much a jerk someone is, the customer pays the salary of everyome in your establishment. You never, ever "talk back" to a customer.

Now in your mind....call him all the names you want, put keep that smile on your face while you silently "shoot the bird" at him.

The above is advice I've gotten from my boss.

NO! This is not true. I waited tables for many years, and then was a QA analyst in a large call center. No one should be required to tolerate this type of behavior.

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

I don't work in the food service industry, but let me tell you, I'd welcome this guy back and even give him his food for free...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................after I spit in it first.

What an idiot!

 

[pearlieq]

While I agree that his behavior was unacceptable, I think you were out of line in confronting him.

If you felt he was being disruptive at the counter or creating a hostile environment for your other patrons, you should have asked him to leave, or had your boss ask him to leave.

I don't think you should have corrected his behavior or even started a discussion about whether he was or wasn't being respectful. You aren't his mom. If he's a problem, get him out. If he's just being annoying, ignore him. Unfortunately, being a jerk is not a crime.

Given what he did after you confronted him, even if you confronted him wrongly (in my opinion), I do think you are justified in refusing him further service.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm not sure who started that "the cusotmer is always right" nonsense, but I would like to smack them! Too many people have taken that to mean they can behave in any horrible way, and verbaly assault anyone who deals with the public for a living. Just because you may purchase something from where I work does not give you the right to be verbally abusive, or to treat me like I am dirt. You have not paid for the right to swear at me, yell at me, or degrade me. Unfortunatly some people have confused paying for an item or service with paying for the person giving it to you.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Nope, don't agree AT ALL with that. The customer is NOT always right!!
He had NO RIGHT to speak to me as he did, and flipping off the other waitress who checked him out (and had not said one word to him about anything!) and then making the lude gesture at the OWNER of the restaurant (he KNOWS she's the owner). Not acceptable.

But none of the above would have happened if you hadn't spoken up to him in the first place.

I don't agree with his reaction and I don't think anyone should have to endure that abuse, but if your owner asks you to serve the customer if/when he comes back and you don't, he does have the right to fire you.