Nasty, rude couple at Vero Beach today.

[floridafam]

We went to Shutters for lunch today as my parents are staying at the resort while they are visiting us.

We were seated and Veronika was our server. She seems very nice. She speaks Spanish and English.

There was a couple dining-they were regulars-a few tables over.

She started to take their order and misunderstood something the gentleman said. The female proceeds to ask her if she understands English, tells her she's a terrible waitress and calls her a stupid Mexican!!

She then says many more things to her husband when Veronika goes to hand in their order-a very complicated one that the chefs had to make special.

I was so upset that I got up to go make sure Veronika was okay. She looked like she was going to cry.

I explained to my children that some people are just rude and nothing is ever right for these people. They told one of the CM's to turn the fans off because it was too cold.

They ended up getting 20% off their meal because they had to "wait too long" for their food.

Ugh! I wanted to walk over and slap the lady.

If you're at the resort soon, and Veronika is your server, make sure you send a smile her way.

 

[shellbelle1971]

Oh, how hideous! It seems that being a native-English-speaking American doesn't mean you've learned to be a decent person...grrr!

 

[Chuck S]

We were seated and Veronika was our server. She seems very nice. She speaks Spanish and English.

She started to take their order and misunderstood something the gentleman said. The female proceeds to ask her if she understands English, tells her she's a terrible waitress and calls her a stupid Mexican!!

Oh, I'm not very sure I could have bitten my tongue.

From now on when I get a CM that may seem a little "less magical", I'll imagine what they may have been subjected to a few minutes earlier by some idiot "guest."

 

[ErinC]

How awful! I think that I would have had a hard time not telling the people how I felt about their comments. I would have had a really long conversation with my children in a very loud voice about being disrespectful.

 

[JimC]

You would be amazed what a smile and a softly spoken "Sounds like its been a difficult day...[transact your business]...Thank you and I hope your day gets better" with another smile will do for a person's morale and spirits. This is really important if you come up right after one of those situations the OP mentioned.

 

[floridafam]

I felt so bad for her. You could tell it really shocked her and made her a bit flustered. I apologized to her for the people.

They were just AWFUL! When I went over to see if she was okay, the other CM's said that they make rude comments to the waitstaff all the time.

Then the manager had to come out and kiss their behinds because they are complainers.

I almost want to send her flowers because I felt so bad for her. I'm sure she is still thinking about it. They completely insulted her and her heritage. They should be banned from the resort.

 

[jewellmmc]

That's absolutley disgusting! What can you do though? Sure you can speak up but then they'll just do it again. Some people are born cranky.....

 

[disney-super-mom]

I felt so bad for her. You could tell it really shocked her and made her a bit flustered. I apologized to her for the people.

They were just AWFUL! When I went over to see if she was okay, the other CM's said that they make rude comments to the waitstaff all the time.

Then the manager had to come out and kiss their behinds because they are complainers.

I almost want to send her flowers because I felt so bad for her. I'm sure she is still thinking about it. They completely insulted her and her heritage. They should be banned from the resort.

The manager kissed their behinds?!!! I would have told that manager that s/he is bending over backwards for the wrong people. Rather s/he should be kissing Veronica's behind and any of the other employees who've had to endure repeated verbal abuse from these repeat customers.

The manager's duty is also to protect the employees. They shouldn't have to put up with that. Even large corporations don't allow that to take place. My DH worked for Lowes Home and Garden for 11 years before taking a managers position for another company, but during that time, there were several instances where certain "customers" were escorted out of the building and no longer allowed to shop there because of their verbal abuse of the employees.

I completely agree with you. They should be banned from the resort.

 

[littlestar]

I've seen verbal abuse of CM's multiple times at the Grand Floridian and I wanted to call the guest out that was doing it and ask them, didn't your mother teach you any manners? (No, I didn't say it, but I sure thought about it). It got my dander up. I hate to see ********* get away with malarkey.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

the manager had to come out and kiss their behinds because they are complainers.

All that does is reinforce their bad behavior. I'm sure they will continue unabated since they received 20% off and some serious behind kissing. Too bad anyone has to put up with people like that.

HBC

 

[JodyTG]

Correction: A GOOD manager's duty is to protect the employees. Too many managers still believe in "the customer is always right" BS and berate the employees for any transgression, whether real or imagined.

And whoever said this is right: if complainers get what they want they will just keep doing it and more frequently. A former coworker had her pen-pal and her family visit for a few weeks a couple of years ago. These people didn't ever pay the total price for their meals. There was always something wrong, too much sauce, not enough cheese, and on and on and on. My poor friend was humiliated quite a few times by this group of witches that she didn't go out to eat for the longest time. She was afraid that the employees would remember her.

Plus, people like this give all of us a bad name that have ever had a problem with something. If my food is cold or cooked wrong, I'm going to send it back. But, I am NOT going to insist that it should be free, nor do I ever blame the waitstaff.

I've been a waitress before and know that it's not the easiest job. Maybe we should all be required to wait tables before we are allowed to graduate from high school. It might just get us a better class of citizens.

 

[wdwstar]

The resort should realize not only is the employees being abused but so are their customers. If the customers can hear and wittness this abuse going on towards the employess, it is also disrupts the other customers meals. This couple should be banned from the resort since it sounds like they are locals and not just once a year guests. I would have been very upset to have my children sitting there and listening to this couple and to disrupt my dinner because they would like a special order dinner, you want a special order dinner, stay home and make it yourself.

 

[CapeCodFam]

I first read this post last night and I'm still so infuriated, about their behavior, that I can't think straight.. I observed similar guest rudeness at BWV 2 weeks ago and the dolt was rewarded with a free bottle of wine....

On the bright side, I do see countless acts of friendliness from guests and CMs each trip home.

 

[floridafam]

They mentioned that they were going to be at the Thanksgiving buffet today at 11:30.

I'm glad we are going to be there at a different time. I'm sure they will find a hundred things wrong with everything and get something for free.

 

[Chuck S]

Since it's a buffet, they'll probably complain of having to get up and walk to the serving area to get their own food.

 

[floridafam]

I'm hoping Veronika is working today so that I can say hello.

We eat there pretty often, too. I hope I don't see this couple again. I WILL say something.

I'm sure they wouldn't have cared had I said something the other day.

 

[PammyK]

I'm hoping Veronika is working today so that I can say hello.

We eat there pretty often, too. I hope I don't see this couple again. I WILL say something.

I'm sure they wouldn't have cared had I said something the other day.

Hmmmm...maybe, instead of saying something to the other guests, ask to speak to the manager and when s/he arrives tell him/her in a carrying voice that you would like a different table because you don't want your children to have to witness those horrible people abusing the staff. This might make the manager more aware that these guests are creating a negative experience for everyone around them, not just the servers who have to deal with them. Yeah, the rudesbys will probably demand something because you had the audacity to make a comment about their behavior but heck, it seems like they'll get rewarded for their bad behavior anyway so you might as well stand up for your right to enjoy a meal free from the distress that these people are causing.

 

[tjkraz]

You would be amazed what a smile and a softly spoken "Sounds like its been a difficult day...[transact your business]...Thank you and I hope your day gets better" with another smile will do for a person's morale and spirits. This is really important if you come up right after one of those situations the OP mentioned.

I totally agree.

Too bad it's usually the "screamers" who a) get their demands met, b) get more attention in the long run (particularly if a manager gets involved) and c) often get a freebie or other discount for their "inconvenience."

I could never bring myself to treat someone like that, but others have no reservations about it and will even pat themseves on the back for their assertiveness.

Speaking up in the waitress' defense may not have even helped as the manager may have been more distraught over the scene created. There's nothing that could have been said to the diners in question that would have prompted them to re-think their comments or attitude. Jim's suggestion above is the best course of action, IMO, an approach we have taken many times in similar situations.

 

[crisi]

Hmmmm...maybe, instead of saying something to the other guests, ask to speak to the manager and when s/he arrives tell him/her in a carrying voice that you would like a different table because you don't want your children to have to witness those horrible people abusing the staff. This might make the manager more aware that these guests are creating a negative experience for everyone around them, not just the servers who have to deal with them. Yeah, the rudesbys will probably demand something because you had the audacity to make a comment about their behavior but heck, it seems like they'll get rewarded for their bad behavior anyway so you might as well stand up for your right to enjoy a meal free from the distress that these people are causing.

Horrible racist people abusing their staff.

The manager was kissing the wrong behinds. He should indeed have been looking out for Veronika, but its the other guests in the restaurant he should have been bending over backwards to and apologizing for. His waitress felt lousy, but those guests also ruined your meal (here you are days later still feeling bad) for which you paid - and didn't get a discount!

 

[canwegosoon]

ITA...stop rewarding the abusers...they look for anything to complain about. If I get poor service I do not come back...you don't need to give me 20% off. Instead what I do is if I have very good service, I ask to speak to the Manager. (they usually come over thinking something is wrong), and I say I just wanted to tell you what a great server(or meal etc) we had today. The Flower is more powerul than the Onion. Give the manager a reason to be proud of their employees, something that can be measured, a positive guest comment does a lot. You should have seen the Mgr at Pizzaria Uno...I though he was going to faint. He ended up thanking me.