He didn't seem that sucky to me

[rageaholic]

but the employee sure thought this guy was rude!

So I go to this pizza place for lunch. They deliver, but have a few tables so you can eat in. I've been there before and the staff are pretty friendly and socialable, bantering with customers and such.

So he's talking with this old couple and asks the man about the pizza.

Old Man: Eh, I didn't like it much. The crust was too hard. It shouldn't taste like cardboard.
Employer: Sorry.
Old Man: Na it's okay. I'm just honest.

As couple are finishing up, the man accidentally spills his drink and let's the employee know. He apologizes and then says something to the extent of "I'm leaving, you probably want me out of your hair". Employee says "Na, we hope to see you back".

After they leave, I'm the only customer there, and my pizza is ready. The employee turns to me and says "Man that old guy was rude! He doesn't like our pizza?" Another employee chimes in "Yeah, fuck them". They mention something about him having coupons for some party store pizza and wanting to compare prices or something. I don't know, but their main beef seemed to be him not liking the pizza.

Okay, you asked him if he liked the pizza and he gave an honest response. He didn't throw a fit or demand his money back, he just said he didn't like it and explained why. Unless there was a greater history or I didn't catch something involving the party store coupons, I see no suck.

Second of all, I found the 180 from "we hope to see you back" to "fuck them" once they left a little disturbing. I know they can't be completely honest with customers, but considered they were just as friendly to the old couple as they were to me, it makes it all pretty awkward if you know what I mean.

Well, I did have a good laugh, and I do think the guy was wrong (pizza didn't taste like cardboard), but it felt like something that was itching to be posted on here.

[Ironclad Alibi]

I would never say that a pizza tastes like cardboard. I have never eaten cardboard, and have no basis for comparision.

[spark]

I would never say that a pizza tastes like cardboard. I have never eaten cardboard, and have no basis for comparision.

I have! (Yay for strange childhood habits.) And it's nothing at all like pizza.

[thehuckster]

For a pizza shop, especially, they should be grateful that someone was so honest. Where I live, pizza places are a dime a dozen and if you don't make good pizza, you're not going to survive.

[Andara Bledin]

I've patronized a Pizza Hut where the pizza crust had the general consistency and what I would assume to be a vague taste resemblance to cardboard. Only cardboard would have been easier to chew.

But that's ok, because that meant that the crust matched the sauce and cheese in basic inedibility. And I went there more than once. It never got better.

^-.-^

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

For a pizza shop, especially, they should be grateful that someone was so honest. Where I live, pizza places are a dime a dozen and if you don't make good pizza, you're not going to survive.

It's almost the same way here. We have Pizza Hut, Dominos, and Little Caesar's, we had Pizza Pit (or as I call it "Piece a' Shit"--their pizza was greasy and disgusting and they're no longer in business), we have the local one-horse places that run the gamut from fantastic to even worse than Pizza Pit, and we're getting a Pizza Ranch, which is a pizza/buffet place.

They open next Monday. I plan to be making a visit shortly thereafter.

[bainsidhe]

What bothers me is that the employees felt comfortable doing this in front of other customers. Keep the bad-mouthing and swearing out of the hearing-range of your paying public, please.

The bad-mouthing on it's own doesn't bother me, most of us have done it. We poke fun at customers for being difficult or being a pain. But doing that in front of other customers is pretty awful.

[CinSim]

I had a manager who was amazing excellent in customer service tell us, "Never comment on other customers to a customer, not even to say something good. It makes the customer wonder what you'll say about them after they leave. Even if you say something nice about the previous person, the current customer will wonder if you'll say something nice or nasty about them." I don't always live up to her ideal, but I (usually) try.

[Barracuda]

Meh. I never eat out for pizza anymore, not since I discovered Papa Murphy's tastes better and is cheaper than any of them.

[Kristev]

I love Pizza Hut.

[MoonCat]

Only been to Pizza Hut twice, and wasn't impressed. First time was OK but nothing special. Second time was....pretty awful.

It was the only place open this one day and we hadn't eaten for hours. We still should have passed it by. Nobody in the place except a gaggle of teenage employees chatting behind the counter. Salad bar was pretty much empty. My friend ordered Fettucine Alfredo, it came out more like soup than a pasta dish. Overall our food was pretty bland and the servers totally apathetic. They finally filled up the salad bar right before we left. Not going back.

[MrSunshineState]

It is very possible the employees were overreacting. It is also possible that the old guy is a regular who often complains or nitpicks. I remember when I worked at the movie theatre (10 years ago now, wow) we had this one old couple who would come in and always provide "constructive" criticism. They would also mention every time they came in that they both used to be movie theatre managers so their "advice" shouldn't be ignored.

They were never sucky persay or even rude, but they would nitpick every little thing and at the same time, not really allow us to fix it if it were a legit complaint. Case and point, once time the lady complained her popcorn was too salty. It happens from time to time, even though we used measuring cups, we poured the salt from a carton and sometimes more would go into the popper than normal. No biggie. I offered to replace the popcorn and she was like "No, that's okay, I'll just deal with it this time."

[rageaholic]

What bothers me is that the employees felt comfortable doing this in front of other customers. Keep the bad-mouthing and swearing out of the hearing-range of your paying public, please.

The bad-mouthing on it's own doesn't bother me, most of us have done it. We poke fun at customers for being difficult or being a pain. But doing that in front of other customers is pretty awful.

Yeah. What I found extremely odd is how he said that they can't wait to see him again when he was there, but once he left started badmouthing him. I don't really care as I wouldn't be the type to rat him out to management (they seem like cool employees who love their job despite their badmouthing). But it felt dishonest.

It is very possible the employees were overreacting. It is also possible that the old guy is a regular who often complains or nitpicks. I remember when I worked at the movie theatre (10 years ago now, wow) we had this one old couple who would come in and always provide "constructive" criticism. They would also mention every time they came in that they both used to be movie theatre managers so their "advice" shouldn't be ignored.

They were never sucky persay or even rude, but they would nitpick every little thing and at the same time, not really allow us to fix it if it were a legit complaint. Case and point, once time the lady complained her popcorn was too salty. It happens from time to time, even though we used measuring cups, we poured the salt from a carton and sometimes more would go into the popper than normal. No biggie. I offered to replace the popcorn and she was like "No, that's okay, I'll just deal with it this time."

I think that could be a possibility (though the place just opened months ago). The guy did finish his pizza despite not liking it. Plus his "cardboard" comment was off base. The crust wasn't hard at all (quite the opposite). But then again, it was the employee who asked if he liked the pizza.

[Andara Bledin]

Only been to Pizza Hut twice, and wasn't impressed. First time was OK but nothing special. Second time was....pretty awful.

Pizza Huts can vary wildly for a chain store. Some are awesome (my formerly local one), some are merely ok, and some should have their franchise license revoked.

^-.-^

[Peppergirl]

I agree with whomever pointed out that it was mainly the fact that they were engaging in the badmouthing fully within earshot of other customers. That's horribly unprofessional.

I'll admit to badmouthing customers (to co workers or family) who sometimes haven't been all that bad, but there's no customers around to hear it.

The only time it's acceptable to badmouth a customer (and it has limits) is when someone is so blatantly outrageously abusive...and the remaining customers are actually appalled by the shitty customers behavior as well. I've seen that happen a time or two and was never put off by it.

The guy probably could have refrained from saying it tasted like cardboard, but the over-the-top reaction was uncalled for in front of other customers. Definitely.