If you are that picky, stay at home

[customersruinmylife]

Ahh, the joys of my weekly bar shift.

There were four SC's involved in this story. I will simply number them SC1/SC2 ect.

SC1: Can I order four meals please?
Me: Sure, what can I get you?
SC1: First, I would like the fish and chips...
Me: OK...
SC1: But instead of chips, can I have salad instead?
Me: Yeah, I think I can do that...
SC1: But make sure there are no onions in the salad, and only a small amount of cucumber, not too much, not too little.
Me: Right...
SC1: Then I would like the chilli...but with no kidney beans, make sure there are no kidney beans in it...
Me: OK...
SC1: ...and also, I do not want rice, can I have salad with that as well?

I felt like I had to agree, seeing as I had agreed with the previous substitution.

SC1: And on that salad, no tomato. Then, I would like the steak and kidney pie, but I don't want any vegetables with that, so can I have a little salad with that as well? But no cucumber in the salad.
Me: Right...
SC1: And then I would like a beef burger.
Me: ....*waiting for him to say something*
Me: Just a beef burger?
SC1: Yes.

I read his order back to him, and rang it through. The kitchen were pretty annoyed about such an irritating order, but they made it, and I had the joy of taking it out to them.

Me: So that's all your meals there guys, enjoy your meals.
SC2: Oh...I wanted mashed potato with my beef burger...not fries.
SC1: Oh I forgot to ask. Can you change that?

He shoved the plate into my hands.

SC3: Oh...my salad has dressing...
SC1: I didn't realise it came with dressing, can you change that please?

He handed me the second plate.

SC4: You know, I would really have preferred baked potato with this...
SC1: So can you please sort this out now please??
SC2: They don't make it very easy for us, do they????
Me:

Yep, three of the four meals got sent back. I was biting my tongue so much it hurt. The kitchen went apeshit when they were returned. It took nearly ten minutes to sort out, mainly because they had to cook baked and mashed potato from scratch. I took them back out.

SC1: I hope these haven't been sat under the heat lamp! The entire meals better be fresh!
Me: *lying* Yes everything is fresh.

I have made a note of them. Next time they ask to change things on the menu, they are being told no.

[Anakah]

Holy crap. That's really taking it up the tail pipe. What a bunch of jerks.

[ottid]

I'm sorry, but switching fires for salad is a lot different, and easier, then most of the stuff that they switched out (apart from being particular what was in the salad).

[JustaCashier]

Those types are precisely why some restaurants/bars will have "No Substitutions" printed on their menu.

Sure, swapping out one item with another of similar or lesser value may not be a huge deal, but to nitpick about every little thing.

And no kidney beans in the chili? What's with that? Is the kitchen staff supposed to ladle up the bowl making sure no beans get in it? What if there's a blend of beans? Fish them all out? Fish out only the kidney beans? What if kidney beans are the only type in the chili, but they want beans in it, just not kidney?

With people like that, I have to wonder if they are doing it to be intentionally annoying, like some sort of prank? Or is it some kind of control thing? Maybe their meal would actually be okay without the substitutions/deletions/additions, but they have this sick thing of having to be in control.

Anyway, it would have been bad enough had they been satisfied with the food as it was intially delivered, but this "Oh, gee! I meant to ask...." thing is pure bullshit.

And, of course, any added delay to "correct" the order, is the staff's fault!

Mike

[bainsidhe]

Ah, you must have been in a good mood. Normally you'd tell these twerps to suck it.

[customersruinmylife]

Ah, you must have been in a good mood. Normally you'd tell these twerps to suck it.

I know! I surprised myself, but I was in a good mood, and I wasn't going to let them ruin it!

[csquared]

The mistake was not in allowing the substitutions. It was in allowing SC1 to place the order for the other three.

Should have pointed to SC1 and said "He screwed it up. Take it up with him."

[JustaCashier]

The mistake was not in allowing the substitutions. It was in allowing SC1 to place the order for the other three

Good point.

That kind of reinforces my control theory. Even if SC1 was footing the entire bill, he didn't need to be the one to order for each of them.

Mike

[XCashier]

SC4: You know, I would really have preferred baked potato with this...
SC1: So can you please sort this out now please??
SC2: They don't make it very easy for us, do they????
Me:

"Easy for you?!"

Jeez, these guys make Sally Albright look low-maintenance! Yeah, definitely no substitutions next time! Here's the menu, you've got two choices: take it or leave it.

[Kristev]

At least I have the courtesy to write down exactly what I want when I go to a restaurant, or go to a self-serve type of place where I can make my own choices without needing to worry.

[poofy_puff]

I was expecting the story to end with the SC's demanding a refund.

[earl colby pottinger]

Ordering for others

That is why I now insist that if others want me to pick up something for them and it is more than *ONE* item that they write it out for me.

And yes on more than one occasion I was told "That is not what I wanted" only to hand the paper back and say "Show me.".

For years I use to be blamed for making mistakes. Then I started insisted getting it writing, turns out that 90% of the time they don't know what they wanted in the first place.

[Kristev]

It works out great, because the cashier knows what I want, so I get next to no mistakes in my order, and there's proof of what I ordered if there actually is a mistake.

[Andara Bledin]

That's why I adore ordering pizza online.

No questions of what I wanted versus what they made, and if something doesn't match when it arrives, I can just check the history to know whether I made a mistake or the pizza place did.

I once ordered a pizza and instead of the box for double cheese, I managed to order no cheese at all. >.< Another time I ordered Cheese Bread and they brought the Cinnamon stuff... which I got to keep since it was an obvious mistake on their end, and they couldn't do anything with it, anyway.

^-.-^

[flutes_and_fabric]

I've had that happen before. If it's someone who's been sucky, we just told them that they could order the new sides, but they'd have to pay for them. I think the pickiest person I ever had was a woman who wanted her scrambled eggs medium well (yes, that's what she said) and now I have to go post the rest of her order cause it's a hilarious story...