Spilled a drink on a customer today

[I am the Lizard Queen!!]

Yeah so..... pretty much the one thing that kept me awake with cold sweats since I started this job happened tonight. My only excuse is that I was completely exhausted. I walked over to a table with a tray of drinks and splash!!! So mortifying. So embarrassing. I just want to crawl into a hole right now.

[Pixilated]

I remember having to carry trays of gigantic drinks around restaurants, LOL. That was one of my nightmares too. I used to wish we could load the food and drinks on little wheeled carts instead.

What was the customer's reaction?

[Racket_Man]

I worked as a car-hop (back in the day, these places mostly do not offer this service anymore) and one day I spilled a couple of chocolate shakes in a Caddy with velure/velvet interior

[csquared]

They say in NASCAR that there are two types of drivers:
Those that have hit the wall.
Those that are going to hit the wall.

I think the same can be said about food service and spilling drinks. It's done. It's over. You survived. Now you can stop worrying.

[Crossbow]

Don't sweat it, dear. As csquared said, it's happened or will happen to everybody in the business at some point. Was the customer a complete raging suckasaurus over it?



Years ago, my wife ended up getting an entire tray of drinks dumped on her. Probably close to 20 sodas and waters down the back. The waitress was mortified and apologetic, as was the manager. But accidents happen (waitress had overbalanced the tray as she was serving) and all you can do is roll with it.

[I am the Lizard Queen!!]

Heh, you guys are so right, I knew it would happen eventually. The guy was kind of a dick actually, especially considering that the drinks actaully hit the chair beside him and splashed up onto him, so it really wasn't THAT bad.
I still went into the back and cried. It was just the last straw in a truly sucky day.
On the plus side, after it ahppened, everyone in the lounge stopped me to tell me a story about something similar happening to them or someone they knew. It was kind of sweet, I think they could all see how upset I was.

[emax4]

My Grandma used to tell me a story of how she and a coworker used to be waitresses at HoJos (Howard Johnsons). The coworker was bringing food out and spilled a plate of spaghetti in a customer's lap! Luckily the customer was laughing about it though.

A few years ago I was out with friends at a TGI Fridays. I got a decaf coffee, but they bring it out in these tall mugs on small plates, which doesn't work well for the center of balance. As the waitress went to set it down, it spilled right in my lap on my jeans! Since I try to make light of bad situations I said, "At least it was decaf, otherwise I'd really be up all night.. ba dum ching!" The waitress was relieved and I didn't tell her manager or anything. I figured she didn't go out of her way to spill it on me anyway.

[csquared]

everyone in the lounge stopped me to tell me a story about something similar happening to them

See there. You have had your initiation and now you are a full blown member of the club. However, I don't really think that you should put that on your resume.

[Caractacus_Potts]

In the vain of "everyone has had it happen" or "misery loves company"...

I dropped a tray of four ice waters onto a table with a family of four, Unfortunately it was a corner booth and they all got ice water on their laps before they could even think of moving. Fortunately for me they laughed about it. It was my first serving job (my first real job ever) and I thought the manager was going to fire me. Instead he had me walk around the kitchen for about fiteen minutes balancing a tray of water glasses.

A worse one was when I was emptying ash trays (that may date me). I was leaning over to cap a full ashtray with a clean one when one of the full dirty ashtrays on my tray slid off and went right down the low cut back of a woman's dress. She and her husband/boyfreind were quite pissed.

[Divra]

I can only echo the above statements. If you haven't spilled anything on anyone ever, you haven't worked in serving.

I poured a cider over a customer my first night working begind the bar. I was green and it was busy, and I accidentally put the bottle half on top of an ashtray. I was also certain that I would be out on my arse, but both the manager and customer laughed.

[Cazzi]

Many years ago at a family party, a waiter brought round a tray of glasses of bubbly for a toast.. and promptly tipped the lot over my mother!

He was mortified, she just laughed & asked for a bucket so she could wring out her clothes & not waste it

[Victory Sabre]

I've been working in the restaurant biz for way too long. I'm one of the lucky ones - I've never done it yet. I've come close several times, though. Considering how clumsy I am, I'm amazed.