Stand up to your vegetarian brats I beg you!

[Pizzagirl]

Hello. I am new to this forum and came serching for somewhere and someone I could unload this ill feeling I have towards some really horrible customers to my restaurant.

Back story: I have a very well loved, successful, Pizzeria that has been in business for over 12 years. We have a wonderful crowd of loyal, regular customers. Almost all of them on a first name basis, go to their ball games, sponser their kids events, etc. We are a small community and absolutly thrive in giving back and making the connections. But in the summer....we have a very regular crowd of entitlement believing, smug, rude and cheap, want something for nothing, never going to return again tourist crowd. Honestly some locals have likened it to the locust.

For 12+ years my staff and I have handled really well. Even the rudest person got a smile...maybe not the free stuff they want, but they got told no politely.

Today...it didn't go so well. We had a family in the restaurant order a large cheese pizza. No problem, restaurant is packed, and we'd have it out in under 20 minutes. Note: they all ordered the free cups of water with their pizza. Cheese pizza comes out looking great...perfect because I made it and have been making pizzas for 26 years now. While waiting for their pizza, they interrupt the girl at the counter multiple times for more free water....literally elbowing their way past other customers just trying to place their order. Imagine the entitlement persona playing into this...."I'm the only one here....you must serve me. Oh these others? They are not as important as me!"

Pizza is taken out to the family, and they bring it back to the counter (several slices missing) saying that a sliver of a pepperoni was found (man demonstrated this to me by showing a sliver of his finger nail .....much smaller than say an almond sliver).....this offending sliver of pepperoni wasn't found on the pizza but merly touching the pizza (sliver of pepperoni is nowhere to be found now but they said I could go check in the street as they threw it out there). Now his kids won't eat any of the pizza because they are vegetarians...but he says it is fine for he and his wife. I offer to remake the pizza and we tell them there will be cheese slices out soon that he can purchase if the kids don't like the pie he ordered. They soon eat the entire pizza leaving the kiddos out. He comes up to me later to say that he wants two cheese slices out of our display case. I tell him to just get in line and he can pay for them at the counter. He screams at me why should I have to pay for them? I'm puzzled and then quickly realize this bozo wants free food. I told him that he'd have to pay for additional food considering he and his wife inhaled the entire cheese pizza he already orderd. He reminded me that his children are vegetarians and that a sliver of pepperoni touched their pie and made it unediable. They could get sick! REally? Cause it looks like you ate all of it. Wife says " You didn't deliever on what you promissed" I responded" And you quickly ate all of that non promise."

I did later applogize for raising my voice and not handling it as well as I could have. In hind sight, instead of arguing with them in the middle of my restaurant, I should have just escorted them out the door with their 90% eatten non promise. Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split ya!

I'm glad to have that off my chest. Tomorrow new day....probably with the 90% + customers who will come in and make the effort to tell us absolutely how wonderful our food and restaurant is. Literally we can be blessed with multiple offerings of well wishes and gratitude which we always give back as well. I make a point to shake our customers' hand or give them a kiss.....we adore them.

But today......miserable day made miserable by one ugly family. Makes me wonder what their children will be like when they are out spending money and dealing with restaurant servers and staff. I say put them in the kitchen with my two boys and teach them to do dishes and sweep, clean and mop. Start out small and work your way up. Then maybe they won't have that damn entitlement syndrome.

Thanks for listening to my rant.
PizzaGirl

[Dave1982]

I can understand why you did what you did. This was definitely a scam attempt, and it's very frustrating when that happens. Unfortunately it's a very common thing. People come up with some alleged problem (or even a real problem) with their food, but only after they've all or almost all of it, then expect to get a whole second meal free. Or worse, they expect a full refund AND a full replacement meal.

[AtDIelement]

It's just like the line from Waiting...

"I understand you didn't like the steak, but did you have to eat the whole thing?!"

[Imogene]

Why did father dearest not give his kids the cheese slices, and take the grenade for himself? Just a thought.

[Willis]

Reminds me of the time about 14 years ago I went to my job to eat after hours with a childhood friend/fellow employee. This is something I rarely did btw.

A little back story - The GM was a gigantic prick. He didn't like me for whatever reason from the get go. I was young at the time and wanted to bake. He promised me that I would be able to if I washed dishes for him for a short while. I thought OK. Guy screwed me over and I washed dishes for a year until I transferred to another restaurant and was hired as a cook. More on that in a later post sometime. But yea, me and that guy did not get along at all. It's almost like he hired me as a doormat and I had something to say about it.

Anyways, friend and I went out to eat and then did some other things afterwards. I ordered a burger well done and it came back medium rare. I didn't know it when I got the food but I took one bite, not even big, and everything tasted funny to me. I spit it out in a napkin. Friend looks at my immediate expression, I set the burger down, he says your burger is medium rare. You don't eat rare food. I say I know. I sent the whole plate back and had completely lost my appetite. The waitress (a fellow employee) offered to have them remake it. I declined and told her why. We still tipped her.

Here's the funny part. That same GM who screwed me over was at the register when we go up. He asks us how everything was and I told him mine was totally on the opposite end of the temperature scale and I lost my appetite. As I was about to pay, he wants to argue and starts chewing me out. I told him that I'd pay for the meal anyways but the food was ridiculous. He says they'd remake it, but I told him I know exactly how cooks feel when they get food sent back. I worked right around the corner from them everyday and on my off moments saw and heard how they handled some complaints. I learned in detail at the other location when I cooked there. He didn't buy it, because he was a jackass, and thought I was trying to get a free meal. Me and my friend asked him how when I didn't even eat anything. The waitress even backed that up. The food was all there. The GM was acting how an SC would act even though I was still willing to pay. He just wanted to argue but told me to forget about it and he'd comp the meal while still bitching at me. It was extremely weird I know. That was the first and last time I ever offered to pay for a meal that I didn't eat and wasn't happy with. If I don't eat the food, I'm not paying for it. Funny thing about it was, the GM was being judgmental accusing me of wanting to get a free meal when I didn't even swallow a bite and didn't even ask for a free meal. My friend stood up for me and told him he knew damn well I wasn't the type of person to try and get a free meal like that and that I rarely even eat there after hours. He just gave me this stupid look and didn't saying anything. That shows how big of an asshole he was. I hated that guy. I don't think I'd ever wanted to kick someone in the nuts so bad in my life. I mean extremely hard and constant like Steven Austin.

My friend and a couple in line commented on how I was stilling willing to pay so he should relax. Meal was comped, I never ate at work again and a few months after I left that location, ironically that GM lost his job and the location closed after I can't even remember how many years.

[MoonCat]

Oh right, they'll get sick from a tiny sliver of pepperoni. What were they going to do, split it between them?

[chainedbarista]

He reminded me that his children are vegetarians and that a sliver of pepperoni touched their pie and made it unediable. They could get sick!

smells like bs to me; it won't make them sick. they may not like it, but unless they're super drama brats or allergic/sensitive, they won't get sick.

next time someone acts like that, escort them out and invite them not to return.

[bainsidhe]

Anyone notice how offending items in food (sliver of pepperoni, bone, pubic hair) are mysteriously unavailable when evidence is requested? Oh and that last one turned out to be a piece of burnt cheese, but freebies were demanded because the customer "lost their appetite". Leaving half of one slice out of an entire pizza is not losing your appetite.

[Whiskey]

smells like bs to me; it won't make them sick. they may not like it, but unless they're super drama brats or allergic/sensitive, they won't get sick.

Not necessarily true. What the SC's are claiming, yeah its a lie. But if you feed a staunch vegetarian meat, they will get physically sick.

[Magpie]

I agree that them eating meat will quite possibly make them ill. I also agree that it's generally considered unfair (in North America) to expect vegetarians to just ignore meat contamination. (Especially since vegetarian options are used for those who are trying to eat halal, and yes, I know this was a pizza so it doesn't apply). However, a small amount of contamination won't make them physically ill. Unless it's just the thought of eating meat that does it (see point two).

[Amina516]

Its not like the pizza was prepared in a "meat free" area or cooked in a separate "meatfree" oven. I dont really know what the SCs expected. If vegetarians eat meat, they will be ill, but I doubt a "fingernail" of pepperoni was enough to offend their sensitive stomachs!

Im SO glad they did not free food. THANK YOU!!

[Eisa]

I also seriously doubt a sliver of pepperoni could make them sick. Why not eat the other slices then and leave the offending slice there? Or mention it calmly and produce, you know, the evidence?

Although if they have really sensitive stomachs and meat grosses them out THAT much, then it could make them feel ill...I know that if something squicks me out, even if it's just on a little bit of something, I can't keep eating. I wouldn't do what that family did, though.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Hello. I am new to this forum and came serching for somewhere and someone I could unload this ill feeling I have towards some really horrible customers to my restaurant.

Hi Pizzagirl. Welcome to the forum.

[Hyndis]

I agree that them eating meat will quite possibly make them ill. I also agree that it's generally considered unfair (in North America) to expect vegetarians to just ignore meat contamination. (Especially since vegetarian options are used for those who are trying to eat halal, and yes, I know this was a pizza so it doesn't apply). However, a small amount of contamination won't make them physically ill. Unless it's just the thought of eating meat that does it (see point two).

I'm not sure about that. I think its not biological but psychosomatic. The human body requires large amounts of protein to survive, and you get this protein if you eat cheese or drink milk, just the same as eating meat.

Its probably more of a combination of taste and texture. I know I struggle not to be physically ill should I eat broccoli. I'm perfectly capable of eating and digesting it, and its quite nutritious, I just absolutely cannot stand the mouthfeel of it at all.

Processed broccoli, such as in soup where its unrecognizable, is okay. If I don't know I'm eating broccoli there are absolutely no ill effects. However once I realize I'm eating broccoli I start to get queasy.

[Magpie]

I'm not sure about that. I think its not biological but psychosomatic.

I'm sure there could be a psychosomatic reaction, I hadn't considered that. But there is definitely a biological one. I'm not vegetarian, but I'm low meat (student budget ), and I definitely get stomach upset if I eat too much meat (say meat two-three days in a row). It's just that my digestive system can't handle that onslaught. Although, now that you mention it, if they can eat a commercial pizza (normally very greasy), their digestion is more robust than mine.