Can I Get You a Seat...In Hell?

[drivebythinker]

BG: Back in the day I worked as a hostess at an Italian restaurant chain. I had a coworker who was epileptic. On to the story.


Me: How many in your party?

SC: 3

Me: Ok, I'm sorry for the delay but we've had a medical emergency on the floor so I won't be able to seat your for a bit.

(BTW We clearly have paramedics on the restaurant floor where my CW is having a seizure)

SC: Well can't you just seat us anyway?

Me: No ma'am that wouldn't be safe.

SC: Why can't you seat us?

Me: : Because it's not safe for you, my CW or the paramedics trying to handle this emergency.

SC: I can't believe you're making us wait.

Me: Ma'am I have a party of 10 which has been waiting for 15 minutes already and are ahead of you.

SC: Can't you just show us our table and we can seat ourselves?

Me: NO. I don't know which table s are available and we are in the middle of a medical (enunciating) e-mer-gen-cy.

SC: *scoff*

Nice lady with SC: I'm so sorry about that. So do you listen to radio x?

Finally after the paramedics leave with my CW on a stretcher we are able to seat those waiting. SC was still a b**** throughout.

[XCashier]

"Gosh, I'm so sorry to interrupt your happy little world with a medical emergency in the real world!"

[BeenThereDoneThat]

SC was still a b**** throughout.

Of course she was. She has no soul. The Nice Lady with her should consider hanging out with a different crowd... (since this is an old story, I hope she did).

[HappyFun Ball]

"Ah yes, right this way.. Would you like to step directly on the person who is having the emergency while you're at it?"

There are so many people in this world that could greatly benefit from an elbow smash to the hinge of their jaw.

[Kaibutsu]

I do believe I would have refused her service like Axel Foley:
"Everybody, party's over! SC fucked it up for everybody, so [let's] just go home."
Or... Billy Ray Valentine:
"Can I have everybody's attention...? Get. The fuck. OUT!"
Your coworker's health means far, FAR more than the shit attitude and crap tip that SC would have given.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and a group is only as cool as its worst SC.

[Bloodsoul]

So.. do you listen to Radio X? I'm sorry, that line just came straight outta nowhere and gave my brain whiplash.

[Zellie Crescent]

You were much nicer than I would've been, I would've said: no you may NOT be seated now, there is a severe medical emergency. Now if you can't understand that then you should just shut up and leave!

[MoonCat]

I think there should be a special table for people like this. You could say, "Certainly, at once, right this way, ma'am. I have a very special table just for you."

Then you lead her (if possible in the most convoluted way possible--right through the kitchen if you can manage it without disturbing the cooks) out the farthest exit, preferably into an alley next to a nice, stinky dumpster. Next to the dumpster you should have a table and chairs all set up with a cute little centerpiece, silverware, napkins, etc.

Seat them, leave and don't come back.

Well, it's a nice fantasy.

[downforit2008]

A few months ago, we had an employee who had a seizure in the Subway shop that adjoins with our store and while the paramedics were looking him over, the Subway was temporarily closed because of this and I was stationed at the entrance to keep anyone else from coming in. Several customers who wanted to have lunch there asked me what happened and if everything was okay. I reassured them that my coworker would be fine and the Subway was going to reopen up soon. NO COMPLAINTS!!! The customers only seemed concerned about the health of my coworker but if any one of them had started whining about how they still want to go in and have lunch regardless, I'd be prepared to really let them have it with both barrels. The last thing I tolerate are entitled customers who still demand to have everything done for them even in the case of a medical emergency.

[Sapphire Silk]

So.. do you listen to Radio X? I'm sorry, that line just came straight outta nowhere and gave my brain whiplash.

Nice Lady was trying to distract SC by changing the subject. Nice job on her part, actually.

[Tama]

Yeah, that was a pretty nice idea.

[Sarthor]

I came across two video clips in the news recently. Bear with me on this...

One was an accident when a car had hit a motorcycle, both the car and the bike were on fire and the motorcyclist was trapped under the car. The clip shows random people all coming and working together to tip the car enough for the guy to be pulled out. He survived and expressed his thanks from hospital to those who rescued him.

The second was some hatemongers from the Westboro Baptist Church doing one of their standard 'God Hates Fags' pickets in Long Beach. The video shows the community responding by basically having a street party in front of them and as you can imagine, there were lots of gays and lesbians present and people with amusing signs. Hate being conquered by fun, partying and a display of a great community spirit.

I'm considering storing away my own copies of things like this to be used to restore my faith in humanity as a whole and raise my spirits when they've been crushed. Also to renew my determination to be like these people and not end up as a bitter twisted old man.

Hope your co-worker was fine.

[ShadowBall]

It's good that you're at least on your co-worker's side. I remember once a friend and I went to Burger King or Wendy's or some other greasy place for something to eat and an employee in the kitchen slipped and fell on her butt (she was okay). One of the other employees yelled out, "If you're going to have a seizure, Mary, then go home!" Not in a concerned tone either - in a very annoyed tone, since I'm sure this woman chose to have seizures at work and all.

So it's definitely good when you've got your co-worker's back. Some people just do not live in reality when emergencies occur. They're off in la-la-fantasy-land and don't see to hear when they are told that someone is having an emergency and no, the special snowflakes whose time is far more important than everyone else's cannot be served while the emergency is being tended to.

Or they feel everyone but them has to wait, kind of like the assholes who will continue to shop in a store that is visibly on fire and everyone else has left.

Best wishes for your co-worker - hope they'll be okay.

[BroSCFischer]

Should have said "Of course", then showed them to the exit.

SC

[Food Lady]

I would've told her exactly why not: "Because it's too hard to walk through there with all the flailing going on." But I'm descriptive like that.