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I work at a Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi) shop. There are 4 other employees and I'm the only woman and the only one who is not Asian. I do everything from working the register to making sandwiches to doing prep. The store has only been open a few months and most of our customers are very awesome, chill regulars. We were recently featured on a popular local website and business has boomed but I've encountered my first SCs at the job.
You Aren't Vietnamese!
Most banh mi restaurants in my city are owned and operated by Vietnamese people, since there is a fairly large Vietnamese population. If people wait by the register for their food and I'm spending all my time in the back making sandwiches, they're often surprised by my ethnicity. Until today, this had always resulted in laughs--"Haha, who'd have thought the only non Vietnamese person would be making my sandwich." or "You're not Vietnamese!" (said in great surprise by an older lady. She was laughing, it wasn't accusatory).
Me: Here's your sandwiches! Thanks for waiting and have a great day!
SC: Wait, you didn't make these, did you?
Me: I did make them. Did you have questions about them?
SC: I can't believe you are allowed near the food! This isn't real banh mi if some white girl is making it! I want to talk to the manager!!!!
The owner told the SC to leave and not come back. Yay owner!
How DARE You Make Assumptions??
The owner wants us to pimp out our delivery service. This makes sense since we are a stone's throw away from some very large hospitals, which are almost as good for ordering as offices. I always mention the delivery service to people with hospital ID badges or in scrubs. Today, SC came in wearing surgical scrubs.
Me: Here's your order! I included a copy of our menu in your bag. We deliver every day of the week within a 2000 mile radius.
SC: Well, how do you know that I live near here?
Me: I don't. Based on your scrubs, I'm guessing that you're a surgeon and probably a resident if you're getting a very cheap meal near work on a Sunday. I'm sure there are times you'd appreciate a new place to order from, especially since we don't have a delivery fee.
SC: arghabarghale You're so presumptive!
Me: (thinking) And this is why no one like surgeons.
Stop Being So Cheerful
Long ago I developed a defense mechanism against customers: Be cheerful and slightly ditzy. I've found that customers are slightly less likely to be mean if they think I'm a little dumb (someone once said "I'm not even going to argue with you because you just wouldn't understand").
Today someone told me that I needed to stop being so cheerful. First time I've heard that in the 6 or 7 years I've been obscenely cheerful to customers.
Bubble Tea
I try to upsell on almost every order. I often try to upsell you multiple times. As a new, small business, margins are thin and I need to make sure that I'm making enough money for the boss so that my paycheck isn't eating all his profit for the day.
Background: Bubble tea is a kind of tea that many Vietnamese places feature prominently on their menus.
SC: I want a chicken sandwich.
Me: Did you want to add avocado to that sandwich?
SC: No. I also want a Thai tea.
Me: Would you like to add tapioca? That would make the Thai tea more like bubble tea.
SC: GOD NO! What do I have to do to get you to stop selling me stuff I don't need!!! Just give me a sandwich and tea!!!
Me: I apologize. I am not trying to annoy you. Your total for the chicken sandwich and Thai tea is $89,342.33.
I fixed the tea for the customer.
SC: Wait!!! This isn't bubble tea!!!
Me: Correct. This is Thai tea. Bubble tea is tea with tapioca in it. Would you like me to add some tapioca?
SC: Well, duh! Who orders bubble tea without tapioca?
Me: Ok, that will be $223.98 for the tapioca.
SC: I'm not paying that. I ordered bubble tea and this isn't bubble tea.
Me: I cannot add the tapioca for free. I explained earlier that Thai tea isn't bubble tea and that you'd need to add tapioca. You declined and therefore you weren't charged for the tapioca.
SC: FINE, but I'm telling everyone that this place is a rip off!
I'm Not Eating At Your House
I was peeling, deveining and cutting shrimp.
SC: Hey, stop that!!
Me: Pardon me?
SC: You're cutting out the rotten parts of the shrimp and putting them in with the good ones instead of throwing away the whole rotten shrimp!
Me: Actually, I'm deveining the shrimp.
SC: De-what?
Me: Deveining. You know, cutting out the black line?
SC: You're making that up! Any dark spot on a shrimp means it's bad.
Me: No, deveining is removing the digestive tract of the shrimp.
SC: You're making that up. This place is disgusting!
You Aren't Vietnamese!
Most banh mi restaurants in my city are owned and operated by Vietnamese people, since there is a fairly large Vietnamese population. If people wait by the register for their food and I'm spending all my time in the back making sandwiches, they're often surprised by my ethnicity. Until today, this had always resulted in laughs--"Haha, who'd have thought the only non Vietnamese person would be making my sandwich." or "You're not Vietnamese!" (said in great surprise by an older lady. She was laughing, it wasn't accusatory).
Me: Here's your sandwiches! Thanks for waiting and have a great day!
SC: Wait, you didn't make these, did you?
Me: I did make them. Did you have questions about them?
SC: I can't believe you are allowed near the food! This isn't real banh mi if some white girl is making it! I want to talk to the manager!!!!
The owner told the SC to leave and not come back. Yay owner!
How DARE You Make Assumptions??
The owner wants us to pimp out our delivery service. This makes sense since we are a stone's throw away from some very large hospitals, which are almost as good for ordering as offices. I always mention the delivery service to people with hospital ID badges or in scrubs. Today, SC came in wearing surgical scrubs.
Me: Here's your order! I included a copy of our menu in your bag. We deliver every day of the week within a 2000 mile radius.
SC: Well, how do you know that I live near here?
Me: I don't. Based on your scrubs, I'm guessing that you're a surgeon and probably a resident if you're getting a very cheap meal near work on a Sunday. I'm sure there are times you'd appreciate a new place to order from, especially since we don't have a delivery fee.
SC: arghabarghale You're so presumptive!
Me: (thinking) And this is why no one like surgeons.
Stop Being So Cheerful
Long ago I developed a defense mechanism against customers: Be cheerful and slightly ditzy. I've found that customers are slightly less likely to be mean if they think I'm a little dumb (someone once said "I'm not even going to argue with you because you just wouldn't understand").
Today someone told me that I needed to stop being so cheerful. First time I've heard that in the 6 or 7 years I've been obscenely cheerful to customers.
Bubble Tea
I try to upsell on almost every order. I often try to upsell you multiple times. As a new, small business, margins are thin and I need to make sure that I'm making enough money for the boss so that my paycheck isn't eating all his profit for the day.
Background: Bubble tea is a kind of tea that many Vietnamese places feature prominently on their menus.
SC: I want a chicken sandwich.
Me: Did you want to add avocado to that sandwich?
SC: No. I also want a Thai tea.
Me: Would you like to add tapioca? That would make the Thai tea more like bubble tea.
SC: GOD NO! What do I have to do to get you to stop selling me stuff I don't need!!! Just give me a sandwich and tea!!!
Me: I apologize. I am not trying to annoy you. Your total for the chicken sandwich and Thai tea is $89,342.33.
I fixed the tea for the customer.
SC: Wait!!! This isn't bubble tea!!!
Me: Correct. This is Thai tea. Bubble tea is tea with tapioca in it. Would you like me to add some tapioca?
SC: Well, duh! Who orders bubble tea without tapioca?
Me: Ok, that will be $223.98 for the tapioca.
SC: I'm not paying that. I ordered bubble tea and this isn't bubble tea.
Me: I cannot add the tapioca for free. I explained earlier that Thai tea isn't bubble tea and that you'd need to add tapioca. You declined and therefore you weren't charged for the tapioca.
SC: FINE, but I'm telling everyone that this place is a rip off!
I'm Not Eating At Your House
I was peeling, deveining and cutting shrimp.
SC: Hey, stop that!!
Me: Pardon me?
SC: You're cutting out the rotten parts of the shrimp and putting them in with the good ones instead of throwing away the whole rotten shrimp!
Me: Actually, I'm deveining the shrimp.
SC: De-what?
Me: Deveining. You know, cutting out the black line?
SC: You're making that up! Any dark spot on a shrimp means it's bad.
Me: No, deveining is removing the digestive tract of the shrimp.
SC: You're making that up. This place is disgusting!
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