Today's topic is restaurants.
So, I have a question:
Do you know what is worse than bad food?
Answer:
Bad customer service.
Ok, sometimes they fail because the number of available waiters is not enough to serve everyone properly, and certainly, that can be disappointing. However, what I am talking about is when the waiter seems to be mean to you.
Do you know when they ignore or mistreat you simply because they don't like you?
And I always ask myself why.
They treat everyone well there, but it seems that you are the only person that is having a hard time with them.
Could you get the picture?
So let me tell you about a situation that happened to me two days ago.
I went on this weekend trip to Cologne, Germany (I live in Belgium, so it is not that far), and around 4 p.m. I decided to take a break and have a traditional German dessert somewhere.
So I chose this restaurant close to me, got in, and this person that seemed to be the owner hosted me inwards.
Then after choosing something on the menu (An apfelstrudel), I looked for someone to take my order and found this guy dressed up like what seemed to be a waiter that was apparently free (Like doing nothing).
So, I waved at him.
He looked me back straight in the eyes and ignored me.
Then I thought,
"Did he just ignore me?"
"Maybe he is not a waiter."
(Because he was just wearing a suit vest and had no waiter wallet in the waist).
"Maybe he didn't see my hand because it wasn't high enough."
So, I decided to give the benefit of the doubt because maybe he hadn't seen my hand waving at him.
Ok, so I went for a second shot.
I waved to him more firmly, trying to call him.
And guess what just happened?
He looked me back and ignored me again.
I was astonished.
Then I thought: "This dude is really ignoring me".
Still, I considered that maybe he wasn't a waiter or is just a host, so that's why he ignored me (Despite if he is a host, you don't simply ignore a customer as the way he did).
Anyway, I waited for someone else. (In this case, the owner that hosted me in the first place)
However, a few moments later, that dude started to serve the tables next to me, so that guy was indeed a waiter in charge of that area.
So, he had undoubtedly ignored me.
I was just stupefied.
How could he have done that to me?
Why?
And for what?
He had decided to attack me for no good reason.
Weird, isn't it?
But it hasn't finished yet.
When the check came, I got my card to pay (Because I didn't see any issue with paying 9,90 Euros by card, moreover, I am in Cologne, not a village).
But the owner refused to accept it.
He said that card is usually accepted above 20 Euros ( in a condescending manner)
I simply couldn't believe it.
So, feeling pretty odd, I opened my wallet and tried to wave to him a 50 Euro bill (because I couldn't see any other), but, in this meanwhile, he was giving a deep look at my wallet in my wallet and "kindly" pointed out to use the 10 Euro bill instead of the 50.... (Unbelievable, not only did he not accept my card, and looked invasively inside my wallet, but he also decided with which bill I should pay...)
But It hasn't finished yet....
After all of that, he explicitly said that I still needed to tip him...
Really, can you believe that??
I couldn't believe that he had the guts to say that (In the way he did it).
He specifically said: It is 1 Euro.
Ok, that's it.
That was too much.
Let's brief the whole thing: I was rudely ignored twice by that waiter, and this one was being so petty about how to pay by examining the inside of my wallet, choosing the money bill I should use, and now he calls me out about the tip? On the way he did it?
Are you fuck&%& kidding me??
End of the story, I didn't tip him and mentioned the situation about the waiter.
He seemed baffled. (Not because of the waiter but because I refused to give a tip anyway)
Anyway, I simply stood up and walked away.
Ok, that's it.
I hope that you "enjoyed" it, and I will see you in the next post!
À la prochaine!
Obs: If you have been through a similar situation and want to share it, please use the comment section to tell me!
See you!!!