Journal tangents

[myfanwy]

a place for my work rambles, customers can be surprisingly thick when they want to be.
for context i work at a korean restaurant, so most of the items in question centre around that type of cuisine, along with sushi.​

xoxo eden​

 

[myfanwy]

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01.
it can get relatively busy at the restaurant and this was one of those times, and after working near a high school for four years, i can say i've come to dislike most that come into the store. below is a reason why.

the phone rang and i picked it up, answering with the usual "hi this is [store], how may i help you?"
student: marching up without looking at the menu or the phone in my hand do you have fries?
me: glances up before pointing to the phone and then to the menu
student: turns to her two friends and starts speaking in spanish, basically calling me a rude bitch with a few slang words thrown in

it was a rather short ramble this time, though it does come with a bit of a life lesson: never assume you're the only one who can speak your native language when going somewhere. i don't speak fluent spanish though i do know enough- but still. i never understand why people are rude to the ones making their food, you never know what happens. at my store, we just make the portions a tiny bit smaller than what they would be if someone is outright rude or demanding, though other places will spit in your food.

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[myfanwy]

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02.
i had a new customer come in, asking what type of vegetables we have in our fried rice.

me: we use a pre-mixed handful of carrots, peas, and green beans.

customer: oh i hate peas, can you take them out?

me: no, i’m sorry, as i explained before we pre-mix them.

customer: oh okay, can you add onions and take the peas out?

me: i can add onion, but i can NOT take the peas out.

he begrudging accepts and paid, leaving no tip and a mess on the table- as expected. he comes in again, this time going no different.

customer: can i get veggie fried rice with extra carrots and onion.

me: i’m sorry, i can’t put extra carrot in as it’s pre-mixed, though i can put in onion.

customer: okay, whatever.

he pays, leaves a mess, and the entire time he and his friend are eating he gives me the dirtiest look. they’re both rude and, quite honestly, customers i wouldn’t miss if they stopped coming.

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[myfanwy]

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03.
this is gonna be a long one, as it’s about a previous coworker who made me want to rip my hair out. it’s been long enough since she’s worked here, and, for anonymity’s sake we’ll call her ‘B’ shortforbitchlol

now, she was a regular customer who came in ordering french fries every day, and i made pleasant conversation with her as the cashier. we were looking for someone to help in the kitchen at the time so, against my advice, my bosses hired her. she wasn’t a terrible worker by any means, she was alright, but she didn’t take the job seriously. she would always try to sit down when we were in our lunch rush or try to stay in my area to talk- despite being told that when we are busy we don’t socialise.

still, it didn’t stop her from trying.

it also became apparent that B was either jealous of me or wanted to copy me (my bosses told me this rather than me figuring it out myself). when i asked a question about how to spell something in hangul, she mentioned how she’s always wanted to learn korean. she would always ask what bands i listened to and if i recommended any kpop groups. when I started going to church- surprise, she’s always wanted to go as well.

again, i was always pleasant and tried to help her out, though it seemed like she was vying for my job specifically.

see, B was hired to be the dishwasher and cook simple items, i was the cashier and food prep. every day she’d mention how she wanted to learn the register and work with customers and every time we told her she had to learn her job first before moving on to other areas. it took me a year before i started cooking on the stove top, and after this year i’ve learned everything but sushi. my coworker (before she left) still didn’t know how to do the cash register fully, but it took her two years to learn sushi.

even despite us telling her that, she never seemed to get the hint. see, we didn’t trust her around money and being a cashier was way more stressful than washing dishes. i even had to tell her “as long as i’m here, they don’t need another cashier” AND EVEN THEN she would still ask. she’s buy a drink and try to look over my shoulder to see how the register worked, but i’m v quick so she never saw, thankfully. my coworker then told me that she was talking smack about me when i left and that’s when i stopped helping her in the kitchen. apparently when i tried to help i sounded like a smart ass. so, no more help.

before learning this i noticed that when she messed up, she would blame it on either me or my coworker. “oh, eden told me to do it like that.” “oh, coworker told me it was done this way”. and she would constantly keep apologising for a mistake instead of owning it and moving on. i get that she was probably nervous for the job, but after a month you learn to just move on because there is no time to hang up on mistakes.

amongst ALL of this, she would try tor smack talk my boss to me. he and his wife are like my second parents so i instantly lost respect for her after that. he had yelled at her for trying to sit when we had a lot of orders in as i had to take over HER job. then she walks up to me and starts doing a stupid hushed whisper thing.

“i don’t think he’d yell if he was thrown down stairs and hit with a metal baseball bat” it was probably a lie but i couldn’t help but let her know that not only did he drive off of a mountain and try to go to work with internal bleeding, but that i have nerve damage in my leg yet i still stand when it’s busy.

she didn’t like that lol.

in october, i took a vacation for my birthday and was gone for a shocking amount of time- six days. apparently during that time she messed a lot of things up and blamed them on me telling her the wrong thing, and when i get back she had taken some sick days.

that’s fine, right?

well, when she comes back she’s being disrespectful towards boss and he straight up asks her what her problem is. she responds that she’s still sick, but she didn’t want to take too many days off while looking dead at me.

like dude. i took that time off bc i didn’t get any other days off that year. piss off.

she also deliberately tried to give me an asthma attack by coming in drenched in cheap perfume. she asked multiple invasive questions about my family that i didn’t answer because i told her it wasn’t her business. when i was making an item and mentioned i always seem to have a little left over each time to my boss, i hear a snide little “oh that seems really easy” from her. bitch you can’t even make bulgogi how can you do this? any time my boss asked me specifically about something, she would race to answer.

she’s tried to trash talk everyone in my job to me and she quit after two months.

i’m surprised she lasted that long but goddamn it was the most stressful time of our lives.

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[myfanwy]

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04.
this will also be a different sort of post: rules of etiquette (concerning service workers)

01. if a cashier asks you how you are doing, it is not acceptable to
a. ignore them
b. “fine”

it is, however, acceptable to say ‘thank you’ or ‘how are you doing’ back to them.

02. it is not acceptable to speak on your phone at any time during your transaction. if it is an emergency, step out of line because that’s fvckin’ awkward to listen to.

03. do not, and i repeat, do not wear headphones when making a transaction or waiting for your food to be called- especially when busy. that’s extremely rude and it makes you look like a nitwit.

04. when asked if you’d like to leave a tip or no, do not utter any of these phrases:
a. no thank you
b. *scoff* no
c. mmmmm not today
d. i’ll leave one in cash (spoiler: the do not leave one in cash either)

you may say:
a. no sorry (that’s literally it, like, no one is offended by that and it takes no effort on the customers part)

05. in the event that you didn’t leave a tip despite eating in the restaurant, do not leave a mess. do not expect the cashier to bring your food to you. do not act like you’re five years old.

06. in the event that you did leave a tip, do not make a mess. do not feel entitled to leave a mess because you left a tip.

07. if you’re having a bad day, don’t take it out on the worker.

08. when ordering food to go, realise that it’s to go. you’re not entitled to anything else if you eat there but got it to go “ just in case i don’t eat it all.” just ask for a bag and a lid when your group is done like an adult and leave it at that.

09. when paying with cash, don’t slam it next to the cashiers hand, throw it on the counter and push it slightly towards them, or set it down on the farthest side of their counter and then hold your entitled hand out for the change.

cashiers: if a customer does any of the above, DON’T HAND THEM THEIR MONEY BACK. don’t enforce that behaviour. stamp it out by putting their money on the counter by their hand.

10. don’t do the cashiers job for them. don’t act like you know more than them. don’t be a jerk about it.

11. don’t flirt with the cashier. they’re paid to be nice to you and don’t want to lose their job. you’re also p creepy when you do it.

i’ll add more as I think of them, but overall, don’t be a jackass when ordering at a restaurant or dealing with someone in customer service.

also, if you’re offended by any of these, don’t @ me and reevaluate your behaviour.

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[The_Omega_Effect]

"also, if you’re offendes by any of these, don’t @ me and reevaluate your behaviour. "
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d

 

[myfanwy]

"also, if you’re offendes by any of these, don’t @ me and reevaluate your behaviour. "
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d

was on my phone, it autocorrected, dunno why u gotta be like that but m'kay

 

[The_Omega_Effect]

was on my phone, it autocorrected, dunno why u gotta be like that but m'kay

not poking fun at the spelling. just poking fun at that line on its own.

 

[myfanwy]

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05.
i don't know what it was about this week, but it was crazier than normal and these are some special gems from the week.

a
customer: can i get a ginger ale and a water?
me: do you want a can or a bottle of ginger ale?
customer: give. me. a. can. of. ginger. ale. and. a. bottle. of. water.
me: yes! your total is [total].

she puts the money on the counter and i give her her drinks- something after i asked if they needed anything else, such as drinks, when they were paying for their food. then, when she gets her tray, i hear:

boss: do you need something else?
customer: yes. i do.
me: what do you need?
customer: give me two forks and a knife.
me: here you are!

as she's walking away, i not-so-subtly say "you could lose the attitude as well~" because i'm an asshole and she didn't leave a tip.​

b.
we were slammed at lunch and someone ordered to eat there. now, he had about seven tickets ahead of his and about once every two minutes, he would get up from his seat and walk to the counter, look over and hover for a moment, then walk back to his seat. it was clear he was trying to push his food to the front of the line, but unluckily for him, i'm a jerk and called every ticket ahead of his before his food.

all while he was standing at the counter because he saw it was ready.​

c.
this is all a phone call

me: hi, this is [restaurant]. how may i help you?
customer: six lumpia
me: okay, i have six lumpia, is that all?
customer: i'll be there five minutes, okay?
me: can i get a name for the order?
customer: [name]
me: it'll be about te-

the phone clicks, meaning that the customer hung up on me. not only did she not pick up her order within five minutes, but she also placed her money on the counter while it was still folded. i place her change on the counter and her food right next to it.​

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[myfanwy]

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06.
oof this one hurts me to this day.

me: hi, how are you?
customer: good.

there's a bit of an awkward silence, yet a few moments later he speaks.

customer: i've never been here before, what do you recommend?
me: well, what do you like?
customer: steak.
me: uh, the bulgogi is pretty good, and we have two options for it- the plate or the box (proceeds to list the options). it's korean style beef.
customer: so what is it?
me: k-korean marinated beef(?)
customer: i'll take it in the plate.

i process the transaction, and up until he has to sign, he is able to use the touchscreen with no problem.

me: okay, please sign there.
customer: do you have a stylus?? or do i have to use my finger?

he had this super disgusted tone when he said that.

me: sadly, a stylus won't work for it, please use your finger.
customer: but the screen is dirty.

i grabbed the screen wipes, grabbed the machine, and wiped it down, only to hear a smug "that's better" come from this guy. about three hours later, we get a three star review from this guy with NO explanation, but we all got this odd feeling from his mannerisms.

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[myfanwy]

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07.
moral of the story: don’t bring outside food to a restaurant.

we were busy one evening and had this group come in. they ordered with no issue and as i was surveying the dining area, a bottle of soy sauce caught my attention.

me: i’m sorry, could you please put that away? we have a no outside food policy.

customer: o-oh no it’s fine to have it out.

me: no. it’s not. please put it away.

they huffily put it away and i return to my job. not even five minutes later i see the same bottle on the table.

me: excuse me. could you please put that away or i’ll have to get my boss.

they, once again, make a big show of putting it away and after explaining to my boss, i stay near the register to keep an eye on them until they left.

to this day, they still try to pull them same thing despite explaining to them that we’d get in trouble from the health department if they caught them doing that. we should just kick them out but they don’t cause any actual trouble.

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