So I take the family to my favorite pizza place tonight...

[driver8]

I love this pizza and was craving it all day. The wait to get a table is usually at least a half hour and I am expecting that. I go to the counter to put my name on the list and I tell the girl, "Mike, party of six."

The girl starts to write my name down and this woman comes up and says, "I can't seat you." I'm thinking "WTF?" She says, we take reservations for parties of 6 or more. I have a bunch of large parties tonight and I can't seat you. I said, "Six is a large party? I've eaten here many times with large parties and have never had a reservation, and never even knew that you freakin' took reservations!" (We had four adults, a three year old and a two year old -- a big party?)

She says, "I'm not even putting your name on the list. I can't give you a table tonight."

I said, "Don't you think it should be up to me if I want to wait? What you are saying is you don't want my business?"

"No, but I can't seat you."

I looked at her and said, "Thanks for your help. You've been very accomodating." And I walked out.

I tell my wife what happened and she couldn't believe it. We decide to get some pizzas to go and I tell my wife, "You go and order because I have a feeling I am going to say something I'll regret."


My wife goes in, comes back out and says "She thinks she can seat us now." I said, "WTF is her problem?" My wife said, "Well, I asked her if there was any way she could seat six and she said 'was that your husband? He wasn't very happy.'"

My wife said, "No, as a matter of fact he's a little ticked right now."

The woman says since it is "slow", they can push two tables together for us. I'm still totally fucking confused. When we walk through the restaurant, she sees me and makes some remark about my son "being stubborn like his father." I turn and start to say something and my wife tells me to keep moving.

I don't know...I worked in restaurants through high school and college and never told anyone I wouldn't be able to seat them no matter how busy it was. I certainly never told them that I wouldn't put them on the waiting list. I just thought that was a pretty piss poor way to treat a customer. I'm surprised I kept my cool with her because I was really pissed off when I walked out the first time.

[LiberalVoice]

1. Well at least you kept your cool . nt

[Tom Kitten]

2. creepy

perhaps general indoctrination has started to blossom already!

[NMMNG]

3. WTF?

It goes from "we have a bunch of large parties tonight and I can't seat you" to "since it is slow we can push two tables together for you" in a matter of a few minutes? This waitress seriously needs to work on her customer service skills.

[Richard Steele]

4. This is how nature says, "Spend your money elsewhere"!

Seriously, I would take a day to calm down and then
compose a calm message to the owner describing
what happened...

"She" sounds a bit "off";
I'll bet the folks who work with her have BIGGER complaints
than yours,
and that she will be FIRED before you go there again.

Speaking as someone who once "worked with" someone like her,
please inform the management.
PLEASE!

Employee complaints are often ignored, and the SANE
workers spend their days praying for a customer to complain
about the NUTCASE who is f*cking things up for everyone!

[blondeatlast]

11. then when it's brought to management attention, the workers, who may have

been offering hints to management all along, act as if the employees behaviour is a complete surprise.

I had a similar situation in my paraprofessional position. Employee was a major sycophant, then one day had a very public issue with a bus driver (we are all city employees). She abused the woman (literally cursing and demeaning the woman and the bus driver) on the phone taking her complaint, my boss was FLOORED, even though we'd been talking about her behaviour to said boss for months.

She was transferred to an office where she has no public contact and much, much less freedom to use the phone, but she wasn't fired.

But she was originally hired for a public contact position, and NOT the type that was ready for public contact, in person or on the phone.

That woman's behaviour sounds very much like the above described employee.

[Orsino]

5. No apology?

Yes, this is a restaurant that doesn't really want your business.

Officious little busybodies who hide behind policy, then relent while sighing and reminding us of just what a favor they're doing us? They tick me off.

[marzipanni]

6. Don't take the woman's mental problem personally

She sounds kinda frazzled and not looking forward to a hectic night working in the pizza parlor.
I know how unpleasant it is to have a stranger make a comment about one's child... when my son was 3 1/2 we visited a fairly new skateboard shop in our small city. After looking around my son had picked out a beachball, not inflated yet, in a cellophane bag. As I paid for it the shopkeeper asked me if Jesus was in my life! I replied that I wasn't religious but believed in the Golden Rule, and that we don't have to wait for death to experience heaven and hell right here on earth. In the meantime my son was trying to push open the heavy door, and was asking if we could go. The man had decided that I lacked parenting skills, I guess, because he said,"Hell- like when your child doesn't obey you?" How ridiculous- didn't he have enough empathy to imagine how a little fellow might feel when he has a new beach ball and he wants to go outside and play with it? Oh well...if he's such an old curmudgeon I guess he needs to pray in order to feel better about himself. :evilgrin:

[ghostsofgiants]

12. Askedif Jesus was in your life?

Odd topic of conversation for a skate shop.

[marzipanni]

13. Well, I think he was trying to round up business

for one of the little fundie chuches that sprouted up around here several years ago.
( next time I'm cofronted with a prosylitizer I'll just say, "Sorry, dear, you're barking up the wrong tree" )

[BikeWriter]

7. I would have gone elsewhere.

[henslee]

8. If I was the owner, I'd like to know that my hostess was messing with,

customers. This is the hospitality business fer chrissakes.

[samplegirl]

9. I think I would call and let the owner know

that you are a regular customer and almost got
denied a table and would of been if you had not
decided to settle for a to go order instead.
I would also pass along the manner in which his
hostess handled it not to mention her snide
personal remark.
God this sounded like an episode of the Simpsons.

[peacefreak]

10. Talk to the owner.

You've supported the business when it was small, you perspective should be appreciated. If this is indeed the policy it needs to be posted at the door so there's no unpleasant surprises or embarrassment. A good restaurant's job is not only to serve good food, but to provide a satisfying experience. My bet that pizza didn't taste quite as good as it used to. I hope the next one is "on the house".

[Kathleen04]

14. 6 people isn't a large party, IMO

You shouldn't show up with 12+ people without prior notice, but 6 is entirely reasonable! Me and my friends go out as a group of 5 or 6 all the time.

[driver8]

15. Thanks, everyone...I was a little confused, for sure.

I have eaten there many times and have never had anyone say anything like that to me. I was dumbfounded.

I guess her little "cute" comment about my son being stubborn like me was the woman's way of being funny? I don't know.

Any Los Angeles people here? This happened at Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock.