holy crap you are SO my new idol now! That was awesome!! I would *pay* to have seen that!! The customer isn't always right anymore, especially in a day and age when people eat out so often that waiting for a table at a nice place is de rigeur. If people like that who waste everyone's time, waste food, and usually tip for sh*t on top of it, would stay home, everyone's costs would go down, and the dining experience would be so much nicer for the chef, the staff, and the patrons. I would like to see more restauranteurs take the same action you did!

Wow! You told her off and flashed your boobs? Fantastic. I am proud to read your blog and would love to come to your restaurant.

I hope that she does come back just for another story about her!

that man who didn't want to pay for his coffee (even though he had all those refills) and this miserable mildred woman..umm...perhaps their mamas didn't raise them right.

I heart you, Food Whore.

Ummm...she ate the whole sandwich and still didn't have to pay? What the ??? I'm sorry, but I would not have let this sorry excuse for a human out without paying. (Yeah, but I'm not in your shoes, either.) Still, I think the bill should have been brought back listing TWO sandwiches for her.

I guess I just don't believe in jerks getting off easy.

As for the Customer Isn't Always Right - wow, what a concept?! (twisted grin)

I agree with Jack in concept--in theory--but, if our beloved Whore had not only told the customer off -and- made her pay for her sandwitch--which I think Miserable Mildred should have done, mind you--the word of mouth that would have caused would have been a detriment to the restaurant.

As it is, MM is going to tell all of her friends how awful it was, while her lunchmate will say, "But she didn't make you pay for the sandwitch, which you should have, but you are too much of a freaky twit."

I think it was well played, Best Beloved Whore, and I doff my toque to you, and bow low.

Oh, crap. Looks like I buttoned up the chef's jacket crooked... ;-)

The thing is, people like her don't just do this in my restaruant. They do it everywhere they go.

They key is in the delivery. I didn't raise my voice as not to alert the other customers or embarass her. I smiled and had a genuine look of concern on my face. I was quite passive-aggressive about the whole thing.

Except, apparently, with the boob shot.

I love it! Every last moment. This is who I am in my Customer Service days gone past.

Once upon a time I managed at a Sam's Club. Members would crawl the walls and complain and throw fits and claim they would never come back.

"Oh, no. Can I see your card please?"
"Why?" As they hand over the card.
"Well, I'm sorry you're so disappointed with your membership. I see that it's up for a renewal in two months. I'll just refund this year for you, since you won't be coming back, and then you'll have shopped for free almost a whole year."
"GIVE ME BACK MY CARD! YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE AWAY MY CARD!"
"But you said you were never coming back."
"GIVE ME BACK MY CARD!"
I did. [shrug]

Game over.
Me: 1 Them: 0

It could only have been better if you had pulled a red card from your pocket and blown a whistle at her. That sort of behaviour is unbelievable. Well done for letting her off so lightly.

You're my hero. You actually say all the things I *wish* I had the self-confidence to say! Good job on putting a nasty person in her place.

If I lived near you I would be a regular. Just to people watch :)

What a wonderfully clever put-down! But I think MM should have been made to pay for her sammich, too. Unless, of course, you guarantee that your sammiches are "the best anyone has ever had!"

Once again, you have proven yourself to be my new hero.

And I'm sure that the rest of the patrons and staff enjoyed their free peek down your bra. : )

Tremendous!

As we say, the customer is not always right, but the customer is always the customer. Until we fire them that is.

We have fired customers in a variety of ways; raising prices, removing menu items or by just plain telling them as you did, to not return.

I'm sure other industries have their own tales of obnoxious behavior but it does seem that dining can bring out some of the most unreasonable behavors and expectations I've ever encountered. When was the last time you saw someone flipping out at a doctor's office when their appointment was 10 minutes behind schedule? Or screaming at the bank when they had to wait in line to make their deposit?

Word, haddock word. I have worked in catering and both low-end and high-end restaurants, and it doesn't matter whether it's a quick bite to eat or an elaborate sit-down meal, some people act like it's their Last Supper.

So many times I've wanted to say something like, "Relax, it's a club sandwich. You're probably going to eat again in a few hours, right? It's not like anyone is dying on the table over here." Of course I never had the nerve.

There is nothing more embarassing than going out to eat with a person who is never satisfied.

Good for you. Don't put up with that crap.

Yessssss! Two percent of the customers cause 90 percent of the grief, and they deserve to be tossed out on their creepy butts!

My old boss used to do this - toss customers who were total jerks - and I would have walked through fire for that man. He was my idol, as are you.

At the store I run (a yarn shop) we occasionally have to tell people that it's not an emergency room, and that they might have to wait 5-8 minutes for the service they rave about.
10 years in food service, 10 years in construction and now 10 years in retail; for my next gig I'm gonna be a wild animal trainer, it's more relaxing and less demanding.

Then there was the friend I had dinner out with lo, these many years ago. We both ordered the same rabbit dish, and mine was wonderful. He said his tasted a bit gamier than he had expected and he wasn't really sure he liked it. He kept muttering about it so I tried a bite, and it was definitely not the same rabbit I had, not exactly off, perhaps I should describe it as elderly(?). And I couldn't get him to send it back, because he didn't feel it would have been polite. So of course when the waitress at the end asks how the meal was, he can't say it was good, because his wasn't, but he can't complain, because it was his own damn fault. I couldn't convince him that the chef wouldn't have wanted him to just sit there and eat something bad. Based on mine, it wasn't at all representative of the restaurant.

Firing customers is never FUN (well, perhaps in your case!) but sometimes it does need to be done.

I fired two customers last month, basically telling them "you know, perhaps, for the kind of event you're doing, I'm not the right caterer for you. Let me find someone else who can help you and who can stay under your (miserably low) budget, I know a few people who are just starting out...They don't get much work; I'm sure they'll be available..."

it's the ONLY time I give out referrals, and I refer clients to 'caterers' who I know aren't in the same league as me, but their low-price catering is perfectly appropriate to those low-rent clients.

If you get a referral from me, I've just fired you.

I want to be you when I grow up ;)

It's like the old joke about two ladies eating dinner at a Catskills hotel.
First lady: The food here is terrible.
Second lady: Yes, & such small portions, too.