Guest post: Epic Satay Battle

Today's guest post comes from ♥ Caz, who's just joined our little bitching/blogging community!

I was waiting for dreading the clock hitting 7:30pm. Why? Because I had known for TWO days that a booking had been made by "Dunk". There are so many many stories about this group of people that usually consist of eight couples, friends and family around 50-80ish in age.

So this entry is about the one thing that started me on dreading the Dunks. Also the fact why I have lost respect for people like this in society. It started with a complaint about our Satay Chicken.

The sister of the main hostess, had decided that she wanted Satay Chicken. No problems, it was cooked, served and nothing out of the ordinary happened with it. It was then she proceeded to pick up her Satay Chicken and take it to the bar were I was currently standing.

I've dealt with many complaints before, they range from quite understandable ones to crazy completely stupid ones. This one is my favourite to tell because it is on the outer edge of completely stupid.

"Satay Lady" decided to tell me that she did not like the Satay. Which is fine, not everyone enjoys everything. I apologised for the fact that she did not enjoy it but also told her that there was nothing wrong with it either.

She continues to complain telling me that it is in fact NOT Satay. Here is where I start getting a little dumbfounded... NOT Satay? It clearly was and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. She explains to me that she has had Satay before from other places and that our Satay did not taste the same. I try, and believe me I truly try, to explain to her that different places do different types of Satay and no two independent restaurants will have the same flavour. She of course, does not accept this logical explanation.

By this time I am annoyed by her complaint stupidity and her inability to even comprehend what I am trying to tell her. I keep my cool for as long as I can and then tell her once again that I apologise (which at this point I do not really mean at all) that she didn't like the dish. She now decides to tell me that she does not want to pay for something that she does not like. I refuse to let her off as once again there is nothing wrong with the dish and that it was just the fact that she, personally, did not like it. I also tell her that in fact Satay is among one of the most popular dishes on the menu and which in fact is still true.

And here is the kicker for me. She then tells me that maybe my customers do not like it either. So does that explain the fact that its a popular dish? Once again, lady, not listening to me. I tell her once again that a lot of people order it and re-order it quite often. Apparently in her head and she also voices this out aloud, that my customers do not tell me that they do not like the Satay. Oh yes, that also explains why they continue to buy it right?

By this time, I've had enough. I'm not angry or annoyed anymore. I'm just tired exhausted by this lady's explanation. Her reasoning was ridiculous and unbelievable. If it was me I would have just looked at her dumbfounded because I think its the only way to fight stupidity.

In conclusion of this epic argument over Satay my boss lets her off by replacing the meal. If it was me, I would have fought tooth and nail. The one thing that I really cannot believe about this battle is that she thought she had the right to claim insult all the my other customers by claiming that they proceed to order a dish that they do not like over and over again. Lady has complete logic, complete.

After making a fool of herself, the whole table of course at the end of it is quite embarrassed by Satay Lady's show, she now still comes in regularly with the group. And let me tell you, I have not let her live it down since then. If you want to insult my customers to fight you're own personal battles I don't particular think you deserve my utmost attention.

So this is what I have learnt as a waitress to such insane complaints.

1. All restaurants will not cook food exactly the same to suit your needs.
2. Disliking a dish, which has no problems with it, does not mean you get a free dish.
3. You are embarrassing yourself, even your table party are pretending they don't know you.
4. Do not insult other customers claiming that they continue to order the same dish to torture themselves.
5. If you wish to come back and be treated with perfect waitress hospitality causing a scene over Satay Chicken will probably not achieve that.

If you'd like to submit a guest post, please contact me at slightlycranky at hotmail.com!