when a customer comes in 5 minutes till closing

[sundog]

and takes 30 minutes to eat a bowl of soup

:nuke:

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. Tell them to take it to go.

[sundog]

3. too late

:cry:

[Zuni]

2. burn them

[sundog]

4. ok, sounds good

:thumbsup:

[Jara sang]

16. LOL! You go Grampa!

:rofl:

[Jara sang]

17. See post #20

sorry wrong spot

edited for clarity

[tyedyeto]

21. That is downright rude IMHO

If a customer walks in before closing time, they deserve every bit of respect and service you would give to the first person through the door when you open. If you don't like it, change the closing time but if you are OPEN, anyone who walks in should be treated as if they are your best customer (as all customers should be treated).

[Jara sang]

24. Have you ever waited tables?

[tyedyeto]

25. Yes, for almost 20 years now

I am not a rookie at it. Being good to customers is the best way to make a mediocre restaurant into a good one.

[JimmyJazz]

27. It's a two way street. It wouldn't hurt a customer to be respectful of

the fact that the restaurant is CLOSED and the waitstaff are now off the clock. I can't believe you are taking the side of the customer since you have been in the business for 20 years. Surely, you don't honestly believe that the customer is always right.

[sundog]

30. oh lord, i started a flame war over a $2.95 bowl of soup

no, the customer is NOT always right

:nuke:

:hide:

[JimmyJazz]

34. In truth, the customer is RARELY right - we only say that to be

patronizing. :D

[tyedyeto]

31. When they walked in, it was OPEN

They should be given the same amount of service as all the other customers. Where I work, you are not off the clock until you last customer of the day has paid their bill and left.

It's not a matter of taking the customers side, it's a good business policy. If you are open when they walk in, you treat them like any other customer.

[JimmyJazz]

36. Piffle. As a decent human being, you don't sit around in a restaurant

that you know is closed simply because you can. It's a power play and it's a crappy thing to do to people who are busting their hump to make a living.

[tyedyeto]

45. All the owners where I have worked

since I started working in food service have had a policy to serve anyone who walked in the door while we are open to be treated as any other customer. In fact I had someone walk in last Saturday a couple of minutes after the official closing time. They had been caught in some traffic and she was diabetic and needed to eat. We fed them. Yes, we could have been assholes but who knows, these people could be telling all their friends how we really helped them out and the business could benefit from that word of mouth bit of praise.

[BikeWriter]

54. Not to mention I always overtip when I know it's near closing.

[JimmyJazz]

61. But, we're talking about a bowl of soup here, not a diabetic in need of

a fuggin' kidney transplant. Please excuse me, but your attitude is not indicative of one in the food/public serivice industry, but more of one in the "I have no real control over my real life, so I'm going to take it out on you" mentality. On that note - feel free to have the last word because this is giving me a headache and I am going to bed. :hi:

[tyedyeto]

64. I am speaking from experience

"I have no real control over my real life, so I'm going to take it out on you" mentality... huh? I'm not taking anything out on anyone, just saying, that if a business is still open, customers should expect to be treated like any other customer of the day. If not, they should have closed and locked the door before it got to that point.

[sundog]

70. well, i did treat her as any other customer...

i waited with her 30 minutes after my normal closing time & was polite as i could possibly be...

on a side note, i own the joint... this thread was simply a vent

[Jara sang]

73. You own the joint? What the...?

I thought you were a prole. You elitist, corporatist pigdog, what next? A chain of sunpup restaurants? and to think i was defending you... Down with sunpuppy! :P

[JimmyJazz]

74. Puhleeze. I know you. I'm sure you did everything but the hoochie

coochie dance to make the customer feel welcome. It's still rude on the part of the customer to make people hang around and wait on her knowing the restaurant/kitchen was closed.

I still think many people do it simply because they can and because it gives them some sense of control over their otherwise pathetic lives. Having been in the business myself, I wouldn't keep anyone for 30 seconds after their store/restaurant had closed - let alone 30 minutes :)

[tyedyeto]

75. Sorry for starting a flamewar

but customer relations is so important when you are dealing with the public. It can make or break a small business, which are the types of restaurants I've always worked in. One for 2 years, another for 13 years and my present one for 4 years.

[JimmyJazz]

81. Dude - the owner here is bending over backward for his customer

what part of that are you missing? There is some onus on the part of the CUSTOMER to act like a decent human being and recognize when he/she has overstepped their bounds. I don't know what part of that you fail to see?

[Orangepeel]

92. it's one thing to do it. another to like it.

:shrug:

It sounds like the OP did the right thing. He/she waited on the customer and then came here to vent about it. Works for everyone.

[sundog]

65. haaa

:rofl:

[JimmyJazz]

67. You meant to say "thank you, Donna"

:D

[sundog]

71. you made me laugh

:D

[Jara sang]

38. When I waited tables in Va, wait staff made as little as $2.01 /hour

plus tips. some people I knew barely scratched by on that. I say fuck the late people and if they don't understand then i don't really give a fuck about that either. Two - O - fucking one an hour! You don't have to take shit for that measly pay.

[tyedyeto]

56. When I moved here 4 yrs ago

My pay was $2.75/hr. A manager we had a couple of years ago raised server pay to $4.00/hr. So, yes I know the hourly doesn't mean shit. But if you are in this business for a long time, you get to know what good customer relations mean. Especially when there are many restaurants to choose from. Word gets out to the people in communities about how customers are treated.

[Jara sang]

63. Customer relations don't mean shit.

When you are scrapping by, you have a small child and the rent is due. By the by, as a manager I don't feel as if you sound very sympathetic.

[JimmyJazz]

68. why do you think the staff always bitches about management?

:eyes:

[tyedyeto]

69. Sympathetic to whom?

If customer relations don't mean shit, then tell that to the parent whose rent is due when the business has to shut down or their hours are cut way back due to loss of business because of unsatisfied customers.

[sundog]

39. of course you treat them like anyone else... but is it so horrible

to simply be frustrated?

that's all this thread is... i am venting it here, rather than on the customer :7

[WMliberal]

93. and it close while they were there.

often in the food biz, a lot of work cannot be done while there are customers in the store.

In this case, I believe good business policy is "all orders within 30 minutes of closing are 'to go'."

[elshiva]

32. Customer is always right except when he is wrong!

;)

[JimmyJazz]

37. Which is more often than not when he is flexing his "the customer

is always right" muscles :D

[elshiva]

40. Customer can jump on top of the counter and tap dance:

"I am the customer! I AM RIGHT!"

[sundog]

42. or do a strip tease on the bar

"i'm riiiiight i'm riiigght"

[elshiva]

46. Or eat soup with his hands and smear the rest on your shirt.

I'm riiiiiiiiight.

[sundog]

49. or put the soup bowl on his head & run around nekkid

i'm riiigghhhtt

[elshiva]

51. and then throw the clerk to the sharks

"I'm riiiiiiiiight, damn it!"

[sundog]

52. then throw the remaining bits of the clerk's body across the dining room

i'm riiight!!! i'm riiiiiiiiighhht!!!!

[elshiva]

55. then make a tasty clerk stew from the leftovers

I'm riiiiight, mmmmm!

[sundog]

57. then spend the next two days perched on a bar stool dipping out clerk stew

iii'mm riiiigght!!! i'm riiiiiiiiiighTTT!

[elshiva]

62. Then forcing the barmaid to drink clerk stew

Iiii'mmmm riight!

[Jara sang]

33. All restaurants have the right to refuse service to anybody.

If somebody is so dense that they expect to be served five minutes before closing, I say screw 'em. When a place is about ready to close, the polite thing to do, is ask if you may be served. i also look around to get a feel for the vibe of the place. If it is ten minutes til closing but there are no other tables and the people are cleaning up then I cut them a break and go someplace else. That is what I do. I don't expect people to fall all over themselves just because I want to be served.

[tyedyeto]

35. Then why not close before that point?

If the closed sign is out and the door locked because you have no customers, that's another matter. But if you are still open, you serve the customer like you would any other.

[Jara sang]

43. Do you make your primary living off of waiting tables?

You don't by chance own the restaurant and "wait tables" when one of your staff doesn't show up?

[tyedyeto]

48. No, I am not an owner

I do some management duties during the day and wait tables at night (I make more $$ waiting tables)

[WCGreen]

5. Tell them to fuck off and get here earlier next time

[sundog]

6. another good suggestion

:7

[tyedyeto]

23. Why? They weren't closed yet

So, closing times mean nothing? If a customer walks in before the door is locked, you should tell them to leave? You have then lost one possible repeat customer and others who that customer will tell 'Never go to such and such place of business because they treat you like shit there'.

[WCGreen]

58. Now there you misunderstand what I was say....

What I said was, We're fucking closing in five minutes.......


Now I, being the resonable shop owner would stay open as long as the person was willing to stay....

But then there is me, the obstinate youth who feels that his life would suddenly have no meaning if he was asked to actually "serve" in the service business. To wit, I say, most of the youngsters that I have encountered in the "service" industry these days could give two shits about service or, for that matter, customer relations..

Now touchee if you say sir, but you generalize.....

I say nay, I extrapolate the many many many examples of poor service I have encountered when dealing with the youthfull, but unwilling, participants in the service industry....

[FuzzySlippers]

7. How is that even possible?

How big is this bowl of soup?

[sundog]

8. i'm turning off lights now

i'm hoping she gets the hint

[Cobalt Violet]

9. I hear ya.

Pains in the asses. They also love to come in to get their hair cut 5 minutes or less until closing time. And they're always the worse tippers and the pickiest ones too!:yoiks: :yoiks: :yoiks: :yoiks: :yoiks:

[sundog]

10. there is a special hell for bad tippers

:nuke:

[GhostThatWalks]

11. I feel your pain.

I work at the abita brew pub as a bus boy. So I can't leave untill there done eating and after cleaning there mess. It sux big time.

[ghostsofgiants]

12. Yell at them and tell them...

They should be home taking in every second of Shark Week.

[sundog]

15. i kicked her out

:P

not really, she finally left after i turned off all the lights & music

[ghostsofgiants]

18. But did you tell her abut shark week?

[sundog]

19. no, but i turned the channel to shark week

close enough?

[ghostsofgiants]

22. Haha, works for me

[Clintmax]

13. Same problem in retail stores

I hate it when people come in 5 minutes before closing, ask me when we close and after finding out say: "Oh, ok, well we are just going to look around for a while. I hope you don't mind."

Of course I have to say; "No, not at all." Customer service don't you know.

Then they spend 30 minutes just walking around looking at stuff while my payroll dollars just fly out the door because my associates are just standing there waiting to leave since all their closing responsibilities are complete.

Inconsiderate, huh?

[NMMNG]

96. That crap used to piss me off

Man I hated retail so bad. I can't believe I survived five years of it--several of them in managment no less. I began having nightmares about trying to close the store, but people would just keep coming in and refuse to leave even though I was screaming "but the store is closed-you have to leave!!!".

[tyedyeto]

14. Doesn't bother me in the least

And I've been in food service for about 20 years now. Gotta make the customers happy.

[JimmyJazz]

66. m'kay - too bad I don't believe you.

[tyedyeto]

72. You don't have to 'believe' me

I may not be a business owner, but I do know how to treat customers with respect.

[Jara sang]

20. Do this

Line up the wait staff near the door. Just line up and don't say anything. The tension in the room will be unbearable and they will just leave. That is what we used to do when I waited tables.:P

[progmom]

26. kill them

death is the only answer.

[sundog]

29. wheeeee

:bounce:

[indigo32]

41. Free Sundog

Free Sundog!!!

[sundog]

50. i knew you'd lead the campaign

:grouphug:

[LastKnight]

28. dont ya hate that.

i work in a music store... the phrase we hate the most is 'i just need guitar picks, it will only take 5 minutes.' and they end up there for 30 or 45.

[sundog]

53. apparently my frustration will land me a place in hell

:eyes:

[LastKnight]

88. well, save me a place.

ive kicked out i dont know how many customers. to me... closed means closed.

if they are in the middle of a transaction/look like they are actuially going to buy something, yea let em finish, but if their 'just looking' still at 10 to 15 after, i turn out the lights and shut down the register, with no pity, either. thats why we post buisness hours and have a closing time.

[norml]

44. Those who order food just before a restaurant closes should know better.

And those who don't tip should know that they are talked about and remembered by the employees.

[Floogeldy]

47. Close earlier, or deal with it!

Didn't you have some cleaning, or mopping, to do in the meantime, anyway?

:o

[JimmyJazz]

76. That's not the point and you know it. It's totally rude to keep a

restaurant or retail store open after hours. I've been there. I've been the person on the other end of the gate making minimum wage when I'm just about to pull the god damned thing down when someone walks up and says, "oh, I know exactly what I want, you don't mind to you?" and then proceeds to take 30 minutes shopping simply because they can and because they have it in their peanut sized skulls that "the customer is always right."

It's just downright rude and it's a power play and you'll not convince me otherwise, but if it makes YOU feel better to keep someone away from their family and on their feet even longer than a regular eight hour shift because it somehow does something for your ego, then have at it. But know that the person on the other end of your rude behaviour is cussing you out in their head even if they can't do it in real life.

[Floogeldy]

87. I was talking about a restaurant.

Not a retail store.

A successful and well managed restaurant would be able to serve almost any dish on the menu up until the time of closing.

In addition, the employees would not bitch about the customer coming in at the last minute, relaxing and enjoying his or her dinner.

If it is a problem, then the closing time should be changed.

[sundog]

89. but what if the closing time is changed and a customer still comes in 2

minutes before closing? then what... is it more or less bad to be frustrated :shrug:

[Floogeldy]

94. Proper restaurant management is the key.

It's an art to coordinate the amount of food prepared, how to preserve its availability during store hours, what clean up to start when and which foods should be tucked away in the walk-in at what time.

The closing time should be based upon when it is no longer profitable to remain open.

I don't know what else to say.

B-)

[newsguyatl]

59. if i come in 5 mins till closing

can i just stay the night? :shrug:

[sundog]

60. i'll lock the door behind you honey

:evilgrin:

[RandomKoolzip]

77. How about 5 minutes to close and some dipshit orders a THREE-COURSE

MEAL?

Happens on a regular basis at my restaurant. Obviously anyone who'd do this has never worked in food service.

[sundog]

78. thank you

someone on here had be going to hell in a handbasket for saying i was frustrated :wtf:

[RandomKoolzip]

80. Believe me, brah...

If there was a legal way to make the ass-weasels who practice this discourtesy suffer extreme emotional and physical pain, hopefully involving radioactive tasers applied to the genitals, I'd make it happen toot fuckin' sweet.

I'm with you 128% on this one.

[sundog]

82. haaaa

:rofl:

:toast:

[JimmyJazz]

79. Oh no - obviously you haven't heard from tyedyeto who has been in

the business and who feels this is acceptable behaviour :silly: Some people just don't get it.

[RandomKoolzip]

83. Well, TECHNICALLY, it's "acceptable."

I mean, we are TECHNICALLY open.

But only a complete tar-gargling taint-lapping assmonger would do it.

[JimmyJazz]

84. EXACTLY!

*shoots imaginary 'gun' fingers at you and then blows on them afterward as if there had been an actual shooting* :silly:

Oh wait! *returns imaginary gun fingers to imaginary holster for effect and to diffuse the tension in this thread*

[RandomKoolzip]

85. The odder the gesture, the happier I am.

Tension? Well, as long as some people continue to treat the underclass like we're half a step above trained seals, there'll always be tension.

[JimmyJazz]

86. Me: Choir. You: Preacher.

I hear ya, darling.

on edit: I have poor eyesight and can't tell a colon from a semi-colon

[HEyHEY]

90. Tell them this late all you have is crumbs

[sundog]

91. that can only be served on the floor

:rofl:

[xmas74]

dupe

[xmas74]

95. I used to waitress.

I was still waiting tables about 2 years ago for some extra money. It's rude to come into a place that close to closing time. I would never do it(if I were that hungry I probably would have called ahead and asked if you could pack it go to and given you an exact time that I would be there to pick up).
Every minute after close that I had to wait on a picky customer was time and a half that I had to pay my babysitter (yes, some of them in my area get time and a half. Pay up and like it or don't get a babysitter). It takes time away from my cleaning list. It takes time away from my kid. And it ends up actually taking money out of my pocket. (when you make 2.10 an hour and the babysitter charges 2.00 an hour before OT than yes it is taking money out of my pocket).
Of course, that doesn't matter because the customer is always right (even when they try to stuff a tip down the front of your blouse or pinch your ass. And this was a family dining establishment-not a strip club. It's a chain that everyone has heard of). The customer doesn't give a shit about the money that you have to lose to wait on their asses for a cup of coffee two minutes before closing. They don't care about the salad bar that has been torn down for 40 minutes and they want filled back up-IMMEDIATELY OR ELSE. They just don't care 'cuz they're always right.
Damn, I really hate the public most of the time.