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If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you’ve heard the golden rule: “The customer is always right.” Now, let me tell you something-this isn’t the rule which has ever been written by a person waiting at just 2 am.
In My Wife Works Nights, I plunge into this nosebleed-inducing, wild, crazy world of customer service. And, believe me, the 3 in the morning customer walking through that diner door is anything but prime specimen of civilized humanity. Drunk bar flies demanding “breakfast for dinner” while they can barely remember their old names; entitled businessmen snapping their fingers as if they’re summoning a servant; sweet little grandmas who somehow turn into coupon-wielding warriors when the check comes-phew, I’ve seen it all.
What was one of the greatest lessons gleaned by me in The Biz? The customer is NOT always right. Often times they’re belligerents. Sometimes, they’re trying to scam you out of a meal. And sometimes-my personal favorite-they’re just too drunk to even remember what they ordered. The real fine art of customer service is in making them think that they’re right while also making sure that they don’t ruin your night (or your sanity).
Next time you ignore a restaurant, school-bus: the person serving you has probably dealt with ten versions of yourself that day. Tip well, be good, and by all that is holy, don’t snap your fingers.
