Brings up an interesting question, are blacks more likely to react when feeling slighted than other minorities? I've only complained about bad service one time...coincidentally the waiter was a black male and I did it online
I've heard that comment more than I can remember. I guess I'm just different from 99% of service industry employees in that I don't b**** and moan and realized that I was being paid for my (friendly, fast, efficient) service. I've waited tables, tended bar, and made deliveries in a college town (a big share of small tippers). I just didn't take out my frustrations on the customers. I always felt like I had to earn my tip with each and every customer. If I did a half-assed job, then I didn't complain when I got a half-assed tip. Sure, sometimes I got stiffed when I felt I did a good job, but I certainly didn't take it out on the next customer; that's a great way to lose another tip. I also have strong view on tipping that probably aren't in line with the majority of waiting tables, but that's an entirely different post for another day. /hijack
Chiming in, you could've brushed it aside, but didn't. Maybe the both of you were victims of collateral damage. But I probably would've left a bad tip if I noticed her sizing me up and getting her attitude. That could further validate her opinion of "some people" leaving a poor tips...
It doesn't bother me at all, but I've worked in two jobs where you sell people the same stuff over and over again -- at the movies and in a Tex Mex restaurant. People b**** about the smallest price increases on a regular basis. I can't say whether the chick is racist or not ( I wasn't there ) -- but I bet she'd had a ton of people complain about that, especially for the cheap prices. The cheapskates are the majority of people ordering something with that low of a price. Cheapskates are the main people that complain about prices going up....and $2 is a pretty big price jump for a food item, so it's something that people would probably b**** a lot about. Here's my experience with people that work in food-service, especially those that are waiting tables: they are really bitter *****. They take every little thing seriously and get pissed at the smallest slight. I work with a lady that flies off the hook at every little comment a customer makes.... they want money just thrown at them without regards to the level of service they deliver.
I thought you knew any reaction is an overreaction You suppose to just sit there, be quiet and eat ya big salad Rocket River
As a white guy if the girl did the same to me, I would be pissed off as well. So, whether or not it was racist, it was still crappy service and AB did the right thing...... I would have taken the free salad though. I like free stuff... DD
I would have taken it TO GO ad with the dressing on the side . . in a package. . . . MAYBE Rocket River
I would guess that they have had "incidents" before where people ordered that salad and were pissed they were not charged the price on the menu. It could be possible that these people who complained may have been black. This could lead her to associate a negative connotation with the menu item, the price, and black people. So, did it have roots in racial stereotyping or racism? Quite possibly. But, I don't think you could tell that by her tone or by saying "some people". Maybe she is just tired of dealing with the menu price debacle...which leads to another point. They should be pissed at themselves for not getting an updated menu with current prices. It is ridiculous that they would have to "say anything" whenever someone orders that salad...all because their too lazy to do anything about updating their menu. She is commenting to a customer on a restaraunt error. Fix the damn menu! You had some comeback material you could have used on these damn menu non-updaters. A price change requires a new menu. Or, else, how can you change the price? Your showing me one price and telling me the price is another. Umm...I don't think they get it. How can you have a written price here and an unwritten price over there somewhere? Are they running this operation like a car dealer? You have to now haggle the price down lower than $6.99 but somewhere above $4.99. This reminds me of the "Seinfeld" episode where Jerry had the reservation on the rental car that they didn't hold. You see...if I have a reservation, then that means you hold a car. It's not a reservation if you don't hold the car. You might be able to work a variation of this into your act if you think on it. LOL. I would have taken it badly as well because, if it doesn't imply she is using the race card, then it can imply that she thinks her customers are cheap bastards. You just don't say something like that to a customer. Maybe she needs a new line of work...say as a rental agent at Enterprise?
I'm not dissecting the word. you can't help what you think. the action is what you do after you collect your toughts. as far as the thread is concerned, he's just sharing his experience and asking what you think.
Who is the one making the pre-judgments in this situation? AB or the waitress? From the sounds of things: 1) AB walked into the situation with his racial sensitivity radar on high alert, as evidenced by his noting of the race of the waitress. 2) The waitress makes a single clarification on the price of the item that AB wants (notice that AB admits to not looking at the menu, so it would make sense that if she noticed that then it NEEDED to be clarified since he would have been unaware without looking at the menu). 3) AB assumes that the clarification is race based with really no grounds for such an assumption. Does AB know the waitress? No. 4) AB cites the waitress as 'backtracking'. Well I wonder what AB did to make her backtrack? I can only imagine the look/words of disgust delivered to her after AB falsely assumed that he was the target of racism (due to a price clarifation, lol). Details are likely being omitted here. At the end of the day, AB, who got theirs? You didn't get to eat what you wanted, had to leave, pitched a fit, and apparently are still brooding over it since you felt the need to inform all of us. Did this mindset and behavior serve you well? Doesn't look like it.
Here's your new act: "You see...a salad should never be higher than $4.99. What is a salad? Isn't a salad mostly water? If I remove the salad, then how much is the rest of the dish worth? How much for just a piece of salad with maybe a carrot stick or slice of cucumber? Better yet...can you hold the salad and just give me the chicken? Are these bread sticks on the table extra...or...? If I want to eat half a bread stick and maybe use this packet of sugar in my tea, then what will that do to my fictional menu price? You see...the price is on the menu. That is why we have the menu. Do you get that...cause I don't think you do. And, now your manager is telling me the salad is free when you just told me the price is higher than $4.99. Why even have prices if the manager is giving away the food for free? What is with you people? Do you people ever do your own grocery shopping? The price is posted right there by the item. It doesn't change. The computer might have a different number when they ring it up...but it's a machine. Are you people machines? I'm going next door to Papa's Seafood. Hopefully, they can give me a real price on a piece of tuna without burdening me about it. It's a damn salad...for crying out loud. What's happening to this country? Remind me not to be anywhere near you people when Al Qaeda invades because you will be shot in the head while deciding on the price of a bullet. Get a grip, people. Bennigan's? More like Shananigan's! "
AB, I guess all I am curious about is would you have reacted the same way if she was hispanic or any other race but white? on a side note...stereotyping and racism are not the same thing. I know it's a wild and crazy idea for some people but it's true. I remember one time when I was working in a shoe store and I saw a Mexican family. I heard their kids speaking spanish and the parents looked like they didn't speak english. so I asked them if they needed help in spanish and the guy responds back without an accent and says "No thank you" like he was offended that I spoke to him in spanish. was I being racist assuming that he didn't know english? no. was I stereotyping him? yes.
so what if you worked with a black guy who didn't graduate from high school and you thought he was lazy. would you be racist?
If you don't feel the same way about a black guy who did graduate from high school, then no. You might be classist, if you're judging his work ethic based on his education level.
