“One New Year’s Eve, my upscale restaurant was ramping up for a particularly ambitious evening offering six courses, drink pairings, and a few small courses in between. It was my first night doing any service like this and we only saw the menu an hour or so before seating. Everything was fine at first, but we overbooked ourselves so within a few hours people were packed in the bar waiting for their table to open and the kitchen struggled to keep up. I was seated with a four-top who had waited at the bar for a while and were upset, one woman decided she needed to take her frustration out on me. She asked ridiculous questions about the food I couldn’t answer, berated me when the second course came out before the first and gave me the meanest looks you can imagine all night. When the bill came she noticed I hadn’t charged for a glass of pinot noir (my mistake) but I just told her it’s on the house to which she replied ‘And which one of your multiple faux pas is that to make up for?’ I finally broke and looked at her and said ‘Ma’am I’m doing my very best tonight and I’m sorry my service isn’t up to your standards.’
The other guests at the table looked so embarrassed, but she continued to glare at me. They paid and left, tip was fine because she didn’t pay but overall it was a rough night. Flash forward about ten months later, I have to wait on her and her husband. I’d been avoiding them any time they came in since New Years but I couldn’t dodge them this time. I decided the best revenge was to kill them with kindness, and so I did. At the end of the meal her husband had gotten up to use the restroom, and she called me over. She said ‘You waited on us New Year’s Eve right?’ ‘Yes ma’am I did’ ‘ I was pretty mean to you that night wasn’t I?’ ‘Well, it was a long night and I think tensions were high…’ ‘No, no, no I was downright mean and I apologize, I had too much to drink, and I was incredibly rude. I hope you can forgive me’ It was all I could do to not let my jaw drop, 10 months later and this lady is apologizing!?! This never happens! Turns out she’s really sweet and now I look forward to her coming in.”
