Entitled Customers Are The Worst
There are some people in this world that I can never understand. One being, entitled customers. Like why do they think just because they’re the customer, they can treat employees as if they are beneath them? Or act like they’re the boss? It doesn’t sit well with me, especially when the employee did nothing to deserve such behavior. It’s very similar to what happened with “Sonia.”
As she had been a part of the kitchen staff of a hotel for many years, she’d seen her fair share of entitled guests. And things only got worse as the global crisis continued. But there was one incident that stood out to her the most. The guest was a mother, and a total snob, who you could tell got her way the majority of the time. Let’s just say, she wasn’t shy about her complaints.
However, little did she know, the hotel was well-aware of her antics, and knew exactly how to put a stop to her at once.
~
“Can I Go Back There?”
The day started off like any other ‘normal’ business day for this hotel, well normal in the global crisis sense, which meant very little business. Since the kitchen staff had some spare time in the morning, Sonia decided to get a head start on getting the show kitchen running, prepping various eggs dishes for breakfast.
As other staff members were working on their own duties, she would leave the show kitchen unattended for a few seconds as she went into the back to retrieve more eggs from the fridge. On the last trip she made, she returned to see a seven-year-old boy standing in the middle of the kitchen. But this was no surprise to her as it wasn’t the first time this had happened.
The hotel was one of those family-friendly hotels, so children were everywhere. So sometimes, when the little rascals would become bored sitting with mom and dad at the table as they drank their coffee and chatted, they would just wander off to other areas of the restaurant. The show kitchen was the first destination since kids thought it looked cool. Since it had no doors to block out anyone, it was also easy to access for them to wander into.
Sonia asked, “Whatcha doing, buddy?”
The kid replied, “Just looking.”
Seeming like an innocent kid, and while not technically allowed, Sonia let him stay, keeping him at a safe distance from the equipment, and food. She found out the little boy’s name was “Noah” and oh boy could he talk.
Boy: “What is that?”
Sonia: “An omelet.”
Boy: “Can I help you? Please!”
Sonia: “No, only grown-ups can.”
Boy: “What’s behind those doors?”
Sonia: “The kitchen, where all the food is.”
Boy: “Can I go back there?”
Sonia: “No, it’s not allowed. Sorry, buddy!”
It was that response, Sonia saw a shift in the kid’s attitude. He didn’t throw a fit or anything like how other children reacted when told no; he understood completely. And because of that, the show kitchen no longer was interesting. So, being bored again, he thanked her one last time before returning to his parent’s table. As he left, Sonia continued to prep.
A few minutes later, an older lady, maybe in her early 40s, approached her. Thinking she wanted to order, Sonia enthusiastically greeted her, only to wish she had been hiding in the back like the rest of the kitchen staff was doing.
~
The Mother
By no means did this lady look to be in a good mood. In all the years Sonia worked there, reasons for a guest to look like how she did, was endless. Maybe she had a terrible night’s sleep? Or maybe her kids were driving her nuts? Unfortunately, neither was the reason.
Sonia: “Good morning ma’am, what can I get you today?”
Lady: “My son wanted to see your kitchen, why can’t he?”
Sonia: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but only hotel staff is allowed in the back.”
Lady: “But why? He just wants to have a look around.”
Sonia: “Because of hygiene and safety regulations, ma’am. I’m sorry but unless given permission from a higher-up, I cannot allow any of our guests into the kitchen.”
With an even harsher tone than used before, the lady said, “Then go and ask them!”
Sonia: “I’m sorry but they aren’t available at the moment. If you’d like, I can inform them once they come in so you can talk it ov-“
Sonia didn’t even get a chance to finish her sentence before the lady loudly huffed and walked away. Sonia thought the conversation was over and issued resolved, but no oh, was she wrong.
It was just the beginning.
~
“What Was This Lady Trying To Pull?”
It wasn’t too long before the lady made another appearance. About 20 minutes or so later, Sonia was coming from downstairs as she just accepted a food delivery and now needed to put everything away, when she found two people roaming around in the back kitchen. It was the lady and her son. What was this lady trying to pull?
Trying to stay professional and not let her frustration get the best of her, Sonia asked, “Ma’am, the kitchen is off-limits for our guests. I must ask you to please leave and return to the restaurant.”
Lady: “No! We haven’t seen everything yet.”
Son: “Mom, I thought we were allowed in here?”
Lady: “Yes we are. We are paying for the stay so we are, of course, allowed to see what the hotel has to offer!”
Sonia: “Ma’am, once again, please return to the restaurant. I don’t want to get any of us in trouble.”
Lady: “Well, you’re going to be in trouble for denying us anyway. I will talk to your superior about that.”
Instead of going back and forth with the lady, for not only her own sake but also the kid’s, Sonia decided to make a call to their internal hotel staff line. She didn’t want Noah to have to endure any more of the argument, as it was quite obvious his mother lied to him about being allowed in the back. The confusion was written all over his face, and in all honesty, Sonia felt bad for the kid. He was well-mannered and polite, even when he was turned down the first time to take a look in the back. Other kids would’ve thrown a tantrum or a fuss over it, just like how his was mother was behaving at that moment. But he was unbothered, he was actually ready to leave, but it was his mother who kept her ground. She was determined to be shown around the back kitchen. Not sure why, since there wasn’t anything special there, aside from her son thinking it was ‘cool’.
It rather seemed, she was making a bigger deal out of the situation than it should’ve been because she wasn’t getting her way. This woman felt because she paid money to stay at the hotel, that gave her the right to do whatever she pleased. But as every sane person knows, that’s not how the world works. Just because you paid the daily rates of a room doesn’t mean you now own the whole entire hotel and its staff.
She needed a reality check, and with this quick phone call to the higher-ups, Sonia thought having the lady get denied directly would do the trick. But to her surprise, they actually told Sonia to show them around a bit.
Why would they agree to that? It wasn’t until later she realized what they were up to.
~
Bitter Sweet Moment
Not only was the entire world under strict regulations in regards to public health safety, but the hotel also had its own policies. One was: unauthorized people were not allowed in the back kitchen area.
It’s a kitchen so it was where they handled all the guests’ food, not really sanitary if they had random guests roaming the area. But for some reason, this lady couldn’t understand why it wasn’t the best idea for her and her son to be back there. However, that didn’t matter now, since they now had permission to tour the area. So with following orders, Sonia showed them what the back kitchen had to offer— the stove, oven, fridge, etc, and the kid really seemed to enjoy it. The mother however had a grin on her face, but it was not because she found the appliances fascinating, but rather the fact she thought she got her way yet again. Ignoring the mother’s self-righteous attitude, Sonia continued to answer more of Noah’s questions.
He asked, “This is so cool, do you like working here?”
Just when Sonia was about to answer, one of the hotel’s service employees walked in. As she glanced over, she noticed they weren’t alone, following behind were two police officers. Turns out, Sonia’s call wasn’t the only call the management received of this woman. Other staff members made similar complaints about her, disobeying rules and disrespecting their wishes. So in order to finally put a stop to her rude behavior, the higher-ups made the decision to get law enforcement involved. Hence, why they approved Sonia giving the mother and son a kitchen tour, just enough time for the police to arrive. The hotel then pressed charges on her for trespassing.
But it was a bitter-sweet moment.
~
Life Lesson
Even though Sonia felt thrilled the lady was being reprimanded for her actions, she couldn’t help feel sorry for Noah. She saw how visibly upset and embarrassed he got as his mother was approached by the management team and police officers. And it got worse as she kept resisting the arrest.
It was like watching a child throw a temper tantrum. She kicked, punched, and screamed at the officers; all in front of her son.
It was hard to watch, so Sonia took Noah back to his father. It was there it became quite obvious this wasn’t her first rodeo. She’d also lied to her husband about how they received permission to look around the kitchen.
Before she went back to her job, Sonia explained to the husband and son if they ever wanted a proper viewing of the back kitchen, then they must contact the hotel management. From there, they could get something set up for them. Then gave Noah a little sweet cupcake for being a good kid.
You can’t get everything you want in life, especially not with a bad attitude.
~