Situation:

Guest spends 10k+ on a private dining event. Four of them spill out into the bar area after their entire party leaves and become decently loud. A guest asks them to quiet down and he responds with, “Shut up you fat cunt.” What do you do?

How Does It Play It Out

I was notified of the situation and immediately came to inspect. The woman, we’ll name her Sally, that was called the derogatory name was a regular. Not that it matters either way, but restaurants do tend to ensure they take care of their regulars. This was important I take care of her.

**Just to reiterate, restaurants take care of all their guests with 100% satisfaction in mind. But, if there’s a 105% out there, it goes to regulars. We love regulars – it’s mutual **

By the time I got to the bar area, things had calmed down a bit but the four men were clearly drunk. I approached Sally and her friend and spoke with them about the situation.

1) She wasn’t visibly upset and said it didn’t bother her. She’s extremely laid back.

**This becomes a fine dance between what a guest wants, as they sometimes don’t tell you straight up. So you kind of have to feel it out. Sometimes they want people kicked out. Sometimes they don’t want them kicked out because it would only add to the situation. Had she been extremely upset, the gentlemen would be gone. I pressed a little further and we ended up laughing it off. It seemed she didn’t want to make it a big deal and didn’t want to be moved; so, I comped a round of drinks, bought dessert and had another round coming for them. Piece of cake.

2) I moved around to the bar area and spoke with the bartender. He said he felt uncomfortable selling them anymore drinks. I told him don’t do it and I’ll handle it if they do. They were closed out and I hoped they would leave.

3) I touched base with other employees that might interact with the gentlemen and let them know the situation.

4) I perched-up in the host stand pretending I’m counting numbers but really, I’m waiting for these bozos to make another mistake.

As time went on, sure enough, they went to the bar to order another round and the bartender immediately turned his back and started cleaning things. The guy was barking for his attention and that’s when I popped up in front of him. “Hi,” with the biggest smile I could get out. This is how it went:

These Are Grown Adults

“I’d like to order another round.”

“Gentlemen, I’m sorry. I think we’ve had enough for the night. You’re more than welcome to stay, have some water, or I can call a taxi for you right now.”

The guy hits his hands on the bar and throws his hands up in the air (#classic). He yells to his friends we’re cutting them off. One of the buddies pushes his friend out of the way and leans into my face.

“Do you have any idea how much we just spent in there? Ten-thAAUUSand dollars.”

“Yes, I’m aware, and I hope you enjoyed your night tonight with us.”

“This is complete bull-shit. That fat cunt probably said something.”

They look over to the table and now I quickly move around from the bar. “Alright, gentlemen that’s enough. Please don’t bother other guests.”

Other buddy rolls up to me, “Are you fucking kidding me. How fucking old are you?”

“I’m 31.” “Fuck you.”

“I think it’s time to leave.”

At this point, I’m starting to lose some composure and wondering how I’m going to get these four 50+ year-old men out of the restaurant. Luckily, one of them spills out. But, instead of leaving, he begins throwing himself into the glass of the building; literally, throwing his shoulder into the glass.

The last buddy comes up to me and gets really close to my face. “I understand what you did. But I don’t agree with it.” With a head nod to me, he rolls out after the other 3 and they’re gone.

Recap

So did I act correctly? Three things:

1) Some restaurants will allow people to act like clowns if they run up a crazy high bill. I’m very fortunate I’ve never worked for one of these places. The next morning, the head chef/owner emailed me to say, they won’t be welcomed back.

2) It’s always the manager’s responsibility to ensure everyone leaves in good graces. If there was an issue with their meal/experience, you always want them walking out feeling like the matter was handled with care and everyone’s on the same page. What if I fired up some small plates and a couple of desserts to offer the gentlemen instead of drinks? What if I offered mocktails instead of just saying, you’re cut off? Instead of saying no, it’s always better to offer something in return. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have taken either option, but you never know.

3) Please act like civilized human beings when dining out : )