A Delicate Situation

So yesterday's post was what I do when I clear the table and there is still quite a bit of food left on a person's plate. You will have to check it out for that full story but last night's service brought on a variation of the quality check the waiter always does once the guests start devouring their meal.

I get this deuce right off the bat and the guy upon greeting the table looking like he is having a bad day. Not that he was rude or anything but he just seemed pretty quiet and a smile was hard to show on his face. She orders the steak and crab and he gets the steak and lobster. She wants her steak done medium rare and his medium well.

The meal comes out and I go over shortly after once they have taken a bite or two and ask if everything is meeting their expectations. She looks up and says it's great but I don't get any response from the guy. He doesn't even look up at me so I ask him if everything is good and he replies with just an ok.

I answer back with an " only ok" and then he shows me the steak and it is well done and not medium well so at this point I want to take it back and get him a new one but he says no it is fine and he will eat it. After a tussle back and forth , with me wanting to take the plate away and him saying it is fine and that he will enjoy it I leave the plate with him to continue eating.

Now I know he is forcefully eating a steak he really doesn't like and my inability to yank the plate away to get him another failed miserably. Listen I did try but I am not going to get into a scrap with someone who will eat what is in front of him anyway.

But you know at the end of the meal , the it's okay during the quality check will soon be a complaint at the end of the meal and I didn't want to take that chance. You never know and the guy did not come in the most jovial mood judging by the lukewarm reception I got when saying hello.

So I get the supervisor and explain what happened and ask him if he will go over just to talk to him. As it turned out he continued eating the steak and the supervisor bought the drinks for the table.

I do not even think the supervisor even had to buy the drinks they were having at the table but the fact is rather than let it go and not get the supervisor to go over to the table would have been a big mistake. He might not have even complained after but he would not have been happy either.

Upon paying he thanked me and I felt the situation was resolved and he got the attention he deserved for eating a steak that was too overcooked for his liking. Sometimes a customer can be too nice and eat something they do not really like. What will happen afterwards we have to watch out for. The complaint or never coming back. Either one is usually the result.