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Original poster

Waitress - would you complain about this?

158 replies

Soffit · 28/01/2022 17:53

I'm trying to understand who is wrong here. I visited a popular food chain restaurant yesterday (peri..chicken) with 1DC. Outside the restaurant was a largeish family group. They were hovering around near the menu, blocking the entrance but started moving inside when they saw us trying to get inside. Just inside the entrance was a hand sanitiser dispenser. We do not use it as we bring our own. They were taking turns on it so we went past them and walked up the long narrow passage to where you would usually wait to be seated (always the same spot - been many, many times).

The waitress, instead of offering us a table, bellowed out something to the effect of 'I think that group entered first didn't they so I'm going to seat them first'. At this point, the group is nowhere near the seating queue and still applying hand sanitiser. She called out to them to come along so they quickly finished, walked over and overtook us.
It felt as though she was going out of her way to make a point and make us feel rude. It strongly felt that this may also have been because she was of similar heritage to the group and wanted to make a social justice point but it seemed defensive, really weird and plain wrong in this situation.

This is not meant to be goady. I am just wondering if you would raise it.

OP posts:
iklboo · 28/01/2022 18:05

YABU & racist.

CraftyGin · 28/01/2022 18:06

Your beef is with the large group, not the waitress, who was trying to be as fair as possible. If she thought you jumped the queue, it was probably fairly obvious.

Don't make it a racism thing. That's appalling.

Original poster
Soffit · 28/01/2022 18:07

@QforCucumber

If they were folding up a pushchair, getting a baby out to go towards to ‘wait to be seated’ sign would you have still pushed past?

If they were of the same heritage to you and not the waitress would you still be inclined to complain?

Their common heritage seemed like an issue for her because I always go past people blocking the entrance and I am seated without any issue
OP posts:
nosnos · 28/01/2022 18:07

YABU
Wtf
If you can’t handle yourself in public settings just order takeaway

UltraVividLament · 28/01/2022 18:08

Of course they were queuing. Why did they enter the restaurant if not to get seated and have a meal? They were delayed in getting to a particular physical point inside by applying hand sanitiser. You don't get to queue jump because of that.

TakeYourFinalPosition · 28/01/2022 18:08

No. They’d gone inside first and were sanitising. If they’d been doing nothing, you’d have asked if they were in the queue, right? So they could say, “oh no we’re still waiting for people, you go ahead”.

But they were sanitising, and they entered first… so the waitress was right to seat them first.

YellowLemonz · 28/01/2022 18:08

Their common heritage seemed like an issue for her because I always go past people blocking the entrance and I am seated without any issue

You have no idea though and it seems like your trying to make an excuse for what the waitress done.
She was doing her job.
You get seated within seconds at the place you visited.

Hathertonhariden · 28/01/2022 18:08

You clearly barged ahead of them so the waitress was correct.

FKATondelayo · 28/01/2022 18:09

@iklboo

YABU & racist.
Yep
thefirstmrsrochester · 28/01/2022 18:09

Unreasonable and racist to boot.

PuppyMonkey · 28/01/2022 18:09

She probably saw the large family enter first and do the polite thing of applying hand sanitiser, then you turn up and walk round them and don’t bother with hand sanitiser and it probably pissed her off as she didn’t know you’d brought your own.

user68396930 · 28/01/2022 18:09

I'd say she was annoyed that you thought you didn't need to sanitise your hands and made a point because of that

UltraVividLament · 28/01/2022 18:09

JFC. Just stop with the common heritage nonsense. They weren't blocking the entrance, they were doing as the restaurant expected them to do which was use hand sanitiser before continuing!

3peassuit · 28/01/2022 18:10

YABU.

RussiasGreatestLoveMachine · 28/01/2022 18:10

I'm trying to understand who is wrong here

You’ve asked your question, and you’re getting your answer.

nosnos · 28/01/2022 18:11

Waitresses don’t get paid enough for that crap tbh

Original poster
Soffit · 28/01/2022 18:11

You do get seated quickly there. But if that is the case then I think that she was wrong to make a big issue out of it and drag them away from doing whatever they were doing. It is not a formal restaurant so if you are not at the queue stop then that should be that really.

I wont complain but I think she was wrong in turning it into a big issue.

Thanks for your insights

OP posts:
nosnos · 28/01/2022 18:13

It is not a formal restaurant so if you are not at the queue stop then that should be that really.

You can’t be real 🤦‍♀️

SoupDragon · 28/01/2022 18:13

I think she was wrong in turning it into a big issue.

She didn't turn it into a big issue at all, just said she was going to seat the people who removed first.

BIWI · 28/01/2022 18:13

I'm afraid you're the one who's turning this into a big issue!

You jumped the queue. The waitress was quite right to take the other party in first.

And I can't believe you're trying to make a racist issue out of this Hmm

Sparkletastic · 28/01/2022 18:13

They were first and you are betraying racist views.

YellowLemonz · 28/01/2022 18:14

I wont complain but I think she was wrong in turning it into a big issue

It's you who's making this an issue.

She done her job.

LetHimHaveIt · 28/01/2022 18:15

It is honestly - honestly - people like you who make me want to sink to my knees and thank god I'm not a waitress anymore. I bet you love leaving this BS all over TripAdvisor in the hopes of a twenty quid voucher.

HeronLanyon · 28/01/2022 18:16

But the other group was there first - weren’t they. Absolutely no need for shouting or making anyone feel badly. If it were me I’d actually have said to her ‘we’re behind them’.

LadyLazarus40 · 28/01/2022 18:16

@Soffit

Hmm .. so how long would be appropriate to wait for a large group by the door? People wait there for friends, takeaway orders etc.
Yes but they obviously weren’t doing that as they were using hand sanitizer. Basically you chose not to and pushed in front of them. Now you feel she favoured the people you pushed in front of as she was because she was “of the same heritage” as them.

Basically you pushed in front , she called you out and now you want to complain about her. You sound nice!