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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:
RussiasGreatestLoveMachine · 28/01/2022 18:43

they gestured to me to go past which was enough for me

Well, why didn’t you just say that to the waitress? And why didn’t you mention that in your OP, or anywhere else in the thread?

SoupDragon · 28/01/2022 18:44

but they gestured to me to go past

So now, many posts in, they "told" you to go past rather than you just going round them? 😂😂

RussiasGreatestLoveMachine · 28/01/2022 18:45

What a shit thread this is. I want my money back.

Soffit · 28/01/2022 18:46

Well, one or two of a large group did, they never signed a unilateral agreement. They made eye contact and moved aside. The majority of the group couldn't have cared less about it and were engrossed in their hand sanitising/conversations

OP posts:
tiredofthisshit21 · 28/01/2022 18:46

@RussiasGreatestLoveMachine

What a shit thread this is. I want my money back.
😂😂
KilmordenCastle · 28/01/2022 18:46

Not explicitly but they gestured to me to go past which was enough for me

Well hang on...... this changes things. If they made it clear that they didn't mind you going ahead then what you did was fine. The waitress probably didn't see that.

Honestly she was just trying to do the fair thing and stop anyone from giving her a hard time. Definitely not a reason to complain to HO.

lothermand · 28/01/2022 18:48

Was it busy in the restaurant OP? I ask this because if seating was scarce, then it could be interpreted that you were trying to Q jump. If it wasn't, then the waitress could've been a little more discreet..

Soffit · 28/01/2022 18:48

@lothermand

Was it busy in the restaurant OP? I ask this because if seating was scarce, then it could be interpreted that you were trying to Q jump. If it wasn't, then the waitress could've been a little more discreet..
No it was practically empty at that time
OP posts:
Veryverycalmnow · 28/01/2022 18:50

Similar heritage?
What?

JuniorMint · 28/01/2022 18:50

@FlexibleWorkingDenied

What “heritage” were they all, and how can you possibly know they are of the same “heritage”? (By heritage I assume you mean skin colour).
Care to answer this, OP? As you’re answering other questions
AlternativePerspective · 28/01/2022 18:52

OP, AIBU to be a racist and suggest that I should have been seated first? Oh, and not wanting to be goadie, oh no.”

Unanimous response: “YABU and a goadie racist twat.”

OP: “no I’m not, I was in the right, and besides I clearly love to argue with people, wanted to argue with the waitress for daring to let people through who were of a different heritage to me, and now I need to argue that I’m not wrong to want to argue.”

Mind you, if you complain about this you could get lucky and be banned from the place for life given your racist views. Now wouldn’t that be sweet.

lothermand · 28/01/2022 18:52

Then I would think the waitress was BU.

I think you've provided some Friday evening entertainment for the MN vipers OPWink

Soffit · 28/01/2022 18:52

@Veryverycalmnow

Similar heritage? What?
I haven't mentioned race or skin colour unlike posters getting riled . She spoke to them in a common language while getting them seated so it was a reasonable inference to draw. I do not know what language that would be.
OP posts:
Soffit · 28/01/2022 18:53

@lothermand

Then I would think the waitress was BU.

I think you've provided some Friday evening entertainment for the MN vipers OPWink

I was wondering when I would catch their attention Grin
OP posts:
Soffit · 28/01/2022 18:55

@AlternativePerspective

OP, AIBU to be a racist and suggest that I should have been seated first? Oh, and not wanting to be goadie, oh no.”

Unanimous response: “YABU and a goadie racist twat.”

OP: “no I’m not, I was in the right, and besides I clearly love to argue with people, wanted to argue with the waitress for daring to let people through who were of a different heritage to me, and now I need to argue that I’m not wrong to want to argue.”

Mind you, if you complain about this you could get lucky and be banned from the place for life given your racist views. Now wouldn’t that be sweet.

I haven't mentioned race, only heritage. Have a blessed day
OP posts:
iklboo · 28/01/2022 18:55

I haven't mentioned race or skin colour unlike posters getting riled . She spoke to them in a common language while getting them seated so it was a reasonable inference to draw. I do not know what language that would be.

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 - your opening post.

It's racist which ever way you wish to butter it. Or at the very, very least Xenophobic.

TonytheDog · 28/01/2022 18:56

Gordon Bennet! How on earth do you function on a daily basis if this has irritated you so much? You were in the wrong. You're not the Queen of the World. Get over it.

FFSjustLTB · 28/01/2022 19:00

Regardless of anything else, who would go to the trouble to complain? Would making the server lose their job make you feel better about yourself?
@CatJumperTwat change the cat to queue? Grin

UltraVividLament · 28/01/2022 19:02

You mentioned a shared heritage and "social justice". I can't believe you didn't intend for people to think you were referring to race. If you simply meant they were all speaking Portuguese (for example) then you could have simply said so, without all the silly cloak and dagger.

FlexibleWorkingDenied · 28/01/2022 19:03

Were they all white OP, and the only marker you had that they had a “shared heritage” was when the waitress spoke to them in another language?

nocoolnamesleft · 28/01/2022 19:04

Only one person seems to have made a drama out of this episode, and it isn't the poor waitress.

ElftonWednesday · 28/01/2022 19:09

I bloody hate people trying to race past me when I am in front and we are all clearly going to the same place. The number of men who would practically push you over getting off the train and walking towards the taxi rank so they can be first in the queue. Parents who try and race me across the playground to the office window so their (usually very long and tiresome) query gets dealt with first.

SergeiL · 28/01/2022 19:32

I hate people pushing in. If I had to work for minimum wage at a busy restaurant to make ends meet, I would ‘bring myself to work’ as we are encouraged to do where I work, and call people out on it.

Artesia · 28/01/2022 19:34

Am at a loss as to why this even registered with you. The restaurant was pretty much empty, it can't have delayed you for more than 2 minutes. What's the big deal?

HomeHomeInTheRange · 28/01/2022 19:44

No it was practically empty at that time

So it’s not as if seating this group caused you to need to wait for a single table?

You become more U with every post.