Why me?
I'd like to begin by quoting part of a DMB song. Say what you want to about them, these lyrics stick with me as truth...
"I have no time to justify to you.
Fool, you're blind
So move aside for me."
So I got into a bit of a verbal tussle today. I was kind of taken off guard, because I certainly wasn't looking for one. Nevertheless, it happened anyway due to my refusal to let certain things go.
There's a great pizza place just across the street from campus called Picklefish. They do gourmet pizzas, burgers, po-boys, and salads pretty much (hands-down they have the best burgers in Mobile). They also have pretty decent beer prices. I've been regularly going there for over a year now due to the convenience, quality, and price. I'm probably in there three times a week easy, spending probably in excess of $100 a month on this place. I always tip well, and I've never been any sort of problem. Today I go in at around 3:00, and the place is pretty dead. When I pull into the parking lot, I notice the beer truck sitting there, delivering kegs. I come in, sit down at the bar, and get ready to order. The bartender who's working has been there as long as I've been coming, so she knew who I was and how often I am in there. Well, I go to order a Killian's draft (my usual), and am told that they're out. A waitress who's randomly coming by speaks up and says, "No, we should have a fresh keg now - the beer guy's here." I reply that I don't mind waiting for some fresh keg beer. So, after waiting fifteen minutes for them to get the keg hooked up, she begins pouring. Of course, there's a bunch of foam that comes out of a keg initally upon depressurization. After dumping three or so glasses of foam out, she says, "I hope you don't want more Killian's because it's a pain in the ass to pour from a fresh keg." I don't particularly care too much, so I reply, "Well, I guess that'll depend on how cold the beer guy keeps his truck." She looks around at me like I'm stupid and replies snidely, "What? The beer's cold. We keep our cooler cold."
*break in rant*
Okay, I didn't particularly want to go into the principles of heat transfer and explain to this girl that the keg's going to be roughly the temperature of the beer truck and not the cooler because it's only been in their cooler for like five minutes. So I let this thought go.
*continue rant*
Anyway, still not wanting to let her snide comment go unanswered, I replied, "Okay, but there's a difference between cold and cold enough." I get another sidelong snide look as she replies flatly, "Yeah. Whatever." I let that one go too - BUT, the last time I checked, the customer gets to decide if their beer is cold enough to their liking. Anyway, sure as shit, I get my Killian's, and it's maybe fifty degrees. Slightly below lukewarm, but it still had the taste beer has when you're at the bottom of the glass - not particularly tasty. I drink it anyway. Deciding to get another, the next time I order a Bud Light. The Bud Light is cold. And I mean COLD. At this point, I'm fuming over her remarks, and a couple of guys walk in and sit at the bar near me. They both order Killian's. I say nothing. When they get their beers, they both immediately tell the bartender that the beer isn't cold. She throws her hands in the air, says, "What is it with you people today?" Sitting right there, I chime in, "Well, like I said, that's the difference between cold **I gesture to their beers** and cold enough. **I gesture to my beer**" At this point she angrily tells me she didn't recall asking my opinion and storms back into the kitchen. When she comes back I ask for my check, pay, EVEN FUCKING TIP HER (she was quick to bring me my beer at least), and leave.
Now, the problem I have with all this is not about beer, and it's not about tipping or not tipping. It's about respect. I don't understand why I deserve that kind of attitude from someone when I qualify as a regular in that place. Even if I weren't a regular, I didn't deserve her looks or her comments. At no point was I snide or pissy - just matter-of-fact. And I get this treatment from someone I've always well-taken care of in the past. Her fucking boss was even in there right in front of me for a while, and I didn't say anything because I didn't want to go too far with a complaint. And it doesn't matter if she was having a bad day or not. Don't choose the FUCKING SERVICE INDUSTRY if you can't leave your bullshit at the timeclock. At this point I'm wondering...should I have handled this better/differently?
"I have no time to justify to you.
Fool, you're blind
So move aside for me."
So I got into a bit of a verbal tussle today. I was kind of taken off guard, because I certainly wasn't looking for one. Nevertheless, it happened anyway due to my refusal to let certain things go.
There's a great pizza place just across the street from campus called Picklefish. They do gourmet pizzas, burgers, po-boys, and salads pretty much (hands-down they have the best burgers in Mobile). They also have pretty decent beer prices. I've been regularly going there for over a year now due to the convenience, quality, and price. I'm probably in there three times a week easy, spending probably in excess of $100 a month on this place. I always tip well, and I've never been any sort of problem. Today I go in at around 3:00, and the place is pretty dead. When I pull into the parking lot, I notice the beer truck sitting there, delivering kegs. I come in, sit down at the bar, and get ready to order. The bartender who's working has been there as long as I've been coming, so she knew who I was and how often I am in there. Well, I go to order a Killian's draft (my usual), and am told that they're out. A waitress who's randomly coming by speaks up and says, "No, we should have a fresh keg now - the beer guy's here." I reply that I don't mind waiting for some fresh keg beer. So, after waiting fifteen minutes for them to get the keg hooked up, she begins pouring. Of course, there's a bunch of foam that comes out of a keg initally upon depressurization. After dumping three or so glasses of foam out, she says, "I hope you don't want more Killian's because it's a pain in the ass to pour from a fresh keg." I don't particularly care too much, so I reply, "Well, I guess that'll depend on how cold the beer guy keeps his truck." She looks around at me like I'm stupid and replies snidely, "What? The beer's cold. We keep our cooler cold."
*break in rant*
Okay, I didn't particularly want to go into the principles of heat transfer and explain to this girl that the keg's going to be roughly the temperature of the beer truck and not the cooler because it's only been in their cooler for like five minutes. So I let this thought go.
*continue rant*
Anyway, still not wanting to let her snide comment go unanswered, I replied, "Okay, but there's a difference between cold and cold enough." I get another sidelong snide look as she replies flatly, "Yeah. Whatever." I let that one go too - BUT, the last time I checked, the customer gets to decide if their beer is cold enough to their liking. Anyway, sure as shit, I get my Killian's, and it's maybe fifty degrees. Slightly below lukewarm, but it still had the taste beer has when you're at the bottom of the glass - not particularly tasty. I drink it anyway. Deciding to get another, the next time I order a Bud Light. The Bud Light is cold. And I mean COLD. At this point, I'm fuming over her remarks, and a couple of guys walk in and sit at the bar near me. They both order Killian's. I say nothing. When they get their beers, they both immediately tell the bartender that the beer isn't cold. She throws her hands in the air, says, "What is it with you people today?" Sitting right there, I chime in, "Well, like I said, that's the difference between cold **I gesture to their beers** and cold enough. **I gesture to my beer**" At this point she angrily tells me she didn't recall asking my opinion and storms back into the kitchen. When she comes back I ask for my check, pay, EVEN FUCKING TIP HER (she was quick to bring me my beer at least), and leave.
Now, the problem I have with all this is not about beer, and it's not about tipping or not tipping. It's about respect. I don't understand why I deserve that kind of attitude from someone when I qualify as a regular in that place. Even if I weren't a regular, I didn't deserve her looks or her comments. At no point was I snide or pissy - just matter-of-fact. And I get this treatment from someone I've always well-taken care of in the past. Her fucking boss was even in there right in front of me for a while, and I didn't say anything because I didn't want to go too far with a complaint. And it doesn't matter if she was having a bad day or not. Don't choose the FUCKING SERVICE INDUSTRY if you can't leave your bullshit at the timeclock. At this point I'm wondering...should I have handled this better/differently?