Guest Opinion: No one likes a mega-Scrooge
March 31, 2014
In my experience from working in restaurants, you get to see the true nature of people.
Maybe I’m just exaggerating a bit, but maybe I’m not.
You meet the people who are too picky about their food, the health nuts, the Scrooges and the regulars.
The picky people drive me up a wall. They want their sandwiches without tomatoes, lettuce, mustard or cheddar cheese. But they want turkey and Swiss cheese. So, you just want a turkey sandwich with cheese on it?
Just say you want that instead of telling me all the things you don’t want. It’s pretty simple.
The health nuts are similar to the picky people. Even better yet are the pretend healthy people. “I want two orders of bacon, four pancakes, three pieces of white toast with extra butter and jelly, but I just want scrambled egg whites because I’m on a diet.” I’m no expert on dieting, but I think you’re doing it wrong.
The Scrooges, I could probably go on about these people for days. I’m not just talking about tips either. They make comments about how expensive the food happens to be.
If you’re talking about how much money you’d be spending here, why are you even eating out at a restaurant in the first place? Riddle me that.
I find it insulting when customers order a cup of soup or a half order of fries because it’s “cheap.”
You drive all the way here just to get a half order of fries? I’m not usually that judgmental, but in this type of instance, you better believe I’m judging.
Everyone has heard outrageous stories about a group that orders a $100 worth of food and gives a dollar tip, but to be honest, some of those stories may have some truth behind them.
I’ve had people with a $60 bill not leave me anything.
I’ve also had customers get $20 worth of food and give me a 10 dollar tip.
It’s kind of hit or miss, however, the thing that grinds my gears the most is when people tip me a penny. It’s insulting.
The mega-Scrooge is the type of person who orders $7.99 of ice cream and gives me eight dollars for it.
“Oh, keep the penny for a tip.”
I made you a masterpiece of ice cream that would make Bernini AND Van Gogh cry and you give me a penny?!
Oh mercy, I’ll show you a penny pretty quick.
The regulars, well, they’re self-explanatory. They come in and order the same thing every time.
A regular will ask me, “How did you know what I was going to order?”
Well, shoot, you get the same thing every single time you come here.
They don’t switch their order up even if they say they will.
C’mon, regulars, I know you’re bluffing.
The majority of people I encounter crack me up whether it’s their indecisiveness, arguing about who is going to pay or their lack of change.
The best piece of advice I have is to start a conversation with the waiter and to not be the mega-Scrooge.
No one likes a mega-Scrooge.