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No Manners, No Service
By: Patrick Maguire
Book Chapter: Personal Pet Peeves
Posted: 06/4/2010
Santarpio’s Pizza — East Boston, MA The pizza and BBQ are great.
Family business established more than 100 years ago and still going strong.
I love businesses like this. No manners, no service. Here’s to you, Santarpio’s!!
24 Responses to “No Manners, No Service”
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Permalink | Posted in Personal Pet Peeves | 24 Comments »
I agree. I have same rule in my classes at the university. Also, have a no-texting rule. They are addicted I must say! Sneak texting during class. A colleague will ask them to leave. Rude to all in class. Same in restaurant.
Knock-off the technology while you eat!
Nothing annoys me more than someone entering my restaurant who refuses to stop their conversation in order to be seated or even when they order. Frankly, I ignore them until they get upset that they are not being served and encourage my fellow workers to do the same!
When someone comes to me expecting to be waited upon while on the phone I just look at them until they speak to me and then ask them sweetly”Oh, are you talking to me now?”. They usually hang up.
Wonderful! How rude not to realize that speaking on the cellphone while dealing with others is so inappropriate. “Put the damn thing away!”
Does that also apply to the restaurant service providers (employees, managers, owners) who are constantly checking their text messages while on the clock?
“I’ll be right with you… just as soon as I finish my cell phone activity.”
We are a culture of, “Rules are fine… as long as they don’t apply to me.”
Paul
http://www.WaitersWorld.com
This is a subject that SCREAMS, “proceed with extreme caution”, quagmire straight ahead. Bad manners runs ramped like a crazed blue unicorn, scampering through the corridors of every industry. It is not reserved solely for the food industry. I’ve said it several times in other postings. I agree that rudeness is disingenuous, and offensive. I cannot or rather I choose not to war with a paying customer. I simply have my own way of getting them off the damn phone. I have asked customers to leave based on the degree of burn – from their offense.
What about the server that told me to “hold on a minute” until she took a call from her boyfriend on her cell? I kid you not – the unmitigated gall. I just got up and called for the manager, then proceeded to walk out with a party of eight. I received a standing ovation from the patrons! Bowed and departed!
There are no industry standards for guests or rather rude guests, outside of refusing to serve them. This is the personal prerogative of any business with a license to operate. It’s their “call” so long as it gets posted publicly. Much like a dress code. Is it possible to enforce – probably. It’s up to them to draw the line; as to what level of tolerance they choose to enforce. Once they do, they’d better be ready to deal with the repercussions.
Businesses are not charm schools. If they were, we would all be much happier little tadpoles. As corny as it may sound, practicing, let alone teaching, the golden rule seems rather daunting. I sincerely wish this establishment all the luck they can muster, and would like for you to update us on their customers reaction. As always Patrick,I find your blog intriguing!
Sincerely,
Penelope
I will walk up to the table, start a sentence, then “suddenly” realize someone is on their phone. Apologize quickly, then walk away and not return until the person hangs up. When they do, I make a point of apologizing for interrupting their conversation, which I’m sure must have been important, otherwise they wouldn’t be on their phone in a restaurant. Most people then become aware of how rude they are and apologize to me. Some people, however, just say “iced tea.”
I have absolutely no problem with people talking on a cell phone while dining. The person could be making a deal that will pay for dinner, my tip, and perhaps a whole lot more. I never go to a table when the phone is in use, I give them their privacy. I’ve also have never had a customer that wanted to conduct affairs with me while they were on the phone. I stay relaxed around my customers and they know when they are finished with their outside business they will be able to conduct restaurant business with me.
I am in total agreement with this restaurant’s policy. I have been a cashier for most of the time I’ve been working (I’d say about 15 years at least), and I have had some customers who would stand in line and carry on a conversation, then hold up everyone else while they continued to talk and would not give you their method of payment and expect you to wait for them to finish. Once, when this happened, the woman would not get off the phone, and I took the customer behind her. That customer and I were joking around and laughing, and the woman who stayed on the phone proceeded to say, “You think it’s funny, don’t you?” in a snotty tone, and I responded, “No, ma’am, I don’t.” I checked her out and, needless to say, was glad when she was gone. There should be an etiquette book that comes with each cell phone, or a class! A lot of us don’t need one, but just as many do.
Christy
Just hang up and enjoy the dining experience. America is hooked on their phones and being connected. Very sad. I walk away from the table until the phone is put away. Sometimes, patrons have had to wait a while to place their order. I greet the table with,”I wanted you to have the privacy to finish your phone call. ” Dumb clucks.
I have noticed that some people who are having a conversation have the decency to say to the person they are talking to, “I’m in line at the grocery store; can I call you back?” when they get up to the checkout. I think the way a person conducts themselves using a cell phone says a lot about the person’s manner’s in general. I’m willing to bet the ones who won’t hang up and ignore the cashier or customer service worker are the same ones who will cut you off in traffic, weave in and out of lanes, and won’t let you in when the lane you are in ends. It’s a sad commentary on society, and I’m afraid with each passing year, people are getting ruder and ruder.
Christy
This does work both ways … patrons AND staff (anyone,) should not be using cell phones in the middle of a service which needs communication.
I have also been told to “Hold on.” While a bartender picked up her cell phone to talk to someone. Talk about offensive.
Honestly, places of business dont have to post publicly their criteria for being asked to leave … think how long that list might become, littered with clauses & cautions, to cover every conceivable upcoming eventuality. How ugly, for patrons to view a list of Rules. Incl. cell phone use.
In fact, if you happen to be asked to leave by a manager/owner and refuse to do so, the police may then be called to assist you leaving Private Property. I dont think cell phone using should become that annoying.
Servers, not unlike the British Butler, have their own ways of handling situations. But, the point is …
They shouldn’t HAVE to be put in this position or, any other situation when it might entail them losing their jobs over patrons’ narcisissm, and rudeness. Patrons’ ignorant behaviour.
At least this establishment sets the standard, to protect its employees ( and other patrons,)trying to walk a tight rope between great service, and mediator/politician.
That is rather ballsy. Good Luck to you Guys!!!!
Can you imagine what would happen in a marketing meeting at IBM or a notable ad agency if a junior level person picked up their cell phone in the middle of their boss’s presentation? They’d probably find themselves looking for another job! The thought of having to wait for someone at work (cashier, bartender, etc.) to finish their call when they should be attentive to their job makes my hair stand on end.
Similarly, if customers are there to conduct business and are standing in front of a cashier they should be conducting their transaction, not yapping on the phone. It’s rude to the cashier, it’s inconsiderate to the people in line behind them and it just shouldn’t be done! What ever happened to consideration for others?
I applaud the restaurant servers and cashiers who remove themselves from the customer until the call is completed and then graciously say they didn’t want to invade the caller’s privacy. That’s a very nice way of handling the situation and subtly sending a message and commanding respect.
Francine- I think about that type of thing all the time when I hear stories from people working in customer service industry positions. A lot of people think it’s ok to say “Gimmee _____” to a server, with no greeting, but if someone went into their place of employment, interupted them, and said “Gimmee _____” they would be appalled.
The whole cell phone/boundaries — or “lack there of thing” is just crazy at large. The blatent rudeness isunbelievable!!!
Again, if we don’t set the limits as restaurant owners, office managers, family members etc. we are all going to be responsible for fostering/enabling a culture of addicts…. be it to texting, cell phones, facebook, twitter etc. Alot of it feels way over the top already!!!! let’s all accept the challenge of our own modeling by example in our personal and professional lives. (not saying it is always easy..)
Justcame back from dinner with a few friends.. we sat at a bar and really chilled and relaxed. The waitress was so warm and caring and her colleagues just as attentive and respectful. The food was fabulous but the highlight was the relaxed and warm energy ……the atmosphere was peaceful and inviting…it felt good tipping well and complimenting the hard working and caring staff…. An hour and a half “get-away” simply based on mutual respect and being present in the moment with no distractions!!!
Cheers to “No- distractions!!!”
Although I wholeheartedly agree with Santarpios and find it EXTREMELY rude and inappropriate to be on your cellphone in a restaurant…I find it a bit ironic that one of the rudest establishments can expect politeness from their customers when their reputation is one of rudeness. The few times I’ve gone there, the waitstaff is abrupt, dishes are literally thrown on the table…not too mention the dried food I had to scrape off of my plate and the filthy atmosphere…I know it’s an old building but I like to eat in cleanliness….obviously not a fan.
Santarpio’s is a great no nonsense pizzeria. They can & should enforce this rule with no problem. What stinks is that we need to post this at all. I walk away when someone is on the phone. They invariably are always in a hurry when they finally hang up!
I have 2 anecdotes to add (and the fact that my phone is always off when I am at a client – I get breaks every 30 minutes or so and check it for texts and messages):
My sister used to work in a very fancy chocolatier and would just go to the next person in line if whomever was up front was on the phone. She would give them about 5 seconds to wrap up the call and then just get the next person. When she was done, she would come back to the one on the phone. Repeat until they got the point.
I have an ex who used to answer the phone at restaurants and then talk VERY LOUDLY to the other person (insert shudder). My solution, since he would never excuse himself, was to excuse myself. If I get a call I can’t miss when dining out, I excuse myself to the lobby or let the person know that I am dining and will call back.
Ariane- Thank you for commenting. I’m with you. Sounds like your ex is an ex for good reason. I do the same thing when I get a call and someone else is talking loudly on a cell in a shared public space. I answer the phone very loudly and say I can’t talk now, because I’m in the bank (or wherever), and if the oblivious moron doesn’t get the hint, I do it again. If we keep pushing back these people will eventually realize that they are sharing space with the rest of us humans, and that it’s not all about them.
Love, love, love Santarpio’s! I was there recently with my kids for the pizza and the “experience”. Leave it to this eating institution to remind people about basic manners. At the end of the meal, the server even asked me if it was o.k. for my kids to pitch in and help him clear the table. I, of course, said YES, and my kids had fun doing it.
as a waitress, my favorite is when they sit down on their cell phone. so, i wait till they’re finished chatting before i go over there. ya know. not to bother them. and they’re mad i took so long to get there. ugh. come on.
i also agree that it works both ways. we should not be standing around texting or chatting on the phone while we have guests. it’s equally as rude. i don’t do it and i hate it when people, including my co-workers, do.
the cell phone and texting craze is a gateway to bad manners…people seem to think that it is okay to disconnect from face to face human contact when they are receiving or sending text or using their cell phones…would you ever consider leaving a conversation or postponing a business transaction to use the restroom without at least excusing yourself??…just sayin’ !
“Loud cell talking” ia a pet-peeve of mine. Ironically, recently, I was the violator. I was in a gym on the treadmill and on a key rare call from a family member (he called me) that I didn’t want to “put-off.” I didn’t realize it until after call, but I was practically shouting to project my voice over the treadmill and background noise. I apologized to the two people near me. One was pretty offended and threw a “dig” at me. I deserved it and felt bad! I also didn’t want to “break my pace and time” on the treadmill. Next time…I will!
I do not approach patrons who are on their phone. I also believe, however, that they should never see me using mine, ever. The appearance of unavailability is unprofessional. I do think it’s rude to expect service while on the phone, but I have dealt with so many transgressions in etiquette that this is not the highest on my list.