I’ll have your job!
I worked as a Unit Director at Bojangles’ Famous Chicken and Biscuits in Conway, South Carolina for over 3 years. Now let me tell you, they have the most picky, demanding customers that I have ever seen in my 17 years working in the customer service industry! “I want that on a DARK BROWN biscuit”, meaning they want a burnt, rock hard hockey puck! “I want extra crispy bacon”, again meaning burn my bacon till it tastes like charcoal! “I want lots of extra seasoning on the side for my fries”, meaning I want to have a heart attack from all this salt after I eat! And then my favorite, “I want HOT FRIES!”
This brings me to my customer complaint, working the early morning breakfast shift one day a customer came in and ordered a Cajun fillet biscuit, seasoned fries, “and I want those hot please”…just then the cook yells, “fries in the window”, and places HOT FRIES in the window for service. And she orders a senior (free) coffee. I prepare her tray, grab her biscuit from the wrap station and get her fries (burning my hand in the process, as the grease is still sizzling on them), place her coffee cup on the tray, repeat her order as I hand it to her and then….
This lady looks down her nose at me and snarls, “I TOLD YOU I WANTED HOT FRIES!” “Yes ma’am, these are hot fries, they just came up as you were placing your order,” I respectfully assured her with a genuine smile on my face. “NO, No, No, you aren’t hearing me, these aren’t fresh out of the grease,” she says as she is smashing the fries between her fingers (her fingertips are turning red too)!
I then said very calmly, “how about you go have a seat, get started on your biscuit and I will bring some fresh, hot fries directly to your table for you?”
Now for some odd reason she is soooo pissed off that she throws the still hot fries across the counter at me, and says, “Hurry up you are wasting my time!” I turn to the kitchen and yell, “HOT FRIES DOWN PLEASE, CUSTOMER IS IN A HURRY!” Then I once again smile at the old banshee and ask her to please take a seat and I will bring her the fries as soon as they are ready.
I cleaned up the fries from the floor and counter area that she threw at me while I waited for her stinkin’ fries to finish cooking. When they finished cooking I brought them directly to her table and waited for her approval. She then looked at me like what the hell are you still doing here? So, I asked her, “Are your fries hot enough ma’am?” She then asks for the corporate hotline, and my name. I pulled my business card out of my shirt pocket, wrote the 800 on the back on the back and told her, “You have a SUPER-FANTASTIC day ma’am.” She replied, “I’ll have your job! You are the nastiest person I have ever met!” I was in shock, I never showed any irritation at the woman, even when she threw her food at me! I just smiled, and said, “thank you so much, you can be here tomorrow at 6am and I was scheduled off at 8pm. I hope you enjoy working here as much as I have.” And I turned around and walked away. She never did call the 800 number, and she never showed up for work the next day either.