‘Karen’ Is Furious That A Small Town Restaurant Didn’t Serve Her After Closing Time – Gets Roasted By The Locals
The customer is always right, they say. This popular saying was invented by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1909 and has been a go-to policy for both managers and customers alike. And while as a policy, it does seem to make solid sense, especially when customers are the ones that make or break your business, on many occasions, it doesn’t quite work. Because the customers may not be right even if they think they are.
So this time, we’ll be diving into one particular case of an entitled customer getting enraged at a local restaurant that turned her away. In a written complaint, the dissatisfied woman wrote: “When the restaurant hostess turns away a local customer at 8pm because they close at 8pm then it will be long before they get my money again.”
As you can imagine, the community was simply not buying it and people formed an alliance to roast the woman dubbed ‘Karen’ for her short-sightedness. Let’s see what they had to say in the comments below and make sure to leave your thoughts on the incident in the comment section!
This customer has recently left a complaint to a local restaurant for not serving her at closing time
Image credits: AdorableEnvironment
We’ve all heard people saying the customer is always right, but in many instances, the phrase begs questioning. Is it really true or is it an outdated relic which simply doesn’t have a place in today’s service industry? To find out what an expert had to say on it, we reached out to Geraint Clarke, a writer and marketing consultant who specializes in giving business, marketing, leadership & self-development lessons.
“People are too savvy with the phrase ‘the customer is always right’ and will leverage it for free desserts, discounts and perks,” Geraint said and added that “They’ve learned to expect it.” Geraint continued: “As business owners, we have empowered these negative interactions and dehumanized the purchasing process.” Moreover, “These days we encourage bad behavior from customers by giving them rewards through fear,” argues the marketing consultant.
But the community found her complaint utterly irrational and people wasted no time to roast the entitled customer
According to Geraint, “The customer is always right” used to be relevant when we made transactions in store and could interact face to face. “But now we live in an online, connected society. The cost of a customer leaving unhappy could manifest in outrage on social media, anonymous negative reviews online, or corporate complaints that could result in disciplinary action. Or worse, you losing your livelihood.”
Geraint argues that “As businesses, we’ve opened ourselves up to the mob—literally.” So when asked whether the customer is really always right, Geraint said that “Not all customers are wrong, but not all customers are right either.” “The issue is that a certain number of customers of any business will go from zero to 60 and become completely unreasonable. Reaching all-new levels of rage over what seems like trivial problems.”
In fact, there’s a psychological theory that explains this behavior called deindividuation. Geraint explained that “Deindividuation is a phenomenon in which people engage in seemingly impulsive, deviant, and sometimes violent acts in situations in which they believe they cannot be personally identified. Groups, crowds, and especially on the internet.”
According to him, “Your only way to counteract this behavior is to humanize all of your customers. Learn their names, tell them yours and connect on a personal level. Fix genuine problems when they’re your mistake.”Meanwhile, Geraint urges business owners not to fold to outrage. “Educate customers who are genuinely wrong and don’t be afraid to lose customers if they’re unreasonable,” he concluded.
Image credits: AdorableEnvironment
Image credits: AdorableEnvironment
Image credits: AdorableEnvironment
Image credits: AdorableEnvironment
People on Reddit also had a lot to say about the incident
Seriously guys, you are all using lots of words to simply say, "She's a c**t"
I have to ask. What is a "chicken necker" it was in one of the replies
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Over here if their closing time is 8 you can probably forget about ordering food from 7:30/7:45 ish depending on what kind of food they serve. Nobody needs to lock the door. Not often, but someone might put 3 steps inside the business, the staff will say "Sorry we're closed for the day" and the person walking in will reply with "Oh ok, sorry, have a nice evening" and walk right back out again. Similar in other shops, like a clothing store or a supermarket. They close at 8. You can enter till about 7:45 ish. The last 10 or 15 minutes are for customers to finish their purchase at the register, not for new people to keep walking in
And wouldn't you feel like an awkward t****r sat there while staff wait for you to finish, actually no, that's the feeling these people like I guess.
Load More Replies... Yes you can! Whatever you like and dislike is entirely up to you and nobody gets to judge you for it. I personally love the phrase, but then again, I only use it as a joke kind of thing. "I used your lighter to get the stove going, sorry not sorry", "I picked your jacket off the floor and hung it out, sorry not sorry" I know you are cutting down on carbs but I did cook pasta today, sorry not sorry"
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“The customer is always right IN MATTERS OF TASTE” ... please quote Selfridge’s full maxim.
I worked at a restaurant years ago that had this problem. We were open from 4pm -10pm. We solved it by posting our hours as: Open - 4pm. Last Seating: 9pm. We definitely still had our share of Karens and Chads demanding to be seated after 9pm because "you are obviously open". Nope, sorry. Read the sign. This didn't hurt the business at all, and in fact helped morale because our staff didn't have to deal with jerks.
Bad is being obligated to serve your 7:59 customer because you need to make payroll. Worse is the 8:04 customer who laments “Well you’re staying open for them…” while trying to take 7:59’s order
The comments about closing and counting money. How many of you other ladies worked in a bar near a college that easily did over 5k in cash on a slow night and you had to count it and take it to the bank at 4 or 5 am? The 90's and 00's when everyone carried cash and no one had smartphones was different. We are closed, go home! Same for the retail store! You can buy your s**t tomorrow. I am not getting robbed over $7 an hour!
The saying is, The customer is always right, in matters of taste. Which this lady obviously has none, it decency or relevancy to her own worth etc.
My question for this customer is: where were you before closing time? The people who work here actually have lives that they need to get to. My advice, be at any place of business at least a half an hour before they close in order to get proper service, that's a bully move and very inconsiderate.
If she's a local, surely she knows what time they closed? She is the person who made McDonald's service breakfast until 11 because she could never get her head around the 10:30 cut-off.
I miss breakfast being served all day. Not really relevant to the discussion. I just love breakfast foods. 😅
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Glad they blacked out Denise Whiting's name. That could have been embarrassing for her. Also, as a former restaurant bartender, let me just say that even coming in 15 minutes before close will earn you the most fervent death wishes from the staff. There is no shortage of inconsiderate AHs out there.
I was the opening manager at my store yesterday morning. 35 minutes before opening, we had a guy walk into our closed doors, then get mad we wouldn't let him in 🙄 We have to keep the doors locked until we open because customers will pry open the automatic doors.
I had this happen to me in the winter almost yearly in a restaurant that I work at for 22 years. Same couple everytime. The owner was insistent on being open regardless of the road conditions but that's a totally different story. As I was GF to the manager, I always had to be there. The store always closed at 7 PM in bad weather. When they come in, and I told them we were closed , they would go table to table and tell how awful of a person I was. They definitely didn't get the response from other they wanted therefore went to social media. They got burned with every post just as this lady did. How dare me to want to get home to my kids and spend time with them. How dare I be so tired from being the only server from 7 AM to 7 PM. How dare I not serve these poor poor souls after driving all the way to the restaurant risking their live just for a hot meal ( they lived less than a third of a mile from the restaurant. I lived 20 minutes away) How dare I want to prop up my feet or go to bed.
You can come to my work we're open 24hrs a day and we serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. .... also it's a prison sooo you'd fit right in.
Parents, this is what happens when you never say "No" to your kids and they get out into the world; no self-awareness, no boundaries, total entitlement, emotionally unable to cope with 'no'.
I used to work in retail and we closed at 8pm Mondays to Fridays. The number of customers we had who'd come in at 8pm and state, "Well its 8pm now so what's the big deal ?" never ceased to amaze us. We'd try to "politely" as we could, explain that the store in now closed as its 8pm, and then they'd give us backchat about how we should be treating customers better. This was perfectly thrown back at then when they were asked about how they've just treated staff.
so many people get that saying wrong. it's "the customer is always right in matters OF TASTE"
I've worked in retail for years and the amount of people that demand to come in at closing time,or nip in just before,is insane. I've had to stay late to serve them and I didn't get paid. The entitlement is crazy. I'm not thankful for the business,I don't own it and I don't get commission!
I worked at a bakery for a while, one time had a lady call ahead to ask what time we closed, then show up on the dot and ask for stuff we already cleaned up...
What the hell is a chicken necker? Do I want to be googling this?
You've used a black highlighter to cover the names instead of a black pen, so they're still visible...
I think that's probably intentional. It looks like an effort was made to anonymize, but they really wanted everyone to know who it was. "Whoopsy! I tried hun, but what can ya do?" attitude seems to be creeping across soc. med...
Load More Replies... I don't understand the local comment of hers. I mean if it were a tourist you would not let her in but might tell hey see that place there is still open, you can get food there. But a local a) should know the timing b) has a home close by where she can cook her own food c) should know that this kind of behaviour might get them banned from going there again even if it is open....
As an ex server (about 15yrs) i thank every single person who called her out! You are the true heroes! So many times (especially at corporate places) ive watched customers treat people like garbage & rewarded for it. Watched a table almost bring their server to tears, as the AGM on shift i asked them to please show respect to their server & kindly finish up & leave. They complained to corporate, got free coupons & gift cards sent to them which they of course, used at our restaurant. Literally shoved it in our faces that our company was ok with them treating us like crap
I know there are some self-entitled dumb people out there, but sometimes, these kind of posts (Original post) make me think it was done just to see how many people would respond.
I love the holidays when we close earlier and with a 4 week notice. The amount of people banging at the door is unbelievable.
And here i am, i feel so bad if i call and order a pizza when its less then an hour to closing time..
I always have mixed feelings about these types of stories. I think there are several misunderstandings that make the situations worse. The biggest is trying to know exactly what is meant by "closing time". Back in the dark ages of the 1970s when I worked in restaurants it was generally accepted that closing time was when we stopped seating new customers. On busy nights that meant we were still cooking an hour after closing and it was often close to 2 hours later before everyone was gone. That was just how most restaurants did it. It seems now that the idea of closing time has changed to where it means that the kitchen closes at that time, so if you haven't ordered by then you are out of luck. Personally I feel like if you say you are open until 8 that means you should still seat and serve someone who comes at 7:59, but I'm from an older generation now and the normal business practices seem to be different. It doesn't make them wrong, but it can be confusing.
That would be like renting a car and being upset when the place wants the car back. Or going to school and being surprised that you are being graded.
I do not understand this. If a place closes at 8:00, is the last possible time to enter 7:59 or should everyone be done by 8:00. I went to get a blood test. I misunderstood the hours and arrived 20 minutes before closing. I was reprimanded for arriving too close to closing time. I was out the door in 15 minutes, 5 min before closing. Is 8:00 when the employees expect to leave or when the last customer is served?
If the place closes at 8:00 it means they are tying to have the front doors closed at 8. In an ideal situation business would have wound down around closing time so it's not an issue to just finish up helping the last few people and close the doors. However if people keep coming in because they see others inside, they would never be able to close. So closing time would be when everyone is supposed to be done and out of the establishment. That sounds different from your situation though, seems like those employees were just grouchy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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This is the most generous interpretation of an idiotic complaint. Although, even if this is what she meant, her "sorry, not sorry, I'm complaining about a local business" attitude still puts her squarely back in the firing line for the responses.
Load More Replies... Seriously guys, you are all using lots of words to simply say, "She's a c**t"
I have to ask. What is a "chicken necker" it was in one of the replies
Load More Replies... Over here if their closing time is 8 you can probably forget about ordering food from 7:30/7:45 ish depending on what kind of food they serve. Nobody needs to lock the door. Not often, but someone might put 3 steps inside the business, the staff will say "Sorry we're closed for the day" and the person walking in will reply with "Oh ok, sorry, have a nice evening" and walk right back out again. Similar in other shops, like a clothing store or a supermarket. They close at 8. You can enter till about 7:45 ish. The last 10 or 15 minutes are for customers to finish their purchase at the register, not for new people to keep walking in
And wouldn't you feel like an awkward t****r sat there while staff wait for you to finish, actually no, that's the feeling these people like I guess.
Load More Replies... Yes you can! Whatever you like and dislike is entirely up to you and nobody gets to judge you for it. I personally love the phrase, but then again, I only use it as a joke kind of thing. "I used your lighter to get the stove going, sorry not sorry", "I picked your jacket off the floor and hung it out, sorry not sorry" I know you are cutting down on carbs but I did cook pasta today, sorry not sorry"
Load More Replies... “The customer is always right IN MATTERS OF TASTE” ... please quote Selfridge’s full maxim.
I worked at a restaurant years ago that had this problem. We were open from 4pm -10pm. We solved it by posting our hours as: Open - 4pm. Last Seating: 9pm. We definitely still had our share of Karens and Chads demanding to be seated after 9pm because "you are obviously open". Nope, sorry. Read the sign. This didn't hurt the business at all, and in fact helped morale because our staff didn't have to deal with jerks.
Bad is being obligated to serve your 7:59 customer because you need to make payroll. Worse is the 8:04 customer who laments “Well you’re staying open for them…” while trying to take 7:59’s order
The comments about closing and counting money. How many of you other ladies worked in a bar near a college that easily did over 5k in cash on a slow night and you had to count it and take it to the bank at 4 or 5 am? The 90's and 00's when everyone carried cash and no one had smartphones was different. We are closed, go home! Same for the retail store! You can buy your s**t tomorrow. I am not getting robbed over $7 an hour!
The saying is, The customer is always right, in matters of taste. Which this lady obviously has none, it decency or relevancy to her own worth etc.
My question for this customer is: where were you before closing time? The people who work here actually have lives that they need to get to. My advice, be at any place of business at least a half an hour before they close in order to get proper service, that's a bully move and very inconsiderate.
If she's a local, surely she knows what time they closed? She is the person who made McDonald's service breakfast until 11 because she could never get her head around the 10:30 cut-off.
I miss breakfast being served all day. Not really relevant to the discussion. I just love breakfast foods. 😅
Load More Replies... Glad they blacked out Denise Whiting's name. That could have been embarrassing for her. Also, as a former restaurant bartender, let me just say that even coming in 15 minutes before close will earn you the most fervent death wishes from the staff. There is no shortage of inconsiderate AHs out there.
I was the opening manager at my store yesterday morning. 35 minutes before opening, we had a guy walk into our closed doors, then get mad we wouldn't let him in 🙄 We have to keep the doors locked until we open because customers will pry open the automatic doors.
I had this happen to me in the winter almost yearly in a restaurant that I work at for 22 years. Same couple everytime. The owner was insistent on being open regardless of the road conditions but that's a totally different story. As I was GF to the manager, I always had to be there. The store always closed at 7 PM in bad weather. When they come in, and I told them we were closed , they would go table to table and tell how awful of a person I was. They definitely didn't get the response from other they wanted therefore went to social media. They got burned with every post just as this lady did. How dare me to want to get home to my kids and spend time with them. How dare I be so tired from being the only server from 7 AM to 7 PM. How dare I not serve these poor poor souls after driving all the way to the restaurant risking their live just for a hot meal ( they lived less than a third of a mile from the restaurant. I lived 20 minutes away) How dare I want to prop up my feet or go to bed.
You can come to my work we're open 24hrs a day and we serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. .... also it's a prison sooo you'd fit right in.
Parents, this is what happens when you never say "No" to your kids and they get out into the world; no self-awareness, no boundaries, total entitlement, emotionally unable to cope with 'no'.
I used to work in retail and we closed at 8pm Mondays to Fridays. The number of customers we had who'd come in at 8pm and state, "Well its 8pm now so what's the big deal ?" never ceased to amaze us. We'd try to "politely" as we could, explain that the store in now closed as its 8pm, and then they'd give us backchat about how we should be treating customers better. This was perfectly thrown back at then when they were asked about how they've just treated staff.
so many people get that saying wrong. it's "the customer is always right in matters OF TASTE"
I've worked in retail for years and the amount of people that demand to come in at closing time,or nip in just before,is insane. I've had to stay late to serve them and I didn't get paid. The entitlement is crazy. I'm not thankful for the business,I don't own it and I don't get commission!
I worked at a bakery for a while, one time had a lady call ahead to ask what time we closed, then show up on the dot and ask for stuff we already cleaned up...
What the hell is a chicken necker? Do I want to be googling this?
You've used a black highlighter to cover the names instead of a black pen, so they're still visible...
I think that's probably intentional. It looks like an effort was made to anonymize, but they really wanted everyone to know who it was. "Whoopsy! I tried hun, but what can ya do?" attitude seems to be creeping across soc. med...
Load More Replies... I don't understand the local comment of hers. I mean if it were a tourist you would not let her in but might tell hey see that place there is still open, you can get food there. But a local a) should know the timing b) has a home close by where she can cook her own food c) should know that this kind of behaviour might get them banned from going there again even if it is open....
As an ex server (about 15yrs) i thank every single person who called her out! You are the true heroes! So many times (especially at corporate places) ive watched customers treat people like garbage & rewarded for it. Watched a table almost bring their server to tears, as the AGM on shift i asked them to please show respect to their server & kindly finish up & leave. They complained to corporate, got free coupons & gift cards sent to them which they of course, used at our restaurant. Literally shoved it in our faces that our company was ok with them treating us like crap
I know there are some self-entitled dumb people out there, but sometimes, these kind of posts (Original post) make me think it was done just to see how many people would respond.
I love the holidays when we close earlier and with a 4 week notice. The amount of people banging at the door is unbelievable.
And here i am, i feel so bad if i call and order a pizza when its less then an hour to closing time..
I always have mixed feelings about these types of stories. I think there are several misunderstandings that make the situations worse. The biggest is trying to know exactly what is meant by "closing time". Back in the dark ages of the 1970s when I worked in restaurants it was generally accepted that closing time was when we stopped seating new customers. On busy nights that meant we were still cooking an hour after closing and it was often close to 2 hours later before everyone was gone. That was just how most restaurants did it. It seems now that the idea of closing time has changed to where it means that the kitchen closes at that time, so if you haven't ordered by then you are out of luck. Personally I feel like if you say you are open until 8 that means you should still seat and serve someone who comes at 7:59, but I'm from an older generation now and the normal business practices seem to be different. It doesn't make them wrong, but it can be confusing.
That would be like renting a car and being upset when the place wants the car back. Or going to school and being surprised that you are being graded.
I do not understand this. If a place closes at 8:00, is the last possible time to enter 7:59 or should everyone be done by 8:00. I went to get a blood test. I misunderstood the hours and arrived 20 minutes before closing. I was reprimanded for arriving too close to closing time. I was out the door in 15 minutes, 5 min before closing. Is 8:00 when the employees expect to leave or when the last customer is served?
If the place closes at 8:00 it means they are tying to have the front doors closed at 8. In an ideal situation business would have wound down around closing time so it's not an issue to just finish up helping the last few people and close the doors. However if people keep coming in because they see others inside, they would never be able to close. So closing time would be when everyone is supposed to be done and out of the establishment. That sounds different from your situation though, seems like those employees were just grouchy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Load More Replies... This is the most generous interpretation of an idiotic complaint. Although, even if this is what she meant, her "sorry, not sorry, I'm complaining about a local business" attitude still puts her squarely back in the firing line for the responses.
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