[a] nicely-dressed couple walked in just ahead of us and asked if the wife could use the bathroom. The maitre d’ said “No, you cannot.” It was at this point that we realized that the woman was 8 and 1/2 months pregnant. The husband pointed out as much (in a nice way) and, again, the maitre d’ said (in a not so nice way) “No, I’m sorry, you cannot. Customers only.”
Later, the patron questioned the maitre d’ on his service and received a rather snippy response “in a way that almost sounded like he wanted to pick a fight with me.” The patron stated that he does not plan on returning to the restaurant.
This week’s Ask Tom saw a bevy of responses to last week’s discussion. One reader complained about Sietsema’s inclusion of the initial comment:
I thought your display of the long message from the unhappy customer at Bistro Doc who witnessed rude behavior on the part of a staff member, was inapproprite professional behavior on your part as well. You have the authority to publish and to not publish.
A number of your responses on these chats carry with them a snotty, narcissistic, hollywood flavor that makes me think, as you grow in your job, that you may be allowing yourself to become a somewhat bigger than life.
