Rude chefs and rude customers.

In my experiences, it was generally the customers who were the rudest. It's really hard being a server with a bright and chipper attitude when you have customers that are unhappy and are determined to have an awful experience from the moment they are seated, with nary a kind word for staff (condescending, pretentious, and constantly complaining and demanding) and for that matter, rude to their other table guests/spouses. It's tough keeping a good attitude with those kind of people.

The chef/owner of the Italian restaurant I worked at while in college was kind to customers but not to the staff. He was hard to work for. He liked me because I was young, pretty, and blonde, but I saw him punch the dishwasher/buss person (who happened to be his son) and knock him down the backstairs. He was also very rude to a few of the servers (all males). He loved females, though. And he was great schmoozing customers of both genders.
 
An elder friend of mine once went to a rather small restaurant and ordered oxtail soup. He wasn't satisfied, but I forgot why, so he told the server after like two bites to either get a really good oxtail soup, something else or he'll leave.
After 5 minutes the chef came back with half the deboned oxtail and explained my friend to not blame the chefs.

BTW restaurants who advertise their rude servers, who'll swear on you and your friends are pretty cool
 
JAS_OH1 said:
I've been there. I think it was "Dick's..." something. My husband did not find it amusing. I thought it was quite fun.
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I don't think I ever knew the name. I just knew where it was. I used to sling insults back at the people and that would often get them even more fired up. It was fun in a way. Certainly one shouldn't take it seriously. The comedian Don Rickles made a career out of insulting his audience so most people take it in stride. I could have done without it as I said. They could have been successful just with the quality of their food which was high.
 
I’m sure I’ve told this before, but there’s a hamburger joint a few miles from us, sits out in the middle of nowhere, and it was owned and run by an old grump.

First time I went, he was the only one working (I don’t think he ever hired anyone else), and when I walked in, he barked from the kitchen, “Sit down anywhere!”

Menus were on the tables (just typed up and mimeographed), with usual roadside stuff like burgers, hot dogs, chili, fried bologna, etc.

He finally came out and all he said was, “The burgers are good today,” but I ordered something else, and he just stood there and reiterated, “I said the burgers are good today.” - IOW, you’re getting a burger, whether you like it or not!”

I said that was fine, he disappeared, and a little while later, another shout: “Come on back and it get it, I ain’t bringing it out!” - I stepped back behind the counter and picked it up, and he said, “Mustard and ketchup and all that are in the fridge with the drinks.” - “Help yourself” was implied.

Ate my burger and fries, both very good, and I suppose he was listening from the kitchen, because after a while, he yelled, “Bring your dishes back here!” - I carried everything all the way back, and was holding them: “Don’t just stand there, put ‘em in the sink!”

By that time, I was afraid to leave without his permission.

After he washed everything, he came out and said I could pay “anytime you’re ready,” which really meant that he was ready. I paid and left.

Told my brother about it, he wanted to experience it, so the next time he came over, we went, and it was the same thing.

Told my parents, and they wanted to try it as well, so they came over. Completely different. Being that my parents were older than he was, he treated them very respectfully, carried everything out to them, cleared everything away, called them “ma’am” and “sir,” and was all around very helpful.

Burned my mom up! She wanted to be yelled at, and she didn’t like the implication that she didn’t get “the treatment,” because she was “old!” :laugh:
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
This made me chuckle a little bit because it reminded me of a restaurant/cafe that was a mere five mins from my house where they were so rude and unpleasant it became a reason to go.
So is this just really good free publicity for this chef? I think it probably is.
Have you had any experiences of bad restauranteurs that were rude enough that it made you laugh and go back just to see if they are really truly that grumpy all the time?

Head chef at Britain’s best restaurant verbally abused me, diner claims
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Of course the classic was Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale.
 
I happened a few times to go to restaurants both in Italy and abroad where the waiters were annoyed more than rude - well, more or less is the same thing.
This kind of attitude makes me very uncomfortable and above all in awe, both conditions in which I would never dare to put anyone, especially someone who is working. And that's the point: you are working and I don't have to know or justify why you look annoyed or whatever, especially if I didn't have any insolent attitude. So I expect that as a customer, the waiters - regardless of age, gender and other things I care little about - are professional enough to be proactive and professional. Moreover, when there is a problem like that it is because there is a problem upstream.
Having said that, my level of patience in the face of certain things is quite low, so much so that those times when it happened to me I just asked "am I bothering you?"
Usually the answer is "oh not all", followed by an embarrassed smile.
And I leave without explanation.
 
caseydog said:
You have to go to Dick's Last Resort with the right state of mind.

First, you have to be able to laugh at yourself, or you WILL be offended. A good waiter will look at you, and know exactly what to say. If you are a natural smarta$$ like me, it is a lot of fun. A good waiter will quickly have a good comeback for everything you throw at them.

I know some people, in person and online, that I would NOT recommend go Dick's Last Resort. They be walking out the door in a huff in two minutes.

CD
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Having been to Dick's Last Resort in Las Vegas, I recommend walking out the door. No, it's not because of the "rudeness", which is clearly staged. They will tailor the level of rudeness to the customer: if you don't want it, they'll avoid you, and pick on the dinner guest who wants to be part of the "rudeness". I recommend other options because of the reason restaurants are supposed to exist: the food...it's just not that good (except for the ribs). Here's an excerpt from my review (we went there a little over a year ago):

The food arrived cold. Was that part of the rudeness? Probably not. My $18 burger was plain, and the fries were merely okay. My mom was surprised that the mac and cheese was spicy. I didn't think it was that spicy, but a watery plate of $20 mac and cheese was not fun. It became clear that this was not anything to do with some rudeness related schtick, but rather simply that they don't serve good food.​

Rob P.'s review of Dick’s Last Resort
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
Having been to Dick's Last Resort in Las Vegas, I recommend walking out the door. No, it's not because of the "rudeness", which is clearly staged. They will tailor the level of rudeness to the customer: if you don't want it, they'll avoid you, and pick on the dinner guest who wants to be part of the "rudeness". I recommend other options because of the reason restaurants are supposed to exist: the food...it's just not that good (except for the ribs). Here's an excerpt from my review (we went there a little over a year ago):

The food arrived cold. Was that part of the rudeness? Probably not. My $18 burger was plain, and the fries were merely okay. My mom was surprised that the mac and cheese was spicy. I didn't think it was that spicy, but a watery plate of $20 mac and cheese was not fun. It became clear that this was not anything to do with some rudeness related schtick, but rather simply that they don't serve good food.​

Rob P.'s review of Dick’s Last Resort
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It has been close to 20 years since I've been to Dick's in Dallas. The food was okay. Not exceptional, but as good as any big chain. Certainly not worse than a place like Applebee's.

CD
 
MypinchofItaly said:
I happened a few times to go to restaurants both in Italy and abroad where the waiters were annoyed more than rude - well, more or less is the same thing.
This kind of attitude makes me very uncomfortable and above all in awe, both conditions in which I would never dare to put anyone, especially someone who is working. And that's the point: you are working and I don't have to know or justify why you look annoyed or whatever, especially if I didn't have any insolent attitude. So I expect that as a customer, the waiters - regardless of age, gender and other things I care little about - are professional enough to be proactive and professional. Moreover, when there is a problem like that it is because there is a problem upstream.
Having said that, my level of patience in the face of certain things is quite low, so much so that those times when it happened to me I just asked "am I bothering you?"
Usually the answer is "oh not all", followed by an embarrassed smile.
And I leave without explanation.
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Keep in mind we are discussing restaurants where the staff is intentionally rude, in a funny way. Does Italy have such places? I tend to think the food culture there (and in France) would not be compatible with a restaurant like Dick's Last Resort, where rudeness between staff and customers is "sport."

CD
 
caseydog said:
Keep in mind we are discussing restaurants where the staff is intentionally rude, in a funny way. Does Italy have such places? I tend to think the food culture there (and in France) would not be compatible with a restaurant like Dick's Last Resort, where rudeness between staff and customers is "sport."

CD
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Oh yeah you’re right, sorry I didn’t get properly the thread 😅.
We have one instead! It is based in Rome and is called “la parolaccia” (the bad word) and there is another one in Milan but I don’t remember its name.
I have never been there anyway, but I knew some people who did and they have had so much fun and also ate well..
 
caseydog said:
It has been close to 20 years since I've been to Dick's in Dallas. The food was okay. Not exceptional, but as good as any big chain. Certainly not worse than a place like Applebee's.

CD
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I knew a man who managed an Applebee restaurant. He told me that they cook nothing there. The kitchen is a stack of microwave ovens. The meals are made in a factory, packaged and shipped to the restaurants. If the quality is not near the top of the food chain, at least it is consistent from location to location, something we can't say about fast food chains.
 
blades said:
I knew a man who managed an Applebee restaurant. He told me that they cook nothing there. The kitchen is a stack of microwave ovens. The meals are made in a factory, packaged and shipped to the restaurants. If the quality is not near the top of the food chain, at least it is consistent from location to location, something we can't say about fast food chains.
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Episode of restaurant impossible the chef used a bank of 6 microwaves. Unbelievable!!

Russ
 
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