Crazy church group
Hey there it’s my first time posting on Reddit for years. I’m not trying to gossip but this situation has bothered me so much I just kinda want to get it off my chest and see if anyone has tips on how to handle this.
So I work at a restaurant where the cook comes out and makes the food right at the table. Most customers have a lot of fun and it’s one of the main reasons they come.
The most recent Sunday, I picked up an afternoon shift after mass to make a few extra bucks for a trip to New Orleans. My first table was a big church group. They all seemed to be in a very good mood at first as they got their drinks and appetizers. When I finally got around to taking their main orders, every single person, including all the adults, ordered off the kids menu. I told them “I’m sorry, you have to be 12 and under to order from the kids menu. If it were my choice, I wouldn’t care.” The mood shifted immediately. They said things like “well cant you do us a solid? We’ll tip you.” “Who’s gonna know anyway?” And I explained to them that the chef who comes out to cook for them will know and I don’t know if he would tell our manager or not. They huffed and puffed and a man said “well I’m a pastor. Are you a Christian?” I said I am and he asked me what church I go to. I won’t say the name of the church on here but it’s a Catholic one. He smirked as others chucked and he said “so no.” I ignored it and asked what they were ordering. Some lady at the table says “we already told you.” I explained again why they couldn’t have kids food and finally they order something not off the kids menu. Then the lady turns to her kids and says “I’m sorry kids, hes gonna make yall go hungry.” I then replied “no ma’am, they can eat off the kids menu” and she says “nope you said no kids menu” I ignore it and continue on.
The chef made it out to the table pretty fast, but every time they’d see me tending to other tables, they’d glare at me and that one lady would say “hes ignoring us” I went back to the table and asked her if she needed anything and she ignored me lol. I brought back some refills, and the pastor said to the chef “can you stop playing with the food and let us eat?” So the chef started dropping the food on their plates. When that one lady got her food her kid tried to grab some, and she swatted his hand away and said “no the waiter said you can’t eat.”Then the child started screaming. She looked at me and said “you did this” I said “no I didn’t” then her husband who had been quiet the whole time stood up and got in my face and told me to stop calling his wife a liar. I told him to back away from me and the chef intervened and said something like “hey we’re here to have fun” the husband sat down and I went to the back and bummed a cigarette off another server.
After a while, the pastor asked for to go boxes and the check and told me to “hurry the fuck up about it.” When I take his card, it declined. I wanted to be happy about that, but really I just wanted to get them out. When I tell him it declined he tells me to try again. Declined. He tells me to do it again. Declined. He got pissed and said “you trying to say I don’t have money?” Then he waves his car keys at me. I guess it’s supposed to be an expensive car but I didn’t even get it at the time. Then he gives me another card and it goes through. They leave. No tip of course. They leave a pamphlet for their church which I threw away. Why would I want to go there?
Sorry I didn’t realize how long this would be.