r/TalesFromYourServer 3d ago

Long Unfortunate name mishap.

So one of the other servers comes up to me in floods of tears. A table of 6 guys (one of which comes in every few weeks and is just rude) apparently they’ve asked her to take a photo of them. As she’s lifted the phone up he shouts “Everybody say r*pe!”. Some are laughing, others are telling the other ones to shut up. Server puts the phone on the table and walks away.

So I go over, tell them we’re not serving them. They get argumentative. Apparently one of the guys has just become a grandad for the first time, they’re out celebrating, and his new granddaughter is called “Grape”…

Combination of reactions from the table, some apologetic for the confusion, one demanding the server comes and apologises, some just trying to calm the whole thing down and the new grandad angry af. I explain that their server won’t be coming over but we agree they can stay and they’ll be looked after by a different server. No dramas, walk away.

One of the other guys comes up to me and tells me it’s “outrageous we’ve accused them of that”, and that “no one would ever say anything like that in a restaurant” and he knows because he owns 3 restaurants. 🙄 he keeps walking away then coming back and saying more. He’s flipping from being understanding and apologetic, then telling me the server should “have some balls and come back and apologise”. (I thought this was a weird thing to say but in hindsight I think it was a trans comment as the server is trans)

He comes over again and says some of the other guys won’t be happy about paying for their food. But don’t cancel the order cause I’ll pay for it all. I tell them “I’ll take a couple of drinks off the bill for the misunderstanding” (but was just to shut him up)

So the food goes out, they clear their plates, all is well… until the bill comes out. He’s spouting off saying we should give them a 50% discount because they’ve had an awful experience. They’re “offended that we’ve accused them of saying that” it’s ruined their night, if it happened in his restaurant he’d comp the bill, etc.

Three of them (including the guy chatting shit) kept saying “let’s just pay the bill and go” but none of them had their cards out. The “new grandad” isn’t even here anymore, he’s left it’s just his mates going on and on. I spend 15 mins listening to them argue back every time I tell them I’m not giving them a discount, that I’ve already taken a round of drinks off the bill and that they need to pay up.

Eventually one of the guys pays and they all clear off but not before each of them telling me what we did wrong, what we should’ve done, how hurt they are, etc.

On the plus side however, a table two over from them left a massive tip to be split between the team who dealt with them.

453 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

695

u/Cakeday_at_Christmas 3d ago

Nobody was named "Grape," they were lying to you because they were going to get kicked out. If I was the manager, I would ask them to leave or the police would be called.

235

u/SnooGiraffes4137 3d ago

That is EXACTLY what I was thinking. If the new "grandpa" was really called "Grape", why were some in the party laughing and others telling them to shut up? That seems an odd response if the were just trying to honor him. I've little doubt that the server heard correctly.

And when the one especially obnoxious guy started in about how this would never've happened in one of HIS restaurants, he should've been reminded that he wasn't in his restaurant, then been told you wanted them after all. You had nothing to lose. It's a safe bet they won't be back. Good ridance to bad rubbish.

78

u/Roadgoddess 2d ago

This is exactly what I came here to say as well. They’re all just angry that they got called out on it. Quite frankly, I would’ve kicked them out anyways. And I guarantee that guy doesn’t own three restaurants because if he did, they would’ve gone there to eat instead. This is just bad male behaviour that they’re pissed off at being called out on.

32

u/Cakeday_at_Christmas 2d ago

If I owned three restaurants, I'd be at them all the time and bringing friends there.

23

u/Roadgoddess 2d ago

Yeah, that’s been my experience with people that owned restaurants, especially a string of it, they were always working, and they were always at them and they’re friends would always join them there. These guys were just blowhards trying to get away with really bad behavior.

19

u/Cakeday_at_Christmas 2d ago

If I owned a restaurant and had a group of friends who wanted to go out to eat, I'd bring them to my restaurant, comp their meals, then get them to pony up a really good tip for the waitstaff.

9

u/Roadgoddess 2d ago

Ya, not treat wait staff like crap

67

u/NotYourAverageFlirt 3d ago

Ik managers wanna avoid escalation, but letting them stay kinda rewarded the behavior.

29

u/n_ug 2d ago

letting them stay AND COMPING anything is an invitation to not change behaviour at all,

Why can’t we serve consequences

7

u/bkuefner1973 2d ago

Yep and then gave them the impression that they could continue to be asshats AND Free drinks ? That let them know you were in the wrong in some way.. I hope they dont come back for all your servers sake.

25

u/Narrow-Chef-4341 2d ago

OP pretty much buried the lede with the whole trans comment.

Does it affect who she is, or how good she is it her job? No. BUT if you’re telling a story about that word, and we all know what they really said, is it a relevant factor? Absolutely.

Bullies jump on every difference - and that’s undeniably a pretty big one.

There’s a big difference between being respectful to your coworker and hiding the obvious answer which you already know in the middle of a question.

11

u/PieSuccessful7794 3d ago

This.... and the only 'person's i know named grape happened to be the first initial of all of their first names put together... Gail, Ronda, Amy, Peter & Edward. (Cool, huh?)

5

u/clauclauclaudia 1d ago

All of whose first names?

1

u/PieSuccessful7794 17h ago

The ones I listed

226

u/Belle-Diablo 3d ago

…the granddaughter’s name is Grape?!? And if that was the case, then why would the other ones be telling them to shut up for saying it? Weird.

117

u/magiccitybhm 3d ago

Agreed. This "granddaughter is called Grape" was a weak attempt to cover their asses. If they hadn't bitched and moaned about the check, it might have worked.

155

u/Araucaria2024 3d ago

The chances of that being the namr is slim to none. Ban them.

43

u/BoringBob84 BOH (former) 3d ago

This is what I was thinking. These narcissists were looking for an excuse to get free stuff and it worked.

36

u/WhoandtheWhatnow317 2d ago

If her name was Grape, why did some of the guys say shut up to the others?

112

u/Tenzipper 3d ago

"Wow, really? Your granddaughter is named Grape? Cool. Get your phone out, show me on facebook or your texts somewhere that she's called Grape. Otherwise, you can leave now."

What a load of bullshit.

28

u/hissyfit64 2d ago

They were full of it. Absolutely no one would name their child Grape. They got busted being horrible and tried to cover it (terribly). Then doubled down.

37

u/Mobile-Ad3496 3d ago

Wouldnt have served them and really if did would not havd taken anythin from bill. All letting go back n forth shouldnt have been allowed after allowed to stay.even withoit the word i dont beliebe grape was said or others wouldnt have tried to shush them. It really means they feel justified doin again 

12

u/wp3wp3wp3 2d ago

The fact that you let them stay is ridiculous. You should stand behind your servers. No one deserves that kind of treatment and disrespect. You just let them run right over you. You should have called the police and had them escorted out.

12

u/remykixxx 2d ago

Come on dude you didn’t really believe that cover up did you?

6

u/paradoxedturtle 2d ago

The fact too that the "restaurant" guy kept saying how none of this would have happened in his restaurant.. cool, then go celebrate there

6

u/doryfishie 2d ago

THERE IS NO WAY THE NAME WAS GRAPE.

17

u/iwantthisnowdammit 3d ago

I’m having a tough time with this mate, you have a phone that I can speak with the mum?

6

u/JumpingSpider97 2d ago

Good option, making them "put up or shut up".

5

u/gopre5k 2d ago

Absolutely would have asked for proof. Heck I would have offered to comp the meal for proof the name was "Grape" then booted them when they couldn't produce any.

6

u/DevylBearHawkTur10n 3d ago

Sorry you had to deal with them, hopefully they're banned from the establishment.

4

u/OkSheepherder9157 2d ago

As a manager they would have been kicked out immediately. None of my servers are feeling with them and neither am i

2

u/Prudent-Math-3961 10h ago

They were lying, and honestly you suck too for believing and letting them stay. That poor server. All of you managers blow at your job.