Employee nightmare of the week: ‘Just use a name’
One of the worst technological advances for the business has to be the ability to print a physical descriptor on a guest’s tab. The rationale is sound: When runners are distributing orders to seated guests, their hunt for the right patron can be quickened if they know what he or she looks like.
The reality, however, has been a different matter, as the Casa Mexicana restaurant in Sherwood, Ark., was reminded this week. The problem, as always, was the physical attribute chosen by the service team. The tab of a frequent customer was tagged with the shorthand descriptor “X Gordo,” or “extra fat” in Spanish.
Whatever positive impact the description had on serving time was more than offset by the publicity fallout, including a mention on Eater.com. The lapse was particularly offensive because the customer attributed her weight to a thyroid problem.
The mishap cost one member of the team his job.