Dear Management Team,
I am writing to formally express my concern regarding an extremely uncomfortable and unprofessional experience I had at Calistoga Roastery on August 21, 2027, between approximately 1:00 and 1:15 p.m.
I was visiting Calistoga with a friend to celebrate our birthdays and enjoy a spa treatment. Before our appointment, we decided to stop by your coffee shop for a quick bite and a coffee. Unfortunately, what should have been a simple and pleasant experience became very upsetting and left me feeling disrespected and unwelcome.
When we entered the establishment, a male employee greeted us. I responded politely, "Good, how are you?" while looking at the menu. He responded, "Shitty." My friend immediately acknowledged his comment by saying, "Sorry about that." I did not hear his response clearly and continued looking at the menu.
He then said to my friend, "Thank you for acknowledging it, unlike your friend. She doesn't care what day I'm having." At first, I assumed he was joking. However, once I realized he was genuinely upset with me, I apologized and explained that I had not heard what he said.
Rather than accepting my apology, he continued repeatedly telling me that I "didn't give a shit" and that I "didn't care" about how he was feeling. He continued making these comments in front of my friend and other customers. I repeatedly tried to apologize and clarify that I genuinely had not heard his response, but the situation continued to escalate.
At that point, I felt extremely uncomfortable and confused about what was expected of me. I had simply responded politely to a greeting and was not intentionally ignoring or dismissing him. I understand that everyone can have a difficult day, and I have empathy for that. However, it is not appropriate to project personal frustration onto a customer or repeatedly criticize them after they have apologized and attempted to clarify a misunderstanding.
There was also a woman present, who appeared to have blonde hair, who witnessed the interaction. She smiled at me and commented that "he always does this." Her reaction gave me the impression that this behavior may not have been an isolated incident.
The employee later explained that breakfast was no longer being served because it was after 1:00 p.m. I accepted that information without issue. Despite this, when we were leaving, I thanked him and attempted to end the interaction respectfully. He made another insulting comment in front of my friend and other customers, stating that I did not know about my friend because "she has a bad attitude."
I was especially disappointed by this experience because I also work in the customer service industry. I understand that employees can have difficult days and that misunderstandings can happen. However, I would never allow a customer to be treated this way, nor would I expect an employee, supervisor, or manager to repeatedly insult or confront a customer over such a minor interaction.
What should have been a quick and pleasant stop during our birthday celebration instead became an experience in which I felt embarrassed, disrespected, and unwelcome. I did not confront the employee or respond disrespectfully, despite how uncomfortable the interaction became. I continued to conduct myself with grace and professionalism because I believe that is how customers and employees should treat one another.
I am respectfully asking management to take this incident seriously, investigate what occurred, and take appropriate action to ensure that other customers do not experience similar treatment in the future. I also hope that appropriate guidance or training can be provided to staff regarding professional communication and customer service.
I appreciate your time in reviewing my complaint and hope to receive a response regarding how this matter will be addressed.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope you have a wonderful day. read more