When it came time to tab out here at the end of a game, I asked for my boyfriend's tab from a bartender. Just whoever was manning the bar at the time. When I got the tab back, they had mischarged us by over $100. I immediately recognized the mistake and brought it up to the bartender. She seemed to understand, so as several minutes passed, I assumed they were just refunding the card.
Instead, the manager, maybe the owner, came over to me and questioned what we actually ordered. I pointed out which items were ours on the receipt, but he persistently inquired who ordered the other items on the receipt. Good question. I didn't know because it wasn't us.
He pointed out that at the table I was at, there were buckets of that same type of beer, which seemingly matched the receipt. And yes, the people we were with at our table had ordered a bucket. But almost every other table in the bar had ordered a bucket. It was a game day. On the other hand, I was hardly drinking. We had our newly adopted dog with us and had to drive that night. To be sure, I went over and asked the people we were with if their tab had been correct. Yes, they had tabbed out with no beers missing.
We didn't know the people we were with very well, but if they had tried to sneak beers on our tab, it would have been pretty difficult considering they didn't know our last names. And we hadn't visited the bartender enough for him to know our last name either. In fact, the second time we ordered, the bartender was confused by the last name. I had to repeat it several times.
Eventually, the manager/owner asked me to send my boyfriend over to speak to them, which was very off putting for me. It was as if they didn't believe me. And it felt like they didn't think I had the authority to handle this.
But when my boyfriend went to talk to them, the manager/owner questioned him adamantly as well. The bartender that had served us, claimed I was the one that ordered the buckets of beer--plus shots. No one at our table was having shots. This was honestly hilarious to me because I was the one that brought up the mischarge in the first place, albeit to a different bartender. The bartender and manager/owner were visibly upset at us, but they did remove the charge in the end.
Now, I've been a bartender and a server for many years in the past. I have never questioned a customer when they told me I was wrong. You just don't do that. Especially as a manger or owner. I get that these folks felt like we were ripping them off, but it doesn't matter. Even if we were lying, it's absurd to interrogate your customers. It's your job to be humble--to admit when you've made a mistake. And no matter what, be forgiving, accommodating and professional. It's not easy, but it's just the job.
At the end of the day, we were blatantly mischarged and yet basically accused of theft. They've lost a customer, and they've lost my respect.
(Just in case the team feels they need to question the validity of this review too, here's the details of everyone we spoke to. The bartender that ran our card was a white female. The bartender that served us was an Asian male. The manager, possibly the owner, was a tall, muscular white male. We visited on an Oklahoma game day. The tab was under Gurley. Hope that helps.) read more