Ordered a bagel to go, as I always do, being a nearby worker. Oh, I ordered this one today with a hesitation, having first ordered my coffee. Paid. Read the paper waiting, as always. When my break time was ending, I checked in at the bar if the bagel was almost ready. The co-employee of the one who had put my bagel down told me the other employee had forgotten it. No problem, I said, I will come back on my next break, which was soon. I called ahead to notify they could put the bagel down. The employee who answered told me it had been ready when I walked out. I said I had not been told that, or I would have waited. Of course.
When I arrived, my bagel was ready as it had been a half hour earlier, and the coins that represented the cost of the bagel were on the counter. Then the employee who had made my bagel came around the counter and proceeded to lecture me. 1) He said had I ordered my bagel when I first asked for coffee it would have been ready. 2) He proceeded to blame me for the impatience of the woman who had been behind me in line and left when I had ordered. My entire order took 90 seconds maximum. 3) He did not acknowledge that it was a miscommunication with the other employee that had caused me to leave in the first place. When I left, I was not mad, nor angry, nor upset. I just thought let's get this bagel when it's warm.
The employee kept trying to lecture me and turn this into a blame game, when I was not blaming the employee for not having had my bagel ready the first time. For whatever reason this employee, JP he is called, chose to scapegoat me as a customer. I took the bagel and threw the money at him, as this was the most horrific customer service I had ever experienced. I also know this individual through a mutual organization we belong to and have never been anything but friendly with him. I stated upon exit that I would never be returning to this establishment I had frequented at least 3-5 x per week again, and that I hoped that neither would he. It's a shame he chose to blame my particular request for an Americano a certain way as the reason a customer left, when other times I have wanted to order and 2 employees were talking with a customer about their menu.
With staff like this, people are going to be driven to corporate places like Starbucks. I try to support the local businesses, and this is the kind of service I got on this day, my last frequenting the place so long as that employee and his attitude are still working there. read more