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PSA: a guy at table 12 taught me why you NEVER say "calm down" to an angry customer
I was waitressing at a diner in Tulsa and a man was yelling about his cold burger, so my manager walked over and said "sir, please calm down." That one phrase turned a 5 minute complaint into a 40 minute screaming match and he demanded the corporate number twice. I finally just sat down next to him, said "you're right, that burger sat too long and that's on us," and comped the whole meal plus pie. He tipped me $8 on the way out. Has anyone else noticed that agreeing with them works way faster than defending yourself?
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chen.phoenix1d ago
What did the guy actually say back when you sat down next to him? Like did he keep yelling for a bit or did he flip right away? That part always gets me because some people need to vent for another minute before they can even hear you. Also curious if your manager said anything after or just watched you clean up his mess. Cuz the calm down thing is such a knee jerk response from anyone in charge and it basically never works. Sounds like you figured out the cheat code on your own.
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