Current Events > Olive Garden customer demanded a nonblack server, manager complied, gets fired

(+) Yeah! (+)

You're wrong.

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Veggeta X posted...

You're wrong.

Show me.

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And I must reiterate.

The manager made the wrong decision.

But I acknowledge what they tried to do and the logic that went into it. I dont agree with firing them. Thats it. Nor do I think picking your battle is defending the racist.

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I already told you where you were wrong at. You completely downplay what the manager did.

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All I can think of is imagine being such a racist shithead that a black person can't even serve your food. Even slave owners in the South had black people serving food.

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Reminds me of one of my supervisors who always gave in and didnt back up my coworkers just so that the customer would stop making a scene & holding up the line.

After a few various incidents with bad customers management had a talk with him and hes much better at handling incidents. But we also started having armed security around that time so that may have something to do with it.

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cuttin_in_farm posted...

And I must reiterate.

The manager made the wrong decision.

But I acknowledge what they tried to do and the logic that went into it. I dont agree with firing them. Thats it. Nor do I think picking your battle is defending the racist.

Giving in to the demands of a racist means you shouldn't be a manager. It's just that simple

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I will say that, being a black man myself, this isn't so black and white.

On one hand, yes, shitty decision to go along with this customer's request.

But I've also worked for places where corporate was so afraid of losing customers that they had managers fulfill absolutely ridiculous requests for customers.

I'd imagine Olive Garden would have been alright if the manager refused service, but at the same time, so many employees have been trained to be scared of their corporate overlords when they don't kiss the customer's ass.

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Conflict posted...

Bro, just stop posting

The manager doesn't need this extra defense you're putting in for him. He made a dumbass decision and reaped the consequences. The end

No. That isnt the point. There are consequences besides firing. He wasnt the GM.

Blue_Inigo posted...

Giving in to the demands of a racist means you shouldn't be a manager. It's just that simple

Depends on management. There are plenty of places that dont care about being right morally. If you care, youre removed.

Veggeta X posted...

I already told you where you were wrong at. You completely downplay what the manager did.

Oh, thats not what I asked you to show me then. You can think Im downplaying. Thats fine.

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The manager made a huge mistake giving into a racist. Manager got fired for that. Trust me, the manager will never do that ever again. Ex-manager is now trained and lesson is learned.

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Zeeak4444 posted...

I was a manager for 6 years in a service job. I was 20 years old when it happened. I handled disgruntled customers all the time. I never once caved into demands half as absurd as this.

I think you guys just make shit decisions.

This. It's absurd to think anyone would get in trouble for refusing a blatantly racist request.
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Firing the manager was pretty damn excessive. I would have gone witb a "re-training" route. But i guess Olive Garden went for PR points instead. I get that the manager disrespected the employee with his decision, but i can only speak this from experience. I used to be an assistant manager for Carole's and during weekend rushes our first priority is to get the customer to come and go as soon as possible to make seats for other potential customers while making them all as happy as possible. Having a customer be disruptive as possible is a big no no in the business. Unless the disruption gets intrusive (which means they would get kicked out), you usually give into the customer demands. The problem here was, the customer demands intruded on the protective rights of the employee. So from a person with experience as a manager from a dine in restaurant, it was most likely a panic response they did. If so, training should have taken into effect, not a full on firing.

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Lol @ people saying racism is dead

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glitteringfairy posted...

And if he had backed up the employee he would have been fired for refusing the customer. Retail/customer service is a no win situation

Not true. A lot of customer service places, especially large chain ones like Olive Garden, will value the well being of their employees far more than a single customer

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As a manager, you should know how to deal with panical situations like that.

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Veggeta X posted...

As a manager, you should know how to deal with panical situations like that.

They should, but if the manager was new than it would make sense why they made a dumb decision like that. Though i can understand why olive garden would fire, to get rid of liability in case if the employee sued the manager.

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Prestoff posted...

I get that the manager disrespected the employee with his decision

Doesn't look like you do.
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You guys are really giving the manager the benefit of the doubt.

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Again, if your response as a manager is to panic and respond to blatantly racist demands by caving to them, you shouldn't be a manager.

And if you think a giant corporation like Olive Garden would ever deal with the negative of PR of keeping a manager that wouldn't let a white woman be served by a black person you're insane. This isn't the type of mistake you train someone and move on from, this is the type where you cut ties.

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No one is getting fired for refusing to comply with an asshole. At worst, the asshole would complain to corporate and get an undeserved gift card or something and that would be that.

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Good, manager should be fired. Most managers I've had in service jobs are all spineless cowards that will never say no to a customer and throw employees under the bus for absurd demands. I understand the concept of a customer is always right, but many times managers are open to scammers and public nuisances and that's the point where customers should lose their "always right" privilege.

Lorthremar posted...

why would you not agree with firing the manager LMAO what kind of idiot or racist (or both) actually complies with such an absurd request

People who receive "the customer is always right so you better kiss their ass" style training
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Prestoff posted...

Firing the manager was pretty damn excessive. I would have gone witb a "re-training" route. But i guess Olive Garden went for PR points instead. I get that the manager disrespected the employee with his decision, but i can only speak this from experience. I used to be an assistant manager for Carole's and during weekend rushes our first priority is to get the customer to come and go as soon as possible to make seats for other potential customers while making them all as happy as possible. Having a customer be disruptive as possible is a big no no in the business. Unless the disruption gets intrusive (which means they would get kicked out), you usually give into the customer demands. The problem here was, the customer demands intruded on the protective rights of the employee. So from a person with experience as a manager from a dine in restaurant, it was most likely a panic response they did. If so, training should have taken into effect, not a full on firing.

My thoughts as well. I also worked as manager of a restaurant. Your first reaction to these types of uncomfortable situations is to try and calm the customer down as quickly and effectively as possible. And the best way to do that is to comply with their demands. If you push back and tell them to leave, customers will often up the ante and become even more aggressive. As time goes on, other customers start to get really uncomfortable and may consider not coming back. If you have to call the police and have them show up and arrest the customers for not leaving, then that's even worse for business.

It's a tough situation. I think he should have thrown them out. But the correct thing to do is to understand that the manager likely had influences tugging at him in bothdirections. It was a coaching point, IMO, not a fireable offense. But we don't know all the context and we don't know if that manager had previous issues as well. The only other explanation would be that the manager is straight up racist and wanted to try and make a statement in that moment. But I think that's a silly assumption.

I'm a manager and the best thing to do is give whatever an entitled irrational customer what they want. Not complying to unreasonable customers will destroy your business.

Yeah no one believes you've ever been a manager.

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Veggeta X posted...

I'm a manager and the best thing to do is give whatever an entitled irrational customer what they want. Not complying to unreasonable customers will destroy your business.

Yeah no one believes you've ever been a manager.

Every restaurant is different. Some have no problem telling customers to take a hike. The one I worked for was huge on customer service. We always took care of their requests.

Why do you seem so angry at me to the point where you're accusing me of lying? That's really weird.

Manager could have covered himself by just bringing all of the available black waiters one by one until theyd all been rejected.

Honestly Id have done it that way just to fuck with the customer.

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YellowMustard69 posted...

Every restaurant is different. Some have no problem telling customers to take a hike. The one I worked for was huge on customer service. We always took care of their requests.

Why do you seem so angry at me to the point where you're accusing me of lying? That's really weird.

If the request you take care of is "Don't let a black person go near my food" then your restaurant didn't deserve customers at all. That's not a request, that's blatant racism.

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I'm just repeating what you said, dude.

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codey posted...

If the request you take of is "Don't let a black person go near my food" then your restaurant didn't deserve customers at all. That's not a request, that's blatant racism.

Yeah, but it's racism on part of the customer, not the restaurant.

YellowMustard69 posted...

Yeah, but it's racism on part of the customer, not the restaurant.

If the restaurant sees that request as reasonable and appeases the customer, it is indeed racism on their part.

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Veggeta X posted...

I'm just repeating what you said, dude.

It is the best thing to do, and lots of restaurants practice it. If the customer continues to make a scene and cause problems, then you throw them out. But you try and solve the problem first.

Unfortunately for this manager, this situation slipped into some tricky territory. I doubt he was even trained on what to do if this sort of thing happened.

Giving in to a racist isn't a problem.

Yeah if you honestly believe that you need to re-think life.

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codey posted...

If the restaurant sees that request as reasonable and appeases the customer, it is indeed racism on their part.

Nope. Because the customer is the one who is the racist. The customer is the one who created the racism. There is no additional racism created by the restaurant. And that racism does not go away once the customer leaves the building.

Veggeta X posted...

Giving in to a racist isn't a problem.

Yeah if you honestly believe that you need to re-think life.

I have said numerous times in this topic that he should have kicked the customer out.

YellowMustard69 posted...

And that racism does not go away once the customer leaves the building.

Uh pretty sure if you remove the racist out of the building then there is no more racism in the building.

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YellowMustard69 posted...

I have said numerous times in this topic that he should have kicked the customer out.

Yeah you also said give into what the racist wants too.

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YellowMustard69 posted...

Nope. Because the customer is the one who is the racist. The customer is the one who created the racism. There is no additional racism created by the restaurant. And that racism does not go away once the customer leaves the building.

If you remove the racist it actually does go away. If you appease them it doesn't, because now you've set a standard that racism is not only allowed but catered to.

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Veggeta X posted...

Yeah you also said give into what the racist wants too.

I said that I can understand a potential, nonracist influence that was likely at play and led to the manager's decision.

It's possible to have a different opinion on what should have been done while also understanding why somebody did what they did. It's actually a very useful skill.

codey posted...

If you remove the racist it actually does go away. If you appease them it doesn't, because now you've set a standard that racism is not only allowed but catered to.

The racist doesn't go away. It goes somewhere else.

YellowMustard69 posted...

The racist doesn't go away. It goes somewhere else.

Going somewhere else is leaving.

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YellowMustard69 posted...

I said that I can understand a potential, nonracist influence that was likely at play and led to the manager's decision.

It's possible to have a different opinion on what should have been done while also understanding why somebody did what they did. It's actually a very useful skill.

Sounds to me like you're just biasly giving the manager the benefit of the doubt. But hey, use "WE DON'T KNOW ALL THE FACTS" whenever its convenient I guess.

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Now we're getting somewhere :)

Veggeta X posted...

Sounds to me like you're just biasly giving the manager the benefit of the doubt. But hey, use "WE DON'T KNOW ALL THE FACTS" whenever its convenient I guess.

Well sure. Don't you usually give people the benefit of the doubt? Or do you immediately assume the worst in people?

I do either or whenever it is convenient for me. Much like you're doing now.

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Veggeta X posted...

I do either or whenever it is convenient for me. Much like you're doing now.

Who am I assuming the worst in?

You're doing the or in this case. Giving the benefit of the doubt for your convenience.

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I'm honestly very torn. On the one hand, this was an absolutely horrid judgement call from the manager. Maybe they were racist. Maybe they were just of the mindset "alright, I can risk having this obvious-shit-person get even more heated, possibly violent, or I can get the targeted employee away from the situation, shut this lady up, and get her out asap." I get the logic to it, even if I find it morally repugnant. And were I the employee, I definitely would want the manager severely punished for throwing me under the bus (definitely know that feeling all too well). Terrible practice, even worse optics, easily deserving of a reprimand at the very least, and I can very easily justify a firing.

On the other hand, had the manager stood their ground, I've known managers who've gotten fired for less, and I can see why someone would take the cowardly kowtow approach and think they were doing right. Knew one who was shitcanned because LP saw a customer blatantly shoplifting (like, stuffing stuff in their pants in the middle of the floor), radio'd out about it. Manager who responded didnt apprehend or accuse, or anything. They simply offered to ring them up, pretty common shoplifting-deterrent-without-accusation business that you get taught. Would be thief ended up calling corporate, claimed to have been racially profiled (guy was white, but Corp doesn't care to investigate), ended up getting a gift card, and manager and LP that day were fired. That's the problem with corporate chains - any store level employee is shit to them. Smaller joints, sure, you have leeway, but olive garden? Only prayer the manager would have had would be if their stand-firm firing got enough media traction to scare corporate, which is a huge gamble.

So, yeah. Call me jaded, but I have no doubt that that manager was fucked the minute this lady walked in the door. Call her out? Fired after inevitable lying-call-to-corporate. Kowtow? Fired. Call the cops? Fired. Fuck these big corporate chains and the culture of fear they create. In an ideal world, this manager WAS a racist and got exactly what they deserved, because sadly enough that would be the best case in this situation in terms of justice.

Glad as hell to have moved up and away from these sort of positions, where you're shit to corporate and customer alike.

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The manager was the victim in all of this!

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