While I’ve personally never worked in the service industry, I’ve known enough people who did to understand just how bad some of the more nightmarish customers can get. It’s often a thankless job working with costumers who can be extremely inconsiderate.
When they’re not screaming full-blast or sending food back for petty to non-existent reasons, they’re often the type to not only not tip, but provide some elaborate justification for why they don’t.
All this takes up time the server just doesn’t have.
But perhaps worse than that are the customers who think they’re being clever when they say “OK, here’s a tip” and then throw out some passive-aggressive “advice.”
And one Texas bartender experienced a particularly venomous example of this kind of problem customer.
Heshus Baeza works the bar at the Tkilaz restaurant in Midland, Texas.
For the most part, a look at his Facebook page shows the usual. Some selfies, some photos of his loved ones, and the stray opinion here and there.
But on Sunday night, he posted something that nobody in the service industry wants to see, a receipt with no tip.
Worse yet, the “tip” that the customer had written down was apparently telling Baeza to “build the f****** wall now.”
Ignoring that this “tip” didn’t make sense unless the customer expected Baeza to personally build the border wall himself, it was obvious what was going on here.
The customer was clearly trying to make a statement by specifically going to a Mexican restaurant and leaving this little comment. Stiffing the bartender was simply the icing on the cake.
Baeza, understandably, didn’t take kindly to this blatant disrespect.
So alongside the photo of the receipt, he called out the customer, saying, “How are you going to come eat a plate of asado and drink a dosxx and write this! #hypocrite.”
Although initial responses were supportive, Baeza’s post has now attracted an array of comments expressing doubt that this unfolded the way he said.
Why? Apparently, some commenters thought the customer’s signature was in different handwriting than the “build the wall” message they left behind.
Apparently, the idea of writing slightly differently when you’re printing a message compared to when you’re leaving your signature isn’t a familiar concept to them.
Weird concept, eh? Who would have thought?!
So far, Baeza seems to be staying out of the debate happening in his post’s comments.
As he told the Midland Reporter-Telegram, “I’m still taken aback by all this. I didn’t expect this kind of reaction (from a customer).”
He also said he’ll be asking his employers for advice on the matter.
However, there’s a chance that he might not like what they have to say.
After all, most businesses get nervous when somebody spreads a customer’s name out into the world as Baeza did in his original post.
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In case you wondered how commenters compared the customer’s handwriting with the name blanked out, that wasn’t Baeza’s doing.
It may not seem like a big deal, but that kind of information is more than enough for a dedicated internet detective to go on.
And unfortunately, a significant number of people on the internet are prone to expressing their outrage via death threats, so that introduces a possible safety concern.
Stay safe out there, folks.
