Story Submitted by Kate:
Jim and I had a brief coffee date and it had gone well. He was a waiter at a restaurant nearby, and he invited me to come in anytime I wanted to, and to bring friends, if I so chose.
I made plans to visit his restaurant with my friend, Amanda. We were seated, and Jim came up to us to say hi and to take our drink orders. All was well for the moment. Then I spotted something on the menu that took my attention.
"Look at this," I said to Amanda and held up the menu, "Chicken salad sandwich with vegetables and secret sauce. What's in the secret sauce?"
Amanda shrugged and I flagged down Jim. I asked him, "What's in your secret sauce?"
Jim said, "It's a secret."
I said, "I need to know in case it has something I'm allergic to."
Jim grinned and said, "It's a secret. Sorry."
I said, "What if I asked a manager? Or a chef?"
Jim stopped grinning. "Are you threatening me?" he asked.
I said, "No, I just want to know what's in your secret sauce. I'm not asking for the recipe: just what the ingredients are."
"I can't tell you," Jim said.
Amanda said, "But she might be allergic to something in it."
Jim suggested, "So don't order it."
Amanda said, "But what if she wants it?"
"Then order it."
I asked him, "Are you seriously not going to tell me?"
Jim said, "It's secret sauce."
Amanda stood up and said, "I'll find out for you," and approached a manager. Jim followed her. She had almost made it to the manager when Jim put his hand on her back. She whipped around and slapped him away. He froze, she turned back to the manager, and Jim walked back to my table, sat across from me in Amanda's seat, and stared at me without saying anything.
All I could say was, "Uh..." before Amanda came back with the manager. "Ketchup, mayo, a little bit of honey mustard, and paprika," she said to us, then turned to Jim and said, "Excuse me. You're in my seat."
The manager said, "Jim, can I see you in back for a moment?"
Jim flipped us off, then followed the manager to the back room. He must have either left out of a back entrance or remained back there, because we didn't see him on the restaurant floor after that. Another waiter took care of us, and I never heard from Jim again.
Feels as though the guy was being playful at first, and wouldn't let go once he realized they were serious about knowing the ingredients.
ReplyDeleteAll you had to do was tell him what you are allergic to and he could have told you if it was in there OR he could have asked the chef/manager if it was in the sauce (maybe he didn't know?)
ReplyDeleteShe slapped him, seriously? You and your friend are jerks, getting some poor schmuck in trouble at work.
ReplyDeleteIf you're allergic to something, just effing say so. It's not that hard.
"I'm allergic to xxx, can you ask the chef if the secret sauce is OK?" No need to speak with managers or physically assault waitstaff.
Team Jim.
The image I had was of her slapping his hand away, as opposed to his face. She had every right to remove his hand if he touched her.
ReplyDeleteI visualized a face slap. Why else would he freeze so completely?
ReplyDeleteTeam Jim as well.
He tried to stop her from talking to the manager. He didn't even do his job as a waiter, much less than as a potential romantic partner. HOW could you be Team Jim?
ReplyDeleteLame!
Jim was not the bad date. This girl and her friend were awful.
ReplyDeleteWhen you go to a friend or a date's workplace you should always be extra polite. You should act like a normal human being and let things go instead of trying to get the guy fired.
Also Team Jim. Easiest solution in the world: state what you're allergic to, not raise hell about some stupid secret sauce and try not to act so entitled. Running to the guy's manager was a bit of an overreaction.
ReplyDeleteEh, on team Kate here. Wasn't really a date.. was two people at a restaurant with the intent of flirting with the waiter. His behavior, as a waiter, was not good. Certainly don't put your hand on a customer who's on the way up to speak to your manager!
ReplyDeleteThe OP never actually says she has any allergies, just that she "might" be allergic to something in it. I think causing trouble for him at work is way worse than his response to her request to know the secret ingredients...
ReplyDelete^ Um, the reason she said she "might" be allergic to something was because she didn't know what was in the sauce yet. If he had told her when she asked, THEN she could say that she was / wasn't allergic to something in it.
ReplyDeleteTeam Kate.
What if you're allergic to something specific and ubiquitous that most people aren't aware is in XYZ? I mean, really, what detrimental thing can she do with the recipe? Just tell her what's in the frigging sauce!
ReplyDeleteTeam Kate.
Only one way to settle this: new poll up on the right sidebar. Get your vote on.
ReplyDeleteMaybe she could have mentioned her allergies, but this guy would still be a jerk. Touching someone he doesn't know, being a crappy waiter, trying to intimidate the submitter and giving her and her friend the finger makes him the bad not-date.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who lives with a roommate with a gluten allergy, you never ask a waiter, "Is there X in this?" The answer is always no. Also, don't assume that Amanda ran to the manager to tattle on Jim. It sound as though she really was just asking him what was in the sauce.
ReplyDeleteTeam Kate.
It's called SECRET SAUCE for a reason. She should have just stated what she was allergic to rather than demanding a list of ingredients. When a restaurant has a secret sauce they will have no problem letting you know if there's something you might be allergic to in it. They will NOT list the ingredients. If that is such a huge deal, don't order it.
ReplyDeleteI bet he put a gentle hand on her back to say something to keep her from causing a scene with the manager, and the touching is being exagerated here. A slap wasn't warranted. This wasn't a date, and as a server, I would find the two of you obnoxious and a nightmare.
Ha! Thanks for the poll, Jared! This entire thread cracks me up.
ReplyDeleteI think the teams are pretty much divided along the lines of those who work/have worked in service industry, and the rest of you people :p
GO TEAM JIM!!!
Go team Jim!
ReplyDeleteGo team "I don't care"!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletebellecamino: Think again, been a hostess, waitress and cocktail server at a swanky country club where I was treated like another item on the menu. I still think Jim was the obnoxious one.
ReplyDelete"When a restaurant has a secret sauce they will have no problem letting you know if there's something you might be allergic to in it. They will NOT list the ingredients."
Unless they're not aware that what you are allergic to is in it, as was stated above. With my gluten-allergic roommate we have to find out specific brands of things like soy sauce that businesses use, because some contain wheat and some don't.
Telling what you are allergic to to the waiter will never work. If someone is allergic to a food, they NEED the ingredient list. If you were allergic to egg and there is no egg on the ingredient list the server will so theres no egg, but there might be "albumin" which is egg, or if you are allergic to barley, there might be "malt" or corn might be "citric acid" and so on. The server not knowing any of this could cause a life threatening situation.
ReplyDeletePlus he sounded like a dick.
^ Yeah, I once read a story where a girl was severely allergic to egg. She asked the waiter if there was egg in the "special sauce" of a sandwich. He said no. Turns out there was mayo in the sauce, but the waiter didn't know mayo had egg in it. Idiot.
ReplyDeleteTeam Jim!
ReplyDeleteShe had every right to ask what was in the sauce. Allergies can be a very serious business and while the waiter may or may not know all of the ingredients, will they know what those are made up of? I don't think so.
ReplyDelete----------------------
And when I read "slapped him away", I don't see a face slap, I see her whirling around and slapping his arm away from her.
FINAL RESULTS:
ReplyDeleteTeam Kate! - 82 (47%)
Team Jim! - 92 (53%)
Team Jim wins. Trumpets, flourish, alarums, et al.
^ BOO!
ReplyDeletewoot!
ReplyDeleteU S A!
U S A!
U S A!
J I M!
J I M!
J I M!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNo one comes off well in this story, except perhaps the manager.
ReplyDelete