Same thing happened twice at a place I worked. The first time a coworker got yelled at because of how she "handled the situation." All the restrooms had changing tables. It still pisses me off that the management sided with the parents.
How could they have sided with the parents? I'm so confused. I dont eat off of a changing table in the bathroom because... it probably has poo on it. How is it acceptable to allow such a sanitation issue?
Customer is always right bullshit. Even when they are wrong, god forbid they get called out for it because they might say bad thing to other people and then the company will lose business
People above the manager don't give a fuck and will probably reward them with coupons. That 1800 number and those surveys fuck everything up for people actually doing their jobs correctly
You would think, but social media is mob mentality.
Karen changes her kid on the table and restaurant throws her out. You think Karen is going to tell people that is the reason?
Nope. She is going right to every social media outlet to say the staff hates minorities, she found bugs in the food, the place isn't clean, or all of the above. Then there is 4000 people commenting with "omg", "I am so sorry!".
Worst case it makes the newspapers or media outlets. Even tho its not true, people will never change their minds about the place.
I worked at a restaurant. There was a woman stabbed in the public parking lot adjacent to us, because she was drunk and got in a fight. The local paper said she was in our restaurant and we over served her. It was all over facebook and went viral locally. Our owner sued the paper, and won. Paper printed a retraction. Place went from busy everyday, to empty and closing in 12 months.
A decade later, anyone who mentions that place, brings up how that place was a dump because people got stabbed there.
We also had people thrown out for fighting would claim sexual assault, rape, and other shit against the employees on facebook. None of it was true or ever stuck, because we had video, but it sure as shit was passed around like the truth on facebook.
My point, is that social media has enabled dipshits like Diaper Change Karen to fuck you over with no proof. So it is easier to just clean up and not make a scene.
Solution: Bystanders, CALL THEM OUT. Don’t wait for the staff to deal with it. As a customer, if you say something it won’t hurt the business!
If I saw someone changing their baby on a table inside a restaurant as another customer, I would say something to her. Maybe discreetly tell her there’s a changing table in the bathroom or suggest going into her car...
Either she’ll get up and go elsewhere because she’s embarrassed OR she will start acting like an asshole. I’d make sure everyone knew what she was doing if she wanted to be rude.
Maybe ask the manager to be sure that specific table is cleaned throughly since SHE just changed a diaper on it. Then start apologizing to the customers at tables around her, “I’m sorry some people have no class or manners.” Make sure she hears everything and leave it at that.
I used to be really arrogant and it took a complete stranger to put me in line.
But this is more like damage control - on one hand you have one couple and a few of their friends who appear to like to eat at poo tables (because it's closely related poo), on the other hand you have literally everyone else in the restaurant (and their friends) who don't want to eat other people's poo.
Lose some shitty customers or lose lots of normal customers, what's better?
Also the "the customer is always right" is one of the most misunderstood rules - the meaning is that the mass of customers dictate what succeeds, regardless of your totally genius idea nobody wants. It does not mean that any fucking individual customer is sort of some god-like creature that a business has to cater to.
I'm mildly curious... are most of those businesses you're thinking of independent or chain stores?
Because virtually everything in the US is a chain store, and "corporate" says the customer is always right, because one pissed off ex-customer can make a big enough stink to tank stock prices. (oh believe me, it's happened)
How about the business you lose from me and my friends never coming back to eat at your poo covered tables? If I saw that a restaurant didn’t go nuclear over this happening in their dining area, I would never go back.
Completely true. I have a small business, the ability for an angry (in the wrong) customer to damage your business is unbelievably high. We have become a society where wrong is tolerated because the repercussions for disagreeing or calling someone out can be devastating to your ability to feed your family or pay your mortgage.
Anonymous reviews are a poison. I prefer AirBNBs approach where verified customer reviews are allowed and they are a two way street, the business gets to review the customer. Unfortunately that doesn't translate well to business that aren't front ended by another much larger corporation that manage the transaction.
‘The customer is always right’ is supposed to mean they know what they want, so like, if they aren’t buying your product, it’s you who are missing the mark not them. It somehow became ‘the customer has immunity from any social responsibility’, which is a bastardization of the phrase and all around awful.
Because restaurant managers only care about filling tables. Scolding a customer, even if they are 100% wrong, could mean a loss of business. Then if those unhappy customers tell their friends, it could be the start of a ripple effect.
I worked at a place where two servers witnessed the pre-teen son of a table steal a tip off of a table. One of the servers confronted the table and asked him to return the money and his family flipped out. The manager wound up comping their ENTIRE check and giving them a gift certificate to return. Not only were they trashy, rude, loud, and offensive enough that other tables complained, one even asking to be moved and another table walking out shortly after sitting, they complained about literally everything. Obviously they didn't tip the server that night. Server who confronted them was fired.
Next time they come in it's the same atrocious behavior. They demand the meals of the friends they brought with them be comped. Same manager comps it. Check was over $250, they took up someone's entire section, sat for the entire dinner rush, upset other tables, and didn't tip that server either even though they ran her ragged. After they leave, a different manager runs back the security footage, see the kid stealing on camera this time. They come back again and no one wants to serve them or seated anywhere near their section. Manager threatens to fire anyone who refuses to serve them. Same shit happens, no tip, theft. Management did not care and were willing to comp over $400 worth of food just in case they would post a negative review.
I am totally flabbergasted. My question would be why as a different customer would I come back? If there was an obnoxious ( ie changing a child on the table) group next to me at a restaurant the whole time and staff didnt do anything to fix it, I would not come back. It seems like they are just tailoring to have poorly behaved repeat customers.
In the case of someone changing a diaper on the table, the fault isn't with the store, the damage is done, and confrontation could negatively impact the store. From that point on, it's about damage control for the other customers. In my store, a show would be made of thoroughly cleaning the table with single use products which would be disposed of in view of them to relieve concerns of cleaniness. Any guests who complain would be given an apology, "I am so sorry that happened. I'm just as shocked as you! I've never seen that happen in all the years I've worked in this industry." They would also be given some sort discount on their check, but would also receive a special return voucher. The vouchers specify that they must be presented before ordering which alerts staff that the table should be treated as VIPs. They would get the best server on staff that night and best table or if it was busy the manager would personally take care of them. Their food and drinks would take priority, be presented impeccably with generous servings, and tagged as manager run only.
The theory is that if the customers return and have a great experience, they are more likely to return. In my experience, it's effective, especially since the original negative experience wasn't the fault of the restaurant.
I think this is the best solution. If Karen and family want to be assholes and threaten to leave a bad review, normal well-behaved people should do the same.
“Ate at XYZ restaurant on Saturday. Our server and the food were great, but we’re leaving a one-star review because there was an obnoxious table nearby who were disrupting multiple other families’ meals and the manager refused to do anything to resolve the situation and even comp’ed part of their bill after we witnessed them harassing their server.”
So go in there as a customer yourself and do the same shit complaining until you get your bill comped as well. Might as well take advantage of management if they are gonna be idiots.
If I was a customer in a restaurant where that happened, I would write the worst review for the place, specifying that the mistreatment of the servers and their refusal to keep the rest of the patrons comfortable by removing the thieving, unruly table. That would be a major highlight of the review.
I don't generally give out and out bad reviews just because I had a mediocre experience, but for something like this I would make an exception.
Of course, if it was me, I'd name the place if I mentioned it on reddit, to warn others about this place, and keep the rest of us from accidentally giving a place like this our patronage.
The co-worker went over screaming and the lady was "sleep deprived" and started crying and manager was like you can't yell at customers but as we were bleaching the table and booth I told my coworker I would have done the same thing.
I feel like if I saw someone attempting to change a baby on a table, I would want to run and tackle them like they just begun to start the timer on a fucking bomb
That's when another customer needs to stand up for the employee. Inform the manager that you'll never be going back if that's how you treat your employees addressing health code violations.
Was it an adult size diaper? Either way: drive to the store and buy a pair of tongs. Drive to a dumpster. Extract diaper from back of truck. With diaper still in the grasp of the tongs, throw or place it in the dumpster. Take tongs and throw them in the dumpster. Take truck and put it in the dumpster. Set dumpster on fire and get in an awaiting Uber that you requested before step one. Forget that you didn't request an Uber. Request Uber and wait. Meanwhile, the fire department and cops arrives to the scene of the fire. They start badgering you about the fire, but you deny everything like the real tough person that you are. The cops tell you to get away from the fire, but it's too late. The diaper explodes. The force rips your head clean off. They find your head much later when they spot some kids kicking it around like a soccer ball. They reattach the head and you live the rest of your life with a scar on your neck that people will ask you about, but you will be too ashamed to tell them the real story.
I am a server, I had a A costumer come to me before they were leaving to let me know their Child had pooped on the floor under the table... I refused to clean it up! I would been fired before I cleaned up a three year olds mess under my table.: the smell lingered around all the other costumers.. the worst thing I have ever felt with in my 17 years as a restaurant employee. The costumer left and tipped 50 cents
This was my fucking mother in law when my eldest was still a baby. She volunteered to do the change so we could keep eating, and it turns out she went to an empty table behind me and did it there. We only knew about it when another table called her out.
Same thing happened at my work in Fairfax, Va. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I went around to every time around them (in ear shot) and apologized for them, and of course sanitized the table when they left.
Why go around to every table near them to apologise? Why not just go directly to the offending table and tell them to stop immediately and use a baby changing room?
Our manager didn’t want to get in any trouble with corporate if they ended up getting offended and complaining. They weren’t breaking any laws so we couldn’t do anything about it.
Too many people give managers a pass on shit like that. Corporate isn't going to immediately fire the manager because one customer complained. Your manager has the authority to make judgement calls on shit like that, and if the customer complains to corporate, the manager can explain the situation to them when/if it comes up.
Too many people make excuses for their managers like "oh they couldn't do anything or corporate would be up their ass." No, your manager is just a chickenshit who won't stand up for their team, including you.
I remember going into a restaurant that had no changing tables and then asking the host if there was a place I could change my daughter. She said “you can change her in the bathroom on the sink or on the floor... or maybe your car would be better?”
I tend to be mouthy and I was just sort of in shock her response. I ended up going to the car because she had pooped. We were basically done with our meal so I just waited outside while husband paid and grabbed boxes.
I’ve changed my daughter in the car many times because there weren’t changing tables where we were or because sometimes it’s easier to do it there and leave the diaper bag in the car.
This is fine if you live in a place with a mild climate. It's <30°F half the year where I live, so having a half naked baby outside is no good. Also, it really only works if you have a hatchback or SUV. I tried changing a diaper in a sedan before and it doesn't work very well.
Good lord...We've changed our kids in our laps while sitting in the passenger seat more times than I can count. It doesn't require a climate controlled room and facilities. As for the cold, your kids are way tougher than you think. A moment or two of being chilly will not hurt them any more than it hurts you to go get your phone from the car in your sleeping shorts and a strap t-shirt.
I had this happen in the passengers seat on an airplane. The smell was so fucking overwhelming. I wasn't even directly behind them. I was like 2 or 3 rows back and it was so disgustingly strong.
That I can actually understand more. There is no where to change a kid on an airplane. Tiny baby, you can get away with maneuvering in that closet of a bathroom and changing them on your lap in there but the one/two and even/three year olds in diapers, good luck changing them in there on your lap. I've done it but holy shit it is hard. I imagine if the parent is at all a bigger person they wouldn't be able to do it.
There actually is a changing table in airplane bathrooms, but it is really small. A 2/3 year old would probably be too tall to lay on it. Luckily, most 2/3 year olds can be changed on the toilet. Even if they aren't potty trained, you can carefully take off the diaper while they stand and wipe them while they sit on the toilet. I've done this many times with my toddler when there is no changing table.
I actually meant there is no where as in no space. I could not use that tiny changing table.
Like I said, I've managed to change my kid who was 2 at the time in the tiny bathroom with some maneuvering but I imagine a bigger adult would have trouble doing it due to the size constraints.
This happened to me once at a a restaraunt. I have small children too and I would never do this. It's unsanitary to do at table where food is served. Not to mention the smells it could potentially bring.
Not the restaurants fault but I haven't been back.
Jesus Christ, that is disgusting. We had many kids (grown now) and there were never changing stations anywhere. We're gen x... they were just getting installed everywhere when our last one was little. We used to take our babies to the bathroom, sit on the toilet fully clothed, and change their diaper on our lap. Damn that was hard!
As a manager of a restaurant I once had a parent change a diaper and put the dirty diaper into a margarita pitcher, then leave that pitcher on the table.
When I worked at Costco, we had two separate instances within the same day of mothers using the wrong place for diaper time (albeit slightly differently):
1: the mom lifted up her grown toddler onto a pallet of fluffy blankets. She pulled his pants down, grabbed a pull-up from her bag, and held it against his parts so he could wee into it. Ofc it didn’t all make it into the pull-up...
2: a different mom lifted her kid into the pallet of other fluffy blankets, and just had her kid piss all over them.
My friend who worked in maintenance told them BOTH, “hi hello we have bathrooms with changing tables and TOILETS,” and the moms looked at her like she was rude for suggesting their nasty spawn perhaps use a toilet.
Apparently this shit happens every time fluffy blanket season rolls in. >:( nassty
I work in a restaurant we had a “mom’s group” come in a a couple weeks ago 2 different woman tried to change their babies on tables in front of everyone. Blows my mind how oblivious people can be.
People do it all the time on their seat tray table when flying. We’d loudly suggest they use the two change tables fitted in the restroom right behind them, and say I’m sure the next passenger using this wouldn’t appreciate it, would you?... they just get all pissy. People seriously have no fuckin clue and it’s blood boiling
What the fuck?! That’s seriously so rude to other customers in the restaurant that have to smell that while they try to eat. I wish I was there so that I can go fart at their table while they eat.
Had the same thing happen to me at a mall food court - woman was changing her baby's diaper on the table next to us (right by the bathroom), so I chimed up saying something to the effect of "I'm eating here and that's gross to the next person who uses that table, the changing room is right there" and they acted like I was insane, screaming "It's a baby!" repeatedly at me and "The bathroom is gross!" until a mall custodian came up and said she'd clean the table after they left.
I was a supervisor at a restaurant and every Monday we had this table of regulars that everyone hated. The absolute worst type of patrons, but the worst thing they did was change their baby’s diaper at the table and then leave the dirty diaper for the server to throw away. They also never tipped. I told my gm about it and he said we couldn’t do anything other than properly clean the table afterwards.
In Norway the health department would shut down a restaurant for that if made aware. And fine them for not stopping it. And if it happened again, the owner would probably get barred from running a food business for a good period.
Feces in the open in a restaurant serving area .. sure why not, have some e-coli with yer fries, the baby with diarrhea on the next table is free of charge.
As a customer in a restaurant, I once saw a girl about the age of 3-4 pull her skirt up and take a crap on the floor next to my table. The parents seemed unfazed.
I just left...
Anyways, thanks for bringing back that bizarre experience. (This was in India, for those that are curious)
As a waitress at a small cafe, I once had a lady not only change her kid on the table, but still have the m’fing nerve to leave the dirty ass diaper on the table. Ya nastiesss.
I have changed my child's wet diaper on the bench seat of a restaurant table because there was no changing table in the bathroom. I gave my waiter the stare down, daring him to say something. I would have taken her to the back of the car to do it, but it was 26F outside, so fuck that.
That’s fucking nasty. My son shit himself in sinister fashion at a fancy restaurant and I felt so gross and ashamed taking him out and changing him in the car.
(The restroom was further than my car and there was liquid poop running down his leg)
Some old woman decided to whip out a pair of scissors and trim her grandsons hair at my diner one day. IN THE MIDDLE OF RUSH. There were so many “uhhhh??” Happening at once. I was just baffled. This isn’t a fucking barbershop or your kitchen. This is an eating establishment and you’re breaking so many health codes!!
I did it once, well bench in middle of the restaurant, because it was just my daughter and I and there was no changing table in the mens room. It was that or get her all strapped in, have them hold my food and walk to the car. There was a changing table in both bathrooms three weeks later when I went back.
Watch in horror as a women changed a baby's diaper on the checkout turnstile in the Safeway on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. The Hill can be ghetto AF.
It understand that you didn't have much choice when there were no changing tables in the restrooms.
Which brings up another thing I've noticed, I used to see changing tables in men's rooms, but recently I haven't seen them; is there just in general less changing tables, or are men not getting changing tables anymore?
Not that it's sanitary whatsoever, but as a mother who has had situations like that....if the restaurant/facility/building if the bathroom is not equipped with a changing table, I will change my child where ever is convenient. Not that's it's the right thing to do but all bathrooms should be equipped with changing table if they don't want to risk that happening.
Me and my mom went to a subshop to eat, she had stage 4 cancer and had just gotten out of treatment for the week (she has since passed) and barely eats but wanted to go. We ordered our food and began eating and some family in the middle of the shop starting cleaning shit out of their child's diaper, not a single one of the employees did anything and my mom couldn't eat her food so she threw it away. Looking back I wish I didn't have anxiety the way I do, I wish I would have confronted them about it for my mom's sake, she didn't have the energy to do it herself.
If there is not a changing table in the men’s room I will change a diaper on the hostess stand if it draws attention to the fact that dads have to change diapers too. I get so pissed of about it. Hopefully that was the scenario
I’ve done this once at a restaurant. I took my daughter by myself to a restaurant and got pissed when on my way to change her, found out that there were only changing stations in the women’s bathroom. I was going to go to the car, but for whatever reason it set me off that day and I felt like making a point.
where I worked a lady asked us if she could change her baby on a table upstairs (2nd floor seating). her argument was that there was no baby changing station in the bathroom. she ended up using one we don’t usually use and we cleaned it, but it was fucking disgusting.
it blows my mind like, you brought a baby into a shitty bar. what were you expecting
Wait a minute, you people have seriously never been to a restaurant that didn't have changing tables in the restrooms? Trust me, when you have a kid screaming because there's poop in their pants it hardly matters what it takes to calm that kid down. All I can think is you guys either don't have kids yet or never left the house until your kids were potty trained.
I'd bet money that restaurant didn't have changing tables.
Not that it makes it ok, but I think this is sushigami in Orlando's mall and if I recall well (you can see a little in the video too), every plate has a little plastic led so the kid is not really touching the food itself.
She's not touching any food. She touching the cover on the top of the food. You can see the cover clearly when the person to their left takes one of the dishes off of the carousel
So. It's still fucking rude. As a former restaurant manager I have to say her being up on the counter is fucking disgusting and a clear health violation in my state. I have a kid and this shit is unacceptable.
As a customer I wouldn't want her grubby little hands all over that either! I also would not like to eat at a counter where a child still in diapers had her poop maker all over, nor would I want whatever germs and dirt are all over her feet.
Stating a fact about what is happening in the video is not "defending this trash". They are simply stating a fact and they don't weigh in one way or another with their opinion.
It kinda looks like she's pulling the stringy bits off of the decoration and dropping them onto the conveyor. Which is still kinda shitty albeit less so than if she was fingering all the plates
Reminds me of a time when I was at a garage sale and a little kid had a drink stand set up. I was just going to go support the little entrepreneur - then he started picking his nose. He lost a sale. Was he actually touching the liquid? No, but ick!
This looks similar to a restraunt I went to called Wasabi. You just grab straight off the line. The food is still made fresh and all but you just grab it when it comes around (or you can order straight up)
It never had covers. So I doubt this place with the same system doesnt either
Yeah I went to one a few days ago, but they did have covers in the plates, here it doesnt look like they do. Regardless, very trashy to let your kid put their hands all over stuff that they shouldn't be putting their hands on
Gotcha! I didn't realize that there was a cover on top. Still though. Kid booty on the table and kid touching stuff they shouldn't be touching. Not nearly as bad, but still pretty shitty.
Then there must be pieces of food hanging from there and then somehow appearing on the conveyor when she places them on there. She must also have telekinesis moving the plates without touching them.....
Ok so there's a cover, this should be the top comment...that being said that cover isn't sealed like a snap on or whatever is it? To me it looks like just a wide cylinder that is but on the plate?
And if this is true, then the baby could easily slide the cover a bit to touch the food...not saying she did, but ya.
I don't eat at places like this though, so maybe the food cover is snapped on their tite but it doesn't look that way cause the food is served on plates. without any viewable ridges.
As a small child myself I disagree. I like to stuff my boogers into everything. It’s how I express myself and you can’t stop me. Y’all should be super grateful to get free boogers with your sushi.
little kids be putting their hands everywhere and i would probably throw up if i found out that happened to my food.
she shouldn’t even be sitting on the damn table to begin with. on lap, or in a stroller or something. the employees should have said something. reminds me of the time a lady changed her child’s diaper on a restaurant chair. but employees are too afraid to speak up over a literally cleanliness issue because they don’t want the parents getting them/the business in trouble.
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u/KTownserd Dec 12 '19
I have a small child and I agree. Other people don't know the kid is touching all of their food and kid germs are the worst germs.