The Service Industry And Ugly Singaporeans

Work tested my ultimate patience yesterday. As it is, I was already feeling rather tired due to the very late night I had the day before. Felt pretty moody in the beginning but I eventually started to crap out as time went by.

Since it was Saturday, the restaurant was predictably quite crowded. On top of that, we had a birthday celebration going on which included very messy adults and kids running all over the place. That, was not the main issue. Since our restaurant consists of the air conditioned floor upstairs, the floor before the bar, the upper deck and lower deck, we tend to get alot of self sitting customers. The thing about these people are, upon sitting themselves down, they turn and glare at us trying to catch our attention or maybe even try waving frantically simply because they have not been served. If the restaurant is already crowded and the staffs are busy running around taking orders, clearing plates and serving their food, is it really our fault for not seeing you sit yourselves down?!.

That was the first issue. The second issue would be the most important, service. Due to yesterday’s weather, some tables were not fully set with cutleries. With their children all hopping around in their chairs or running around the very crowded area, exactly how do you expect us to set the table?! Worse still, each time you lay a cutlery down, it ends up being passed to someone else.
-_________-” Later on, you find yourself walking back to that table because they demand for more cutleries.
Then, there are the customers that eat like it’s a coffee shop. Throwing the bones on the table and hell, even on the floor. Now tell me, is it just me or are they trying to make my life more difficult? It’s not like they did’nt have extra plates to put their remaining bones on! These are what you call the ugly Singaporean. They demand for the best service yet they dine as though they were in the coffee shop. Maybe next time when you head over to a friend’s house, try dumping your chicken bones on their table or even on the floor. I’m sure they will like it very much.

These are’nt the only customers that we’ve got. We have customers dining at the restaurant who demands for fine dining service. To my brother ( the manager ) and I, service is very important when it comes to FNB. You want fine dining? Sure, we can provide you with fine dining though your just at a restaurant. With fine dining experience, of course I would know what to do. Before you can even start the fine dining service, they start stacking the plates and shoving it at you the moment you walk towards their table. They flick their hands as a sign for you to get going. HAHA. More like idiots who think they are rich just because they have that extra $100 to spare this month.

As irritating as these people may be, being in the service industry I’ve just got to suck it in and smile like a dope. However, I do have a very short temper. I can give you the best service but if it’s not appreciated, well I’m sorry to say that I would just stop trying. Some customers really try to make your life miserable. Taking for instance, two days back. A customer asked for a frozen mug from one staff and then asks another staff for a frozen mug twenty seconds later. What about the customers who order a jug of beer? Upon the beer being served, ten seconds later they place an order for something else. < --- This keeps going on for at least two or three orders. Tell me! How to have the patience?!

Despite the restaurant getting customers mostly like the above, we have the very polite and friendly customers. I would call them our best customers. They don't stick their nose up in the air just because their the customers and we're serving them. They put themselves at the same level with us to communicate. That is why I try my best to not be a troublesome customer when I go out to dine. With simply reasons being, I know what it's like to be them. Put myself in their position and try to envision.