For restaurants, customer service is everything if you want your business to succeed. The staff is always trained to make sure that they serve every customer well. But unfortunately, some people still manage to treat their customers badly.
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This is the story of how a diner learned the importance of customer service. A police officer fell in line to get a much-needed meal at a local diner. It was a popular diner so there was a long line. The police officer patiently waited for his turn and when he finally reached the counter, he was shocked to find out that the diner refused to serve him.
Enjoying a day-off
Police officer Karl Baker of Alexandria, VA, was enjoying a much-needed day off. He was doing a string of 12-hour shifts the past days so this was a break that he truly deserved. Baker planned to spend it the best way possible – by allowing himself to be lazy for a day.
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Baker planned to sleep in, eat out, and finish the day relaxing in front of the television with a cold drink. Unfortunately, he had no idea that he was about to face one of the worst days of his life.
Getting brunch
It was already midday when Baker woke up. His dog had jumped on his bed, begging to be played with and fed. The sunlight was already pouring in the house. The day was a good start as Baker made himself a cup of coffee.
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Baker thought about where he could go for brunch. There was no way he would be preparing his own meal after going through long shifts for the past days. It was about time to treat himself.
Exploring another part of town
Baker then remembered a diner someone had recommended. He never got to go there because it was on the outskirts of the town. In fact, he has never been to that part of his town before. Now seems the perfect place to try it out.
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Baker reached the diner and could tell that it was a popular spot. There was a line already in the queue. He fell in line to wait for his turn patiently, keeping himself occupied by reading the menu on the wall and making his choices.
A meal that’s worth the wait
Baker acknowledges himself as a picky eater. So, he welcomed the waiting time so that he can properly assess the items on the menu. He was hungry and he had high hopes that this diner is as good as people claim it is.
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During the 45 minutes he spent in the line waiting for his turn, Baker was able to pick out two dishes from the diner’s specials. He was confident that these meals will be worth the wait.
The patient officer
The long queue to the counter was unusually long. It seems as if the staff was having a slow day. When other patrons would have probably given up after standing in line for more than 10 minutes, Baker stood his ground and waited for his turn.
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By the time he finally reached the counter, Baker was starving and thirsty. This was his first meal of the day and it was afternoon already. But the cashier and the staff behind the counter just looked at him with disdain instead of a welcoming smile.
Rude cashier
Baker greeted the cashier politely with a warm smile. The cashier greeted him back but the greeting did not reach her eyes or her tone. She even looked impatient and annoyed as she chewed on her gum aggressively.
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Baker decided to ignore this attitude. The cashier is obviously not having a good day. He understood that life was not always rainbows and butterflies for people who had to serve different customers all day. He continued to smile as he told her his order.
Not available
The cashier told Baker that his order was not available today. Baker asked for his second option. The cashier also said it was not available either. How can a diner run out of their special meals?
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Baker was confused so he tried a third option from the specials. The cashier simply rolled her eyes as if he was being impossible and informed him that the dish was not available too. Baker looked at the dishes under specials to see what else he could get.
Specials are off the menu
Baker felt annoyed. He had spent a lot of time in line to get to today’s specials only to find out that none of them were available. If they had indicated on the board that the specials are not available, he would not have wasted his time in line.
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The cashier’s bad customer service only added to his frustration. Still, Baker tried to be understanding. He asked the cashier what other dishes are available and which one is the best. He just wanted to make sure he will eat a meal that was worth all the time he spent in line.
Unjust treatment
The cashier rolled her eyes in response to Baker’s question. It was as if he had asked her something dumb. This turned out to be the last straw for Baker, and it must have shown on his face.
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Before he could say something, the cashier told him to just leave if he was not going to order any food. Baker was shocked by her attitude. He has been trying to order a meal but she was the one who refused to cooperate.
Calling in the manager
Baker took a deep breath and exhaled the anger he was starting to feel. He then calmly asked the cashier if he could speak to the manager. The cashier just gave him a blank gaze and yelled for the manager.
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A woman emerges from the kitchen a few seconds later. She takes a look at Baker and then sees the line behind him. She asked what’s the problem and reminded Baker that he was holding up the line.
Explaining his case
Baker tried his best to overlook the insinuation that he was the cause of the ridiculously long lines that have been there when he arrived. He calmly explained to the manager how the cashier was behaving and how the meals under specials are not available.
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Baker complained about the fact that the specials were not available and that they should have taken the meals off the board. It was false advertising. And the management clearly needs to do some improvements with their customer service. He observed the manager’s reactions and could tell that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.
Consistent bad service
It was clear why the cashier was bold enough to be rude to paying customers. While most managers would apologize and offer some sort of compensation for the trouble, this manager was just as rude as her cashier.
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A female cook who was listening in on the conversation from behind then told the manager to pull her off the line because she will not be cooking for him and made an obvious gesture towards Baker. Instead of reprimanding the cook, the manager laughed.
Obvious disrespect
Witnessing this behavior from three people in the diner staff made Baker’s blood boil. He did his best to keep a cool head. He reminded them that they better treat their customers better or there will be consequences.
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The manager looked as if the advice insulted her. She asked Baker to leave the establishment, ending her statement with the words “I don’t serve men like you.” Baker could not believe it.
Discrimination
“Men like me?” Baker repeated as if daring her to repeat what she just said. No more Mr. Nice Guy – we all know what that statement could mean. He demanded her to explain to him what she meant by “men like you.”
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Baker clearly had enough. In a more authoritative voice, he repeated his purpose in speaking with her and told her that she should be thankful for the feedback. He could not believe how the staff was treating him.
The manager stands her ground
The manager stood her ground. In a cold tone, she told Baker that she did not owe him an explanation and asked him to leave because he was making a scene. Baker could not believe the disrespect.
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As a police officer, he was not used to people disobeying him or disrespecting him. He definitely was not used to people looking down on him and discriminating against him. Even if he was not a police officer, nobody deserved this kind of treatment!
True colors
It was very clear that this manager will not talk to him politely and will not treat him with respect. It was clear that she had no idea who he is or what authority he has. Baker was not in uniform and to her, she thinks he is beneath her.
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This made Baker think, do people respect him just because of the uniform? If he walked around without the uniform as he did now, will people show their true colors? From this experience, he has no doubt about it.
Unfamiliar faces
Officer Baker was well known in town but in the outskirts of this town, nobody recognized him. In fact, he would not even have to stand in line to get served. But this was different. He was in unfamiliar territory.
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He suddenly felt eyes on him as other customers started noticing the commotion. Baker looked around looking for any familiar faces. He could not recognize anyone there. He knew he could not find anyone who could back up who he was.
Retreating with a plan
Baker had nothing more to say to the rude manager so he left the diner. He walked to his car feeling angry, upset, and disappointed by their behavior. His hunger was forgotten as he thought of a plan.
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Baker planned to return to the diner on the next day in his police uniform. He was curious about how the staff would react when they see him back and realize who he is. Then, he planned to speak to the manager again and tell her to improve their service. Maybe this time, she will listen.
Back to work
The next day, it was time for Baker to go back to work. He put on his uniform with great purpose. You see, Baker is not an ordinary police officer. He was the chief of police. And it was really hard to imagine how the staff in the restaurant did not recognize him.
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Baker had a busy day but he did not forget about what he went through in the diner. He could not wait for his shift to end so that he could go back and teach the staff a thing or two about respect.
Baker gets his chance
Lucky enough, later that day, Baker was called out on the field. The location was near the diner so he decided he will stop by after he does his duties. So, when he pulled up to the diner, he was driving a police cruiser.
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As Baker pushed the doors open and stepped inside, everyone turned to look. His face was stern and he exuded authority and power. He had an intimidating aura. With the uniform on, Baker looked taller and buffer.
The uniform does the work
Everyone recognized the uniform. Patrons were looking at him with respect and smiles. Even the restaurant staff seemed to perk up when they noticed he was in the room. The uniform was doing its work and everyone acknowledged his presence.
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Baker was glad to see the rude cashier on duty. The cashier seemed to be more attentive when he arrived. Baker fell in line (thankfully a short one this time) and kept his head down. When it came to his turn, the cashier welcomed him with a smile. The smile faded when she recognized him.
The confrontation
Baker expected this reaction as fear suddenly was evident in her eyes. She started to realize what she has done to the chief of police the day before. Her face paled. It gave Baker a good feeling but this was not enough. Baker immediately asked to see the manager.
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The cashier nodded slowly as if she understood that this was the end for her. This time, the cashier did not just yell out for the manager as she did the day before. This time, she went into the kitchen to fetch the manager.
Getting results
Unfortunately, another manager was working this time. She was the nightshift manager and she was more cooperative than the dayshift manager who disrespected him. Baker discussed with her what happened the day before.
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The nightshift manager immediately apologized to Baker. She promised that she will start an investigation looking into the activities of the workers involved in the incident. Baker accepted this apology and left the diner knowing that his purpose was done.
The story goes viral
Baker was satisfied that he was able to talk to someone reasonable and left the diner in peace. But the story does not end there. The diner had loyal patrons that came in every day so they were able to witness the incident and how the officer returned the next day.
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The story about the diner’s discrimination and how they handled the officer badly spread on social media and the posts became viral. As expected, the diner received a lot of backlashing that they were forced to release a statement.
Diner scrambles to recover
A spokesperson from the diner faced the media about the viral story. They did not dare to deny what happened to the police officer when asked about the staff’s shocking treatment towards Baker.
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The spokesperson assured the media that they were looking into the matter further. The diner owners were equally shocked and appalled by the way the officer was treated in their diner.
Netizens encourage lawsuits
As the story goes viral, a lot of people were angered. As we all know, Americans can be very patriotic and treat their police officers with respect. They could not believe that anyone would dare treat an officer that way.
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A netizen compared the situation to the time an Oregon bakery refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. “Discrimination is discrimination!” The netizen continued to rant, as he encouraged the police officer to sure the diner.
Facing backlash
The diner’s spokesperson announced that they have made efforts to reach out to Baker. They also admitted that were not able to speak with him yet. The diner continued to assure the public that the incident and the people involved are under review.
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The diner was struggling to save face as they await the results of the investigation. Thousands of people awaited the conclusion of their review and wanted to see if the appropriate actions will be taken.
The police union speaks
The Alexandria Police Union also released a statement when the story went viral. The representative claimed that they were in shock that an incident like this can happen in their town. He said that most residents and local businesses have a great relationship with the police.
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The union said that they admired Baker for handling the situation peacefully by disengaging himself during the confrontation. The diner was also commended for their swift apology and their cooperation.
Public outrage
But despite the police union’s statement, the ire of the public did not stop. The damage was already done. The diner tried to make up for it by hanging posters in support of the police force outside the restaurant but this seemed to enrage the public more.
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The diner’s Facebook page was still being bombarded with harsh comments. People started boycotting the diner and encouraged others to do the same. Things have gone so bad for the diner that there were even talks of people looting the diner.
Baker speaks up
Amongst this public outlash, one voice of reason stood out. It was Officer Baker himself. He released a statement saying that he was not in support of this “cancel culture” and all the hate that is going around.
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He discouraged people from committing crimes against the diner and discouraged boycotting the business. “The actions of a few do not equate to the actions of many,” Baker said, encouraging the people in his town to take the high road.
Investigation results
The diner soon released a statement after a proper investigation was done. They have concluded that the people involved acted inappropriately and as a result, the diner has terminated their employment and is no longer affiliated with the said individuals.
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The night shift manager and the diner owners were also able to track down Officer Baker and made a personal apology. They reiterated their respect for the police force and vowed to keep a closer eye on their staff.
