Hi All,
Two days ago I was called a racist by the manager at a Denny's in Manassas, Virginia. Below is an account I wrote up after the event occurred. Its bewildering how with one short experience or even two short experiences, a manager, a representative of Denny's, can call me a racist. At most it seems the manager of Denny's could say I make racist comments but even that's a stretch for anyone who knows me.
May 29, 2007 beginning at or about 8:30am
I went to Denny's this morning to get some breakfast before starting a day of moving furniture.
I went in and asked the waitress if I could have a specific booth at the window facing the main parking lot so I could get Wi-Fi signal I broadcast from my truck.
I ask the waitress if I could exchange french toast for the pancakes in a certain menu choice. I would have to pay an additional fee, the waitress replied. She told me of the french toast breakfast choice. So, that was cool. I chose the french toast mega meal. It was going to be more then I could probably eat but I wanted french toast.
After a few minutes the french toast arrives and the waitress comments that they cooked the eggs wrong so it would come out later. I spread the butter around and then pour syrup. I cut off a piece of french toast with my fork and began to eat it. First piece was okay. I cut into a second piece and started chewing on that second piece. Yuck! It wasn't cooked. It was like eating raw egg.
It took a couple minutes to get her attention but I asked the waitress to take it back and cook a new order but to be sure to make it well done. I showed her the uncooked nature of the french toast and told her I wanted it fully cooked please. She says okay and takes the plate of undone french toast away.
I eat my bacon, sausage, and eggs. Two gentlemen are seated fairly near me.
Eventually, I'm ready to dig into my french toast that has since then arrived. I was thinking it was a new order like I asked. But as I moved one of the slices from a pile, I see its the same piece I ate from. I tried to explain my disdain of the situation by telling her that for one thing, my germs were on that piece they put back on the grill and handled with cooking implements not to mention that it can't be cooked right with it being saturated with syrup and butter.
I then asked for the manager thinking I would notify him of a potential liability and to avoid it in the future.
The manager comes out and I explain to him the whole scenario as written above. He then tells me that they didn't worry too much about it because I'm the person that tried to give away his breakfast before and complained.
Let's go into history ...
It must be some two months ago that I was eating at that same Denny's. Note, I haven't been there but maybe once since then until today. That morning I was hungry, or so I thought. I ordered a meal with french toast but asked the french toast come later so to avoid it getting cold before eating it. It was a waitress, I think Hispanic, but I don't know for sure. We already had a hard time communicating just to get my order across and that I wanted the french toast later in the meal versus all together. Well, the french toast arrive and she was about to sit the plate down. By this point, I had already decided I was too full to eat the french toast. I asked the waitress to not place it on the table but to immediately make it to go instead. She could not understand me I guess because she kept moving it down. So I asked her to stop and not to place it on the table. She seemingly ignored me and placed it down anyway.
I told the wiatress I was unhappy with her decision and tried to explain why I wanted her to put it directly into a box. She then tried to explain to me that she speaks very little English and would get someone to help.
A minute later a fellow comes over and offers to help by explaining that she doesn't speak much English and didn't understand me. I explained to him that a person dealing with customers in the US needs to speak English with some resemblance of fluency.
He apologized but I asked for the manager. I spoke to a young lady and explained to her my situation. She explained to me that its hard to get help on what they pay. So I commented that the customer has to suffer.
After all this I take the french toast and put it into a take home box. But as I leave I see a man and his daughter. I know I don't do well at eating left overs so I was happy to offer the french toast to him. I personally saw him open the box and serve some to the little girl before leaving. I was happy someone got to enjoy it.
I left the restaurant at that point
Okay, back to today.
Once the manager said I was the one who gave his breakfast away I went “HUH, what does that matter?” he said how they didn't worry about the french toast this time because I was the one that gave it away last time and how would I like being offered food from someone else. I told him I'd appreciate it especially if down on my luck. He said that the guy left the take-home box on the table. I told him that I saw the guy open the box and serve a slice to the little girl.
I went on to say “Since you brought that incident up ....”. I explained the whole thing from two months ago. I also went on to say that my germs have gotten on the grill they recooked the french toast on as well as the tools they use to cook with. I also went on to say how can they cook it right a second time once its gotten soaked with butter and syrup. He reiterated that they didn't worry about it and that I am welcomed to my opinions but that I was a racist.
You should have seen my shock. Me, a racist! I explained to the manager that I'm the one standing up for others with they are being persecuted for their nationality. I again told him that if he knew me that he could never consider me a racist. I asked him to explain why me believing that someone in this country working in customer service shouldn't have to be fluent in English. I reworded the question but stipulated only 75 to 80% fluency. I told him over and over I don't care where someone comes from but they need to know English in this kind of job.
Take note. I intentionally kept my voice calm. I was sitting down while the manager was standing. I made to gestures with my hands. I knew this could escalate so I took whatever precautions I could do to keep it from doing just that.
The manager took the glass of ice tea as I was reaching for a drink. He asked me to pack up my things and leave and never come back again. I asked him for the district manager and the phone number. As the laptop was shutting down, I called and left a detailed voice mail with the answering machine. The office was to open at 10am and it was only 9:40am at this point.
I close up my laptop and grab my stuff. I walk to the register and once again try to explain to the manager that I'm not being a racist and I simply wanted someone who could understand me. I explained that comments of that nature are not racist at all. He refused to talk except to ask if I needed to fill out paperwork or would I stay away and if I came back that I would be arrested for trespassing. I don't know what the paperwork was about.
The girl standing near the manager was the woman I spoke to two months earlier. She said I was insensitive. I could tell I was not going to get anyone to understand the differences between racism and the need for English in this job.
This is the end of the time at Denny's
Around an hour later, I called and left a detailed explanation of the event with corporate.
By the way, we still have the whole health issues of recooking my french toast. That manager made a decision to ignore good health concepts by cooking my food that I've eaten from again and he clearly said it was because I was the complainer from last time. So he has now risked others based on his opinion of me.
