Should I report this vegan waiter?

Question

I really need some advice for what happen to me and my family. We were dining at a nice restaurant the other day and a vegan apparenly spit in our food. I had ordered a surf and turf platter and this waiter made a shrewd comment when he set my plate down on the table. He commented that the lobster was boiled alive and he hoped it was worth it? I have no idea what he meant by that, but he said it in a rude tone of voice. After inspecting my food, I noticed a shiny spat on the lobster that looked like a loogie.

When I asked the waiter if I could speak to his manager, he said his manager was not available. I also asked him about the shiny spat on my food and he denied he spit on it. Me and my family were so humiliated by this experience that we just finished our meal and left the restaurant. My kids were traumatized by the whole experience.

Should I call the restaurant and try to follow up on this? or should I just let it go. My wife feels I should do something about it.

allforasia's, I have reported you to Yahoo! and I have also forwarded a copy of your reply to an internet watchdog group

Update everyone, I did speak with a manager and he said this guy already quit. Obviously, he was acting this way because he didn't care about his job anymore since he knew he was going to quit. Not much I can do now.

I am concerned he may be working at another restaurant now. I hope this guy doesn't do this to other people.

greenghost and toph, you have both been reported. I am also talking with an internet watchdog about some of your online activity.

Answer 1

Nice story Foxy. I don't believe you for a second.
You can take your vegan hate and spew it elsewhere.

1. How do you know the waiter was a vegan?
2. If he was that strong of a vegan, I doubt he would work in a restaurant schlepping steaks to assholes like you all day long.
3. Vegans wouldn't spit on animals, out of respect for it, dead or alive. If he did spit in your food, it was more than likely in a less comspicious place, like your salad.

Answer 2

Yes, you should do something about it. The waiter was rude, crude, and professionally unacceptable in his lack of "smarts". To say what he did about the lobster-he had no right to say. The more important thing tho-is the spit on your food. And the fact that he said the manager was not available. With the bacteria from his spit, you don't know how healthy he is. Nor do you know if someone were to do something like that (not to scare you), but hypothetically, if a waiter had HIV or AIDS, or some other std, or TB, and spread it to a customer with spit, that would be a complete reason for a lawsuit. In fact, you may want to contact an attorney about this matter, get his/her opinion on this. Also, please call your local health dist. office, and report how unsanitary this situation was. See what advice you get first. Instead of just calling the restaurant to talk with the manager, you could send a letter, addressed to the manager, marked "confidential". And, when you ask for this information, please give no clue as to why you need this information-the name, address, etc. So in case that waiter were to answer the phone, he wouldn't know what it's about. Also, do you by any chance know the name of the waiter? That is an important piece of information to have. Plus the date, and approx. time this matter occurred. I truly wish you the best on this. Take care.

Answer 3

You should have made a big loud fuss right there and then. If the Vegan had any morals he wouldn't be serving the food. After the time is gonna be difficult - no evidence see?

You could always write a letter to the restaurant and threaten to send a copy to your local paper - that gets them worried, trust me.

As you ate the loogie-lobster, I'm gonna imagine you're a non-confrontational kinda guy, so go with the letter. Make sure it looks professional, and when you've written it, keep it on the shelf for a day then rewrite it.

Important note - a customer always has the right to inspect the kitchens of a restaurant - this will find you someone in charge pretty quickly.

Answer 4

I would. The waiter should not be working in a non-veg restaurant and has no right to comment, spit or anything else on what you are about to eat. Does the restaurant have CCTV? I would definitely complain. Manager probably was there. I hope he was not the manager himself!

He could be sued by the Environmental Health Department at your local council office. Keep a copy of all correspondence between you and the restaurant.

I had a similar experience in a shop where I walked past someone while carrying a packet of pork chops - the language was colourful to say the least. It was not the shopš fault, he was a customer, but I felt threatened. Especially as he was the manager of the local library where I spend a lot of time!!

Answer 5

Ummm...not like you're simply trying to solicit some kind of negatve reaction from the vegan or vegi members of the community with your provocative alias or with the purely fictional story?

a. I am so sure that you would have noticed the spit (sarcasm!) and
b. You still ate the meal (lovely, tasty enjoyable spit that it was??)? Was it mixed in with the rest of your greens? Sounds like you'll eat anything anyway though!
c. You knew that the waiter was vegan how?
d. Most laughably and incredulously, you expect us to believe that you have children - that someone actually had sexual relations with you at least once? I suspect that the nut house that you are in isn't even mixed sex!

The fact that your statements are all so ill-conceived / informed and devoid of any form of intellect is so funny. Please continue Foxy.

Answer 6

Yes you should follow up on this. That person should not be working at a restaurant like that if he cannot accept the way the restaurant prepares the good. I am a vegan myself, and would not work in such a place, but if I did I would take it out on the customers like this guy did. I hope you did not tip him at all. Also, there should always be a manager or assistant manager on duty at any restaurant and you can always go to the cashier and refuse to pay until you see the manager or assistant manager and complain.

Answer 7

Sorry you and your family had such a horrific experience whilst dining out. What was meant to be enjoyable was made horrendous and intolerable by that waiter. If he doesn't agree with serving fish and meat etc then he should not be working there.
I would take this as far as you can take it i really would. And yes i would put your complaint in writing.
i would also speak to environmental health as he spat on your food. he would deny it anyway but you should still involve them. maybe also contact the trading standards agency for further advice.
If you do nothing then that waiter has got away with it and will do it again.

Answer 8

Ah you have to love this guy - love him or weep buckets!! There's obviously a huge vegan conspiracy that they're all out to get Foxy, or his family or his friends (not that I believe he has any).

His additional comments remind me of one of the Simpsons episodes where Homer does a voiceover over the end credits telling everybody they're fired. Allforasia - you're reported, you greenghost, you're reported too, and as for you Toph, you are SO reported!!

What a laugh!

Answer 9

Yes you should report him. Apart from the rudeness, if he spat on your food then that is a health issue at the very least. His manager may be totally unaware of the waiter's behaviour. If the restaurant refuse to do anything then tell them you are reporting them to the appropriate health authority. What if he had hepatitis or some other fluid communicable disease?

Answer 10

You can't prove he spat in it but you should certainly complain about the way he spoke to you. Write to the manager of the restaurant and also, if it was a chain restaurant, write to the head office. Let the restaurant know in your letter you have done this and they will be so concerned about head office finding out they will fall over themselves to do something about it.
Don't let it go - that waiter was completely out of order and if he feels that way about the food served he should work somewhere else. You were paying to receive a service and you didn't get it.

Answer 11

you should definately complain, there is no way i would stand for that i admire your calmness but i think the waiter needs a good slap.I hope you didn't pay. Best thing to do is arrange a time when you can go in and talk to the manager they will probably offer you some compensation (nothing much though). This waiter could be spitting in everyones food, god dam that makes me angry. If they refuse to listen then report them to trading standards.