Bad Customer Experience at IHOP [Video]

aka: Appalling Treatment with no Justice Served

to a kind, polite, frequent, long-term, high paying customer.

facebook.com/chris.brenner.74

SECOND RECOUNT – 3:20
DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT – 6:30
DESCRIBING MY ROUTINE – 8:47
FAVOURABLE QUALITIES – 13:06
HISTORY OF ABUSIVE OR UNACCEPTABLE TREATMENT – 14:16
1st Complaint Letter – 19:22
DETAILS OF ABUSIVE TREATMENT FOR LAST OCCURRENCE – 27:19
MEETING WITH MANAGER – 32:10
2nd Complaint Letter – 36:04

Hello all. My name is Chris Brenner. My case involves appalling mistreatment towards myself from one server at IHOP (International House of Pancakes) in New Westminster, British Columbia on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. They close or at least their advertised closing time is 10 pm Wednesday to Sunday. The kitchen closes at 9;30. It’s very common for a restaurant to close it half an hour before the whole place. You’ll want to keep that in your minds. Kitchen closes at 9:30 pm. Restaurant closes at 10:00 pm.

I ate a lot there, spent a lot, and was polite. Here’s the evening server I was gifted with. A female server at IHOP seemed to develop animosity towards me over time. Even though I was very considerate and friendly towards the staff and was a customer for years eating there frequently and spending about $50 in one sitting, she chose to vent on me. Her grudge towards me came from me leaving the restaurant too close to the closing time. For example, I would arrive at around 8;30, order a lot and eat slowly, proactively offer to pay at around 9;30, and leave the restaurant at around 9;55. Therefore, her attitude was that it was me and only me who prevented her from being able to leave at 9;35, 9;40, 9;45… instead of at 10 o’clock. I sent a letter to the manager after this last and serious occurrence. It was a she goes or I go type of negotiation. I like IHOP’s extensive meal options and portions. Her boss pretty much gave me a “too bad, so sad” type of resolution and I was more expendable than that server. This is my first time submitting a complaint like this in my life, 49 years old, but “appalling treatment with no justice served.”

For those who don’t care to hear a lot, hear about details, occurrences leading up to this, nuances, then of course, feel free to just take what you’ve heard so far for what you feel it’s worth.

SECOND RECOUNT

I apologize for repeating certain things throughout this video. I don’t expect a lot of viewers to be fully attentive. I know I wouldn’t be.

Here’s another condensed explanation of what took place.

If you get a good customer (spends lots and treats staff with kindness and respect), show a reasonable amount of reciprocation! I’m speaking to one of the 2 female servers who works closing shifts. One of them is 5 stars! See if you can guess which one is which. If you go there in the evening, you’ll probably get the same servers. As for the other one, the boss may want to seriously look into how much she enjoys her job. If she cannot cash out by the time the kitchen closes (she can’t cash out earlier than that) and if the last customer hasn’t left by then, she clearly feels so sorry for herself and takes that out on at least, me. The “I could leave work by now if you didn’t hold up the show!” type of fury. This place is not recommended by me because a server like this works there. I always proactively offered to pay early enough so they can cash out ASAP. This server’s thinking was cash out as early as she can, no work left to do, yay… I can leave! Any customer who is still left in the restaurant is a menace! When I was the only one remaining, I was the bad guy instead of a guy who indirectly contributed to paying her wages (again about $50 per sitting). It is unethical, childish, selfish, unprofessional… to put her leaving early hopefulness ahead of consumer rights.

If it is inconvenient, disappointing, frustrating, to accommodate late arrivers, the restaurant staff should take that up with the manager/owner asking that the advertised closing time get changed. It is wrong to shift the blame to the customer when the hours of operation are not getting breached.

I work in customer service and the number of things that I wish customers would do or not do to make my job/life easier, can be counted on more than 2 hands. So… nothing to do but put on my big boy pants I’d think. I’m paid to put up with those things last time I checked. An employee doesn’t get to choose their customers. I’ve also worked at a restaurant in the past.

DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT

To now give a more descriptive account of that incident, she got pissed off and didn’t hide it that I’m someone who could arrive between 8 and 8;30 and still not be walking out of there until sometime between 9;45 and 10. How dare I, right? Maybe because I order 3 dishes and eat slowly because it’s more comfortable and healthier. My right. She wanted me out by cash out time so I couldn’t possibly prevent…

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