Rude Subway restaurant worker today

[Julia Mercer]

I plan to call management tomorrow to complain, but I wanted to share my vent about a rude worker at a local Subway restaurant.

My best friend and I were downtown, looking for a quick bite to eat, as we had to catch a bus nearby for a day trip, so after finding out the Tim Hortons we had originally chosen was closed, we walked up the street a couple blocks to the Subway.

Well, the door was unlocked and the open sign was lit, so we walked in, and no sooner had we walked in, the girl behind the counter snapped at us "Nothings ready, I just got here! It won't be ready till 8:30" Keep in mind, it's barely 5 after 8. so we were tempted to ask why the open sign was on and the door unlocked, but instead we found an office cafe that was open and got our food there, from a server with a friendly smile and attitude, and believe me, I'm going to call tomorrow morning with much praise for her.

Do you think this incident (the first one) warrants a call to management?

Thanks for listening, I had to get that off my chest!

Jules

[guihong]

I'd probably give her the benefit of the doubt, and chalk it up to a bad morning.  If you've had good service at that Subway before, it's probably a one-off.

gui

[Julia Mercer]

Actually, that was our first time in that one, we've had great service at the other locations around town, it just left us wondering why she had left the door unlocked and the open sign on if she wasn't ready.

Jules

[FoxPaws]

Did they not have hours posted? The door may have been open to comply with safety rules. It also may have been left open by another employee without her realizing it - perhaps her harsh response was a reaction to being startled.

[IndianInlaw]

Of course it does.  The franchise owner has a right to know why his or her business is going down the drain.

I went to a KFC at opening time (to drop off charity promotional material) and a poor customer tried to order various items.  He kept hearing "we haven't made that yet.

My boss said to me "Why bother opening?"

[applepiesy]

I don't think it warrants a call.  She just said she wasn't ready yet. Does she really deserved to get fired over it?  Before you complain, whether it be this time or any other time, really think about how bad the offense really was. When I worked in the hell that is service world people would complain about the littlest things. "She wasn't smiling the entire time she made my sandwich!" Ugh, get over it.  Why the sign said open.. well who knows, those places don't always run with the greatest of common sense.

[Pixie]

I've only complained about poor service in a restaurant once.... and it was a Subway.   I had been to that store and had excellent service every time except that one, and I made sure I told the manager that, too. I ordered a Subway club. Made my selections for bread, cheese amd then, when asked, I replied, "No peppers of any kind, I am allergic"     He FILLED my sandwich with green bell peppers, which happens to be the one thing I am highly allergic to. I cannot even eat a tomato or anything  which has touched a green bell pepper.   My husband made him throw out the sandwhich, change gloves and make me a new one.  Jerk-boy attempted to put green bell peppers on the new sandwhich, saying "She can't REALLY be allergic to these."

Well, THAT  was what did it. The first time could have been a honest mistake, the second time was deliberate.  The restaurant was full, and people were getting impatient, but Hubby called over another employee, explained what happened and asked HER to make me a new sandwich, which she very cheerfully did, and did it exactly how I had ordered it in the first place. 

The next morning, I called the manager, explained the situation, and Jerk-boy was fired.  Apparently this was not the first or last time he had been rude, disrespectful, and downright hostile to customers who dared to want a sandwich when he was unhappy about having to work that day. Yes, I continued to go to that restaurant, and I never had another problem.... and I made sure the manager knew how wonderful the REST of her employees were.

[kingsrings]

I've only complained about poor service in a restaurant once.... and it was a Subway.   I had been to that store and had excellent service every time except that one, and I made sure I told the manager that, too. I ordered a Subway club. Made my selections for bread, cheese amd then, when asked, I replied, "No peppers of any kind, I am allergic"     He FILLED my sandwich with green bell peppers, which happens to be the one thing I am highly allergic to. I cannot even eat a tomato or anything  which has touched a green bell pepper.   My husband made him throw out the sandwhich, change gloves and make me a new one.  Jerk-boy attempted to put green bell peppers on the new sandwhich, saying "She can't REALLY be allergic to these."

Well, THAT  was what did it. The first time could have been a honest mistake, the second time was deliberate.  The restaurant was full, and people were getting impatient, but Hubby called over another employee, explained what happened and asked HER to make me a new sandwich, which she very cheerfully did, and did it exactly how I had ordered it in the first place. 

The next morning, I called the manager, explained the situation, and Jerk-boy was fired.  Apparently this was not the first or last time he had been rude, disrespectful, and downright hostile to customers who dared to want a sandwich when he was unhappy about having to work that day. Yes, I continued to go to that restaurant, and I never had another problem.... and I made sure the manager knew how wonderful the REST of her employees were.

That is the kind of situation that warrants a call to the manager. The situation described in this thread doesn't, IMHO. There could be so many reasons why the open sign was on and the door was opened even though they weren't supposed to be. She shouldn't of reacted to you like that, but I just don't think that it was a really big deal. And having worked the opposite end of the spectrum in a franchisee's office, rest assured that people don't automatically get fired because someone calls up and complains about them, unless it is a serious issue, such as the employee who scooped up dropped french fries from the floor and put them back in the fryer. A customer witnessed that, called our office, and the employee was fired as it was a health law issue. And it was funny because some customers would call in absolutely demanding that such-and-such employee be fired, as if it could mean so much to them. The most they would get is a verbal or written warning from their manager. If it accumulated to a point, then of course they would be fired, but not just from one incident.

[Slartibartfast]

I support the OP contacting management.  I would probably intend to, but never get around to it.  The thing is, it can go two ways, either complain or don't complain:

-  If you write in a complaint and there have been problems with this employee before (or she really should have been ready to be open when the Subway said it was open!), the problem gets fixed.  Subway customers and management are happy.
-  If you write in a complaint and there weren't any problems before, or the management doesn't care, there is no harm done.  Management isn't doing anything about it anyway.
-  If you don't complain and management wouldn't have cared anyway, nothing changes.
-  If you don't complain and management WOULD have done something, all the other Subway customers who want sandwiches before 8:30 lose out.

It takes a few minutes of the OP's time, but I don't really see a downside to telling management about this.  They're not going to fire the girl because of one complaint, so there's very little of hurting an innocent employee - and there's good potential for fixing a situation caused by bad policy, a lazy employee, or bad management.

[buckeyefan]

A couple weeks ago I stopped in a Subway to get lunch. It was obvious that the young man behind the counter had no desire to work there. He mumbled, requiring me to ask him to repeat what he said. I got the "eye-roll" and he re-mumbled his question. I asked him to heat the sandwich (because it was one that should be served hot) and I thought he was going to throw it in my face. Then he gave me the wrong size container for a beverage.

Also, when I worked retail, if someone was in the building, the front door had to be unlocked and the lights had to be on. This was required of the city where the business was located. It was very frustrating because sometimes I would go in early to do paperwork and people would come in the store and want to shop.

[lmyrs]

It is possible that the door was unlocked and the lights on because of safety regulations. But, I highly doubt that safety regulations mandate that the "open" sign be lit, which, the OP stated that it was.

If a restaurant is open to customers at 8:00, then they should be prepared to serve customers at 8:00, not 8:30. If that means that employees have to be there before 8:00 to prepare, then so be it.

I'd complain to management.

[Bijou]

I plan to call management tomorrow to complain, but I wanted to share my vent about a rude worker at a local Subway restaurant.

My best friend and I were downtown, looking for a quick bite to eat, as we had to catch a bus nearby for a day trip, so after finding out the Tim Hortons we had originally chosen was closed, we walked up the street a couple blocks to the Subway.

Well, the door was unlocked and the open sign was lit, so we walked in, and no sooner had we walked in, the girl behind the counter snapped at us "Nothings ready, I just got here! It won't be ready till 8:30" Keep in mind, it's barely 5 after 8. so we were tempted to ask why the open sign was on and the door unlocked, but instead we found an office cafe that was open and got our food there, from a server with a friendly smile and attitude, and believe me, I'm going to call tomorrow morning with much praise for her.

Do you think this incident (the first one) warrants a call to management?

Thanks for listening, I had to get that off my chest!

Jules

Maybe she was having a bad morning.  She should not have been rude and could have gotten her message across without an attitude, but I would just let it go. 

[Raintree]

It's annoying, and you could call management to complain if you want, but if I were in your shoes I probably wouldn't bother. It's just not one of those things in life to get worked up over.

I'm in no way advocating that employees be rude, but on the other hand, if you ever come across an employee that is less than friendly, consider that the person may

-be feeling unwell but can't afford a sick day, or has been told by management, "We have nobody to cover for you - come in or else!!"
-have just found out a close family member has a terminal illness
-have been up all night with a sick baby

or any other number of reasons for not smiling brightly at you. I remember working with a girl who was barely functional one day because she had just found out her mother was going to die of cancer. She was slightly abrupt with some demanding customer, and that customer just had a fit over it. Made me realize that you just don't know what other people are going through that make them unable to give their best service.

On the other hand, I used to shop at a large grocery store where the employees were pretty rude on a regular basis. I got so fed up with shopping there but it was the only choice as I was on foot. They'd snatch the money out of your hand with no please or thank-you, dump the change back at you without counting it out or saying a word....carry on conversations with the next cashier without so much as a hello or any kind of acknowledgement.....if I tried to be pleasant and chatty they'd just look at me like I was nuts. Since this happened on a consistent basis I knew it was due to lack of training on the store's part and/or poor hiring decisions, rather than the odd employee having an off day.

[Raintree]

Speaking of Subway, I once had an exchange there as follows:

Me:            Hi, could I please have a 6" veggies and cheese sub on brown?
Employee:   White or brown?
Me:            Brown, please.
E:              Would you like cheese on that?
Me:            Yes, veggies and cheese.
E:              What veggies would you like?
Me:            Lettuce, tomato, green pepper, and onion
E:              Would you like lettuce?
Me:            Yes please.
E:              And what other veggies?
Me:            Tomato, green pepper, and onion
(Employee puts on the tomato...): any other veggies?
Me:            OK, yes, green pepper (waits for green pepper to be added)....and now onions
E:              Mustard, mayonnaise?
Me:            Just a little mustard
E:             (Picks up mayonnaise)
Me:            No, no mayonnaise, thanks....just a little mustard
E:               Salt and Pepper?
Me:             yes

Then I walked back to work with my sandwich and explained in great detail to my co-worker why my break took so long.   

[Spring Water on Sundays]

If the store's posted hours begin at 8:00, they need to be ready to serve customers at 8:00. If the OP had been a "mystery shopper" sent by corporate, that store would have received a minimum score and the employee probably would have been written up.

If OP were to call the store manager, it may save the store and employee from having to hear about it from corporate in the future.