Karen demands VIP table claiming to know the owner but I’m the owner and she was left crying with a $4,000 bill after my revenge. Karen storms into the restaurant screaming that she knows the owner and that we must give her in her group of Pals the VIP table reserved for celebrities. The trouble is I own the restaurant and have no idea who this lady is, but I decided to play along and see what happened.
During the dinner, one of the girls asked me whether I thought my life was meaningless because I worked as a waiter. That’s when I realized all bets were out and I was going to exact my retribution. This is what I did.
This occurred around Christmas and New Year’s. My grandparents immigrated to Canada from Italy in the 1970s and established a restaurant. When they died my parents took over the restaurant, which they grew and enlarged throughout the decades.
I’ve been working at the restaurant since I was 15. As my parents became older, they retired and became snowbirds spending the winterers in Florida. They sold the restaurant to me a few years ago, but they kept a tiny percentage of the stock as a mentary source of income in addition to their savings.
As soon as I took possession, I modernized the old place. I rebuilt the restaurant, altered the logo, and contacted local and National newspapers to place advertisements. I invited food critics, bloggers and vloggers.
It was slow at first and I began to fear that the loan I took out to undertake all of this was the worst mistake I’d ever made, that I had ruined three generations of a family company. But soon it began to work. A local semi- YouTuber included us in one of his videos which prompted more people to visit and review us.
Even on a Monday we were quickly seeing 5 to 10 times the regular volume of activity. We became a destination for large events and it was not uncommon for a celebrity to stop up on certain evenings. I even invited certain high-profile clients to visit and cook for our guests.
This cost a fortune, so we were completely filled for the holidays. People had to make reservations in July to get a table in December. It took years to get to this point.
When things become busy I don’t simply sit in the back office. I’m on the floor doing whatever needs to be done, whether it’s greeting customers, busing tables, or mopping the floors. On nights with high-profile guests or events I wear a jacket and take charge.
One night Six Women walked in. Five of them appeared to be in their early 20s, with the leader looking to be in her mid-20s. My best assumption was that she was an elder sister of one of the females or an older sorority sister to incoming college students.
I was greeting them at the entrance and as they approached Queen B Karen was telling the baby Karens how fantastic this restaurant is, how delicious the cuisine is, and how there might even be celebrities there. When she approached me she explained that she required a table for six. I responded, “Of course, can I get the name on the reservation?”
She stared at me.
She responded, “Oh I didn’t make one but it’s okay the owner is a personal friend of mine. He said he always keeps one or two tables open for special guests and we can have one of those tonight.”
This is true for many high-profile restaurants and I I’ve been doing it recently as well. But I had no idea who this woman was and she had never discussed any of this with me.
I understood she was attempting to get in without a reservation, but she had chosen the worst person to try this with. I told her, “I am sorry but we cannot seat anyone without a reservation. As you can see we do not have any seats available.”
I didn’t want to go all out and say I’m the owner and we have never spoken before so I Never Promised You anything, but I didn’t want to embarrass her in front of the other girls she was with at the time.
She then instructed one of the other girls to take a picture of me. She announced that she would speak with the owner and ensure that I was either scrubbing toilets or fired by the end of the week. The other girls behind her joined in saying things like, “Yeah kiss your minimum wage job goodbye.”
I wasn’t sure if they were in on it with her or if they truly believe she knew the owner.
Queen B Karen then said, “Look you can either give us a table or I can make your life very difficult. This is not worth losing your job.”
She kept pointing, trying to belittle me, and then saying things like, “Obviously you aren’t anyone here because if you were you would know who I am and never try to tell me anything other than yes or of course.”
She was constantly attempting to put me down and take that table. At this time it had been a hard day for me and from my perspective I had three options.
Number one I could inform her that I am the owner and call her out on all of this. Number two I could simply hand her the table and let things go. Or third I could teach Queen be Karen and her minions a lesson.
I selected option three. I smiled at her and said, “Of course ma’am, please follow me.”
I handed her one of the three tables we leave free in case a celebrity walks in, which occurs occasionally. I told her I apologize for everything and you right it would be simpler just to give you the table.
What happened next changed everything…
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