‘You can't have breakfast until I say so’: Overworked hotel worker singles out guest who demands breakfast ‘on time’, allowing everyone else to eat breakfast early

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    Food
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    Font - Posted by u/anna120 1 day ago her Karen wants breakfast M OC 3 I work at a hotel, I'm on the graveyard shift and we have a continental breakfast from 6-9, and my shift ends at 7 so I'm in charge of setting up the breakfast. It's not a big deal, it's a smallish hotel and a small breakfast, but we do have waffles and a couple of waffle makers. Basically guests come in, they get their batter out of a dispenser and make their waffles so they're fresh and hot.
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    Font - We have two seasons where I live, winter and construction season, and we get work crews that stay at the hotel on the boss's dime and then go out for whatever job they're working on, and we very frequently get this one crew of guys. They're mostly Mexican, and they're great guys, they're polite and they don't leave the breakfast room a mess, but their shifts start super early in the morning. We
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    Font - also get hunters who are in and out before 6, so I usually have everything set up by 5:30 for them. I say usually because I'm only human, sometimes I'm running late, it happens, but I'm never more than 5 minutes after 6. The workers and the hunters are super chill about it, they get it and don't complain about waiting a couple of extra minutes. I also feel the need to add that the foreman is amongst them, so he's eating when they are.
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    Font - So, one day I'm running a little late, I got caught up with what I was doing and kinda lost track of time, so I was rushing to get everything set up while the guys are patiently waiting in the lobby. In enters Karen, who sees the time, sees the breakfast isn't ready, and decides to yell at me for it, saying that the sign says breakfast is from 6-9 and should be started exactly at 6. I tried to
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    Font - keep working while talking to her so I could get the breakfast ready, but she decided that was rude, so I had to stop what I was doing and stand there with her yelling at me until she ran out of breath and I could finish setting up. Karen complains to the manager, I get a verbal warning that I have to have breakfast open by 6 as I was about 15 minutes behind because Karen was yelling at me when I would have been less than 4 if she'd let me fi g finish.
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    Font - Well, Karen was a stayover, and she was in the next day before 6. The manager refunded part of her stay under guest satisfaction, and I think she was hoping to find me doing something wrong so she could get another refund, but I was on my game and had everything set up by 5:30 like usual. She came in before the workers and saw me sitting at the front desk and sneered about me
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    Font - being lazy when I should be setting up breakfast. I told her the breakfast was already ready to go as the construction workers are entering, but I stand and walk over to block the doorway to the breakfast room and told them that I couldn't let them in because the manager said I had to start the breakfast at exactly 06:00, so I couldn't let them back until then, and as I'm saying this I'm looking
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    Font - directly at Karen. Slowly heads turn and Karen goes red, and mutters something about coming back later, and leaves, so I let the guys back. They said it was funny, and like I said, the workers have had to wait a little after six before with no problem, and the foreman was there. To be clear, if I thought this stunt was going to cost them their
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    Font - breakfast I never would have done it, but I knew that wasn't gonna be a problem. I didn't see Karen again, so either she didn't come back, or she returned after I left, but either way I didn't hear another word from the manager about it. You want your breakfast at 6? You're gonna get your breakfast at 6!
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    Font - dharmon555 1 day ago The first time I went to a hotel as a child, I remember them saying there would be a free continental breakfast in the morning. I didn't know what a continental breakfast was, but it sure sounded a whole lot fancier than any normal breakfast. I had visions of a vast buffet of gourmet foods. The reality was some raspberry danish and a
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    Font - miniature box of rice crispies. 633 GreenEggPage 1 day ago Reply Share 20 251 +4. Yep. "Continental" refers to the European continent and serves to distinguish the breakfast from a full English breakfast. Reply Share
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    Rectangle - Ice-_-Bear 1 day ago Oh how the turntables 453 Reply Share jimi762 - 1 day ago 2 turntables and a waffle-phone 117 Reply Share
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    Font - WeirdSelection - 1 day ago A great MC. Its even better when done to a Karen. 4 462 Reply Share
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    Font - Stabbmaster +3. 1 day ago "Yes ma'am, I understand the frustration. I would have been done more than 10 minutes ago, but it seems like getting your word in was more important than getting the breakfast ready" 36 Reply Share
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    Font - ProblemFresh1587 1 day ago This is quintessential MC and I love it. Kinda reminds me of every time someone rides up my as when I'm going 60mph or higher in a 55mph zone so I slow down to exactly 55 and put on the cruise control. We're gonna follow the rules to a T. 212 Reply Share
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    Font - Just-Call-Me-J +1. 23 hr. ago Wait so she wanted breakfast, but wanted you to stop preparing breakfast while she talked? Vote Reply
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    Font - harrywwc 22 hr. ago +3. yeah, in their teeny tiny brain they don't see the disconnect between yelling at someone and stopping them from doing the job they're yelling at them about. and how absolutely rude to not pay 100% attention while being yelled at. Vote Reply
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    Font - YardFudge 1 day ago Kudos +2. Good MC & story too If this happens again... let the workers in early with the agreement they'll block Karen out.... Just stand there in the door Give them each a go- bag for lunch/snacks 19 Reply Share
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    Font - paralyse78 1 day ago +3. Textbook MC and well- written story. It sounds like you really take heart in providing great customer service which is a refreshing attitude to see.
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    Font - I'm not sure exactly when it became a commonly-accepted behavior for customers to treat workers and employees as rudely as possible, but that is one social behavior that needs correcting.
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    Font - Why someone would ever think being mean and rude to another person would make them MORE likely to help you or do any favors for you is utterly beyond me. Unfortunately, managers often reinforce a Karen's bad behavior by giving in to their demands, which just exacerbates the problem.
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    Font - As someone who works in a customer-service- oriented industry, nothing bothers me as much as when I tell a customer 'no' only to have my decision overturned by someone above me, even if it's a ridiculous or unreasonable request, all in the interest of 'retaining customers' and 'winning the war' and all of the other tired business cliches that get trotted out. By giving in
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    Font - to Karen's temper- tantrum, not only is your manager reinforcing Karen's bad behavior, they're teaching the other customers that it's okay to act like a spoiled brat if they want something they can't have or get. Worse yet is when bad managers then turn around and give them free stuff or discounts
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    Font - or partial refunds for 'customer satisfaction' or 'due to the bad experience', as your manager did, which is basically teaching all the Karens of the world that if they complain loudly enough, not only will they get what they want, they'll basically be rewarded for complaining now AND in the future.

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