We Got a Waiter Fired

Scott Hardie | January 4, 2002
Last night we returned to J. Ryan's (the "Mixing Flavors" restaurant) for dinner. Ironically, we'd left our first choice because the wait time for a table was so long, 30-40 minutes.

After being seated at J. Ryan's, we waited twenty minutes for service. My mom finally got up and complained to the hostess, who apologized, took our drink orders, and said that she would have a word with our waiter. The head waiter came to our table to apologize, to say that our drinks were free, to take our food orders, and to say that our waiter would come by to apologize. We were served by the head waiter all night. At the end of the meal we told the head waiter that our waiter had never come by to apologize; he said that our waiter was at that moment in the manager's office being let go. It was the second time the same night that he had ignored customers.

I wasn't particularly struck by this experience except for its uniqueness. (It's the first time I can remember getting someone fired.) But, I did wonder if that's what it was like to be a minority a few decades ago: You go to a non-segregated restaurant, sit there indefinitely with all the wait staff walking right by you, and maybe you complain, but what do you get for it?