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Seventy Cents to Hold the Roast Beef
Old 09-23-2007, 10:08 AM   #1
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Seventy Cents to Hold the Roast Beef

Around here, Subway has a sandwich of the day special. For example, on Saturday a roast beef sub costs $2.99. Note that a veggie sub costs $3.69.

I've now done the following several times, with the same results. I ask for the roast beef special, but ask them to hold the roast beef.

"I can't do that, because then it would be a veggies sub, and I'd have to charge you $3.69." is always the response.

Because I always get the same answer, I wonder whether this is a corporate policy. Think about it: it would cost them less to give me the sandwich without the roast beef, possibly the most expensive ingredient, but they won't do it. I guess it's a principle thing.

Because I'm a curmudgeon, I took it further yesterday. I said "OK, then please give me only one slice of roast beef."

"No, I can't do that" she said.

"OK, then please put the roast beef on top the sandwich." Which she did, with a little eye rolling.

Guess I know how to stick it to the man, huh?
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Old 09-23-2007, 10:10 AM   #2
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Old 09-23-2007, 10:17 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl View Post
Around here, Subway has a sandwich of the day special. For example, on Saturday a roast beef sub costs $2.99. Note that a veggie sub costs $3.69.

I've now done the following several times, with the same results. I ask for the roast beef special, but ask them to hold the roast beef.

"I can't do that, because then it would be a veggies sub, and I'd have to charge you $3.69." is always the response.

Because I always get the same answer, I wonder whether this is a corporate policy. Think about it: it would cost them less to give me the sandwich without the roast beef, possibly the most expensive ingredient, but they won't do it. I guess it's a principle thing.

Because I'm a curmudgeon, I took it further yesterday. I said "OK, then please give me only one slice of roast beef."

"No, I can't do that" she said.

"OK, then please put the roast beef on top the sandwich." Which she did, with a little eye rolling.

Guess I know how to stick it to the man, huh?
This sounds vaguely familiar...

Bobby
: I'd like an omelet, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce. And a cup of coffee.
Waitress: A #2, chicken salad sand. Hold the butter, the lettuce, the mayonnaise, and a cup of coffee. Anything else?
Bobby: Yeah, now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, give me a check for the chicken salad sandwich, and you haven't broken any rules.
Waitress: You want me to hold the chicken, huh?
Bobby: I want you
to hold it between your knees.
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Old 09-23-2007, 10:23 AM   #4
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Old 09-23-2007, 10:35 AM   #5
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I'll take your roast beef...
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Old 09-23-2007, 10:42 AM   #6
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I'll take your roast beef...
I was going to save it for Cycling Investor and Khan, but they only eat raw meat.
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Old 09-23-2007, 10:43 AM   #7
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Al, it is amazing.

I was in local yakitori place a while back. I ordered some special that included a drink. The kid handed me a cup and I said "Thanks anyhow, I'll skip the drink." "Sorry sir, I'll have to charge you the regular price then." So I took the cup and dropped it in the trash on the way out.

Keep fighting the idiots. Or tipping at windmills.

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Old 09-23-2007, 11:04 AM   #8
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I would have asked for the roast beef on the side.. but I guess on top is just as good...

I had a similar problem awhile back when they used to sell two cheeseburgers for $2... I don't want cheese, so I said two hamburgers... which cost more.. they did not budge until I did say two CHEESEburgers hold the cheese... they just hit the buttons and it went right through... I guess they got a little smarter..
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Old 09-23-2007, 02:17 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by TromboneAl View Post
Around here, Subway has a sandwich of the day special. For example, on Saturday a roast beef sub costs $2.99. Note that a veggie sub costs $3.69.

I've now done the following several times, with the same results. I ask for the roast beef special, but ask them to hold the roast beef.

"I can't do that, because then it would be a veggies sub, and I'd have to charge you $3.69." is always the response.

Because I always get the same answer, I wonder whether this is a corporate policy. Think about it: it would cost them less to give me the sandwich without the roast beef, possibly the most expensive ingredient, but they won't do it. I guess it's a principle thing.

Because I'm a curmudgeon, I took it further yesterday. I said "OK, then please give me only one slice of roast beef."

"No, I can't do that" she said.

"OK, then please put the roast beef on top the sandwich." Which she did, with a little eye rolling.

Guess I know how to stick it to the man, huh?
Stuff like this is why I am selling my restaurant and utterly hate the general public.

is 69 cents really worth the entire staff and ownership thinking you are a idiot scammer? If I had owned that Subway (I do not own any Subways by the way this is just my opinion), I would have asked you to leave when you continued trying to scam by asking for the roast beef on top of the bread.

In fact I have a sign up in my place that says "Daily Special (insert item and price), THIS SPECIAL IS NOT DEBATABLE"

One of my biggest pet peaves is when a customer orders something silly, and I tell them no, then they ask me 3 more times, why why why, then they start the scamming crap trying to get their way.

Al I do not mean to sound like a ass or anything, but please rethink doing stuff like this, imagine the thing on earth that pisses you off the most, that is what you are doing to these poor people.
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Old 09-23-2007, 02:45 PM   #10
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Why is TA a scammer when he is actually saving the restaurant money? I would agree with you if he was trying to get something extra for nothing but he is not?
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Old 09-23-2007, 02:57 PM   #11
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Could somebody please tell me what ever happened to "The customer is always right"? And why is it that people who are working in "service industries" treat we customers as if THEY are doing US a favor by being there?
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Old 09-23-2007, 02:58 PM   #12
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Stuff like this is why I am selling my restaurant and utterly hate the general public.
I think you are making a wise choice.

All people who could have been on the other side of the counter thank you.
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Old 09-23-2007, 03:01 PM   #13
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Why is TA a scammer when he is actually saving the restaurant money? I would agree with you if he was trying to get something extra for nothing but he is not?
It is not about the money, we are not food prostitutes. He was trying to save 69 cents instead of just buying the Veg sub. So he was screwing them out of 69 cents not saving them money.

The special is the special, if they change it for 1 person, they have to change it for EVERYONE to whatever item they want.

A little example.

Let us say the special is Turkey and Cheese.

Customer 1 orders turkey and cheese.

Customer 2, starts with the foolishness just wanting the cheese, when a cheese sub is not the special, he waste time, holds up the line, annoys the staff and any customers behind him. The staff gives in because he is acting like a 5 year old.

Customer 1, then throws a fit, because he really wanted a Cheese sub, but he got the Turkey and Cheese to save money, so he now wants his sub replaced, since you gave into customer 2, you have to do the same to this person.

Customer 3 then notices that you changed the special for customer 2, so he pitches a hissy fit, wanting a roastbeef sub for the turkey special, once again you are screwed.

Management then has a meeting and decides the special is the special.

Customer 4, then happens to be a ethnic group, they know that you changed the special for customers 1-3, and when you do not do it for them, they you are sued for being a evil biggot.

Through doing all this, your reason for having the special, which may have been extra turkey, that you wanted to push before it was not top notch quality is now going bad. Then you have to chuck 50 pounds of turkey, your food cost sky rocket.

Your staff gets tired of the crap arguing with people, and they quit.

Your food cost is now triple what it should be, everytime you run a special you have a freaking mental breakdown because of customers, you are working 18 hours a day because your staff quit, and being sued.

Now the owners are stressed out, not giving service like they should, not taking care of their good customers, and sales are down.

next thing you know, you are out of business, the bank is taking your house, and you have lost everything, because you didn't stand your ground.

Sounds far fetched? it happens all the time, and is one reason food places go bottoms up all the time.
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Old 09-23-2007, 03:11 PM   #14
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Reminds me of the VP of Customer Service at my old company. She was always muttering under her breath (to the other VP's), "If these damn customers would just stop calling us maybe we could get something done!"
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Old 09-23-2007, 03:19 PM   #15
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we are not food prostitutes.

he was screwing them

foolishness

he waste time, holds up the line, annoys the staff

acting like a 5 year old.

pitches a hissy fit

once again you are screwed.

you are sued for being a evil biggot.

staff gets tired of the crap arguing with people, and they quit.

you are working 18 hours a day because your staff quit

sales are down. [enough!]
Richie, you sound extraordinarily bitter. I thought so from your first post, but never had occasion to mention it before. I hope that retiring changes that for you. Remember why you wanted to retire so early; your father in law. Take it easy.

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Old 09-23-2007, 03:30 PM   #16
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Richie, you sound extraordinarily bitter. I thought so from your first post, but never had occasion to mention it before. I hope that retiring changes that for you.

You are 100% right, and I hope it changes me too.

I think people are kinda mis-understanding me too, I treat my good customers like gold, I am not a jackass to everyone. We actually almost every year win local newspaper awards for customer service, but I do not put up with customers that constantly try to scam me, are rude to me and my staff.

You would not believe the amount of people that for some reason think because they spend a few dollars they can verbally abuse you for 10 minutes. Or customers that come in and tell female and employees and my wife very off sexual things, they are customers, and they are wrong.

I have been in business for myself almost a decade, and sold millions of dollars worth of food.

The first few years I ran my business with the "customer is always right" crap and gave into every single thing people wanted, and never made a damn penny.

When I started using common sense it made me a millionaire and able to retire at 30.

And let me add this.

I think back in 1950 that you could run a place where the customer is always right, I do not think you can do that now.

I cannot tell people the first thing about what do in a market, but I can tell you how to make a few million in the food business. I have done it, and hopefully by the time I hit my 40's I wont be such a ass!
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Old 09-23-2007, 03:51 PM   #17
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... hopefully by the time I hit my 40's I wont be such a ass!
he he he - You definitely are a character! And I am sure you are right that things have changed substantially in what customers are like to deal with from the good old days until these days.



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Old 09-23-2007, 03:56 PM   #18
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Because I'm a curmudgeon, I took it further yesterday. I said "OK, then please give me only one slice of roast beef."
What if you said "Give my roast beef to the gent/lady behind me as a gift and give me the rest of what I ordered".

You would be "stickin it to the man" by helping your fellow man/woman/other!
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Old 09-23-2007, 05:02 PM   #19
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Stuff like this is why I am selling my restaurant and utterly hate the general public.

is 69 cents really worth the entire staff and ownership thinking you are a idiot scammer? If I had owned that Subway (I do not own any Subways by the way this is just my opinion), I would have asked you to leave when you continued trying to scam by asking for the roast beef on top of the bread.

In fact I have a sign up in my place that says "Daily Special (insert item and price), THIS SPECIAL IS NOT DEBATABLE"

One of my biggest pet peaves is when a customer orders something silly, and I tell them no, then they ask me 3 more times, why why why, then they start the scamming crap trying to get their way.

Al I do not mean to sound like a ass or anything, but please rethink doing stuff like this, imagine the thing on earth that pisses you off the most, that is what you are doing to these poor people.
Bigritchie...

Well, then you SHOULD get out of the food business.... this is a fast food place where people go to get cheap food... so an extra dollar or so is a lot.. and if it was a family of 4 then maybe $3 to $4....

But, your example is different... it says clearly that is all you get... I have seen that at place with 'no substitutes'... and have no problem with that as it is a take it or leave it special... but if you had a special that had cheese and I said 'hold the cheese' would you go nuts?? If you would, I would never be back in you store again anyhow... so, then what is the difference in hold the roast beef... it is not like he said 'change the roast beef for ham'... he just did not want it on his sandwich and was going to throw it away... putting IN the sandwich would make it harder to throw away, but in the garbage it was going no matter what....

And if I am going out to eat, I want to eat what I want.... so special orders are the way things go...
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Old 09-23-2007, 05:19 PM   #20
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there should be no problem with what he did, period. at the worst, ta could have gotten it with the rb, and tossed it himself. but i figure the restaurant would appreciate being able to sell those three, skinny, unerweight, ovedrpriced pieces of beef.
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