Dissatisfied

A disappointing experience – Where are we heading as a society? I waited for 30 minutes to be seated. I was number one in the queue, yet people who arrived after me were attended to and seated before me. In fact, one of the customers who had already been seated had to draw the attention of the staff at the door to the fact that I had been waiting for quite some time. I cannot help but wonder whether the fact that I was dining alone (a party of one) had something to do with being overlooked. Perhaps, in someone's estimation, one person is not as valuable a customer as a larger table, or the anticipated tip is not worth the same effort. What made matters worse was hearing a staff member say, "Oh, those are our regular customers!" Does being a regular customer entitle someone to preferential treatment at the expense of others? Where are we heading? Have we not moved beyond this kind of behaviour? Every customer deserves to be treated with respect, courtesy and fairness, regardless of whether they arrive alone or in a group. Different strokes for different folks? I certainly hope that is not the standard of service being practised. I am deeply disappointed. It is not about being given special treatment; it is about expecting equal treatment. One sentence I particularly like for your complaint is: "I did not expect preferential treatment. I simply expected not to be treated as though I mattered less because I was alone." That says it all. �