A local restaurant has earned widespread praise online after putting up a simple message for customers: treat the people serving you with respect.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The sign was spotted at a local breakfast and lunch burrito shop before being shared on Reddit’s MadeMeSmile community, where it prompted a discussion about how customers behave towards hospitality workers.
Rather than adopting the usual approach of telling diners about menu specials or opening hours, the restaurant used the space to stand up for its staff — particularly its younger employees.
And its message didn’t leave much room for ambiguity.
“Please Respect Our Staff.
“For many of them this is their first job.
“They are teenagers.
“They are someone’s child.
“They could be your child.
“Do not be rude to them.”
The restaurant also made clear that customers were still welcome to raise any problems they experienced.
It simply asked them to do so without taking their frustration out on the staff member standing in front of them.
“If you have a problem, ask for the manager (who also deserves to be treated with respect and kindness) or send a message to the owner,” the sign continued.
It then thanked customers who already showed patience and respect towards employees.
But perhaps the most telling part came right at the bottom.
“P.S. It is sad that we have to post this but some people need reminding,” the sign adds.
A photograph of the notice subsequently appeared on Reddit alongside the caption: “Local burrito shop had this sign up.”
And judging by the reaction, plenty of people agreed with the restaurant’s approach.
One of the most popular responses reduced the entire message to one straightforward principle, typing: “You want good customer service? Be a good customer!”
Another Reddit user pointed out that starting a first job is an experience many adults have been through themselves. They pointed out: “Everybody had a ‘first job’ at some point. Many people seem to forget that!”
That point sits at the heart of the restaurant’s notice.
For some of the teenagers working there, dealing with customers is part of their first experience of employment. Mistakes can happen, but the restaurant’s message makes clear that those mistakes don’t justify customers being rude to them.
Another commenter focused specifically on the age of the workers.
“’They are teenagers’. For real. Not to say you shouldn’t treat adults with respect as well, but I feel like it takes a special kind of asshole to be rude to kids.”
Others found it striking that a business needed to explicitly remind adults of something as basic as treating another person respectfully.
“The fact they have to tell grown adults to treat others with respect is crazy,” one Reddit user typed.
Another commenter argued that businesses should be willing to take a stand when employees are being berated over relatively minor problems.
“More people/businesses need to stand up for common decency, no one needs to get berated for messing up a coffee or burger order,” they wrote. “Lead with grace and low expectations for society nowadays, and carry on peacefully.”
The reactions reflected the same basic sentiment from different angles: being a paying customer doesn’t remove the expectation to treat the person serving you like a person.
In fact, as many people who have worked in hospitality will tell you: the customer is rarely right.
Featured image credit: Reddit
