There was a long list of things that customers could do to end up on Lumen’s bad side – which was significantly worse than the unpleasant side she generally showed the world. She hated when she walked up to a table and the people had a glazed over look, as though they had never been to a restaurant and couldn’t possibly make an order without going through the entire menu, item by item. She hated when she tried to get a table’s order in the middle of a rush, but they were too preoccupied with their own conversation to notice she was there. The list went on and on, and Lumen could spend days ranting about it, but there was nothing she hated more than when customers acknowledged her sour disposition and chose to comment on it. She didn’t know who this lady thought she was, but she was in the wrong place if she was expecting service with a smile. “They don’t pay me enough to have a better attitude, sorry.” The apology was paired with a bright mocking smile; how was that for an attitude adjustment?
It wasn’t uncommon for Lumen to speak this way to customers. She was sure that she had been reported or complained about to the manager on more than one occasion. Had it not been for the fact that, even when she was at her worst, her only punishment was a slap on the wrist, she may have been more concerned about the security of her job. Teenagers and their attitudes were not often tolerated in the working world; Lumen was not only lucky to have freedom at work, but to have a job at all. She sighed under her breath, already preparing herself for the argument she was about to incur. “I still have to charge you for the dinner plate, so you might as well get a side.” No, she wasn’t trying to be helpful; she just didn’t to deal with yet another customer getting angry because they had to pay full price for a half-ordered plate “And I really can’t recommend that you eat our meat rare.” Lumen’s eyes were lowered to her pad as she wrote down the brunette’s order. “I mean if you like food poisoning, then by all means, but personally, I prefer not to be locked in the bathroom, puking my guts up.” She didn’t even care enough to lower her voice for the sake of the customers around them. What? They knew where they were eating; if they were surprised that the food wasn’t four star quality, they were probably slow to start with. Lumen should have actually said nothing and let the woman find out for herself, but she seemed the type to storm back in and cause problems later. “Anything else?”