Fake names because I don’t want people finding me. Today at work (I’m a server and a host) I was serving and saw a takeout order get placed in the window. I asked my host Bailey if it was for the lady sitting down at a table. She said it was and handed me the bag to go with the pizzas, she said nothing about the lady not being checked out and needing to pay. Only handed me the bag and said it was. So I assumed that she was all set, later on my manager asked if I gave out that order to which I responded I did, I got written up for it because I also host when I’m not serving. So aita for not making sure the customer was checked out or should the host had told me?
UPDATE- I think I need to add more context, take out is fully the hosts responsibility. They are supposed to check people out and do the take out orders, servers and management will help out if we see it. Neither the customer or the host told me the order wasn’t paid for. I did explain to my manager after I signed the write up, she said that my host had told her she didn’t know what happened to the order and it just disappeared. I don’t know if she processed the write up or if the host got written up as well. I had tables to care for and had walked away from the customer to tend to my tables.
TLDR- my host didn’t tell me an order needed to be paid for when she handed me the bag for the Togo order.
No one has any idea how your work functions or how it’s supposed to go. Seems like you wrote that work thinks you messed up. So I guess YTA?
Work thinks I messed up. Hosts do take out orders and check people out. The lady was sitting there for 15 minutes waiting for her food. I assumed that she was all set and she had paid. My host didn’t tell me that the order wasn’t paid for. It is the hosts job to ring people out and make sure they’re paid, but I had given the lady her food although my host did hand me the bag for the takeout and told me it was for her. I assumed she would’ve told me if she wasn’t checked out.
Not. You should have been told. More importantly the customer should have been honest and told you.
I had a table to take care of and did walk away after placing her food down. Although you’d think that the customer would’ve said something
NTA
I don’t think you really did anything wrong but as in all business they made it so you are technically in the wrong. That is how businesses treat their worker bots. It’s like someone drawing the beginning of the letter t on a board and then the manager coming in and yelling at you for not crossing it to complete the t.
That wasn’t your job but they want to make it so you think you should be coming in to cross someone else’s t
Bailey should have said, “She isn’t checked out.” It would have taken all of 2 seconds to say it. She is the one actually in the wrong for not finishing the t she started.
You can explain this all day to management and they desperately need to be right so they will pretend they don’t see it that way. The business model depends on them having final say and with that comes the fallacy of thinking they are never wrong.
I had explained this to my manager after I signed the write up, she said that hostess had told her she didn’t know where it went and it disappeared even though she had handed me the bag
Oh that’s worse. The acting host forgot what they did at best or threw you under the bus at worst.
Be wary of that one. They may do it again to get out of trouble.
You’re gonna have to cover your own ass by asking all the questions now.
I honestly don’t think I’ll ever help a host out with takeout when I’m serving again. Unless I’m asked to help I don’t think I will.
Said host has also asked for one of my hosting shifts before and when I sent it to her and it got approved she then told me she forgot about an event she had to go to and couldn’t take it anymore.
Sounds like the restaurant has a whole needs to tighten up on their procedures because I don’t have enough information to be able to answer this question because I haven’t a clue how a restaurant works and I sure can’t tell from your story what should’ve happened or who would’ve been responsible.
I understand there’s a lot of moving parts in a restaurant and I suppose that since you picked up the bag and gave it to the lady maybe you could’ve asked her if she paid for it, but was it your job to do that? I have no idea doesn’t sound like it, but maybe you could’ve done it anyway who knows.
Partial AH. There should have been communication. You can’t just assume. I always ask, we’re good and everything is paid? Lesson learned, don’t make assumptions.
Every time I got to get a take-out order, it is paid for when I place the order, not after it is made and bagged. I have never seen a restaurant that makes/bags the order and \*then\* asks for payment.
YTA
You made an assumption, you were wrong. When you make assumptions and you’re wrong (at work), you’re usually going to face negative consequences. You should NEVER hand over an order to someone without confirming if they’ve paid for it. Safe to assume the total for the order was at least $20. If you were the owner/manager, how would you feel if someone gave away $20+ worth of product because they simply failed to use their words and confirm if it was paid for or not. Not for nothin, but I’ve never gone to a restaurant (or worked in one for that matter) where a receipt of some sort wasn’t attached to the order indicating whether or not it had been paid for.
The way I see it, you should be happy all you got was a write up. I’ve worked for people that would have just fired you on the spot cause they’re mean. You can’t get out of responsibility for this because YOU chose to hand the order to the customer. You can’t pass blame onto your coworker on this one. I see it as common sense to confirm verbally or visually that the order is paid for before handing it over to someone.