The Rudest Behaviors Ever! Anderson Investigates...
Monday, April 30, 2012 5:18PM
Rule number one: If you are experiencing bad restaurant service, never mess with a waiter until you’ve gotten your food, says former waiter and best-selling author Steve Dublanica who wrote “Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter (P.S.)”
Even though you’re angry, Steve says to never deal with the waiter -- deal with the manager.
“If you have encountered rude service, says Steve, “vote with your feet... don’t go back there.”
“Anderson” and Yahoo! Shine teamed up to ask our online audiences the rudest behavior they continually encounter. Yahoo! Shine Facebook friends were quick to respond with passionate rude rants.
Shannon P. said on Facebook, “Being MOWED down at clothing rack by a rude/entitled shopper who has abs NO concept of personal space!” Amanda S. posted, “When you’re in line at the store and the person is so close to you that you can feel him breathin on your neck!!”
While responses varied, one of the top rants was rude cell phone behavior.
In a poll asking, “What rude behavior bothers you most?” 56% of respondents said parents who do not supervise their children are most annoying. Ten percent said rude waiters, 8% said pet owners who do not clean up after their dogs and 7% said tardiness.
One of the top rude behaviors came in at 19% -- people who talk too loudly on their cell phones.
Anderson Cooper says his number on pet peeve is rudeness. Arrogant people being rude to other people, cutting in line, talking loudly on their cell phones and being rude to waiters, makes him very angry.
As part of Tuesday’s episode, “Anderson Investigates Rudeness,” we decided to do a series of hidden camera investigations to see how people react when someone is being rude to then. We hired an actor to be rude all day and the results were amazing.
Would you approach someone being rude in public? Surprisingly, not many people did...
Amy Alkon, syndicated advice columnist and author of “I See Rude People,” says that “when someone is on a cell phone in a public place, they are hijacking your thoughts, they’re stealing your time and your peace of mind.”
Anderson agreed, saying, “That’s the thing that annoys me is that they are stealing my time, and my brainpower is focused on them -- when it should be focused on the inane things that I think about through the day or whatever I want to think about.”
Do you silently sit there and fume while someone is rude? Amy says it amplifies things. “You’re eating you that way and it can have very negative effects on your health. So it’s really important to not do that, to not brew. But to say something before you brew so much that you explode.”
Amy suggests that if you absolutely have to get on your cell phone in a public place, a person must take their conversation outside, or whisper, with hand over mouth.
Where do you encounter the rudest people? On Yahoo Shine, 32% said they encounter the most rudeness at retail store. Tying for the second rudest places were grocery stores and airport/airplanes. Rounding out the list was 14% at restaurants/coffee shops and 4% at the gym.
Have you experienced a rude waiter? Take a look at what happened when we set up our actor, Mac, to pose as an extremely obnoxious and rude waiter.
Even though you’re angry, Steve says to never deal with the waiter -- deal with the manager.
“If you have encountered rude service, says Steve, “vote with your feet... don’t go back there.”
“Anderson” and Yahoo! Shine teamed up to ask our online audiences the rudest behavior they continually encounter. Yahoo! Shine Facebook friends were quick to respond with passionate rude rants.
Shannon P. said on Facebook, “Being MOWED down at clothing rack by a rude/entitled shopper who has abs NO concept of personal space!” Amanda S. posted, “When you’re in line at the store and the person is so close to you that you can feel him breathin on your neck!!”
While responses varied, one of the top rants was rude cell phone behavior.
In a poll asking, “What rude behavior bothers you most?” 56% of respondents said parents who do not supervise their children are most annoying. Ten percent said rude waiters, 8% said pet owners who do not clean up after their dogs and 7% said tardiness.
One of the top rude behaviors came in at 19% -- people who talk too loudly on their cell phones.
Anderson Cooper says his number on pet peeve is rudeness. Arrogant people being rude to other people, cutting in line, talking loudly on their cell phones and being rude to waiters, makes him very angry.
As part of Tuesday’s episode, “Anderson Investigates Rudeness,” we decided to do a series of hidden camera investigations to see how people react when someone is being rude to then. We hired an actor to be rude all day and the results were amazing.
Would you approach someone being rude in public? Surprisingly, not many people did...
Amy Alkon, syndicated advice columnist and author of “I See Rude People,” says that “when someone is on a cell phone in a public place, they are hijacking your thoughts, they’re stealing your time and your peace of mind.”
Anderson agreed, saying, “That’s the thing that annoys me is that they are stealing my time, and my brainpower is focused on them -- when it should be focused on the inane things that I think about through the day or whatever I want to think about.”
Do you silently sit there and fume while someone is rude? Amy says it amplifies things. “You’re eating you that way and it can have very negative effects on your health. So it’s really important to not do that, to not brew. But to say something before you brew so much that you explode.”
Amy suggests that if you absolutely have to get on your cell phone in a public place, a person must take their conversation outside, or whisper, with hand over mouth.
Where do you encounter the rudest people? On Yahoo Shine, 32% said they encounter the most rudeness at retail store. Tying for the second rudest places were grocery stores and airport/airplanes. Rounding out the list was 14% at restaurants/coffee shops and 4% at the gym.
Have you experienced a rude waiter? Take a look at what happened when we set up our actor, Mac, to pose as an extremely obnoxious and rude waiter.
Filed Under: As Seen On The Show
Comments
I am glad to see this article about rude behavior and hope that some readers will see themselves in it. To me these kinds of behaviors - the loud talking, even gesturing, on the cell phones, disinterested waiters, parents who don't control their little monsters, people yelling to their friends as if I were not there in between, people pushing past me, or bumping me in a crowd, and the like - are about people showing that they feel they are important, entitled and you and I are not. It is disrespectful. It is as if the rude people are showing they are among the class of dominant, superior people, players - and that you are just irrelevant and in the way. When cell phones came out I was surprised to see that some people were talking so loudly in libraries and supermarkets and gas stations, interfering with other people's lives, holding people up, making customers wait while they rant about intimate personal things, that no one else wanted to hear. I kept expecting such boors would get enough negative feedback to learn to behave according to normal social standards. Since then of course it has gotten much worse. I think that generally the level o****ressiveness among American people is much higher than it used to be and rude people are always ready fight back - and fight dirty, with personal insults - rather than accept criticism and think about changing for the better.
If Murder was legal, there would almost be no one left on this planet but me
Rude behavior is growing and the next generation are going to be freightening.
I can't take the host of the show seriously when he's complaining about other people being rude. He interrupted the guest on his show every time she opened her mouth. Or is interrupting people no longer considered rude?
I am a waiter and would never spit in a person's food. I have wanted to but never have. If I mess up your order, it does happen, we all have bad days, and you asked for something one way and I brought it out another way, I just feel bad and want to correct the mistake. Now if you are a jerk from the begining, can see I am busy, first ask me for no ice after I pour the water, ask for lemon when I come back, ask for sugar after that, maybe a straw and keep doing that even before you have ordered, I am going to hate you and I will take care of all my other tables before I come back to you. If you are nice and thoughtful, yest thoughtful, just because I am serving you does not mean I do not have other things going on, I will be nice to you. My most annoying trait from guests is if I am talking to a table and you wave me over. I am not going to leave this table as i am talking to them to talk to you, you are not more important than any other person.
I always try to be courteous to waitstaff and they have been courteous in kind. My problem is I am very am very particular when I come to my food. If I order a steak med well and it comes out with blood pooling on the plate, I will not eat it. The comment below about spitting in food upsets me because i am paying good money for good food and good service. If I get chicken instead of steak on my ceasar salad or order no cheese and it comes out with cheese I should not have to fear sending it back to the kitchen. A professional should never dream of soiling another's food out Of spite. I think mistakes can be taken care of with politeness on both sides.
My name which is part of my life, (the irony)is Stevie Anderson and im from the coast of Georgia where im told i set the mark for service on beautiful St. Simons Island, believe me u cant make everyone " Happy" thats a myth, but please......enjoy trying, thats half the bounty:)There are many rewards in the biz!!!
I have to agree. My top two that get the rudest A** award goes to the parents of the obnoxious child(ren) and the loud mouth on their cell phone. Both are equally rude and if I had wanted rude children, I would have allowed my own sons to get away with the crap I've seen. I have no more young children by choice and I really don't want to listen to your whiny brats who never learned that you were their boss. Teach them this basic lesson before INFLICTING THEM on innocent bystanders. While you are teaching them that you are the parent and what that really means in the world, try teaching them the word NO and it's meaning! It will do wonders for them and you and everyone who is inflicted with your little "darlings."
For the phone dude, it seems that you want to impress everyone with your importance and quite honestly, I just don't want to hear about your work, your lovelife, or your after work plans that day. I know that you will find this unbelievable, but I really don't care about your life, your plans, your interest, your comment or your opinions. As for the phone conversations, why do people think that they need to talk ten times louder on a cell phone. If the other person cannot hear them, then go outside and take the call or call them on the pay phone. Your choice,but it is very rude to carrry on your PRIVATE phone call in a voice loud enough to wake the dead.
The rights of an individual to engage in whatever behaviors IN PUBLIC ends when they infringe on another person's rights and both behaviors do this in a big way.
As for waiters, I don't usually have any problem with them. I start out being nice to them and in return, they are usually nice to me. If the cook hasn't prepared the food properly, I will talk with the waiter, but not blame them for it. It isn't their fault and they have always been helpful.
if I were still a waiter I'd spit in your food of all you trolls ! People in this country have become like little tyrants...I really hate the customers more than the workers really. The amount of crap you have to put up with is unbelievable. In fact a word of advice to all the guys in the waiting business is to spit on all the food you as much as you can and leave this business as soon as possible. Treat people to **** first before the customers spit on you like those retards on TV first. It's not a career so screw them and spit all your lungs out guys ! Good luck !
I have never had to deal with a rude waiter/waitress, but I have seen wait staff have to deal with very rude customers. There was even one time when I was out eatting with my family and a group of women sitting at a different table close to us were chewing out their waiter for things that were completely beyond the poor kids scope of control. They were just being miserable and complaining about the amount of food, the way it was put on the plate, him not making sure their drinks were always full, even down to where had been seated. I had finally had enough, excused myself from my table where my 2 year old, mynewborn, my parents, and my husband were sitting and walked the five feet to their table. While the waiter was still standing there I told those women that if they were done with their meals then they needed to leave and take their bad attitudes with them. I had never been clapped for before, but apparently I had done a good thing. They grudgingly paid the bill, but left the kid no tip. We on the other hand were given free desserts and a thank you from the waiter and the manager. I tipped our waitress (we hadn't been sitting in the same section as the rude women) and my dad tipped the young man. Needless to say, whether you're the staff or the patron, there's never any reason for being rude.
As to the bad waiter We carry around a bit of canadain change & that is reserved for bad servers. Do you know how hard it is to cash in that at even a bank. And most of the time it works when we get the same server again.
If I can talk to another person at my table in a regular voice, they why would I have to whisper into my cell phone? Or should we all just dine silently like at the orphanage? I could do that at home in front of this computer ...
Ok. Everyone calm down. There is a lot of smart people (that paid attention in school) that make a decent living being a server (not waiter). We have to differentiate between crapy service and rude service. If someone is just rude for no reason, there has to be another restaurant nearby that I can eat; if someone is providing crappy service there has to be a reason, just bring it up and if they don't solve the problem then there is another restaurant. Let's not bash hard working people that (I am sure) have a the time of their lives watching you slurping your soup. BTW a server like the one portrayed in AC would not last a second in my restaurant! Let's be civilized and treat each other with respect, seriously!
I have waited tables for around ten years in any kind of setting you can imagine, whether it be fine dining (four star), a winery, a nightclub, a bar, banquet events such as weddings and corporate business meetings/luncheons, and corporate restaurants. I would have to say that for the most part waiting tables can be an exciting and fun job (not career) because you get to meet a lot of people from all walks of life every shift, but it never fails, you always get one, arrogant, presumptuous ******* (male or female) who makes you want to spit in their food, tell the table to **** off and walk out of the establishment and peel out of the parking lot while showing off your one-fingered counting skills as you screech through your wheels through the premises swearing at the top of your lungs that you'll never come back and that'll be the last ******* table you'll ever wait on again. Generally, most people in the industry are underpaid working one, two, sometimes three jobs, or in school full-time trying to learn things that will help you steer clear of an industry full of social retards (employees and customers) in order to move up the social echelon, whether it be waiters, bussers, barbacks, bartenders, managers, line preps, cooks, sous chefs, dishwashers, etc. Please treat everyone with respect. Generally you will get it 9 times out of 10. I always get a smile on my face when anyone smiles and asks me with a please and thank you and 9 times out of 10 I will actually go out of my way - even if I don't have the time - to help out or at least try. There are some times when it is physically impossible to do so many things at one time and that is when it gets stressful, when your guests can see it in your eyes that their presence, although it might monetarily contribute to that next credit card payment it ends up being a royal pain in the ass because you're extremely overloaded, not to mention this is usually when some showoff at the table tries to speak down to you and you're already ******* ten tables deep "in the weeds," as they say, when some guest wants to be intellectually jerked off and made feel like a king for a day so as to impress his guests. That has always been the one thing I have never understood about people who choose to dine out. What the **** is all this garbage about your "experience?" If you want an experience go to watch a ******* 3-D movie, not to your local neighborhood restaurant, or maybe try a donkey show. Before you speak down to someone you should take into consideration that the person taking care of you may have a higher level of education than you - and in some cases a better job with more prestige and responsibility - so just because someone is waiting tables doesn't mean they are stupid or can't do anything else with their lives. I am a university professor during the week and a server on the weekends just to stay busy and bring in some extra cash to pay for other things I want. I have verbally demolished people before who have gotten out of line and tried to treat me like **** because I, unlike many other waiters, will actually reciprocate the treatment I am getting. And before you think of being an ******* to someone taking care of you, I can assure that in ten years of working in a restaurant I have never seen anyone spit in anyone's food, however I did work with someone who had the world's rudest guest who went to the bathroom and wiped their ass after taking a **** with the change from their guest's bill in the employee bathroom and gave it back to the guest with a smile on their face.
Leave your f#####g kids at home with a baby sitter when dining out!
Or go to chuckie cheese