Mean Customer Wants 'Alert' Placed On Door About Employees. The Owner’s Response Is Epic!
By Dreamer
A popular customer service saying “the customer is always right” doesn’t always hold true, as restaurant owner Amanda Cartagine found out when one of her employees was harassed by a patron. Cartagine is not only a boss and active community member, she’s also the mother of a child with Down syndrome. As a mom of a special needs child, she knows all too well that the disabled employees in her restaurant, Pizza Inn, are capable and reliable.
She told WYFF News that her son inspired her to hire disabled people to work at her restaurant, noting: “We parents with special needs (children) are always faced with breaking down barriers, stigmas, teaching other people that our children are more like them, than different…”
Cartagine added, “If you have the patience to let them take their time and learn at their pace, when the light bulb comes on, they are unstoppable.”
Her employees are regarded like family, so when a customer harassed one of her hardest-working employees, she was outraged. Once she got the full story about why her employee was mistreated, she decided to take action.
Cartagine discovered that the customer asked the employee to refill the lettuce in the salad area, but he wasn’t trained to do the job. The customer couldn’t understand why the employee couldn’t just handle the seemingly small task, but Cartagine has a very specific way that her workers handle job responsibilities.
She works to protect her employees and cares for them as if they were family — and the news of a customer harassing one of her hardest-working employees filled her with rage.
According to reports, the customer wanted to the lettuce replenished but Cartagine gives each of her staff members specific tasks they are to do. This employee wasn’t experienced with this task, and the customer couldn’t understand Cartagine’s model for her employees.
She explained how the situation was handled, sharing: “My manager explained to him the situation privately, ‘That’s not his job. We’ve trained him to do this and there are special circumstances,’ and the customer was still not happy.”
The customer was said to have screamed at the employees, telling them they should hang a “warning” sign to alert people about the restaurant’s disabled employees. Then he stormed out.
Cartigine took the recommendation seriously, but she had a unique and positive spin on the sign that she now proudly displays at her establishment. The sign reads: “We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and hire all of God’s children.”
She told WYFF news the reason behind her message, explaining: “These are like my kids, and it made me angry. I wanted to do something that was not rude, but got my point across.”
Many people applauded Cartagine for looking out for her employees, with one person remarking on social media: “If I’m ever in the area I would be proud to stop in and patranize your establishment for a meal.”
Another commenter noted, “This is wonderful! I’ve worked with disabled people my whole life. Some very warm loving people who deserve to be part of their community. That’s all we all want isn’t it?”
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