Yesterday morning some of the moms in my, uh MOMS club, met at Starbucks for breakfast. We met right after preschool drop-off so most people were down one kid, but all but one of us had a child in tow.
We all ordered food and drinks and found two tables we could push together to make room enough for all of us. Even though it was freezing outside (yes, I mean freezing by Southern California standards, it's all relative) it wasn't very crowded and we weren't really bothering anyone.
But that's not really what this it about at all.
By the time we were done there was a spectacular mess of crumbs under the table. In a restaurant, I always tip a little extra when my kid makes a mess. What do I do here? Walk back up and drop something in the tip jar while smiling apologetically? Ask for a broom, because yes, it really was that bad? Get over it because scones and muffins are crumb-y by nature and I'm sure we're not the first?
I really do want to know what the right course of action would have been. I do care that much about what people think about me.
Hm. I might have gone back to drop a tip in the jar. I don't think there's a need for you to ask for a broom. I assume it's someone's job to sweep regularly and they'd be sweeping that surface whether there were crumbs all over it or not, you know?
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you what the "right" thing to do was, but personally, I would've asked for a broom to clean it up. Chances are, the SBux folks would've told you no, that was totally fine with them to clean it up. Then you could thank them, apologize and drop a few extra bucks in the tip jar. Or, they could've given you the broom and you'd have swept it up and gone about your day. Either way, it'd be taken care of and no guilt.
ReplyDeleteI used to always offer to clean up after a particularly messy meal with Maddie. Never once did a server allow me to, but they appreciated the offer and the acknowledgment that I was aware they had to go above and beyond because of my kid.