Silver Diner - Disrespectful treatment, manager threatened police after I didn't immediately order more than a milkshake and iced tea and was still looking at the menu

Manager Victoria R threatened to call police if I didn't order an entree after calling loudly for anyone after being ignored after several normal voice "Hello, excuse me, anyone there?" Calls out. After these were ignored by at least 3 employees standing at the pass-through, chatting with their backs turned, I finally yelled out in frustration, "Is anyone working tonight? I need to see a manager NOW!" finally someone responded. She'll be here in just a minute.

Consider this. In an alternate scenario not a customer who was having chest pains needed medical attention or was choking had already collapsed and died by the time someone got there.

I just needed a napkin. I was making a mess after receiving the chocolate shake, but I was surviving.

When I used to live in the DC area, any mention of any issues would bring manger with a 110% guarantee card good for a discount or free dessert or something just to show that they really did want to know and meant it.

Now they threaten to call the cops if you raise your voice in an empty restaurant after being ignored by five employees with their backs turned you while chatting amongst themselves for several minutes. I made no threats, insults, or threatening moves.

After my first attention getting shouts, I was polite and calm. When the manager finally got there, I realized it was the same woman I thought who was an ordinary server who had brought me the wrong peach iced tea when I had asked for raspberry which was not a big deal, although I did say no this is wrong and she brought me the right thing. I said I'm sorry I didn't realize that you were the manager. Previously I was chatting with her and looking for the sweet potato fries basket which was not on the menu trying to compare it with the now somewhat overpriced side dish at $4.98 and she told me it was almost $10 and I've simply wondering where it was on the menu apparently it's not. She said she was not comfortable talking to me and that if I was not ready to order something right at that moment she was going to call the police which caught me completely off guard. I said well if you feel you need to go ahead but I'd still like to order which I could do that first or after I order?

I had already identified something so my place the order and she took off and didn't come back until I was finished and I had stopped another employee and asked them for the check. Obviously I must have looked very scary or threatening in some way that I was not aware of. I looked in the mirror and saw a retired engineer and inventor in his 60's doing his best Christopher "Doc" Plummer imitation. I was dressed for shopping at Walmart in some sperrys, black stretch pants, and a leather jacket. When I couldn't quite make it to Walmart before they closed stopping at SD was a last minute impulse. Oh, I guess I forgot to shave and am overdue for a haircut (Yes, since "back" to 1985, Doc).

Offered her a chance to read this before I posted it, but she declined, and the police never came.

I still left a 20% tip. I don't believe in punishing employees for management failings. Although she said she was a manager, she didn't seem to be managing much and I made an effort to be nice and in fact apologized for my outburst earlier and for anything that I did that made her uncomfortable. I asked her what's your formal policy for customer wants to get in touch with your management for any purpose of complaint as far as identifying you do you have a badge number or do I refer to you by first name and last initial? It took her a moment, but finally she said her first name and then last initial and then brought back the card reader so I could use my smartphone pay. I didn't see her again after that. No one asked me about parking validation and when I got to the garage I was locked out and I had to walk back up and bang on the door till another employee came up and thankfully validated it because I didn't have any way to use a credit card if the exit gate and they didn't take Google pay there. Standard procedure is normally to ask someone if they need your parking validated and hope your meal was great and all that but no one said a word to me on the way out the guy who yelled can I get some service is there anyone working here apparently that's a little bit of an outlier there after someone's being

I've been a Silver Diner customer and fan ever since the very beginning, over 30 years ago.

I moved away from the area a few times and this was always one of my first stops on visits home. Before this visit had been a few years and I was really looking forward to it, and in fact was supposed to have a special day with my girlfriend who couldn't make it at the last minute. I've been telling her how great this place was and I am so happy that she didn't come tonight. I leave the area again in less than a week, and I can't say how I'm disappointed and sad I am. If I don't get some kind of positive or constructive response from management I'll probably never return and I'll tell many many people I know how this place is going downhill and they should never go back either.

I have many friends who are professional chefs who told me that if I'm not happy I am not doing them any favors by not speaking up and so I do and I tell him exactly what and why and usually that's appreciated and that's why I've collected quite a few of those 110% cards from Silver Diner over the years with thanks for the management and smiles all around because it makes it better for customers in management alike.

I don't know, do they not have those anymore, or maybe they thought I was someone trying to scan them out of a free meal it was a very expensive milkshake and sweet tea but that wouldn't have bought me much maybe they're short in their quota that night the threat to call the police if I didn't place another order was a little bit out there I have to say never had many many years of dining all over the world is anything like that ever happened to me. I have to keep questioning was it something I did I looked in the mirror did I look like a *** well maybe I didn't shave this morning but seriously?

Still, I spent 50 bucks on a meal for one. I'm a retired business executive who has earned six-figure incomes and who knows what he's talking about regarding customer service in many industries.

When another person dropped off the food, I had to stop them and still again for a napkin.

No one ever came back to ask how the food was or whether I needed a refill on my iced tea. I received none throughout the mail and no one checked on me at all until I called out for someone to bring me the check I was being pretty widely ignored the whole time.

Yeah I was about to choke -- not on the food -- on the disregard and lack of caring for the customer.

No senior discount either!