Here in Canada you will encounter some of the kindest, nicest, most polite and most passive aggressive people in the world. You are also going to come up against a few douchebags. Whenever I am travelling say in Mexico or Costa Rica I find it interesting that in the cafes the customers do not seem expected to clean their own tables. It seems to be well understood that this is not our role, we are not paid for this, we are not trained for this, and even if we want to make the poor overworked baristas' job a bit easier for them, especially while they're busy texting on their phones or waiting for their nails to dry, there is something inappropriate and almost insulting about doing the servers' job for them. As though by default we are trying to tell them that they are not doing their job well.
On the other hand it can also be argued that it is a courtesy and it is helpful to lessen their workload, especially if they are already understaffed or worked off their feet. I am thinking of the very simple and courteous act of carrying my coffee mug or plate to the counter before I leave the establishment, as a way of saying thank you, I appreciate what you have done for me. It seems actually to have become de rigueur which I think is unfortunate because it creates a culture of obligation and entitlement between client and worker, so that should the customer forget, not feel like it, or have too many things to carry already, it would still be seen as a faux pas leaving the dishes on the table, especially given that the next customer and not the barista is likely going to have to clear it out of the way anyway.
So far so good. I usually don't mind doing this...except...
It can really stick in my craw when some cafes will not only set up a special place or bus pan for the dirty dishes, but carry with that the expectation that the customers have to clean up after themselves and put everything in its right place and in its right order on pain of receiving a not very tactful scolding from the barista. And this is where I draw the line. As I said to the very rude barista at Delaney's on Denman Street today, I am not getting paid to do this. He is and it is not my job but his and he should be thankful that I am even doing this for him.
This server really was behaving like an absolute douchebag. Or maybe he was having a bad day. When my friend and I arrived at Delaney's there was not much of a choice of where to sit and wanting to respect her privacy since she might have personal things to talk with me about we picked the slightly more private table which was covered with dirty dishes. Knowing better than to expect the staff to do their job willingly we picked up the used crockery and delivered it to the counter. The barista, a rude and arrogant young man showing not a hint of breeding or good manners told us to put the dishes down below. We put them on a slightly lower shelf. Then he yelled at us to put them in this bus pan concealed underneath on the floor. That is when I told him that I wasn't going to do it and he ought to consider it his job since I'm not the one being paid to be here. He tried to argue, we ignored him, went up to the front and ordered our beverages. End of story.
What I didn't tell the arrogant young man is that not only am I old enough to be his father (and perhaps entitled to a little respect?) that being in my late fifties my back is vulnerable and I do not want to put it at risk with that kind of bending. Likewise my friend has a bad back. He didn't seem to consider this.
Until I am assured that this attitude changes and that this barista and his coworkers are retrained in the art of public courtesy and good manners I am less than likely to ever return to this coffee shop. I don't want to see him fired, neither do I want this concern to be ignored. What this is purely and simply is lousy customer service.
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