Recently, Winslow’s Table co-owner Tara Gallina recalls, a customer questioned her about serving lunch on a disposable plate. The patron chaffed, “Oh, you’re so COVID.” Gallina replied that the restaurant was not currently in a position to offer more. “What I should’ve said was, 'We do not have the resources or the staff to do the volume we are now doing using plates and silver and glassware, which we have to clear for you, sanitize, and polish,'” says Gallina. After eating, the customer complained about having to throw away her own trash (a step that also reduces risk), mocked an employee for wearing gloves to take out a trash bag, and left trash on the table anyway. 

"I’m saying no more to abusive customers," says Gallina. "No. More.”

It wasn't just this one customer's behavior—the number of rude, aggressive customers has ramped up over the past year, some St. Louis restaurateurs observe, and it's taken its toll.

As Food & Wine noted in a recent article, some in the industry are now rethinking the axiom that “the customer is always right,” a slogan first popularized by department stores magnates more than a century ago that was embraced by the service sector over time.

For customers looking forward to a night out, in some cases after more than a yearlong wait, it will likely be different than before. There may be aspects that customers don’t expect, such as waiting longer than anticipated for food and service, using disposable utensils, or wearing masks to follow safety protocols (in some cases, precautions that are government mandated). While most patrons are grateful and patient as restaurants continue to adapt, some customers have been belligerent or dismissive of safety protocols.

“I grew up in the service industry and was taught to treat customers like they are the person you care most for in your family," says Harrison Massie, beverage director for Small Change. “But there are people who come in and embarrass the people in their own party with their rude behavior... At this point, after trying to be over-accommodating for so long, if you are rude to me, I’m just going to tell you to leave."

At the same time, social media and crowd-sourced review platforms have given a voice to disgruntled patrons looking to complain or retaliate against restaurants. The anonymity of the internet can embolden someone who is already angry, and reviews and comments can be exceptionally blistering, though sometimes telling only half of the story. Yet even fear of online retaliation will not influence some business owners when confronted by aggressive guests.

“Retaliation online is always a worry,” says Craig Rivard, who co-owns Little Fox with his wife, Mowgli. “That being said, it won’t keep us from protecting our staff.” 

A belief in the restaurant's community of regulars also gives the Rivards confidence. “It’s worrisome, sure, but you have the ability to respond to someone’s complaints on sites like Yelp," says Mowgli. "And when you read reviews for a restaurant and someone is super negative, other diners will often rally to offer their support."