Late at night, business gradually calmed down. The guests left one after another, and only the No. 1 box on the first floor, near the road, was still enjoying a leisurely meal. The exterior wall of the box is equipped with large floor-to-ceiling windows, but fortunately, the curtains are not closed, and passers-by cannot see the inside of the box, but can feel a hint of warmth.
Just then, a dark-skinned stranger in sportswear and sneakers walked in. He looks unremarkable, like an ordinary hotel guest. I stepped forward and politely asked, "Boss, how many friends have you brought with you?" and what do you need to order?" He responded, "I'm managing a construction site nearby, and there are fifteen or sixteen workers coming for dinner, can you arrange a box for me?" and then he began to order the various dishes on the menu.
After he finished ordering, he said mysteriously, "Please don't serve it right away." Their workers are going back to shower and wait another half an hour before serving food. Then, he walked straight into Box 1 and greeted the people in the box. After a while, he came out of the box and told me that they were his brothers, and that he had asked me to bring me two crates of the best beer, and that the cost would be on his account. I hesitated, but eventually brought the beer.
Then, I started preparing the dish he ordered. Due to the large number of dishes ordered, I usually prepare them in advance and wait for the guests to ask for them to be served. This way you can save time. Half an hour later, I knocked on the door of Box 1 and asked if I could serve the food. At this time, the stranger replied that his worker had not yet taken a good shower and needed to wait a little longer. In our restaurants, it is common to start preparing the food about ten minutes before the reservation time, this is to ensure that the waiting time is not too long.
About 20 minutes later, a guest in black came out of the box and asked if I was familiar with the sportswear guest. He told me that the guest was a VIP customer, but I confessed that I was not familiar with it because it was his first time visiting our restaurant. The guest in black warned me to be careful, as it seemed that the stranger might be a liar. I reminded him that the guest had said that he and his workers were at a nearby construction site, but the guest in black said that he was not very familiar with him and had only met him once or twice at a friend's party.
Thanks to the reminder from the guests in black, I continued to prepare the dishes. However, when the guest in Box 1 left, I began to feel uneasy, fearing that the stranger might be a liar. I decided to take steps to stop my losses in time. I suggested that their workers could postpone their meal until the next time if they hadn't arrived yet, as it was already late. I was worried that the dishes that had already been prepared would be wasted, and I was afraid that they would call a group of friends to dinner and then not check out, which would cause me to suffer even more losses.
However, the stranger angrily retorted, "Are you afraid that I won't be able to pay, and won't I be allowed to wait for my workers?" and he became emotional, as if he was going to cause trouble in the restaurant. Faced with this situation, I had no choice but to call the police. When the police arrived, they learned about the situation and found that the guest had behaved in a similar way in several places, and eating and drinking had become his usual habit. Before that, he usually mingled with the other guests and was paid for by someone else after the meal. But today, he ordered a table of dishes, and although they were not yet served, the seafood and dishes were ready, and he drank a lot of beer. Now he refuses to check out, putting me in trouble. These expenses add up to at least a few hundred dollars, not even including labor costs.
After mediation, the police advised me that the best thing to do was to admit that I was unlucky. The strange guest didn't have enough money to pay the bills because he only had a few dollars in his WeChat wallet and a terrible phone. He had no family, only an elderly father who was over seventy years old. I feel very unfortunate to have this situation, but there seems to be no better solution.
This experience made me realize that in the business world, we can't fully predict and control the behavior of our customers. Sometimes, despite our due diligence, we still encounter dishonest or unruly guests. Although there are some precautions we can take, it is ultimately difficult to avoid this from happening. This also makes me cherish those sincere and trustworthy customers even more, because they are the support and driving force of our business.
In addition, this story also reminds me to always be vigilant and not to trust strangers easily, especially in business dealings. Scammers and dishonest people can be everywhere, and we need to learn to distinguish and guard against them. Most importantly, we should be ethical and honest with each guest, so that we can build a reliable reputation, attract more loyal customers, and drive steady growth in our business.
In the business world, everyone encounters some difficulties and challenges, but it is these experiences that make us stronger and smarter. No matter what kind of problem you encounter, you must keep working hard to find a solution and learn from it. Life will not be smooth sailing, but as long as we maintain faith and strong faith, we can overcome all difficulties and keep moving forward. This is the true meaning of the business world, and it is also the true meaning of life.