Oh my. I'm guessing this person only reads the sports section (assuming he can read at all.)

And Robert...I'm guessing you are at work not doing what you are supposed to criticizing someone who is hard at work and probably not having the best day because someone called out sick.

Gosh, an employee who actually is concerned about the customers in the shop? Fire the guy!

Sounds to me like he was up to his a**hole in aligators. Many times when I am approaching a bid deadline I get short with callers. EL I think you could have been Obama and the reaction would have been the same.

Well, he didn't have to be so rude about it!

If "kind of busy" means waiting on a customers standing right in front of him instead of talking on the phone, then I think we should find out his name and commend him to his manager!

Really, who's gonna believe, "That was a restaurant critic, not a personal call"? Not me, folks, I'm going straight to B*tch mode. Probably march right out and logon here to complain about what crappy service I got.

What happened to Daily Grind at that location? From the new website, it looks like the food and decor is the same just a different name.

I guess we can infer that the Firehouse Coffee Company is doing busy. That speaks well for it.

Especially since Starbucks sucks.

I assume rtso thinks he is smarter than everyone else and people who work in coffee shops are there because they aren't as smart as him. It's possible that rtso was being sarcastic, but he sounds pretty pompous to me.

The guy was busy, give him a break.

It's refreshing actually, that someone has the stones to not care if he just hung up on the local critic, he knows good places are built on word of mouth reputation and consistency, not an article written by someone who spent one evening there and who thinks they know more about food and service than everyone else.

I'm going to call there right now and commend him by putting the customer first. Which I will hope his response will be, "Huh? OK, I gotta go."

While I agree that it's more important to wait on the customers in front of you than the person on the phone, he could have waited for her to say "ok, I'll call back then, thank you!" or "I just need to confirm the spelling of your manager's name" or whatever it was she needed instead of just hanging up on her like that. I know I don't appreciate getting messages and being told "I don't know" when I ask what they wanted.

I've been up to my armpits in the weeds before, but when you're on the phone with a potential customer, no matter who they are, you need to give them the time of day as well, or don't bother answering.

If it's a salesperson or an insurance adjuster though, fire away. :p

the phone.

oh, the phone.

I have come THIS close to knocking stars off my rating because of the phone.

Absolutely you should wait on customers in front of you before you deal with phone calls, but you really need to ask the caller if she minds holding (minds calling back, would like to leave a number.)

the phone.

Maybe he was guessing that the Sun would be out of business by the time the article was printed?!

People in the shop take precedence over folks on the phone. It would have been nice if he'd taken a message or at least said when the manager would be in, but he wasn't exactly rude.

A reference librarian where I did my internship refered to callers as "line jumpers". When he had folks waiting at his desk for help, and the phone rang, he'd answer the phone with the name of a city department that sounded similar to his library department name.

The callers would usually mumble something about a wrong number and hang up.

but he wasn't exactly rude

I would disagree. Not to say that everyone here isn't right about the importance of taking care of the customer in front of you. There's nothing wrong in politely implying that you do not have the time to help the person on the phone (which prompts a question, however, of why you picked it up in the first place). But hanging up the phone in that manner, "ma'am" notwithstanding, quickly and easily falls into my definition of rude.

Close the thread. TJ wins.

Especially since Starbucks sucks.

Amen Bucky!!

Yes, the guy was a little short and could have at least allowed EL to reply, or asked her to please call back. Lets not skewer the guy.

If you're too busy with customers to answer the phone, then don't answer the phone. That's why they invented answering machines and voice mail. Does Jay want EL to call back every 15 minutes until he finds enough time to tell her when the manager will next be in?

The interesting thing to hear would be his manager's reaction when (and if) Jay said "Someone called saying she was The Baltimore Sun restaurant critic. I told her to call back and talk to you."

Thank you hmpstd and RiE. Those really were my points and the power of this blog to disseminate information.

Side note to Mr Bob (since I don't know you, I won't presume the familiarity of addressing you only by your first name):

Thanks, I try very hard to be pretentious. Its a burden, but someone has to do it.

Bob, Ms. Large may not know more about food and food service than anyone else, but I'd be willing to place money on the proposition that she knows more than you do.

And even if she doesn't, you could keep a civil tongue in your head.

Another phone story.

A friend posted on his facebook Status Update a lament about the closing of a well known restaurant.

What! I said to myself, I better tell Elizabeth right away about this major closing but first I'll call there myself to before I needlessly stir up any confusion (my specialty!)

So, I called, at about 3 pm.
A transcript follows.

Me: Oh, good, you answered the phone, I thought you might be closed.
Guy on Phone: We are closed.
Me: You mean you're closed for good!!?
Guy on Phone: No, just until dinner.

I reported this back to my friend, who figured that the same thing must have happened to him.

This is crazy to me -- who would say "We are closed," and not, "we start serving dinner at 5," or "we're in between lunch and dinner," or anything like that.

When I reviewed this place (over two years ago, pre-Baltimore Sun), I took more time than usual writing about the lackadaisical attitude, the absence of urgency. I think a place can get infected with languidness and never recover.

I'm with Lissa and gorelick on this one. If I make the effort to actually go to a coffee shop (or diner,store,whatever) and I'm being waited on, I do get miffed when the waiter stops to wait on the person on the phone.

I will never return to the Firehouse cafe. the service was terrible and rude. While waiting line, the guy behind me, who must have been a regular (he was handed his drink before the rest of the line) was taken care of first. He skipped the line and paid for his drink at the barrista stand.
the yogurt, which was a soggy mix of granola and yogurt and a bit of fruit was $5!!! My bill for black coffee and a yogurt was $7.99.
Terrible. So it didn't surprise me that they hung up on LIz. Major FAIL.

I'm never going there again, either! When I was there last time, someone called up pretending to be a restaurant critic for the Sun and the guy behind the counter was TOTALLY rude and hung up on her.

Wait a minute...

I hate it when certain customers get preferred treatment except when that customer is me.

Okay, generally I believe we should all stand patiently in line, but where I work I have the option of pre-paying for 12 coffees at once, which means that the regular staff sometimes take my mug out of sequence when the line is long. They know exactly how I like my latte and that I'm not going to hold up the line to have a bagel toasted, etc.

I, too, endorse the special treatment of kind, invariably pleasant, easily accommodated, and irrepressibly charming regular customers during the morning coffee-rush. Did I mention ruggedly handsome?

Ms. Large,
This is the Jay of which you spoke so "highly" of in your review of the Firehouse Coffee Co. Although I am no longer at that location ( I work at Cafe Latte'Da for those of you who want real service!!), I would like to just say that you are wrong for thinking that I was being rude to you. I recall that day and I was truly busy. If you are so interested in reviewing a place maybe you should get off your ass and see it for yourself first hand instead of slacking off with your ear to a phone while you sip on Dunkin Donuts coffee and shovel a freakin bear claw down your throat!! If you want to see what kind of service I do provide feel free to visit me at my new job. Until then, I bid you good day. ...

Jay needs a refresher on his Dale Carnegie course (but he's probably too young to understand the reference).

What's the difference between Jay and a rainbow? No difference at all.

Wow, Jay doesn't work there any more. Wonder why?

Jay Jay Jay Sigh......

I wonder how long the etiquette has been turned off.

I wonder how long the etiquette has been turned off.

At least since Plato's time, I believe.

You know, I'm willing to believe that Mr. Jay is great behind the counter, but his social skills tell us why he'll never make it to management.

Frankly, if I were the owner of Cafe Latte'Da, I'd be cringing right now. At the very least, we'd have to discuss why Mr. Jay will never again tell anyone - much less a restaurant critic - where he works.

McIntyre made me laugh with coffee in my mouth.

Perhaps Jay should switch to decaf.

"Ms. Large, someone told me about the post on your blog, and I am terribly sorry that you felt badly treated. I was indeed on my own and overtaxed when you called, but I realize that I could have been less abrupt. Please accept my apologies. Jay"

Now, would that have been too hard? And It is what a gentleman would have done.

Mr. McIntyre, gentlemen don't need to work.

Lissa, money doesn't define who is a gentleman.

Wow.

I almost wish I drank coffee so I could specifically avoid Cafe de la Merde, or whatever it is.

Perhaps Lissa meant that a gentleman doesn't have to work at being a gentleman?

PCB Rob, you are a true gentleman--always giving others the benefit of the doubt!

Dahlink,
Thank you very much for your kind words. I like to think that every person means well in their intentions, at least until they prove otherwise.

Or maybe its just the golden rule.

Just couldn't leave it alone:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/mcintyre/blog/2009/04/shut_up_he_explained.html

Nice lateral move there, Jay.

China Best Restaurant
9958 Reisterstown Rd
Owings Mills, MD 21117

ORDER THE BUFFET.

JUST VISIT ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON AROUND 1PM, AND EXPERIENCE WHAT MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF EXPERIENCED. I AM SPEECHLESS.

I AM SPEECHLESS

And obtuse.

I think, Hal, he/she meant it was really bad.

Well, I've been to that restaurant, and I would describe it as breathtaking.

Ok, I've never been there. I just wanted to use an old Seinfeld line.