It’s never a good idea to insult your customers. Fire them? Go for it. But badmouth them and you come out looking bad.

That’s what this restaurant did recently on a slow afternoon. After we’d already ordered expensive beers and an appetizer, I overheard one waiter say to the other, “They haven’t made their minds up yet.”

Later, after we’d had our pizza (and more expensive beers), they wanted to charge us $2 to eat the cupcakes I’d brought to celebrate my friend’s birthday. (Note that we’d eaten there several times before, and even once had cupcakes without incident). So they lost another $16 in beer over $2 in cupcakes. Not to mention two customers and at least a few of their friends.

And do you know the waiter never even said “Happy Birthday”?

Photo by stopnlook (Flickr).