Post by tt on Jul 11, 2007 22:28:49 GMT -5
I don't live in Sioux City, but I do travel to Sioux City about 4 times a month for shopping/entertainment purposes.
I have observed that a few higher profile Businesses have been profiling their customers, me being one of them.
I'm 6' 8" tall, and weigh in excess of 400 lbs.. So I do notice a lot of people staring at me from time to time. I guess it comes with the territory. But I didn't expect that Businesses would profile their customer base, and treat certain customers differently because of their personal appearance.
I first started to notice the trend shortly after Famous Dave's BBQ opened.
My first visit there I limped into the BBQ Joint using a cane due to an ankle injury. I asked to be seated at a non-smoking table, and was ushered upstairs to a waiting seat.
( Bone to pick here: If a customer comes in limping, and using a cane shouldn't they be seated at a ground floor table, so they don't have to climb so many steps to get to an upper level table. Famous Dave's was not busy that day, and seating was available on the ground floor. )
Now back to the story: As I sat at my Table I glanced around the room and I noticed a startling trend amongst the customers up there. Sorry to say it but they fell into one of four categories:
They were either Fat, Ugly, Fat & Ugly ( like myself ), or Fat and/or Ugly and with kids.
While none of these types of customers were seated downstairs from what I observed as I was being escorted up the long flight of stairs to my table.
The 2nd time I visited Famous Dave's BBQ I brought a friend along, who describes himself as fitting in the Ugly category. I expressed my astonishment to him when we were directed again to the upper level to be seated.
I asked him to look around the room and discribe the types of customers he saw seated up there. He described them as being fat, ugly, and those with kids.
Our Waitress was a plump figured girl, who was a Trainer from Sioux Falls, who was sent down to Sioux City to train the Wait Staff. I mentioned to her that Famous Dave's was profiling their customers and sending all the fat, and or ugly people upstairs. She said, ( with a worried look on her face ) "I hope that isn't happening here.".
I said to her, with no insult intended that perhaps that too was why she was working in the upper level, due to her size. ( Well maybe there should be a 5th category for guys like me for being "Rude or Blunt" ).
After that 2nd visit I have always demanded to be seated down stairs.
The same thing has happed to me on the 2 occassions that I have eaten at Red Lobster in Sioux City.
When seated at Red Lobster I have been seated in a corner table in the middle of the restaurant, and waited upon by a heavyset waitress. Even though there were plenty of lighter weighted wait staff milling around waiting for customers to wait on.
Then twice when shopping at Eye Mart I have entered their shop seen slender Sales People available to wait on customers, but when I ask to be helped, I am always told "I'll get you someone." And they go to the back room and have a very heavyset girl come out and wait on me. While the slender Salesperson always waits for a thinner customer to come in to be of assistance too.
Thankfully this is not a trend that I experience in every Sioux City Business. And I have learned to put up with it in the businesses that do it, that I still do business with.
But I'm here to tell you, "This is not an appropriate way to run a business!".
And the Chamber of Commerce should crack down on the ones that are doing it!
I have observed that a few higher profile Businesses have been profiling their customers, me being one of them.
I'm 6' 8" tall, and weigh in excess of 400 lbs.. So I do notice a lot of people staring at me from time to time. I guess it comes with the territory. But I didn't expect that Businesses would profile their customer base, and treat certain customers differently because of their personal appearance.
I first started to notice the trend shortly after Famous Dave's BBQ opened.
My first visit there I limped into the BBQ Joint using a cane due to an ankle injury. I asked to be seated at a non-smoking table, and was ushered upstairs to a waiting seat.
( Bone to pick here: If a customer comes in limping, and using a cane shouldn't they be seated at a ground floor table, so they don't have to climb so many steps to get to an upper level table. Famous Dave's was not busy that day, and seating was available on the ground floor. )
Now back to the story: As I sat at my Table I glanced around the room and I noticed a startling trend amongst the customers up there. Sorry to say it but they fell into one of four categories:
They were either Fat, Ugly, Fat & Ugly ( like myself ), or Fat and/or Ugly and with kids.
While none of these types of customers were seated downstairs from what I observed as I was being escorted up the long flight of stairs to my table.
The 2nd time I visited Famous Dave's BBQ I brought a friend along, who describes himself as fitting in the Ugly category. I expressed my astonishment to him when we were directed again to the upper level to be seated.
I asked him to look around the room and discribe the types of customers he saw seated up there. He described them as being fat, ugly, and those with kids.
Our Waitress was a plump figured girl, who was a Trainer from Sioux Falls, who was sent down to Sioux City to train the Wait Staff. I mentioned to her that Famous Dave's was profiling their customers and sending all the fat, and or ugly people upstairs. She said, ( with a worried look on her face ) "I hope that isn't happening here.".
I said to her, with no insult intended that perhaps that too was why she was working in the upper level, due to her size. ( Well maybe there should be a 5th category for guys like me for being "Rude or Blunt" ).
After that 2nd visit I have always demanded to be seated down stairs.
The same thing has happed to me on the 2 occassions that I have eaten at Red Lobster in Sioux City.
When seated at Red Lobster I have been seated in a corner table in the middle of the restaurant, and waited upon by a heavyset waitress. Even though there were plenty of lighter weighted wait staff milling around waiting for customers to wait on.
Then twice when shopping at Eye Mart I have entered their shop seen slender Sales People available to wait on customers, but when I ask to be helped, I am always told "I'll get you someone." And they go to the back room and have a very heavyset girl come out and wait on me. While the slender Salesperson always waits for a thinner customer to come in to be of assistance too.
Thankfully this is not a trend that I experience in every Sioux City Business. And I have learned to put up with it in the businesses that do it, that I still do business with.
But I'm here to tell you, "This is not an appropriate way to run a business!".
And the Chamber of Commerce should crack down on the ones that are doing it!
"TT"
