The Tomato Incident – The Food Industry – A Different Breed of Sales

For this post, I felt it important to tell a story of my worst sales experience. Sales in the food industry sometimes look very different from that of corporate sales in paper, water bottles, or other topics we have gone over in class. When it comes to sales within the food industry, those of us behind the counter have a saying; “the customer is always right.” Unfortunately, this statement is actually true in very few cases, which leads me to my story:

It started with a typical rush at Jack’s Urban Eats—the time was 4:05 pm, orders flying in, trays lining the counter, and the steady hum of customers waiting impatiently for their food. I had just finished boxing up a to-go order for a man who seemed perfectly normal at first—calm, collected, polite enough. “One club sandwich, extra pickles,” he had said. Nothing about tomatoes. I repeated the order back and made sure it was right, before entering it in our system. Two minutes later the order was fulfilled where I sealed the box, and slid it across the counter with my usual, “I have a to-go for their name here, have a great day!” But before I could turn away, he opened the box. He froze. His eyes darkened. “I NEVER eat tomatoes,” he said, his voice rising. I blinked, confused. “Oh, I’m sorry, but you didn’t mention…”Before I could finish, the man snarled, lifted the entire box of food, and hurled it back at me. The sandwich, fries, and napkins exploded across my shirt, smearing ketchup and grease onto my apron. A tomato slice slid dramatically down my sleeve. The restaurant went silent.

For a second, I just stood there, stunned, the scent of vinegar and turkey clinging to me. The customer glared, his face twisted in rage like I had personally insulted his entire lineage. Then, as if he were the victim, he began to yell for the manager. My bestie-boo the manager like the boss he is swiftly walks out, and after a horrified glance at me, he directs his attention to the complaining and swearing customer. “Sir I would have been able to offer you a replacement, or a refund, however, your behavior towards our employee right now is unacceptable, and you need to LEAVE.” I wiped a stray pickle off my arm, took a deep breath, and turned to the next person in line. “Hi, welcome to Jack’s. What can I get started for you?” Because, unfortunately, the food service industry never stops, not even for flying tomatoes or bad customers.