Contempt of Client

My dinner with clients tonight was in the sort of place I like to avoid: a chain restaurant with a "theme" that ostensibly appeals to families and the socially and gastronomically uninitiated. Tonight's meal took place at SaltGrass Steak House, a Texas chain restaurant that serves up more evidence of upsell-trained staff than good food. It's not awful, just moderately unpleasant.

The waitstaff is jolly, jolly, jolly and the young guys and gals seem genuinely interested in making one's night a spectacular event, assisted by a personal slave and servant...until you see their faces after they turn away from the tables. Then, you can read their thoughts: "What the fuck am I doing working in this goober-joint, chit-chatting with these slovenly, middle-aged dimwits who deserve neither my service nor my acknowledgement, much less my humble and way-too-vocal appreciation?" Or something along those lines. Some of the waitstaff may not be bright enough to have such thoughts, but you can read them in the faces of most of them.

My guests were perfect examples of the people for whom the waitstaff have such contempt. They were giddy with laughter, slow to understand the menu, full of questions that would not have been asked had they read the menu, and far too impressed with the advertised food for my liking ("Geez, looky here, they've got prime rib! This must be a pretty upscale place! I've never seen prime rib on an actual menu! I've only seen it advertised on TV."). I took it all in stride, though, even the little power-show during which the president mentioned getting wine, to which the treasurer responded that it had always been their policy not to buy alcohol. In end, a group of four of them bought booze and the president picked up the tab. I stayed out of it.

Fortunately for me, the dinner was very early, so I was out of there by 8:30 pm. I'll be back again tomorrow morning, bright and early, to share breakfast with them, followed by a meeting during which many concepts beyond their meager intellectual capacities will be discussed and placed on hold for further study. I mentioned contempt a few moments ago...I wonder if my attitude about the client would be considered contemptuous? Yeah, probably.