Hostess Was Lectured By A Customer For Saying 'You Guys' While Speaking To A Table
The customer did not appreciate the casual address.
fizkes / Shutterstock After a young hostess politely tried to send a couple off after their meal, the woman decided a lecture was in order instead.
Apparently, she took offense to being acknowledged as "you guys," a term widely and commonly used as a casual form of address.
The hostess filmed herself being lectured by a customer for using the term ‘you guys.’
The host, Jade, who goes by no_one_important900 on TikTok, posted the video to share the reality of what it’s like to deal with specific customers’ bizarre complaints in the service industry, which she described as an “everyday occurrence” in the caption.
In the video, Jade addressed the couple as they exited the restaurant without an ounce of attitude or disrespect.
“I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of your day, and I hope you guys enjoyed your meal,” Jade told the customers with a broad smile.
The woman then approached Jade, placed her hand on the young woman's wrist, and offered her this unsolicited advice: “Don’t call me a guy ever again,” she stated sternly, still holding onto Jade's wrist.
The consummate host, Jade, maintained herself and continued to show the woman kindness. While her husband watched her silently, the woman spent two full minutes explaining why "you guys" is an offensive way to address women.
“It bothers me because ‘you’ is plural; ‘you guys’ means everybody. I’m not everybody. I’m a woman,” she stated.
She and many other women passionately disapprove of the term despite its inclusivity.
Addressing groups as "you guys" is very common, but that doesn't mean there aren't women who prefer terms of respect that validate their womanhood.
Although those who use the phrase mean no harm, women of older generations are frequently displeased by being referred to as a "guy" since it’s perceived as a masculine word. So much so that many establishments prohibit employees from addressing customers and colleagues as "guys" to avoid any backlash or complaints. Instead, employees are trained to use terms including "folks" and even "y'all."
While the word "guy" denotes a man, when used in plural form, "guys" has actually become a gender-inclusive term that recognizes everyone.
Older generations may prefer terms that specify gender, but as times change and language evolves, these terms are viewed as outdated and disrespectful.
In another video, Jade offered some more context to the situation, and it seems the woman had a problem with the staff from the moment she walked into the restaurant.
As Jade and the other hostesses walked the couple to their table, one of them started to sing the "Jaws" theme song, as if she could already sense the couple would be critical.
Jade whispered quietly back to the hostess to ask what she meant, but the woman caught on to their behavior and snapped at them, asking what they were whispering about. The girls immediately reacted with kindness and tried to assure her it didn’t have anything to do with her, to which the woman replied, “So unprofessional.”
Jade then explained that she decided to record the woman lecturing her because she wanted proof of how customers tend to react in extreme ways.
TikTokers in the comments of Jade's videos couldn't believe the woman's audacity to argue with the girl about respect, considering the woman's disrespectful behavior herself.
"The second she touched you, she lost all credibility to complain," one person emphasized. "Sounds like she came in with a plan to get mad at anything and everything," another person added.
While the woman had no right to put her hands on Jade, and her lecture was a bit unnecessary, based on the context Jade offered, it makes sense why the woman may have felt disrespected by the hostesses.
However, they made sure not to reveal any trace of annoyance or attitude towards her, yet the woman seemed to be searching for something to complain about.
Jade’s behavior certainly was not unruly enough to have required a lecture from a stranger.
Jade is clearly a young girl who didn’t mean any harm, and addressing a couple as "guys" is not the worst thing someone can call you.
In all fairness, Jade and the other hostesses may have acted immaturely in front of their customers, which explains why the woman felt the need to make a fuss. Perhaps we can chalk this incident up to errors from both parties.
When you work in the service industry, there’s no telling what kind of behavior you’ll come across, and it’s always best to play it safe and avoid any terminology or mannerisms that might come across the wrong way from the outside looking in.
Playing the game of respect can be tricky when dealing with so many unique individuals in a short amount of time. It's easy for one simple slip of the tongue to turn into a larger problem.
That being said, sometimes, we just need to match our persona to the customers we interact with. What some people may find offensive, others won’t even think twice about. That's why learning to read your customers' energy and avoiding any assumptions are quality skills you learn to master in the service industry.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.