Quizno's

[Bob Thompson]

I have had a really lousy couple of weeks.
Two weeks ago my wife and I were all set to make a run to Vegas. We had planned on seeing a show visiting some friends and getting out of town for a few days. We had planned to leave on Thursday evening, so Wednesday night I got to experience the joy of kidney stones; again. The week of the Hollister rally we were supposed to go and see my eldest granddaughter graduate from Air force boot camp in San Antonio, Texas. We were set to leave early Wednesday so Tuesday I wrenched my back and caused a disc to bulge out and pinch a nerve. I made the decision to send my wife to meet our son in San Antonio. Since I couldn’t drive I ordered a car service to take her to the airport. At least that part went well. Her flight turned in to a nightmare, her non-stop to San Antonio suddenly included a two hour layover in Salt Lake. Thunderstorms caused the flight to divert to Arlington. She finally made to the Hotel fourteen hours after I consigned her to the car service.
I got to the Chiro the next day and got some relief but spent five days either horizontal or reclined.

So you’ll understand I might have lost my cherub like demeanor, to wit; my ability to tolerate idiots. Add to that the fact that it was very hot today, and disaster is not far off.

This having been said; I was out and about and decided to try the local Quizno’s sandwich shop, about which I had heard wondrous things.
At this point I’d like to digress just enough to tell you that I speak quite decent English and rightly so. After all I learned it from the people who invented the bloody language.
Having entered the shop I found just one other patron ahead of me. I thought “well, this won’t take but a bit”. Alas however, it was not to be. I could tell the gentleman ahead of me was agitated but I didn’t know why.

When it was my turn, having studied the menu carefully I told the nineteen year old or so mouth breather behind the counter exactly what I wanted. The first time I may have spoken to quickly, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. It became apparent during the second and third iterations that English was not his first language. I would point out at this point that he appeared to be a Caucasian American based on his entreaties to his coworkers in the back room &@$#$# hurry up. I suspect English came third behind “Venusian” and “Dude”.

Eventually as a continuous drip of water will wear away stone my order was taken. I turned to face the five people who had filed in after me. “I hope you’re not in a hurry I proffered” the lady returned a tight smile but said nothing.

“Is it usually like this I asked?” “It is on Fridays when Tommy’s here” the man behind the lady with tight smile replied. I turned back to see Tommy as I know knew him fiddling with a small stack of twenty dollar bills. Although I found this annoying I know the reason, he had reached the threshold amount for a drop, and after completing his drop and wiping his runny nose with his hand he began to make my sandwich. I commanded him to stop. “You need to wash your hands before you do that” His response was not the contrite “Oops I forgot” it was “Why” I informed him that currency is the filthiest most germ laden item that one can touch. I also pointed out the bit about wiping his nose. His defense was “I used the back of my hand”
At this point I told him to cancel my order, and that I will get my sandwich at a nice little deli I know and where it was located for the benefit of the other patrons present.

Again our friend Tommy inquired “Why!” this time with alarm.
At this point my attempts at maintaining a diplomatic comportment were taxed beyond their limits.
“Because” I replied, “You are obviously entirely too stupid to be allowed anywhere near food stuffs or cutlery. And frankly Tommy, I’m amazed you haven’t drowned in the sink since you don’t seem to know what it’s for”.
As I turned to go, only the lady with the tight smile remained. I told her “I suppose everyone else is trying to beat me to the deli” She replied “I don’t have a car today and I work across the street”. I told here I would gladly bring her back something from the deli or give her a ride since I had to pass her office on the way back to my shop. After a few more words I had her order written down and the tight smile turned to one of the gracious beaming type.
On the way out the door I encountered the man who had identified Tommy. I said “I thought you’d be halfway to the deli by now”. “I would be” he replied. “But I was supposed to meet someone here; As soon as he shows up I’m gone”. He added, “Man I wish I had the balls to do that”. I told him that I wished I had the patience to deal with Tommy in a more civil fashion. “Still, he is breathing yet, albeit from his mouth.

Thank you all for your forbearance during this cathartic rant.

[Gordon Maney]

Perfect!

[Ron in Indiana]

Bob I completely understand where you are coming from in dealing with pinheads like Tommy. This is the workforce of today's society I sad to say.

I attended our community college this spring for automotive paint fundamentals. Being the oldest of a class of 20 somethings it was challenging to say the least. Tardiness, inattentiveness, lack of respect of others and failure to study the materials presented. Our instructor had 36 years at Sherwin Williams and was a year older than myself.

The material was a bit dry at times but we had to be exposed to it. We started with nine and ended with four of us. Not to brag but I got a 4.0 for the course because I was there to learn and absorb all I could for the good of my business. The kids in this class, I have no idea what they were doing there. I'm not saying all kids are braindead but the ratio seems to be on the rise.

You were perfectly justified in refusing to accept anything made by this idiot. You would do a service to the customers of this establishment to email or write a letter to the company headquarters explaining what goes on there. I had a situtation with our local Subway to which I submitted an online complaint to their website. I got a call the next day from the regional manager. If we don't call attention to the problem nothing will change. Hope your back feels better soon.

[Bob Thompson]

You were perfectly justified in refusing to accept anything made by this idiot. You would do a service to the customers of this establishment to email or write a letter to the company headquarters explaining what goes on there. I had a situtation with our local Subway to which I submitted an online complaint to their website. I got a call the next day from the regional manager. If we don't call attention to the problem nothing will change. Hope your back feels better soon.

I have indeed sent off a scathing indictment of young Tom's poor practices.
I also delivered a nice Corned Beef on Rye to the lady with the tight smile, or at least her office. She was in the back but her receptionist was kind enough to see that she got it I presume.

I suspect that most of your classmates were enrolled at the behest of their parents or the state. No doubt a requirement of continued support.

My back is well on the mend, Thank you.

[Ron in Indiana]

Please post any reply you get from Quiznos I'm curious as to what they will say.

[Hobcobble]

Please post any reply you get from Quiznos I'm curious as to what they will say.

Hopefully, it won't open with:

Dear Valued Dude!....

John

[Bob Thompson]

Please post any reply you get from Quiznos I'm curious as to what they will say.

Well, I received a reply from Quizno's managment today. It was basically a form letter telling me that they were very sorry for the problems I encountered., and would I please except these printable coupons as a gesture of blah blah bla. It went on for quite a while telling me that they value my custom and take every measure to correct the situation short of actually doing anything.
Alas, such is life. As I had no great expectation of a helpful response I was not disappointed with the response I received. Since I have no investment in the situation either emotional or financial; I am disinclined to persue it further. I just won't go back.

I conveyed that sentiment to the reply address and recieved an almost identical response to the first one.
I did however call a friend who works for the health dept. and secured a promise to "check it out".

[Ron in Indiana]

I would think the friend at the health department will get a better response. Any idea if this is a franchise store? A note to the owner my prompt some changes when you include the fact that you will not frequent his store and will spread the word about the conditions at his place. Hitting the bottom line should always hit a nerve.

[712edf]

Our 2 Quizno's have closed in the last month. The "OPEN" sign is On, but locked up & stools are still on the tables.
We get a new restaurant here seems like every 72hrs... And if the new one survives more than 2-3 months, then that means an existing restaurant will go out of business.
Natural Selection.

Concerning our youth..... we're in trouble, Dude.

Bucky

[Kevin Mienke]

You should be commended, Bob, for taking the time to teach him something. It might be the only time someone has done so with this kid.

For the most part, I ascribe to the theory that our kids are a product of ourselves, which raises the question: Are the kids to blame?

Having coached Little League Baseball and AAU Baseball for 19 seasons, I’ve been around a lot of young people. I’ve noticed that the number of wayward kids is in close proportion to the number of wayward adults who’ve raised them. Or allegedly raised them. Some kids are X box raised. Some are TV raised. Some are dropped off at the sitter day and night. Some are expected to learn everything at school and nothing at home. I suspect Tommy is in at least one of those groups.

I’m gonna say something here that won’t be popular, but I’m gonna say it anyway.

If we could someday stop pointing the finger outward and start taking responsibility for creating an attention-deficit world for our kids and grandkids, in effect, we have taken the first step in teaching them something of substance…responsibility.

If we can teach them about responsibility we have taught them a lot.

Anyway, good job Bob.

All of us should keep our eyes open. Keep our minds open because there are a lot of opportunities to teach our kids. Not just hygiene at Quizno’s and not just baseball. For guys like us, a good place to start is in the garage. Take a kid to the garage and spend a few hours teaching him how to change spark plugs and fan belts, adjust valves, and set timing. You never know, those few hours could be just what the kid needs to set everything else in motion.

[NNICKB]

Well Bob, I was an expert on kids until I had my own, but that doesn't mean I still don't have an opinion.

I did do a lot of work with teenage and younger boys over the years. It took me a while to figure out the obvious, and that is simply this. The boys with a father present in the home generally do pretty well. Those that don't, well, don't.

I rolled double sixes when I came into this world, and can only hope to be as good a Dad to my kids as mine was to me.

It is easy to lose patience with kids these days, particularly when you encounter them in sub shops or auto parts stores. We are told they have so much more than we did, but at the same time wonder why they don't know anything. But really, are electronic toys and free day care a substitute for a Dad?

I'd give this kid some credit for at least trying to hold a job, when so many don't even bother to do that. It may be that he would do better if he got some extra training from his employer, but then again, it is probably too late.

Wish I knew how to fix this problem, but I don't.

[Gordon Maney]

I spent a total of 16 years teaching vocational automotive classes. I love working with kids who want to learn. I am even willing to help them change so they want to learn. I understand something about molding people.

I can only buy so much of this notion that they can't help it because of their upbringing. I particularly can't buy it when I am essentially victimized by their incompetence as they performed the role of an employee in someone's business. Example, the kid puts canned goods on my bread. Honest, it happens, and more than once.

In my own experience over quite a few years — whether it be back then or now — some people need to get fired from one or several jobs to really learn important lessons. That nose-wiping kid probably should've been fired that day.

[NNICKB]

Well, yes, Gordon, understanding bad behavior and tolerating bad behavior are two completely different things...

[Kevin Mienke]

I can only buy so much of this notion that they can't help it because of their upbringing. [/I]

I didn't put forth the notion that they can't help it. I think they CAN help it.

But it's high time that my generation start taking responsibility for the attention-deficit world we live in. We created the video games. We bought them. We gave them to the kids and now we want to complain that something went wrong with the kids. We bought the cell phones, came up with texting, and tweeting and wonder why the kids can't carry a conversation beyond OMG or LOL.

Ultimately, the kids need to take responsibility for their own lives, regardless of the start we gave them. But a better start wouldn't hurt.

[Bob Thompson]

You should be commended, Bob, for taking the time to teach him something. It might be the only time someone has done so with this kid.

For the most part, I ascribe to the theory that our kids are a product of ourselves, which raises the question: Are the kids to blame?

Having coached Little League Baseball and AAU Baseball for 19 seasons, I’ve been around a lot of young people. I’ve noticed that the number of wayward kids is in close proportion to the number of wayward adults who’ve raised them. Or allegedly raised them. Some kids are X box raised. Some are TV raised. Some are dropped off at the sitter day and night. Some are expected to learn everything at school and nothing at home. I suspect Tommy is in at least one of those groups.

I’m gonna say something here that won’t be popular, but I’m gonna say it anyway.

If we could someday stop pointing the finger outward and start taking responsibility for creating an attention-deficit world for our kids and grandkids, in effect, we have taken the first step in teaching them something of substance…responsibility.

If we can teach them about responsibility we have taught them a lot.

Anyway, good job Bob.

All of us should keep our eyes open. Keep our minds open because there are a lot of opportunities to teach our kids. Not just hygiene at Quizno’s and not just baseball. For guys like us, a good place to start is in the garage. Take a kid to the garage and spend a few hours teaching him how to change spark plugs and fan belts, adjust valves, and set timing. You never know, those few hours could be just what the kid needs to set everything else in motion.

Well I appreciate the sentiment Kevin, but I have to say I immediately regretted having taken this boy to task or at least regretted calling him stupid. Ignorant would have been a more apt term and a trifle less pejorative. You may have a valid point to some extent but the individual has to take responsibility for their own actions at some point. To do otherwise opens the door to the I'm a victim mentality.
Granted many of our youth are learning this a bit late.

I was reminded in the midst of the fray of Douglas Adams fifth book in the Hitchhiker's guide trilogy. To be fair to Douglas, it started out as a trilogy but when he had finished the third book he found he still had a great deal more to impart. Hence the last two books. He was said to be working on a sixth when he passed suddenly. Sorry for the digression but that really wants explaining.
In the fifth book "Mostly Harmless" the protagonist "Arthur" finds himself stranded on a non space-faring planet in the midst of a hunter gatherer Iron Age society. Arthur desperately wants to lift these people out of the mud and bestow upon them the gifts of technology. After several abortive attempts he realizes that he doesn't really know how anything actually works. One day out of sheer boredom he finds himself in want of something to eat so he makes a sandwich out of available materials and astonishes the other villagers. He becomes venerated and earns the title "The Sandwich Maker".
The foregoing is to illustrate two points.

First: if you are good at something even if it's being a sandwich maker at Quizno's and you put your best effort into it, then it is an honorable endeavor and worth doing.

My mind tends to wander a bit at funerals, weddings and such. More than once I have noticed the quality of the open grave. I can see that the grave digger took the time to use a square spade to square the corners and bottom of the hole. I told a couple of grave diggers once, that they had dug an excellent and very presentable hole, noting the clean corner work and trueness of line. I told them that the occupant of said grave would have appreciated their work. They of course thought I was putting them on but I assured them that I was being sincere. Allan, the man who was to occupy the grave, really appreciated fine craftsmanship even in a well dug hole.

The second point is that probably less than a third of the world’s population knows how any one bit of technology works. The rest are more concerned with what that technology can do to make their already sedentary existences even more so. Everyone thinks they know how things work until they are pressed to give an example and discover that they cannot.

The Tommy's of this world are at least partly responsible for their own indolence and sense of entitlement.

My parents aren't responsible for my character, but they enhanced and nurtured it and allowed me become a person in my own right. Granted some children need a bit more proctoring than others.

Albert Einstein is alleged to have said "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction.
The world will have a generation of idiots."