Mon Dieu! Not rude, just French
Source: Marloes Hilckmann on Unsplash
Waiter fired for being too rude says he was 'just being French'
A waiter fired for being "aggressive, rude and disrespectful" has insisted there was nothing wrong with his manner - he was just being “French”.Deserved or not, France’s reputation for producing surly waiters who eye customers with suspicion, indeed disdain, is known the world over and has stood the test of time.
Now one waiter has taken that reputation to another level by appearing to claim that a grumpy “garçon” is a cherished French national trait, not a sign of unprofessional conduct.
Guillaume Rey, who worked at a Vancouver restaurant on Canada's Pacific coast, filed a complaint with British Columbia's Human Rights Tribunal against his former employer, saying he is the victim of "discrimination against my culture".
The restaurant, operated by Cara Operations, accused Mr Rey of breaching its code of conduct; it argued that he persisted in unacceptably rude behaviour despite verbal and written performance reviews and that it had no option but to fire him.
However, Mr Rey said his employer was being culturally colour blind as the French approach just "tends to be more direct and expressive".
Au contraire, his "direct, honest and professional personality” was, he insisted, drummed into him at French hospitality school and he was simply following their guidelines.
Grumpiness aside, both parties agreed Mr Rey was good at his job.
The restaurant and its parent company had attempted to brush off the discrimination complaint but tribunal member Devyn Cousineau denied that request, meaning it will receive a yet unscheduled hearing.
The outcome, however, is still far from certain.
"Mr Rey will have to explain what it is about his French heritage that would result in behaviour that people misinterpret as a violation of workplace standards of acceptable conduct," she wrote in her decision.
So aware are French authorities of the country's reputation for rudeness, in 2015 the tourist board launched a multi-million-euro drive to improve their “difficult relationship with service and by extension our relation to others”.
In 2013, the Paris Tourist Board distributed a “politeness manual” for service industry workers. Three years earlier, the city paid “smile ambassadors” to be friendly to tourists at the city’s main attractions – to little avail.
The restaurant and its parent company had attempted to brush off the discrimination complaint but tribunal member Devyn Cousineau denied that request, meaning it will receive a yet unscheduled hearing.
The outcome, however, is still far from certain.
"Mr Rey will have to explain what it is about his French heritage that would result in behaviour that people misinterpret as a violation of workplace standards of acceptable conduct," she wrote in her decision.
So aware are French authorities of the country's reputation for rudeness, in 2015 the tourist board launched a multi-million-euro drive to improve their “difficult relationship with service and by extension our relation to others”.
In 2013, the Paris Tourist Board distributed a “politeness manual” for service industry workers. Three years earlier, the city paid “smile ambassadors” to be friendly to tourists at the city’s main attractions – to little avail.
Comments
Mr. Rey said that his rudeness is not due to his character, but he is a grumpy man due to he is French. If he would be born in Scotland, for instance, he would be kind, but not surly. As Mr. Rey, the way of being of people depends on his nationality. I think the French should be upset with Mr. Rey because he is as dunce as rude. What does grumpiness have to do with nationality?
A lot of people like these things which are cliché. Who disagrees with French people, he will say that all French people are rude. Always it’s the same. For instance, the Times says that all Spanish people are rude and you can’t do anything.
Anyway, in my opinion, the job of waiter isn’t suitable job to Mr. Rey. He should look for other job like a prison warden. This man can’t be kind to others because he has grumpiness and nobody likes that a waiter screams when you order beer. It’s necessary to treat well to customers.
See you.
Or should I say Bonsoir monsieur?
I find the French, on the whole, polite. You can come across surly people but at least, they use respectful language. The same, I would suggest, isn't true for Madrid.
I can be pretty grumpy but I hope I'm not rude. Maybe that's why I can relate to the French so well.
Mr. Rey said that his rudeness is not due to his character, but he is a grumpy man because he is French (due to + nouns). If he had been born in Scotland, for instance, he would be kind, but not surly. As is the case with Mr. Rey, a person's way depends on their nationality. I think the French should be upset with Mr. Rey because he is as much a dunce as he is rude. What does grumpiness have to do with nationality?
A lot of people like these things which are clichés. Who disagrees with a French person will say that all French people / the French are rude. It’s always the same. For instance, the Times says that all Spanish people are rude and you can’t do anything about it.
Anyway, in my opinion, the job of waiter isn’t suited to Mr. Rey. He should look for another job like a prison warden. This man can’t be kind to others because he is grumpy and nobody likes a waiter who screams when you order beer. It’s necessary to treat customers well (adverbs like "well" and "much" follow the object).