How would/do you handle very messy CUSTOMERS?

Hello all,
 
I am curious on how you guys would or do handle messy customers? Pay attention to that important word"customers" lol
 
It does not matter what your set up is so how do you deal with it?
Bite your tongue? Friendly word on the mess as in a joke but really how you feel? Shock look on your face that you let them notice? Just clean it up and smile? There are many ways it "could" be handled but I would like real world thoughts and opinions on what you do. Keep in mind I don't mean to say they took your mustard bottle and squirted it all over the table and chairs on purpose. That would be some kind of vandle situation. I am talking a paying customer that either by lack of upbringing or blatant disreguard because someone else has to clean it up leaves a HUGE mess behind that IS NOT NORMAL for any size meal or group big or small. The kind when you see it your first thought is it was done on purpose.
 
This HAS NOT happened to me but I noticed this while eating out when I saw a HUGE mess of spillage, napkins soda, etc ALL over the table from this group of guys (five 19y/o's) You would have thought they were drunk but I saw no alcohol served or left over. Very loud, lauging and clowning, etc. They could have been 21 but just did not seem that old. Looked like jocks on a football team. They knew it was a mess because I could hear jokes about it as they left. "that's what she gets paid for, screw her" not as nice a word was used. Smiled and said bye as they left to the waitress. No tip on table BUT they could have paid the cashier but I doubt it. The kinda place where you go and pay upfront as you leave.
 
Thoughts and opinons??
 
 
Oh yeah, I would ask the rowdy group to please quiet down as to not disturb the other guest. I would do it like "hey guys do me a favor blah, blah"  As for the mess I would help the person clean it up if I could or ask another employee to give them a hand. I would also look for the group the next time they came and if it started to head in that direction again I would have to bring it to there attention.
 

The next time they came in I would tell them they are not welcome. I don't need people with not an ounce of respect for me, my business  my employess, and my customers in my business. I'm not about to try to teach them manners that their parents didn't teach them in a crash course in the middle of my restaurant. I don't need those kinds of people screwing up the dinning experience for all my other guests.........I learned a long time ago the customer isn't always right.

For every bad customer, hopefully you have many more good ones.

It goes with the territory.  One lousy tipper..Most are good tippers.

Deal with them on a everyday basis. Can't shoot them.  Might be long here but the City shut me down for two weeks last June. A Garbage truck came into the parking lot with a dumpster to take to land fill. Driver ran into bank to do whatever he needed. Came out and proceeded to leave, well a car pulled out in front of the truck, he hit his brakes and the waterlogged seafood scrapes all over the parking lot. Drew flys like knowbodies business. Talked to city about clean-up, they said they will get to it, asked if I could pressure wash, that is when all hell broke loose, this is hazardous waste and cannot be flushed down the sewer. So I proceeded to find another spot. well the rains came and guess where the material went. Cost me two weeks, of good revenue to two weeks of so-so until everthing got back into same old order.
The smell of left over shrimp in water,probally at rest. for a few days since this was Monday. make a billy goat puke.
Still trying to collect lost revenue.

We just say thank you and clean it up before we take another order. Most people in line behind them will help you clean it up. They are just as disgusted as me.

If you onw any retail business and think you are the boss..You are sadly mistaken.  Your boss is your customers.  Once I realized that, I sold our restaurant....

How do farmers deal with horse ****?

After 7 years in business I say nothing, usually. In the case you are talkink about with the rowdy young guys, they wouldn't want me in the restautant if they pulled that crap.

Hopefully, those sloppy teens will grow up one day and still be customers bringing their kids with them. Only, by then, the mess will be made by their kids.

I guess my response would be" Are they paying customers?" If they are, than deal with it.I have had families come in to my restaurant that were slobs.But they paid good money, and I dealt with it...

 If you observe the behavior (as opposed to finding the results after they leave) you can deal with it as the situation warrents. If they are clowning around and having 'Food Fights' etc, then intervention and requesting they clean up their mess is ok. If they are "just sloppy eaters" then you should anticipate cleaning up as you would after any customer, after they leave.

If they are disruptive to the normal course of business as well as messy, requesting that they leave is not out of line. The other customers will respect you attempt to maintain order.

mayor al


 If you observe the behavior (as opposed to finding the results after they leave) you can deal with it as the situation warrents. If they are clowning around and having 'Food Fights' etc, then intervention and requesting they clean up their mess is ok. If they are "just sloppy eaters" then you should anticipate cleaning up as you would after any customer, after they leave.

If they are disruptive to the normal course of business as well as messy, requesting that they leave is not out of line. The other customers will respect you attempt to maintain order.

I like the different ways you guys listed for handling the situation. I really like the reply above by mayor al. It answers it perfectly IMO.