Manchester Restaurant Defends Autistic Employee

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Huffington Post UK: Grenache Restaurant Defends Waiter With Autism After Customers Are Rude To Him

A restaurant boss has hit back at customers who refused service from an autistic member of staff.

Mike Jennings, who runs Grenache Restaurant in Manchester, said Andy Foster's confidence had been destroyed after the patrons asked "what is wrong with him?".

Grenache posted on their FB page for those with similar views not to come to their restaurant.

If there's one thing I've learned working in the service industry, it's that the customer ISN'T always right, unlike the old cliche. In fact, customers will often demand things that are unreasonable or unrealistic, treat you rudely, and sometimes even outright attempt to steal from or otherwise defraud the business you're working for right in front of you. Customers can be real a**holes, and I can only imagine it must take nerves of steel and the patience of a Zen Buddhist monk to work in order to tolerate working in retail for more than a few months, let alone the years people often spend doing so. It's shameful that people in the service industry are paid as little as they are, because they have some of the hardest jobs out there.

I had a lot of complaints about me when I worked at a hotel in Montana. No one stood up for me. My behavior appeared rude to guests because I didn't understand personal space. I wonder what the man is doing wrong that would make people complain about him and ask what is wrong with him. Did any guests ever ask my boss or anyone else what was wrong with me?

I've had total strangers tell me I was behaving inappropriately: Once on a city bus when I was a teenager; I was told I was talking too loud and that I should shut up. And a second time when I was shelving books too quickly at the bookstore I worked at. I was told "don't do that." And I've had people blank me and walk away a number of times.
It sucks.
I think it's great that this restaurant's owners are standing up for the guy.

It's so nice to see an example of an employer who not just understands and tolerates but actively champions people with disabilities!