Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for January 20, 2022

Agreed. ✨

Psst.. Tiffany.. Bring up the good ol’ days!

A Karen & Ken? LOL

Ow.

Not the target demographic.

We’re seeing a broader spectrum of Kafe Kablooie clientele than we ever have before. Mainly the odd ones. Why haven’t we ever gotten to see Nancy get hit on as bartender? Now that would be interesting!

Don’t waste your energy! Tiffany is right! You have to keep a smile on your face in the service industry – but don’t waste time getting personal with these folks!! Sad to say, a good server will still anticipate their needs the way Tiff described.

ageism much?

The clientele of the Fuse are some real winners.

Better take good care of them, Ox – that gripey old man is Frank’s dad.

Conversation goes with food; music goes with ALCOHOL! So music should be background for dinner – crank it up later. Live music with dinner can do more harm than good – unless the artist has a great handle on material, volume and delivery.

She works at McDonald’s?

Tiff table 1 does not fit your demo.

Take a good hard look but don’t judge, kids.

That’s YOU in about 60 years or so.

One cannot please everyone, so don’t hurt yourself trying. Just do what you can.

Something I just realized is over the past 5 years Tiffani’s and Luann’s inner circles have almost completely overlapped except for the 2 of them who are still like oil and water. I see some sort of intervention in their future.

Oh, Greg has barely scratched the surface of what a server encounters in a shift!

It would be nice to see Ox and Tiffany finally have a little lunch date together.

Tiff could liven things up a tad by showing up for her shift in her old “Eyez OF Zye” costume. Yeah, I do realize it is most probably a bit on the small side…

Wrong, Tiff. I hate chatty servers. I like the in-out. You’re there to just take orders. No need to hang around and make small talk. I don’t care to share anything about myself or know anything about you except that you get my orders right. And I will tip you properly for doing your job, not because you made small talk. My family is like that except my daughter in law. She likes to chat with the servers to my son’s annoyance because the servers keep coming back and interrupting thinking they’d get big tip thanks to my DIL. My son is a server himself so he told her to stop chatting with servers which only encourage them to come back asking if we need anything and make more small talk, that we are there to spend quality time with family and not with servers. Well, I suspect that’s why my DIL chats with servers- we are not her family, just in laws. But my son managed to break her habit. Now we’re enjoying our dining experience now that my DIL stays mum.

If it wasn’t for the attitude, I’d say that woman looks like Mrs. Horner.

With the language and attitude in the last panel, it should be “get out” rather than “in out.”

One time I was in a restaurant, and all I ordered was seltzer water.

They billed me 90 cents! My boyfriend tore up the bill!!

It seems like only the dregs of that town come to The Fuse.

Tiffany seems to know how to deal with any situation, even if she avoids some of them. It’s nice that you try to help Ox become a better waiter. Ox is a resourceful guy, with the right suggestions he will probably become better than Tiffany too. It would be interesting to see a competition between them.

Well then, if Tiff is gonna give Ox advice on ins-n-outs, then she should go to that cranky couple’s table and demonstrate how it’s done.

She makes very appropo commentary on the audience she performs for as a waitperson. Knowing your audience, particularly where money is involved in exchange for food, service and atmosphere is very important for performative and profitable performer(s).

Well, so far this arc hasn’t really done anything to catch our attention, or at least mine. I see people dealing with one work situation or another every day. At least two more days of this, unless they somehow stretch it out to next week also.

They won’t leave a tip so just get them out!! If they don’t like it they should leave anyway.

Panel 2: Those people must be long-lost Habsburgs…

If you’re dealing with a Karen, get the fire hose. If a “sigma male” comes in, tell him you only have soy products on the menu. If you see a MAGA conservative, put up a rainbow flag to show the restaurant’s support for the LBGTQ+ community. And if a patriot comes in, just put all the money in the bag and hope he doesn’t shoot.

What happened to Luann’s career trajectory arc? Where’d that go? …did she decide to pursue being a teacher as planned? Child care specialist? Anesthesiologist?

…or are we just leaving it there and with Bernice in a quandary now…

Maybe it’s Early-Bird special time.

Four bucks for a soda? I’m with them.

And the food is terrible, and there is not nearly enough of it!

Yep, sometimes extra effort will not pay off — so spend as little as you can.

one day these two will see how well they get along

….Still waiting for the all firefighter band, Extinguish, to show up.

She just said grumpy > sympathetic :)

Looks like we’ve got some whining customers here. Comes with the territory of being a waitress.

That’s my wife and me. Especially over the past year.

“Some people bring happiness wherever they go, some… whenever they go!”

Ageism. :(

Those two look like they need some TJ charm.

In & Out? Great burgers!

Tiff certainly has come down in the Luanniverse. She used to make $1,000 a day modeling.

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2005/07/16

Give ’ em pasta salad. And charge for filet.

Why does the lady have a purple Hitler moustache?

In this world it takes all kinds.

To quote a line from Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse – “Be nice, until it’s time not to be nice.”

Bounce them.

$4 for a soda is a complete rip off to be fair.

Nah, the old timer is right. Why is they Pepsi $4?

You would think that people of that age would know where to go for lunch or dinner, and which restaurants had pricing, atmosphere and food that they like.

The biggest problem here is that Tiffany has got no business telling ox how to do his job. And it also seems that she only wants to wait on people when it suits her so if it’s people that aren’t her type she will have nothing to do with them.

When they named The Fuse, they weren’t thinking about cranky old people with short ones.

Because it it s California dining establishment. Not Burger KIng. Heck a Dunkin Donuts coffee costa as much. Also there may be free refills of the soda. The 4 bucks being the minimum.

I can see both sides of this question. Back in the middle of the last century of the last millennium, I was a server. Presently, I am in my eighth decade, widowed, and have out lived most of my family and friends. Occasionally, I get to the point where I’m tired of my own cooking and pandemic enforced isolation and venture out for a restaurant meal, usually alone. So a friendly face, a little small talk, and efficient service is a welcome change. I don’t want a helicopter server, hovering over me, but a little social discourse doesn’t hurt either. But I like to think I’m not as crotchety as the pair shown above – were I their server, I’d cheerfully recommend they try the Golden Corral down the street.

At least you called it a soda.

I saw a poster once that said Sex Manual: In. Out. Repeat if necessary.

Why are the grumpiest people so often depicted as old folks?

That sounds like me! :~)

Smart gurl!!

Show them the door. They’re better suited to IHOP.

$4 for a Coke IS ridiculous.

Whoever said “The Customer Is Always Right” had a defective hearing aid battery.

Must be there for the 3-5 special

They better serve them quick. Don’t know how much time they have left.

Flee while you can! Both of you!! The customers from h-e-double hockey sticks have arrive.

Four dollars for a soft drink? I would not darken their door.

$4 for a soda? I’d be grumpy too – if I stayed.

I see Greg’s been spying on my parents.

That old guy sounds like me.

That couple seems grumpy. So, if Ox takes Tiffany’s advice, he should be sympathetic. But, Tiffany didn’t advise that. Does she regard them as hopeless grumpy?

Four bucks was a days wages to him

Last night I ate at a restaurant where I was probably the youngest customer. It was near a retirement center, Top Of the World. I was born in the 50’s.

I can feel sympathy for the old woman – she probably has eye problems and it can be a real struggle in that situation to read a menu in a dimly lit restaurant. As for complaining about the price of the soda, if it’s a fountain drink most of that price is pure profit (not to mention a little soda and a lot of ice). Give them a break, they’re probably on a limited income.

$4 for a soda???? Don’t blame them!

I’m getting a “A Clockwork Orange” vibe here…

I’m having occasional trouble reading menus in places that are “romantically lit” by table candles only.

“Dys-Pepsi-a”

“$4 Pepsi? You’re full o’ Coke!”

“The Ins And Outs Of Waitstaffing”

“I Swear That’s Loud Music!”

“Bleep Prepared”

“Mini-Soda Twits”

“Serves You? Ri-i-ight!”

“The Gripes Of Wrath”

“Two Cents Complain "

“That’s The Way The Old Cookie Grumbles”

" ‘Do You Serve Crabs Here?’ ‘We Serve Anyone! What Would You Like?’ "

“Rushed Order”

“Dim, Some”

I’m afraid I am becoming like that couple. LOL!

What happened to grumpy eliciting sympathy, Tiffany?

Monday: Sergio Aragonés drops byToday: Greg and Karen Evans arrive to have lunch and plan the next arc

My wife went to our local Target, came back and raged about the horribly loud obnoxious music being played. When I go there, it’s all I can do to not dance in the aisles and sing along.

There’re days I want to tell customers like that to wash the cow$#!+ off their toes and get with the times or stay their a$$ on the farm!

I agree with the “Turn down the damn music” gripe.

You have to admit, the Tiffster “knows her room”!

Heed her advice, Oxford. It will stand you in good stead not only now but also down the road….

I see G Evans signed the back of the menu.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have to agree with Tiffany.

In-Out. Interesting choice of words, considering two of your upcoming guests, Tiff.