shop spectators

[Gregster]

And I'm sure it doesn't just happen at places Quick-Lube type places though that Jiffy Lube example is remarkable to me because it looks like there was almost a concerted effort or a conspiracy on the part of management to rip-off customers -- not just a rogue store or stores.

all those express oil change places are just there to scam you. We have a few local places around here and they always try selling extra useless stuff. A customer of mine has a 08 Accord, they tried to sell her a trans flush, rad flush, engine flush and nitrogen in her tires..

I wouldn't want some untrained kid doing a trans flush on my car. Many times they use the wrong fluid, over fill and generally make a mess of it. Not all lines are easy to remove.. GM for example.

My car gets taken to the dealer. Oil changes are 29$ and they use synthetic oil. I know most of the techs at the dealer and the guys at the parts counter. I don't have to worry about them. Once they changed the air filter, gas filter and cabin air filter. An extra 65$ but they kept the old parts for me to see.

 

[WVU Tuba Dale]

I wouldn't want some untrained kid doing a trans flush on my car. Many times they use the wrong fluid, over fill and generally make a mess of it. Not all lines are easy to remove.. GM for example.

I just wanted to stick up for myself a little bit. I am 19 and have been an "official" mechanic for a year. My shop doesn't have a transmission machine yet, but when we get one I plan to be taught on how to use it. I have learned a lot since I have been there (AC diag and recharging, OBDII diag, tow truck recovery, electrical systems testing) and if I question how something is done I always ask one of the techs working beside me. Not all of us "kids" are untrained. I pride myself in learning how to do everything as well as everyone else in the shop and taking the cars no one wants to do. Not meant to be harsh, but just sayin'

(Water of course)

 

[r6_cannibal]

I just wanted to stick up for myself a little bit. I am 19 and have been an "official" mechanic for a year. My shop doesn't have a transmission machine yet, but when we get one I plan to be taught on how to use it. I have learned a lot since I have been there (AC diag and recharging, OBDII diag, tow truck recovery, electrical systems testing) and if I question how something is done I always ask one of the techs working beside me. Not all of us "kids" are untrained. I pride myself in learning how to do everything as well as everyone else in the shop and taking the cars no one wants to do. Not meant to be harsh, but just sayin'

(Water of course)

the difference is you take pride in your work and you probably view this as a career instead of a job.

 

[J.A.F.E.]

I just wanted to stick up for myself a little bit. I am 19 and have been an "official" mechanic for a year. My shop doesn't have a transmission machine yet, but when we get one I plan to be taught on how to use it. I have learned a lot since I have been there (AC diag and recharging, OBDII diag, tow truck recovery, electrical systems testing) and if I question how something is done I always ask one of the techs working beside me. Not all of us "kids" are untrained. I pride myself in learning how to do everything as well as everyone else in the shop and taking the cars no one wants to do. Not meant to be harsh, but just sayin'

(Water of course)

In my experience your attitude is an exception and not just for someone of your age group.But I applaud and respect it. It will take you far in this life.

Hats off and (diet Coke and lime of course )

 

[Gregster]

I just wanted to stick up for myself a little bit. I am 19 and have been an "official" mechanic for a year. My shop doesn't have a transmission machine yet, but when we get one I plan to be taught on how to use it. I have learned a lot since I have been there (AC diag and recharging, OBDII diag, tow truck recovery, electrical systems testing) and if I question how something is done I always ask one of the techs working beside me. Not all of us "kids" are untrained. I pride myself in learning how to do everything as well as everyone else in the shop and taking the cars no one wants to do. Not meant to be harsh, but just sayin'

(Water of course)

I'm only 23 and have been a tech since I was 18. We see it as careers not a part time job on the weekend because working on cars is cool. We are properly trained by our employers also our employers expect professional quality work from us and they expect us to know information based on our experience.

 

[TNToy]

Buy a curtain. Duct tape it to the outside of the window.

You may now wail on frozen brake drums without fear.

Getting into our shop area is like breaking into fort knox. Electronic keycards at each door. The tool trucks all call a guy in the shop to prop the door open when they arrive.
Somewhat annoying, but keeps the customers at bay when you need to dive under the hood with a hammer and a prybar, or rip interior trim pieces off an '09 Land Cruiser worth $75k and send delicate plastic clips skittering across the floor.

 

[krusty the clown]

I'm only 23 and have been a tech since I was 18. We see it as careers not a part time job on the weekend because working on cars is cool. We are properly trained by our employers also our employers expect professional quality work from us and they expect us to know information based on our experience.

jaysus......you guy's are making me feel old

 

[gotta56forme]

In '95 I rode my bicycle (yes, not motorcycle) from Seattle, WA to the Atlantic shore in Virginia. Somewhere in Kansas or Missouri, I developed a problem with my bike that I couldn't fix myself. I went into a small town bike shop and the counterman said they could get right on it. So I take my gear off the bike and the counter guy wheels it back to the open repair area adajacent to the counter. I stood there looking on - didn't say a word, nothing had happened yet. The 'tech' , a guy in his 30's or 40's didn't have my bike 90 seconds before he literally threw a wrench across the length of the repair area hitting the opposite wall. He erupted in an explosion of profanity aimed at generally nothing or nobody. He hadn't shot me a warning stare or anything. He stomped out the front door of the shop, swearing the whole way. I stood there in disbelief. The counterman sheepishly told me, that the 'tech' doesn't like to be watched. He asked me if I could maybe go get some lunch or something. If it hadn't been the only shop in town, I may have asked for the bike back and gone elsewhere. I left bewildered and as I exited the shop I saw the tech standing on the nearby corner muttering and glaring at me. I was gone for about an hour and came back to my bike fixed, and the tech nowhere in sight. The counterman may have offered a feeble apology but I don't remember one.

Scott/Gotta56forme

 

[kf4zht]

I can understand not wanting to be watched closely, but with todays world of scammers in the car industry more and more shops are following the trend of at least allowing customers to watch workers though the windows. I can understand not allowing them in the bays, that is an insurance/liablity issue, but why can't they watch? If you are a good mechanic there should be no issues, if someone does raise one (such as using a hammer on frozen brakes) let them try and do the other side without one.

I have to deal with this a lot on fire calls. Everyone and their 3 brothers, mother and crazy uncle has to see what we are doing. Often they get in the way, try and stand in hazardous area or have a camera. Some times we even have to deal with the press, just the other week my picture was in the paper, nothing bad I did, but you have to remember not to do anything that might be construed as out of line. Even when you do everything right someone will complain. We get the "You drive to fast, and your response time is too slow" complaint too often.

 

[ZRX61]

If you want to watch the magic it's another $35/hr on top of the base $87.50/hr.

 

[Elroy]

In the summer of '83 Elroy took a road trip down to Hephzibah, Georgia. Went down for week to help a friend load up for his move back to Kentucky. We had a three car convoy coming back and on a Sunday afternoon, somewhere in the middle of Tennessee the radiator in the '69 Lemans splits wide open. Broke the seam open along the tank right at the core.

After a little cool down we pulled the radiator out along side of the road and took it into the nearest town. Started to ask around where a radiator shop was. Someone pointed us to another town with the "best damn radiator shop in Tennessee"

So get this: It's Sunday, HOT AS HELL and this shop calls their "best man" in special just for us. All this guy could do was cuss the shop owner for calling him in on a hot Sunday.

He didn't mind that we watched. Took the guy maybe an hour or so to completely remove the tank, do the "body work" and solder it back on. Cussing the fact he was in there on Sunday the whole time.

So me and my buddy were adding up how much money we had between us.

When the guy was done he said:

Phuck the shop owner, "he don't have no respect".

That'll be $3.15 for material, watch that paint it's still wet.

NO JOKE!

Still can't believe it. but that's EXACTLY how it went down.

Yep, Three dollors and 15 cents!

We gave him $20 and told him to keep the change.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

we have a wide open shop
have not ever had to deal with an out of control spectator
I prefer not to have a 'helper ' around

 

[redrider2000]

all those express oil change places are just there to scam you. We have a few local places around here and they always try selling extra useless stuff. A customer of mine has a 08 Accord, they tried to sell her a trans flush, rad flush, engine flush and nitrogen in her tires..

I wouldn't want some untrained kid doing a trans flush on my car. Many times they use the wrong fluid, over fill and generally make a mess of it. Not all lines are easy to remove.. GM for example.

My car gets taken to the dealer. Oil changes are 29$ and they use synthetic oil. I know most of the techs at the dealer and the guys at the parts counter. I don't have to worry about them. Once they changed the air filter, gas filter and cabin air filter. An extra 65$ but they kept the old parts for me to see.

I work at a jiffy lube here in memphis, I have years of mechanic experience, but they actually pay me pretty damn good it. Yes you guys are right, there are people that try to scam you but that is everywhere you go. If you knew the pressure we are under to sell sell sell and so on and so on you would be surprised. The never ending phone calls asking you WTF is going on, why is your ticket average low? I cant unethically sell you something you dont need, It eats at me and i just cant lie, i would rather sell you nothing but an oil change and have you come back rather than you feel ripped off and never come back. Now I can honestly say that yes we have some "kids" that work on the cars but at my shop they are watched like a hawk by me, if i dont trust you to work on the car then your **** is vaccuming the car and washing windows, if you **** at that then you are no longer working for me. I work my **** off and work alot of overtime so that i can make sure everything is right. But like some of you said some of us look at this as a career and some look at it as a 8 dollar an hour job and couldnt care less.

 

[Gregster]

well said!

 

[Vinko]

I work at a jiffy lube here in memphis, I have years of mechanic experience, but they actually pay me pretty damn good it. Yes you guys are right, there are people that try to scam you but that is everywhere you go. If you knew the pressure we are under to sell sell sell and so on and so on you would be surprised. The never ending phone calls asking you WTF is going on, why is your ticket average low? I cant unethically sell you something you dont need, It eats at me and i just cant lie, i would rather sell you nothing but an oil change and have you come back rather than you feel ripped off and never come back. Now I can honestly say that yes we have some "kids" that work on the cars but at my shop they are watched like a hawk by me, if i dont trust you to work on the car then your **** is vaccuming the car and washing windows, if you **** at that then you are no longer working for me. I work my **** off and work alot of overtime so that i can make sure everything is right. But like some of you said some of us look at this as a career and some look at it as a 8 dollar an hour job and couldnt care less.

I take it you either are or act as the shop's "foreman" which every good shop needs. I don't know if that's what they call them in mechanic shops or not, but this position shouldn't be underestimated. Not only should the guy (usually) be able to do every job that everyone else can do (maybe not as good or as fast as everyone else since he can't be doing it all the time, every day), but he has to watch or double-check a lot of work. It's essential and can be tiring. But a shop can't run as well (or well at all) without a guy like that heading it, I think.



I just went to a new mechanic today for my older BMW. I was pretty impressed. It was about 5 guys. Each has his own speciality (certain newer functions like these computer brakes on a Mercedes, another does a lot of racing engines for Porsches, which is says business is slow for now,) but is cross-trained on certain basics. The tool collection was pretty impressive and organized. Shop was clean. I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything, but as a "spectator" who was allowed to walk around the shop, I was still impressed.

Anyway, if I wanted to, I could've stood there all day, but they had a line of cars and I had my own work to do, so off I went.

 

[redrider2000]

I take it you either are or act as the shop's "foreman" which every good shop needs. I don't know if that's what they call them in mechanic shops or not, but this position shouldn't be underestimated. Not only should the guy (usually) be able to do every job that everyone else can do (maybe not as good or as fast as everyone else since he can't be doing it all the time, every day), but he has to watch or double-check a lot of work. It's essential and can be tiring. But a shop can't run as well (or well at all) without a guy like that heading it, I think.

Well yeah you could call me that, and your right i have to watch everything that goes on as well as do my work, Most managers of these shops honestly dont know anything or wont do anything, they just sit in their office and play on the computer or talk on the phone and dont come out unless there is a problem. Me i cant do that, i come home nasty and black with oil and gear lube all over me everyday.

As for not doing everything as fast or as good, yeah your right, i have a guy that puts me to shame sometimes he can change any belt do any fuel filter and hook up any transmission flush as fast as ive seen anyone do it and do it right the first time and you can bet your **** he gets paid alot more for that. He is the only one that i dont "HAVE" to watch but i still double check real quick just to ease my mind.

 

[Garage_Mahal]

My favorite shops will actually invite me into the shop to show me what they are doing. Any guess why they are my favorite shops? Of course I think it helps that I don't act like a putz when I am in there. Hands behind my back, all questions polite and respectful.

 

[M900]

Ive heard of technicians showing customers the removed parts, but I always wonder if those were the parts removed from that car or a different one...

I was a chef in a former life. Once my buddy was cutting sausage for dinner he was making. He was cutting slices like most people do; and then cut each slice in half to form a half circle 1/8" slice. I suggested he cut slit it in half lengthwise first, hold the two long halves in place and then cut slices.
Saving him from cutting roughly 50 pieces in half individually.
He gets pissed.

I got plenty of great tips from unexpected places.


When a customer tells me what to do, I say "Oh, yea! Really? wow, I didnt know that. thanks for the tip!" and then go back to what I was doing.

 

[crewchief888]

I think part of my problem is that my customers are all farmers. No offense intended to farmers as I'm a 5th generation farmer myself. Any fellow ag techs would probably agree with the following generalisations:

1. Farmers are cheap/tight/frugal
2. Farmers fancy themselves as mechanics
3. Farmers hate to admit they don't know how to fix it themselves
4. 60 year old farmers don't like 20 year olds working on their stuff

As I said, these are generalisations. However (aimed at Mr. Farmer), if you think I need your advice on how to do the job better/faster/cheaper, why am I doing it?

wether it be farmers or contruction equipment operators, i agree with ya.
many of my customers dont know what end of a screwdriver goes where, but complain all day about "piss poor designs" and " i would have done it like this" or "this aint heavy enough" my answer to most of them, is they are always looking for good engineers, go apply for a job, or nobody else has this problem, must be something you or your operators are doing.
every machine has it's common problems, mainly electrical with "fly by wire "hydraulics and hydrostatics
personally i would only have the amount of electronics needed to make the machine operate, some people have to have all the bells and whistles, and those are the most troublesome machines. think of a car or truck, with no power windows, doorlocks, sunroof, heated power seats, and all the rest of the options
or a car without all that stuff, how many electrical problems would you have over it's life span?

 

[rickairmedic]

I dont mind the customer watching me while I work on their HVAC equipment . the one that has been driving me NUTS lately is the homeowners that for some reason think I am there to entertain their little rug rats WTF? . I have no idea why people would leave their kids with the HVAC mechanic ut they have done it to me several times this year . I have 5 children and 2 grandchildren of my own I didnt come to your house to watch yours LOL.

Rick

 

[Taylor J.]

I know it's a little different, but us race guys are always being "watched"! With an open paddock anyone can come down and see exactly what we do.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Rare is it that I take a car to a shop. I'm down to a small family owned tire shop, they don't destroy your lug nuts with an impact, nor do they crush the rocker panel with an improperly placed lift arm (both of which happened to me in the past 5 or 6 years.) The only other place I go to a shop is the Midas muffler shop, and I stand in the door way and watch. Neither place minds in the least.

Many years ago I went to a Goodyear store to get new tires on my Falcon. They got the car, put it on the lift and I walked around outside the door and saw that the mechanic missed the frame rails with one of the lift arms. I asked him to put it down and reposition it, he told me it would be Ok, I again asked him to do it right, before he dropped it off the lift, again he told me it was OK. Finally I told him to take it down, I was leaving....... He got the picture that time.

Charles

 

[TAftw]

My grandpa was a stubborn, impatient, senile man. One time he brought his car to the shop and they said it would take 2 days to get it fixed. He brought a beach chair into the garage and sat there with a newspaper. They got it out that day .

I wasn't fortunate enough to take shop classes in school, so the only way I learn is by watching guys working on my car. Some don't like it, others are great about it. While I lack a "proper" education in auto tech, I know enough to the point where I can find my way around a shop, and most of the mechanics I watch will let me help.

It's the only opportunity I have to learn, so the next time there's some annoying kid hanging around and won't leave your shop, think about me .

 

[Identaltech]

only time I watch is with the company van and that only to see when they are going to be done. I hate waiting. if they had a ETA clock I could wait anywhere.
Now my personal truck I drop it off tell them to take their time. call me when its done.
on the way out the door I say see you next week.
its ready the next day washed and waxed.
To bad they only see it for warranty work or recalls.

 

[krusty the clown]

My grandpa was a stubborn, impatient, senile man. One time he brought his car to the shop and they said it would take 2 days to get it fixed. He brought a beach chair into the garage and sat there with a newspaper. They got it out that day .

sorry to say i wouldn't have worked on his car untill he left then. it's a matter of telling me how to do my job and maybe there were some other people who needed thier car back more than him. i have only asked a couple of people to leave and i don't mind a guy watching, untill he starts telling me that he could do it better or you should do it this way or i can fix it myself but i just don't have the time (but they have the time to stand there and watch).

 

[Aberdale]

I don't get it. If you are a tech, and are doing a professional, competent job, then why not let the customer watch so they will gain confidence and want to come back?

If you take shortcuts, don't know what your doing, or are just a slacker, then sure, I wouldn't want anyone to watch either. As a customer, if you don't want me to watch, then I figure you are trying to cover up something.

I realize s--t happens. I've worked on mechanical things enough to know that even when someone does their best, things don't always go as planned. Things break. Trying to remove old rusty components often damages adjacent components. I am forgiving of that and am willing to pay extra if the tech is willing to make it right. I am even more willing to pay for it if I see it happen. But if it happens "behind the curtain", I wonder if the tech is just trying to pad the bill just to make a few extra bucks.

C'mon. As a customer, treat me like you care about me. If you treat me with respect, I'll treat you with respect. If you treat me like a jerk, then I'll probably be a jerk.

 

[wreckercologist]

As a few have already mentioned, the only things that piss me off are the customers that get in the way, think they can do better, or are just plain nasty(poor hygiene). Other than that I can deal with it and try to be as accomodating as possible and explain whatever they want to know if I know.

The other type that burns me up is the guy that plays everybody against each other. "Well, the service manager said -------, and my salesman said------, how come you say ---------?". Those clowns get the keys to the shop truck thown at them and told to got get a bite to eat.

The way I see it, they(tow operators) would tell me to get out of the way when they're working an accident or hooking up a car, so they can show me the same respect.

 

[krusty the clown]

I don't get it. If you are a tech, and are doing a professional, competent job, then why not let the customer watch so they will gain confidence and want to come back?

If you take shortcuts, don't know what your doing, or are just a slacker, then sure, I wouldn't want anyone to watch either. As a customer, if you don't want me to watch, then I figure you are trying to cover up something.

I realize s--t happens. I've worked on mechanical things enough to know that even when someone does their best, things don't always go as planned. Things break. Trying to remove old rusty components often damages adjacent components. I am forgiving of that and am willing to pay extra if the tech is willing to make it right. I am even more willing to pay for it if I see it happen. But if it happens "behind the curtain", I wonder if the tech is just trying to pad the bill just to make a few extra bucks.

C'mon. As a customer, treat me like you care about me. If you treat me with respect, I'll treat you with respect. If you treat me like a jerk, then I'll probably be a jerk.

like i said, with those few exceptions i listed your welcome to watch. the jerk scenario works both ways.

 

[metal1313]

i like many others here love working on my own casrs. but there are certian things i cannot do. i dont have a large shop, i have limited tools, and more limited skills when it comes to working on cars. i used to watch my mechanic work on my truck, simply because i wanted to know how to do something. and he understood that. i was a young kid and dropping a few hundred at his place was a big deal, which he knew. he started to see some potential in me as a helper when i had my truck towed to his shop one day. it was a simple problem, a bad fuel pump, and i knew it. when i told him his first response was "you can handle that". i said yea, but my jack goes this high, its winter, and theres atleast 30 gallons of gas in there. so he said i see thats gonna be an issue. so since he was closing up for the night he said come in back, he put my truck on the lift, told me to grab jack and a creeper. after helping me lower the tank down and shoving it on the creeper he just handed me tools and told me what to do.

id still be going to him if he didnt retire. i always knew he would check everything, even if i just needed an oil change and didnt have time. i also knew he was honest and did really great work. when he retired he sent my family to his friend, who also does great work and now will actually call me when he needs help becuase hes backed up or just needs another set of hands. i've now got alot more tools than i did, and much better guides to working on my stuff, but i still dont have the time to always do something. i go to college, and work essentially full time as well, i dont have days off, and i need my car or truck back asap. i would loose more money if i took 2days off to fix something myself, where as i could take one off, pay my mech. to fix the issue, and be back at work or school the next day.

btw i think most people need to understand that the guy driving the ancient pos cant afford better, and maybe they cant really afford to take a day off and pay to get it fixed, maybe they cant afford the tools to do it themselves. this bitter **** about no windows and no customers in the shop is childish, when you just dont want to be watched. after a house a car is usually the average joe's largest investment, so of course they are gonna be **** about it.

 

[wreckercologist]

I understand what metal1313 is saying, but there are also sometimes other issues with insurance and liability with customers in the shop.

 

[krusty the clown]

I understand what metal1313 is saying, but there are also sometimes other issues with insurance and liability with customers in the shop.

yeah, you can't have someone slip and sue you. i have worked in shops where the customer was absolutely not allowed in the shop and some that the were allowed to mill around like cattle, there should be a happy medium.

 

[jeepnut24]

If I'm taking my Jeep in, its for something I can't do myself, and I trust the shop to do the work. Ive been burnt a few times to many now though, so I do my research, and some serious research, prior to dropping anything off, and Ive been lucky to find shops where the techs and managers are more than willing to talk to me prior to the work. The warranty work on the car is the same, if they screw that up, I just bring it back. Factory Service manuals are worth their price though. Most shops around us prohibit anyone in the bays though for liability reasons anyway. Last trip was gear setup in my back axle, and I knew how to do it, but didn't have the same experience level or the tools to do it. Luckily the shop owner was more than willing to talk to me and listen to me, Id never leave a vehicle at a shop that didn't do the same. There are too many others out there nice enough and willing enough to talk to you to waste time at a shop with nasty techs and not enough time to be polite.

 

[wreckercologist]

How about leashes? I kid! I kid!!

There's a sign on the door that leads from the office to the shop. It reads, "SAFETY GLASSES MUST BE WORN BEYOND THIS POINT". Most of our customers ask, "safety whaa??".

 

[econoaddict]

The insurance policy for garage keepers is pretty clear when you read it. No happy medium needed. Most shop owners and managers have no real clue what is allowed by the policy and customers don't believe you when you tell them.

In ours we can ****** a customer to his/her vehicle to show them issues etc... they must have eye protection on and NO work can be done on the vehicle while the customer is in the shop near it. They are allowed to stand outside the bay or watch through a window. This is basically the same policy every shop I have worked in has had. There are of course many other little things but this generalizes it.

We do alot of work on our insurance guys cars, he has a couple of 4x4's and some sports cars so he is in and out very regularly. He happened to be there one day when a guy was flipping out that we wouldn't allow him to wait IN his car while we changed a fuel pump, I told him about the policy all the while he was telling me I was full of **** etc, our insurance guy nicely introduced himself and passed his card to him and asked if he would like to walk over to his office and take a look at the policy himself....priceless stuff.

 

[kaffine]

When I worked at a Dodge dealer we had a car come in with a blown headgasket. The 3 people with the car stood in the bay and watched the entire time. They were from out of town and had nothing else to do while they waited. I don't know why we didn't have a more comfortable waiting room.

It took a while to get used to customers watching but I understood why they watched. I watch when I take a car into a shop. After working as a mechanic there are very few that I would trust to work on my car without watching them. I don't even take my car in for warranty work if I can avoid it. Unless the part is really expensive I will just buy it and fix it myself.

The problem is there are too many shops that screw the customer. That is why I left my last shop the service manager told me to lie to a customer. I didn't tell the service manager I already talked to the customer and told him the truth. The service manager went and tried to BS the customer not knowing I already told the customer what was really wrong. Thankfully I had a good service writer backing me up or I would have gotten in trouble for being honest the service manager wanted to write me up.

 

[CarCrafter]

I got used to being watched, having the three bays right in front of the customer waiting area meant that I was never NOT watched. I hated the times when customers would pop out and ask me a million questions and what and why and when. On the other hand, when pretty girls were in with their cars, I enjoyed the attention. I've also had customers request that I work on their vehicles simply because they have watched how I worked.

 

[Mickey O]

Gather up all the guys in the shop and go to the window and stare at the customer.

Maybe put a window blind on your side and close it so they can see in and you can't see them, or mirrored tint.

 

[krusty the clown]

i wonder if they will let me go into the kitchen to make sure my meal is prepared to my expectations at a restuarant?

 

[Elroy]

i wonder if they will let me go into the kitchen to make sure my meal is prepared to my expectations at a restuarant?

Excellent point.

Please exit the work area stage left

 

[Mickey O]

i wonder if they will let me go into the kitchen to make sure my meal is prepared to my expectations at a restuarant?

There are several places out here where you can see into the kitchen, the Wonton place on Rt. 83 (N. of Oakton) has a glass wall separating the kitchen form the public areas.