There are two really bizarre elements to this whole thing:

1) Why the sudden reversal of allowing this minor substitution, after being allowed to do it for all these years?

2) How come the constant flip-flopping regarding the rule change? In May 2021 I was first told this couldn't be done, but they called the owner, and he allowed it, remembering me from before. But then four other times since then, they've again gone back to saying the owner revoked that offer to me, only to call him (at my request) and he gives permission again. Why isn't he giving an absolute yes or absolute no?


I have three theories as to what's going on here:

THEORY #1: The owner isn't being called at all, and the low-end workers are lying to me

This isn't as crazy as it sounds. The salad and rice are given with every plate, and it's easy to scoop that out. The fries are a less common item there, and usually need to be put into the fryer and made fresh. It's possible that the cook is sick of doing this because he's lazy, and they've concocted a story there to tell me that the owner won't do the deal anymore. When I ask them to call the owner, they realize they're fucked if they continue lying, so they "call" him and get his permission, and "he" always says yes. I never hear an actual voice on the other end, so it's possible they're talking to air. This would explain why the answer keeps wavering from "the owner said never again" to the owner saying it's okay when he's "called".



THEORY #2: The cook and the owner are at odds about this matter, and the owner is wishy-washy

This is similar to Theory #1, except in this case the owner is really being consulted. It's possible that the cook complained to the owner about this asshole tall middle-aged Jew who keeps coming in and saying he's allowed to do free french fries substitutions. The cook tells the owner that cooking the fries is a pain in the ass, and it's slowing them down with cooking everything else. The cook says that if this is eliminated, the cheap Jew will probably stop getting the fries due to the upcharge, and tihngs will get easier again. The owner initially says okay, but then he's too afraid to lose the cheap Jew's consistent business, so he backs down when called. Then the cook gets irritated and again asks him to stop allowing this. Owner once again agrees, only to back away from it when he's called at the request of the customer. Rinse and repeat. Cook is entrenched in the job and doesn't really want to leave (especially because there's no boss on premises watching him), so he can't bring himself to quit over this.



THEORY #3: The owner simply can't make up his mind

He keeps wanting to end this fries substitution, and tells his staff to stop allowing it. However, when he's called at home and put on the spot, he can't bring himself to say no and drive the customer away.



I think I know how to reach the owner at their other location, so I might get the answer shortly. I'm very curious.