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NARRATOR: Tonight on "Mystery Diners,"
Keith Chifici, owner of Deanie's Seafood
in New Orleans, Louisiana,
isn't laughing when it comes to his manager, Bill.
This guy's an aspiring comedian.
Is Bill offending customers with inappropriate comments...
...and is the staff taking advantage of him?
NARRATOR: The Mystery Diners are going undercover
in order to see if bad jokes are killing Keith's business.
Wow.
I'm gonna [bleep] strangle him.
Owning a restaurant isn't easy.
You can have great food, atmosphere, and customers,
but reckless employees...
You're being a jerk, man.
...can ruin everything.
That's where the Mystery Diners come in.
Charles Stiles has helped thousands of restaurants
find their problems and remove them.
He sends in his team of undercover operatives...
I'm Chris. I'm the new supply guy.
...to show restaurant owners
what really happens when they're not around.
MAN: You were stealing from me.
I want to go over there right now! I want to go over there right now!
This is my business!
That food is my life!
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
KEITH: I'm Keith Chifici.
I'm the owner of Deanie's Seafood restaurant
in New Orleans, Louisiana,
in the heart of the French Quarter.
Deanie's has been in my family since 1982.
That's when my mom and dad bought it.
Ever since, it's been family-run.
We have everything from raw oysters, fried oysters.
We have gumbos, soft-shelled crabs,
fried shrimp, barbecued shrimp.
We have grilled shrimp. We have broiled shrimp.
You name it, we got it.
When you come to Deanie's, bring your appetite.
You'll be leaving with a doggy bag, guaranteed.
Along with the great food, you have to have great service.
If not, you're gonna lose those dollars.
That's where the problem is --
with a front-of-the-house manager named Bill.
I find out after the fact this guy's an aspiring comedian.
I think that's where
the problems are coming in with this guy.
I've had to reprimand him a few times
because I don't think Bill's trying to offend these people.
But as soon as a customer feels as if they're being attacked,
that's it -- They're not coming here anymore.
And if I have all my employees thinking everything's a joke
and they can joke with their customers,
it's just gonna run my whole customer base out of here.
This could potentially be a huge problem for me,
and if that happens,
it could cripple the restaurant and shut it down.
Yes.
Hey. Charles Stiles, Mystery Diners.
Nice to meet you.
I notice you're right here,
smack-dab in the middle of the French Quarter.
We're have a block off of Bourbon,
half-block off of Canal.
Phenomenal location. Real lucky we got this.
So, Keith, tell me what's the problem.
Our numbers have been going up and up.
We're getting busier and busier.
So I decided to bring on another manager.
He's a friend of a friend. This guy's an aspiring comedian.
Is he funny? Is he good?
No. He sucks. He's terrible.
When I'm here, the guy seems to be doing his job.
But the problem seems to be when I'm not here.
Hear rumors and bits and pieces
that he's using my restaurant to practice his routine.
Thinks, yes.
We'll see exactly what kind of effect
Bill is having with your customers.
But the question is, do you have any other employees
who are taking advantage of the situation?
I don't need a gimmick. My food speaks for itself.
The place speaks for itself.
I don't need another element -- a comedian.
NARRATOR: For this sting,
Mystery Diners will be focusing on Bill,
a floor manager and amateur stand-up comedian
who may be offending customers
and infecting the rest of the staff.
We come in, wire your entire restaurant with hidden cameras.
In addition, we also bring in undercover Mystery Diners
to be customers within your restaurant.
So if he is being inappropriate,
I can come in, and then I can push his buttons
and see if he treats me inappropriately.
The stakes are really high.
I mean, it's gonna wind up taking money out of my pocket,
you know, if he's running people out of here.
And every customer counts here --
I mean, every penny, in reality.
NARRATOR: To carry out the sting,
cameras have been hidden at key locations throughout Deanie's.
Cameras 1, 2, 3, and 4
have been set up in the main dining room
to give an overall perspective
of the restaurant and its customers.
Cameras 5 and 6 have been set up by the bar.
Cameras 7 and 8 have been set up in the kitchen,
and camera 9 has been set up by the loading dock
to track any action that happens outside.
In addition to Deanna,
who will be posing as a customer,
Mystery Diner Andrew will go undercover
as a waiter in training.
Welcome to your control room.
It is pretty impressive.
As you can see, we've got every part of your restaurant
wired up with hidden cameras.
We've got your kitchen area, your dining areas.
Any area an employee's gonna be able to walk, stand, or sit,
Sweet.
You know what you said --
that Bill was a little bit of a funny comedian, so --
Well, we'll find out
if he's actually appropriate or inappropriate,
so let's check in on him.
That's Bill over here?
That would be him.
Look like he's wandering around, taking care of everybody.
Yep.
[ Scoffs ] What an idiot.
CHARLES: Bill could've given him a straight answer,
but at least he did direct him to the bathroom.
There are some customers
that might find this cheesy humor funny,
but you got to be worried about the ones that don't.
I mean, I agree with you.
The three or four other tables that surround that table
could take it the wrong way.
Keith, I think now would be a good time.
We'll send in our undercover Mystery Diner Andrew,
have him come in posed as the new waiter in training.
Yes, sir.
Keith is worried that Bill is spending
so much time practicing his comedy routines on patrons
that he's neglecting his duties as a manager.
So I'm gonna come in as a waiter in training
and see if there's any truth to that.
This is Andrew.
New server.
Walk him around. Show him the ropes.
Introduce him to everybody.
All right. Good luck, dude.
All right.
CHARLES: This is gonna be a good opportunity
to see how serious Bill takes his managerial position.
Yeah. I mean, that'll make or break the restaurant.
I mean, he doesn't train him right, I'm screwed.
Got it.
[ Sighs ]
He's just a ***. That's the only way to say it.
Hey, Andrew. See where they're going.
What's he doing?
I have no clue. He's a moron.
This is one of the oldest jokes in the world.
He's gonna tape up the tab so when he goes and pours beer out,
It's pathetic.
This is gonna cause a huge mess and *** of your bartender.
[ Chuckles ]
Mother [bleep]
NARRATOR: Coming up...
Pathetic.
I'm shocked that this guy is this stupid
that he thinks he can do this in a restaurant.
NARRATOR: Keith Chifici,
owner of Deanie's Seafood in New Orleans, Louisiana,
believes his manager Bill
is more focused on being a comedian
than managing the restaurant.
He's using my restaurant to practice his routine,
and that's not what I'm paying him to do.
Charles has set up a control room next to Deanie's
where Keith can watch what happens in his restaurant
with our hidden cameras.
It is pretty impressive.
Mystery Diner Andrew has gone undercover as a waiter,
and Deanna will pose as a customer.
And after starting the sting,
Bill demonstrates how he manages the bar.
This is one of the oldest jokes in the world.
He's gonna tape up the tab so when he goes and pours beer out,
it's gonna spray all over the place.
[ Gasps ]
[ Laughing ]
You're lucky the only one that got wet was the bartender.
CHARLES: If he'd have sprayed any of your customers,
you'd have probably had to comp their meals,
or even worse, you would've lost them.
Right. Absolutely.
[ Laughing ]
Seems like the pranks never stop,
and they're all as bad as his jokes.
He's an idiot.
BILL: [ Chuckles ]
CHARLES: Bill's talking to another customer.
Let's see what he's saying.
That's -- That's just not funny at all.
That's just ignorant.
Well, it looks like he's passing around flyers to his own comedy show.
He shouldn't be moonlighting, trying to fill his venue.
This is a ***. That's the only way to say it.
CHARLES: That's not appropriate.
There's nothing funny about that.
Absolutely not.
I think now's a good time to send in Mystery Diner Deanna
and see how he reacts when somebody pushes his buttons.
Yeah, let's check it out and see.
All right, Deanna. Go ahead and go on in.
Thanks.
DEANNA: Bill's obviously more focused on his comedy routine
than managing a restaurant,
so for this sting,
I'm gonna come in as a customer and see how he treats me.
Okay.
CHARLES: Let's present Bill with a customer complaint.
Let's see if he handles it professionally or if he makes a joke out of it.
Hey, Deanna, I want you to tell Bill your soda's flat.
Okay.
Hi. Are you the manager?
No. I haven't.
Right.
Okay. I got this soda, and it's totally flat.
Yeah.
Wow.
You know, I mean, that's a lawsuit waiting to happen.
You know, wait -- Is your boss here,
'cause I'd really like to talk to your boss.
Oh, my God.
You just insulted me, called me Chucky's bride.
You said that my *** were big.
I seriously want to talk to your boss.
Look, I want to talk to your boss.
Deanna, order a lobster.
I want the lobster.
Two. Two of them.
CHARLES: Thanks to his offensive comments,
he just cost you two lobsters.
You know, I wonder how many times he's done that.
He's supposed to be the manager
that's supposed to be solving situations, not creating problems.
I mean, he's doing the exact opposite
of what he's freakin' supposed to be doing.
Let's check in on your waiter Carlos
and see how he's training Andrew.
So, uh, Bill's kind of a weird guy, huh?
[ Chuckles ]
Oh, really?
No way.
He serious?
This is what I was talking about.
Bill's poor managerial skills
are allowing this type of behavior
with the rest of your staff.
Did he just offer Andrew some gin?
What's he doing now?
I'm shocked that this guy is this stupid,
that he thinks he can do this in a restaurant.
CHARLES: Well, he's getting away with it,
because Bill's not doing his job as a manager.
Son of a ***.
NARRATOR: Coming up...
Have you ever thought about doing stand-up here?
If he attempts to say one [bleep] joke,
I'm gonna [bleep] strangle him.
NARRATOR: With the help of hidden cameras
and undercover Mystery Diners,
Keith Chifici, owner of Deanie's Seafood,
has confirmed his suspicions that manager Bill
is more focused on being a comedian than being a manager.
And waiter Carlos is taking advantage of the situation
by drinking on the job.
Son of a ***.
For someone who's supposed to be one of my better waiters,
he's an idiot.
I mean, it looks like Carlos is playing Bill a little bit.
Yeah, absolutely.
I don't put nothing past that guy, either.
I can't sit and keep watching this [bleep]
Yeah.
We got a portable P.A. system
that we use for banquets or in our courtyard.
Well, Carlos has already taken advantage of Bill,
but I want to see what your employees will do
if Bill is completely distracted.
Hey, Andrew, I want you to go tell Bill
how funny you think he is
and see if you can get him to do some stand-up
inside the restaurant.
Have you ever thought about doing stand-up here?
I think it'd be fantastic.
Do you guys have any type of, like, P.A. system?
We could, like --
Do you? I think that would be hilarious.
If he attempts to say one [bleep] joke,
I'm gonna [bleep] strangle him.
Oh, yeah. Go ahead.
Wow.
[ Feedback ]
[Bleep]
Cleanliness and the food quality
are things you don't joke about.
Hey, son of a ***.
Look at this [bleep] guy right here.
Everybody's so distracted by Bill's stand-up,
Carlos took two bottles out.
You know, I'm curious to see what he does with it.
Now he's got a trash bag.
I guarantee he hid the wine in there.
You can bet at quitting time,
that bag's coming out of the trash can
and going right in his trunk.
Bill is so distracted by his stand-up,
Carlos is stealing right under his nose.
Charles, I got to go out there.
I mean, I ain't got time for this bull [bleep]
I got too many people out there
We've seen enough.
Just go back there and get Carlos and Bill.
I'll go grab both their *** real quick.
Can you turn this [bleep] thing off?
[ Clatter, feedback ]
Come on in here, Bill.
CHARLES: This is a business.
You're running around creating antics like this.
That's not management. That's childish.
NARRATOR: After conducting an undercover sting operation
at Deanie's Seafood in New Orleans, Louisiana,
the Mystery Diners have revealed that manager Bill
is insulting customers with inappropriate jokes...
...pulling pranks on the staff...
[ Gasps ]
BILL: [ Laughs ]
NARRATOR: ...and providing waiter Carlos
with an opportunity to steal alcohol
while performing his stand-up routine
in the middle of the restaurant.
Come on in here, Bill.
My name's Charles Stiles.
I'm with a company called Mystery Diners.
Keith's been concerned about you, Bill,
because of all the complaints he's had
about your joking around and all your little funny bit.
But you know what? We got a bigger problem.
Carlos, we've seen you drinking,
and you're stealing wine out the back-end of his restaurant.
This is all out of context.
You stole wine from me.
This obviously wasn't the first time.
You were too comfortable doing it.
[Bleep] fired. Get the [bleep] out of here.
Whatever.
CARLOS: I take two bottles of wine.
That's not even $15. It's bull [bleep]
We're just getting started.
Don't you think that we have something else we need to take care of?
You're oblivious to what's going on in the restaurant.
You didn't do one thing today that was Deanie's-related.
You see this lady here -- Deanna?
She's an undercover Mystery Diner.
And look at the guy behind you that you were training today.
He works for me, too.
The only thing you taught him how to do
was to serve up bad jokes.
This is a business.
You're running around creating antics like this --
beer sprayed all over your bartender and on the ceiling,
having puppet shows, and not paying attention
when you've got waiters stealing *** out the back-end,
'cause you're not doing your job.
That's not how you manage a business.
That's not management. That's childish.
It's not gonna work out. You're out of here.
Wait, wait. Keith, wait a second.
I didn't think this was gonna be something you wouldn't like, man.
I'm really sorry. I'd never do anything --
'Cause if you thought that,
why didn't you do all that bull [bleep] when I was here?
You only do it when I'm not here.
Please, Keith. I promise.
I promise I will do everything by the book.
Please. Look, man. Just give me another chance.
Please.
Dude, the best I'll do for you is this.
I'm gonna put you on a leave for three months.
You can go off and do your comedy routine,
work on it, get it out of your system.
And then, you know, after three months,
I'll reinstate you back into the company.
Seriously, thank you so much for that.
I'm not finished.
As a waiter. You're not gonna be a manager.
Thank you.
Seriously, thank you so much, Keith.
I mean, really, man. This means a lot to me.
No. That's okay. That's good.
I think this is the kick in the *** I need -- I really do --
I mean, to get my comedy career rolling.
I've got something. I heard it in the crowd.
I don't see myself coming back.
KEITH: I appreciate the help.
You showed me everything I needed to know.
Well, you know, you got the answers you were looking for.
Three months, he's gonna be coming back,
'cause you know his comedy act ain't gonna make it.
Yeah. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
KEITH: I want people's perception of Deanie's
to be great food, great service, clean place, not bad comedy.
Thank you, Mystery Diners and Charles.
Now that that situation's been diffused,
now we go back to doing business as usual
here at Deanie's Seafood.
NARRATOR: Since being fired,
Carlos has started work at another restaurant.
Bill continues his goal of being a professional comedian
and performs at clubs in the New Orleans area.
And Keith is happy to report
that customer satisfaction is back up at Deanie's.