What do you need?

This is not the way to greet customers entering your restaurant, but this is how the munchkin, my aunt and I were greeted some time ago when we entered a local Chinese restaurant. Yes, I am serious! We walked in and the kid behind the counter literally greeted us this way and the following conversation ensued...

kid: What do you need?

j'lynn: Are you closed?

kid: No.

j'lynn: Then I guess we need a table.

kid: Oh.

j'lynn: Or else we can go somewhere else.

kid: No! Please come...please..how many in your party?

Okay. I've been to numerous places, but I've never been greeted with "What do you need?" Is this a new technique? Needless to say we haven't been back. It is hard enough to find a restaurant that isn't McDonald's that my munchkin agrees with or else we would have left that day too.

Is it just me or has the downturn in the economy also placed customer service in the toilet too? I really thought that it would have an opposite effect, but it seems that I have been wrong in this assumption.