It wasn't the last of them, they continued to be as regular as ever. By which I'm referring to P & C (follow embedded link).
It was C's 50th birthday and P wanted to arrange a big surprise. He bargained with the owner, got a 4 course set menu for $35.00 per person. This is unbelievable. I've not been to a fine restaurant where you could get even one course for that, they're getting 4, but they're friends of the owners...And being as all their friends are the freeloading scourges of the restaurant we were not looking forward to it...
The night, darkly anticipated and dreaded for months before, finally arrives. We pull out all stops, bring in all the part-timers. I can't deal with them, I'll handle the "regular" customers on the other side of the restaurant.
The night goes. Late. Their final bill, $4400.00 for 58 people. They're all hammered, loaded, 6 hours straight drinking, no brakes at all these folk, P thanks us, tips 15%, they leave in the nether hours after midnight...all hammered, soused to the gills, their friends, my age, alcoholics every one...
3 weeks later P texts the owner, wants to talk in private, he feels that he's been charged too much. The wine, they could have bought it at the liquor store for $20.00 per bottle, the guests, they drank too much...
A*****, thankfully he was on to them, he told P every bottle of wine opened, got approval, the PPA (Per person average) worked out to $74.00 per person, cheap, free by fine dining standards, it's fucking unbelievable, but he meets with the owner to complain, and the owner finally loses it, tells him that he's offended, he gave him a deal (he did, a hell of a deal, I'd be thrilled to get that deal any day of the week), and yet still they complain, never cheap enough, never free enough, never enough, they're the narcissists, and finally he leaves and we're relieved, this little disagreement means we won't be seeing them for a while, the worst of our customers (and it's a tough competition), still, another 100 or so to go...