A Steak ‘N Shake manager refused to serve Karen Putz, a deaf mother of three, after she asked to place her order at the drive-thru window as allowed by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The manager claimed it was “policy” to force Karen to order like any other customer:
“You’ll have to drive around again so I can take your order through the speaker,” the guy said.“I can’t hear back there, so I’ll need you to take my order here,” I explained.
“No, it’s our policy. You’ll have to just drive around and tell me your order and then I can take your order.”
“I can’t use the speaker, which is why I’m at the window giving you my order here!” I started raising my voice a little, as I was getting frustrated at the hoops he was putting me through.
So I told him about the Americans with Disabilities Act and I explained that taking orders through the window is an accommodation that I need because I can’t use the speaker to place an order.
He kept insisting that orders need to be taken at the speaker. “If you had just let me know at the speaker that you needed accommodations then I could take your order through the window.”
“But I’m DEAF! I can’t hear on the speaker! When I drove up, the first thing that I told you was that I couldn’t order back there because I can’t hear through the speaker.”
“No, you didn’t tell me that,” he said. “If you had told me about your disability then I could have accommodated you.”
I sat there flabbergasted. I was getting more upset by the minute. All I wanted was the dang shakes! Then another car pulled up behind us.
“Look, if you’re not going to take my order, I’m going to file a complaint and let the corporate office know about this.”
“Well, I can call the cops on you for disrupting the business and holding up the drive thru.”
“You’re going to call the cops on me? I’m just trying to get service here!”
“I’m done with you.” He abruptly shut the window, threw up his hands and walked away.
Steak ‘N Shake’s corporate overlords have apologized to Karen and asked to arrange meeting with the thoughtless manager. Karen wants the manager to apologize, which given the circumstance, is quite reasonable. A few free milkshakes wouldn’t hurt either.
Steak and Shake Denies Service [A Deaf Mom Shares Her World]
(Photo: hkboyee)
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@MPHinPgh:
How did I quote CDE?
My bad…that was to be directed to Douche (er, I mean StinkingBob).
@MPHinPgh:
Mph, you make it sound sooooo simple. But again, you are one of those individuals who only listen to one side and are not open to the truth. I really feel sorry for you and for any person that has to deal with people like you because I can see that you are very unreasonable. But, I respect that. That is how you are. So, peace man. We agree to disagree.
@MPHinPgh: I’ve found that every once in a while the reply button ends up in a weird place so it looks like it’s for one comment but it’s really for the one above/below it.
@dualityshift: So if nearby construction noise makes it impossible to place orders at the speaker, everyone wanting to use the drive-thru is out of luck?
@cryrevolution: well summed & said.
It looks like I’m the only one who actually agrees, to an extent, with stinkingbob. There are a lot of things that could be going on here:
1. The manager may not have been aware of that specific provision of the ADA. Although I haven’t worked at a food establishment, I have been a manager (on duty) at a retail store and was never given any training regarding aspects of the ADA that I might need to be aware of. It’s entirely possible that the manager thought this person was making something up that, if he accommodated her, could get him in trouble.
2. The lady should have said from the outset that she was deaf, rather than saying that she “[couldn't] hear back there.” Store policies are there for a reason, and you can’t have people breaking them for whatever reason. Obviously, the manager should have allowed her to order at the window after finding out she was deaf, but if he thought she was able to hear just as well as anybody else, then there was justification for having her order at the speaker like everybody else.
3. Deaf people shouldn’t drive. Period. It’s completely unsafe and puts themselves and others at risk. I didn’t even know that deaf people were allowed to drive until reading this post. Similarly, people shouldn’t wear headphones or listen to music at excessive volumes while driving.
Now, it’s obvious the manager did not handle the situation as well as he could have (or should have). However, all you people calling him one of the worst, most evil people ever should get down off your pedestals and try to look at both sides of the issue here.
WOW! We are surrounded by such MORONS!!! Now not only does something really STINK around here but some K-NALE is smelling bad too.
People who think Deaf shouldn’t be allow to drive are the people who shouldn’t be allowed to breed!
@kylenalepa:
Interesting comment you made about when you said that “Deaf people shouldn’t drive and it puts other at risk.”
Prove it to me…I challenge you.
You know what, nevermind, it is pointless to explain because it seems that you have a lack of understanding how the world works. Looks like you join the ranks of mentally incapacitate.
BP
Wow! Deaf people are allowed to DRIVE??
According to the Department of Transportation, almost all driving decisions are made on the basis of sight, not sound. Thus, a deaf driver is functionally no different than a hearing driver in terms of making driving-related decisions. This is especially true when you take into account the “quiet-ride” designs of cars, radios, cell phones, and other noises that distract a driver who can hear.
I’ve even heard of insurance companies giving deaf drivers a discount on their premiums for being lower risk.
@matt: It’s nice to be able to sit around, watch Space Jam, and google all aspects of the law. That’s what college is all about.
You probably really don’t even care about this issue, it’s just that you really don’t have anything to do.
Aw, gee, I guess I better hand my Driver’s License over to Kylenalepa.
NOT.
Perhaps a little more research and awareness would help you understand that there are a couple million deaf and hard of hearing people on the road every day. You wouldn’t know that because they aren’t regularly crashing into other cars every minute of the day.
I’m deaf, obviously. A few comments were made that are incorrect. First is that when you lose hearing or eyesight, your hearing gets more acute or your sight improves. That’s totally impossible. I notice things quicker than hearing people, in general, because I’m actively looking for changes. Blind people are actively listening for cues.
The reason you can drive when deaf, but you can’t drive with headphones or earplugs is because those are considered to be a distraction. Not having hearing isn’t distracting. There’s also no legal definition of deaf the way that there is for blindness. Someone who is more deaf than someone else might be able to function better in hearing society and that is where hearing loss matters (it’s considered a communicative disability for a reason).
Someone said that at BK and MD that if you pull up and try to order at the window without saying you’re deaf you get turned away. This is false. According to the ADA, you simply have to state that you have a disability and state your needed accommodation. You can’t be asked what disability you have, why you need something, etc. There are a few situations where you need proof of a disability, like getting accommodations at a school since a lot of money goes into those and they want to make sure it’s going to those who really need it, and also so that able-bodied aren’t trying to take advantage and have it made easier for them.
@MPHinPgh:
“The woman pulled up and informed (whomever) that she is hearing impaired and needs to place her order at the window.”
She, by her own claim, said she could not hear through the speaker. She did not say she was legally deaf. When she finally blurted it out, both her and the manager were so upset, no amount of coddling would have made this right.
This manager should be fired. No question. The lady isn’t blameless though. Had she said she was legally deaf in the first place, things most likely would have turned out different.
I had to stop reading the comments before my blood started boiling. Here’s my take. I know the lady this happened to and I believe her. She has a calm demeanor so this manager must’ve really been a jerk. I’ve been in this situation many times myself.
I wanted to share something for all those who say ‘just go in and order’. I’ve done that before and there was one particularly horrendous experience. I ordered at a local McDonald’s and the woman taking my order could not understand me at all and I could not understand her. Her first language was Spanish, not English. I ended up asking the manager to come over and take the order, which he did in 10 seconds flat.
Before you go off saying I probably don’t speak well, I have cochlear implants and I talk VERY well. I love music and can converse without a problem. BUT I cannot for the life of me order through those drive thru speakers AT ALL!!! I am one of those people who would go up to the window and I do and I would NOT expect the idiot to tell me to drive thru again!
So there is no pat answer, or solution. Everyone is different and food/retail businesses need to accommodate all disabilities and go with the flow
I had a meeting with the executives from Steak ‘n Shake. They admitted that this manager didn’t follow any of their five principles for customer service, starting from the very first sentence out of my mouth. The very first one is to LISTEN to the customer.
You can read more here:
[putzworld.blogspot.com]
I had to create an account today after reading through this story and the passionate replies that have been made. It’s rare that there are two major news events involving the Deaf community in the same week, but we have Deafmom’s situation and the Pepsico commerical happening at the same time.
My wife is Deaf, I am not. She is a mom as well, she just gave birth to our daughter in December. And yes, she drives.
I have to say Bob’s initial comments infuriated me, but as much as I don’t agree with his comments, especially the initial ones regarding Deaf/driving, I am a firm believer of hearing both sides of the story, especially with anything political. In Bob’s frame of reference he doesn’t see how the manager could have acted in such a way if not provoked. I on the other hand see this all too frequently. I’m a behavior specialist and work with people who are developmentally disabled (mentally retarded). I can understand Bob wanting the manager’s point of view, but his post comes across as Deafmom is guilty until proven innocent, which can’t happen until we hear from the manager. I think his version would be essential in ensuring this doesn’t happen in the future, but I hardly find it irresponsible to make the initial assumption Deafmom was most likely in the right here. What was his thought process? Was he simply following his interpretation of procedures? Was he discriminating? Did he not understand the situation? All of this information would be quite valuable in training the staff so this situation can be avoided.
There was a comment made that Deaf people should not be allowed to drive, and the author came across as meaning under no circumstances. I of course whole heartedly disagree. Was that comment made after reviewing data that showed Deaf people having a higher rate of accidents than hearing people or are you just assuming that due to a level of hearing loss they shouldn’t drive? I can understand having a concern for safety, but several Deaf people have been active in this thread, why not ask them what they’ve done in situations where an ambulance or police car has been behind them? Get some insight before making a blanket statement that comes across as negative, and to be quite honest, ignorant? In my experience, which is not the be all/end all on this subject, if a Deaf person is driving and doesn’t hear the siren, or see the lights they see all the cars in front of them and behind them pulling over and do the same, realizing there’s an emergency vehicle approaching.
Are there bad Deaf drivers? Of course. Especially those who text message while driving, which many communities are creating formal laws for. Also signing while driving should be done so only when safe. I would have little tolerance for a Deaf person who said an accident was not their fault because they couldn’t hear something. Driving is a privilidge, not a right and we all have to take responsibility for our actions.
Bob thank you for apologizing. It’s very easy to make provocotive comments on the internet and hide behind it’s aninimity. Apologizing and being open to points of view other than your own speaks volumes of your character, more so than your initial comments which we’re insensitive at best.
Way to go Deafmom!
Sincerely,
FDR
BY DUALITYSHIFT AT 01/31/08 09:02 AM
@MPHinPgh:
“The woman pulled up and informed (whomever) that she is hearing impaired and needs to place her order at the window.”
She, by her own claim, said she could not hear through the speaker. She did not say she was legally deaf. When she finally blurted it out, both her and the manager were so upset, no amount of coddling would have made this right.
This manager should be fired. No question. The lady isn’t blameless though. Had she said she was legally deaf in the first place, things most likely would have turned out different.
——————————
Had this manager, at ANY point in this process, made the decision to serve me the shakes, I don’t think we would be discussing this on internet. I would have gone on with my day, and probably shared this with a few friends and grumbled about the lack of access and poor service.
The fact that this manager broke all FIVE of Steak ‘n Shake’s service principles, is the reason that this has happened. Customers are meant to be served. The fact that I could not use the speaker in the manner that the manager insisted that I follow means that an accommodation has to happen. This manager chose not to accommodate me, even after multiple explanations. I was threatened with the police, dismissed from the window without the shakes that were ordered– tell me, where is the blame in this?
Astounding. I’m from Northwestern Chicagoland and often went to a SnS near John Hersey High School, which has a large deaf program, throughout my formative years. I didn’t really experience any problems there. But this case clearly shows that SnS has short-sighted corporate training and procedures. And insta-coffee lawyers, too.
I’ll be telling my deaf buddies in Chicagoland about this incident and SnS’s deficient corporate policies.
Statistically speaking, Deaf drivers are actually BETTER drivers than hearing people. In addition, being Deaf and driving is really no different than a hearing person cranking up the radio or talking on the cell phone while driving. Those of you who quote deafness as a “safety hazard” are just plain ignorant to the facts. As for this situation with the manager, there’s no excuse for it. She should be severely reprimanded and required to attend training on the ADA.