ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A popular Albuquerque restaurant and bakery is getting some backlash from the public after the owner voiced his frustrations with how some of his customers are treating his employees over the phone. Christopher Morales, the co-owner of Golden Crown Panaderia, said Saturday was his boiling point when it comes to disrespectful customers and felt that he had to stand up for his staff.
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He wrote a string of posts on Facebook Saturday conveying his frustrations with some of his customers being rude to his staff over the phone because the business doesn’t take phone orders. “I stand by it because everybody’s picking on the little guy. Small mom and pop shop,” said Morales. “And they have no patience for us but everywhere else they don’t mind waiting an hour to be able to get a table at a restaurant.”
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Golden Crown hasn’t taken phone orders since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, because he’s short-staffed and he believes it’s unfair to the customers who go in person. Some people got riled up over the phone order policy on Facebook. However, others said the tone of the owner’s posts rubbed them the wrong way, calling them unprofessional. They also didn’t like the way he implied people were taking advantage of unemployment, leaving restaurants like his short-staffed.
“I have no problem with people being on unemployment, it is needed, it is downright needed,” said Morales. “But when people are doing stuff that they’re doing because they have no intent to actually have that job then that’s a problem and every business is dealing with this.”
Morales did end up deleting the posts Monday morning. While he said he stands by what he said, he was horrified by the comments they were generating. “It’s not okay for somebody to post go ahead and kill yourself, suicide is the easy way out. It’s not okay.”
In the end, Morales said he was trying to get a simple point across. “We are not your servants, we’re human beings just like everybody else, treat us like human beings.”
Morales said he currently has ten employees. He’s looking to hire at least ten more.
Morales also mentioned in his posts they plan on raising prices. He said it would be for better working conditions like an improved air conditioning system, and to keep up with increased food costs.
