Where have all the servers gone?

My daughter and I eat lunch out way more often than we should. We were both also brought up going to better-than-average restaurants. Our family has friends in the restaurant business.

We are both spoiled brats. I was raised by my parents. My child spent most of her formative years with her paternal grandparents. We are both used to getting what we want. We are both willing to pay for this privilege. Yes, this is where you pray for Shorty.

This tale starts about a month ago. We had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. The waitress asked if I wanted dessert. I said that I would like a bowl of strawberries and some whipped cream. This is not on the menu but my husband has ordered this since the restaurant opened.

The waitress came back and said that they didn't have enough berries to do that and would I like anything else. I asked if they had strawberry shortcake and she said that, yes, they did. I asked for strawberry shortcake, hold the cake. She told me they couldn't do that. I said that of course they could.

The cook came out to tell me that they did not have enough berries for me to have just berries. I asked if they had enough berries for me to have strawberry shortcake. She said that they did. I said, fine, I would like strawberry shortcake, hold the cake. She huffed off and I got my bowl of berries.

Today, we had lunch at the same restaurant. Julie ordered chocolate meringue pie, no meringue. The waitress said, "We can't do that". Juls and I, simultaneously, said, "Of course you can". The waitress looked at us askance and I told her to just scrape the meringue off and throw it away. She went away, conferred with our regular waitress, and Julie got her meringueless pie.

We never ask to be charged less, or differently. We never ask them to go to a different restaurant to procur what we want although this was the norm when we were growing up. I just want to know when the customer ceased being right. When did it become the norm for a waitress to tell you that she "can't" do something? I understand some things are difficult. I understand that some things are outside her frame of reference. This does not make it impossible. Holding a piece of cake or scraping the meringue off of a piece of pie should not cause this much angst.