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Crab louie, pictured above, seems to be at the center of a waiter's argument that Christine Gregoire may have gotten him fired. Photo courtesy of Christine Ma.

Server fired over Gov. Gregoire's 'Crab Louie' order

BY Brandi Kruse  on November 30, 2012 @ 8:48 am (Updated: 12:17 pm - 11/30/12 )

An Olympia waiter claims he lost his job after he told Washington Governor Christine Gregoire they didn't have "Crab Louie" on the menu.

Derrick, who did not want to use his last name, was fired from Anthony's Hearthfire Grill this week because he did not provide the governor a high "level of service," he said in an email to The Dori Monson Show.

While both the governor's office and the restaurant confirm the incident, there are different explanations of what exactly occurred.

Derrick said the governor came into the restaurant over the weekend with her husband, Mike, and asked to order "Crab Louie," a salad that features fresh crab topped with hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus and other vegetables.

He told the governor the dish was not on the menu.

Typically, the kitchen would prepare the dish anyway. However, Derrick said previous customers have requested a "Crab Louie" and the kitchen told him to turn them away.

"They have told me that we don't have all the ingredients for the dish," he said. "So I told her that we didn't have all the ingredients for this dish, but that our other restaurant would have it."

Derrick sent them to Anthony's Homeport, which is under the same ownership and less than one mile from Hearthfire. He said the governor and her husband were very cordial, and did not at all seem bothered by having to go elsewhere.

"When they left they said goodbye to me and the troopers said goodbye, too," said Derrick, referring to the governor's security detail. "There was no animosity whatsoever when she left the restaurant."

But less than an hour later, Derrick said he was approached by a manager who was upset that the governor had been turned away over a "Crab Louie." The manager allegedly told Derrick that the governor complained about his service when she arrived at the other restaurant.

Derrick said his managers met with him and said he could harm the reputation of Anthony's by treating the governor poorly.

He was subsequently fired.

Angry, Derrick and his mother called the governor's office. He spoke with a member of her staff, who then asked the governor and her security detail about the incident.

"She was perfectly happy with the server's service and actually recalled the conversation as being a pretty decent conversation," said Cory Curtis, a spokesperson for the governor's office who had been briefed on the situation.

"The governor did not complain and, in fact, was very shocked that all this happened," he said.

Curtis said their office took the matter very seriously, and called the restaurant's manager to see what happened.

"The way it was portrayed to me by the manager was the employee didn't follow their customer service protocol in this instance, which is when a customer asks for something that isn't on the menu you get a floor manager involved, which he didn't do," he said.

Curtis said he was also told that the restaurant already had complaints about Derrick's performance.

While a spokesperson for Anthony's confirmed that Derrick had indeed been let go, they would not speak about specific personnel issues. They did confirm, however, that they received a call from the governor's office about Derrick's termination.

"What I can tell you is that we are a family-owned company with a 40-year history in the Northwest," said Lane Hoss, Anthony's vice president of marketing. "We value our employees and we go out of our way to take care of guests. We go out of our way to make sure that if even something we have is not available specifically on the menu, that we would try to provide that for them."

While Derrick isn't sure who to blame, he does not believe he would have been fired over the incident had the customer not been the governor.

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (75)


  • Add A Comment

  • NoiseMan wrote...
    That didn't last long Dori
    November 30, 2012 12:47 pm
    I see you're back to writing junk again.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • JustAnotherFish wrote...
    Funny...
    November 30, 2012 12:54 pm
    "...his managers met with him and said he could harm the reputation of Anthony's by treating the governor poorly."

    Hey management, how'd that work out for ya?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ted Bundi wrote...
    Dear Anthonys
    November 30, 2012 1:09 pm
    Please remove my resume from your list of prospective workers. Also, I will not spend a dime in your establishments. (You should have given this person some additional training first.)
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Steve12 wrote...
    He's just another victim caught
    November 30, 2012 1:23 pm
    in the ever expanding Christine Quagmire. He should have stepped out for a break.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hpygolkyone wrote...
    Some Observations:..............
    November 30, 2012 2:03 pm
    Something about this story smells.....err...fishy.

    1. I usually don't go into a restaurant (any restaurant) and order something that I don't see on the menu. (items are on and not on, the menu for a reason).

    2. If they said the item wasn't available, why didn't the Gov. simply order something that was? Seems logical. You're there....you've taken your coats off and sat down....they have usually brought water.....what's so efffn important about a 'Crab Louie'?

    3. Quote from Brandi Kruse article: "The manager allegedly told Derrick that the governor complained about his service when she arrived at the other restaurant."

    4. BEE ESS to #3.

    5. NEWS FLASH: The Governor has bigger "fish to fry" than little ol' Derrick. Little ol' Derrick just aint that important in the great scheme of things for the Gov. to make a special trip to the phone to complain about.

    6. The only reason this story got any attention (and hopefully not any traction) on Mr. Monsons blog, is because it is the Gov. who Mr. Monson has a well known distaste.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hpygolkyone wrote...
    Number Seven..............
    November 30, 2012 2:07 pm
    If I was Derrick, I would be embarrassed that my mommy had called to not only the Governors office, but to KIRO (somebody obviously did).

    8. These are only my opinions and not the Governors.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • William Lawn wrote...
    Yup, mommy called to complain
    November 30, 2012 3:19 pm
    that says it all.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • notmygov1 wrote...
    This really is no suprise
    November 30, 2012 2:55 pm
    Do you realize how many thousands of lives this ugly woman has destroyed in the State of wahsington. How many more until she is gone forever.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • bofus wrote...
    so
    December 1, 2012 10:07 pm
    when Inslee takes office do you change your moniker to notmygov2?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Democrats?
    November 30, 2012 3:07 pm
    The reason that it(crab louie) could not be served is the food has to "fresh" so it can be "safe".Logic and reason states that if it is not on the menu , the ingredients may not be available , fresh or safe. Next up a explanation of why just tax increases on the rich "$250.000?" AND UP WONT THE PROBLEM DEMOCRATS!!!!!!!!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ Ron_Spins
    November 30, 2012 4:40 pm
    Either you and HA HA! are one and the same, or English is not your first language?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    Does the Queen have a food taster?
    November 30, 2012 4:31 pm
    or is that the Patrol's job?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ William Lawn
    November 30, 2012 4:39 pm
    Ron Prevost is an old man. Forgive him for his constant abuse of the English language and or spelling of such......
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    @ soo perfect - sooooooo superior
    December 1, 2012 2:53 am
    Old, yes.

    I'm glad YOU must be so young and correct. ............ But most of us posting have at least SOME retirement time, or else we'd be working more. If YOU are young, sorry about your lack of productive work time.

    BTW - people like Lawn so delight in finding foo-foo fault, it's fun to make errors on purpose.

    Either that, or MYNW should put spell check on the subject section.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    Dori was, as usual, very careful to NOT suggest that. He's one of the fairest and least biased radio people I've ever seen? LOL . . . .
    November 30, 2012 4:57 pm
    like fox news - fair and balance. He already has a hard on for the new Governor.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }