I think how to deal with such people is a tough and complicated subject. A restaurant is a public place. Anyone can come in, even jerks. This might have been the first problem they have had in years. Do you confront obnoxious people? Many can become even worse. Think about road rage. Yes, you can call the police. Maybe they will get there in 10 minutes. How much ability to manage difficult people does the average wait person, some who are high school kids, have? If the problem rarely happens, how ready is the staff to handle it? A bartender in some nighttime taverns knows he might have a problem with the occasional rowdy person and is more prepared. A server in a daytime restaurant, maybe not so much. The second guy was hanging around outside, mostly beyond the purview of the staff. Do they need a security guard to patrol the grounds to deal with a possible repeat incident that may happen only rarely? The staff actions inside DID seem to manage the problem. Do you kick the jerk out for talking if he stops talking?
To be crystal clear, the actions of the jerks were bad and needed to be addressed. I just think it's a very hard problem for a public place to solve.
I hope the restaurant people are fully aware of what happened and that they talk over their options for dealing with it in the future. It's too bad it tainted gillygirl's dinner and it is understandable not to want to go back to a place where you had an unwanted and uncomfortable confrontation.
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