Hi, this is borderline off subject but has been mentioned several times. I teach workshops on OCD. It is very seldom understood, but is becoming today what Epilepsy was years ago. Folks with OCD are seldom as rude as the family being described. Okay, sometimes. Most people, often because of what the media presents, confuse OCD with OCPD.
That's the Personality Disorder and they are worlds apart. The family discussed sound more like OCPD and such folks become irritable if their wishes are not accomodated. More and more people are "coming out" about their disorder and are vulnerable about the reactions of non-sufferers. As to the family on which this thread is based, it's your restaurant. Neither OCD nor OCPD begets violence, but nowadays I find myself being overly...uh, tactful, to avoid confrontations that can escalate. That may be one of your concerns, rather than "bad" word of mouth. Try saying no, then moan and groan about what frequent customers they are and how you want to say yes but you can't and you feel awful...at every unusual request. That should tire them out so they may not return. About one in fifty persons has OCD, so if anyone has a friend or family member who may have it, or if you're just curious about OCD, send me an email in private and I'll try to answer any question. Otherwise, I'm off to the About Louisville section.