When The Customer Isn't Right?

I really enjoyed this article in today's New York Times because it is topical, relative to a customer service job like my own, and bound to stir up many different reactions from its readers.  The story is about restaurants in NYC that are refusing to offer alterations to their menus that stray from the original vision of the cuisine.  I won't ruin the reading experience by summarizing any further, but I wonder how far outside of restaurants this trend could extend.  For so long customer service has always been about pleasing the customer no matter what, many times in instances when the service demanded the ridiculous and over the top.  What cracks me up about these guys in the article is that they are completely flipping the anal-retentiveness around - a la the soup nazi.  I'm a big believer in voting with your pocketbook rather than throwing a temper tantrum, so this kind of enterprise really makes me smile because many people like to do both.  I wonder what would happen if I suddenly refused service to the customer who wants a 12 bottle box (something we are always short of) for his one bottle purchase because he drove here and he doesn't want the bottle to roll around in the car?

-David Driscoll