Ahead of what's set to be a very busy long weekend, representatives from Orange's hospitality industry have a simple but earnest request of their customers: be kind.
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It had been several weeks since the Union Bank made a social media post which struck a chord with many businesses in town.
"We have had an extra tough week this week with abrupt, downright disgustingly rude customers. It should not be something we accept, especially when we are genuinely doing the best we can," the post read.
Venue manager Sarah Crowley explained that it had been in response to a number of scenarios in recent weeks where customers - some of them locals - had been "downright rude" to those serving them.
"Ninety percent of our customers are absolutely always lovely - and we don't want to take away from that," she said. "It was just one too many customers that had too much to say.
"If we've genuinely made a mistake, I totally get that, but when people are just being downright rude, I just think it's not necessary.
"The only reason we're here is for our customers ... and when people [come in] who have maybe had a bad day and want to take it out on us [it's not fair]."
Orange 360 general manager Caddie Marshall said the local hospitality industry had been bearing some of the brunt of people's frustrations as the area became more popular to tourists and as many wineries and restaurants required bookings.
"When we know we've got a busy period ahead of us we [try to remind everyone] to just take a deep breath... It's just about being kind and respectful," Ms Marshall said.
In the lead-up to this long-weekend, Orange 360 had been contacting accommodation providers to ensure they told guests to book their winery visits and restaurants well ahead of time.
"You need to pre-book, if you haven't pre-booked, you're likely not going to be able to get into that wine tasting or into that restaurant. It's critical," Ms Marshall said.
While it wasn't just locals or just visitors who forgot their manners when dealing with hospitality staff, one of the more shocking instances saw a tourist jump on the back of a miniature pony while visiting Heifer Station during FOOD Week.
Fortunately, Ms Marshall said behaviour of that extreme was a rarity.
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