‘Tales From Your Server’: 31 Shocking Stories From The Food Service Industry
Table tried to dine and dash but I came out and did their birthday shout out right in time. My manager was a server on the floor tonight and had a large group that swallowed two of our tables. They brought their OWN cake and OWN ice cream and we kept it cool for them in our fridge. They sent her to retrieve it and she does. I grabbed our saddle and dragged it over and they were suddenly ALL standing up some people had left. It was definitely sus as s**t but whatevs. Doesn’t matter. The show must go on, of course birthday person doesn’t want to sit on the saddle so I do it and do the birthday song and dance. Call him out by name and just draw a large amount of attention to him. It was awkward of course. THEY STILL TRY TO LEAVE. and my manager luckily notices and gives the mom her check and doesn’t leave her side. Not only were they using the cake and ice cream as a diversion to escape but the MOTHER was in on it. She tried to stall her payment hoping my manager would get busy and leave her with the bill as if we are not all aware of their intent by now. Safe to say we will probably not be seeing them again.
Jerk gets exactly what he asked for. Last night I worked a 14 top. They were all terrible people, douchiest people I have ever come in contact with. The royal family of Douchland. One guy sits down and orders a beer. He says, “Every time you come to the table I want you to have a beer for me.” I thought he was probably just joking, so I leave and come back and he says, “Where is my beer? Did you really forget what I told you like 2 minutes ago? Wow.” So I said, “OH! I am so sorry it won’t happen again.” So, for the next 2 hours, no matter what. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I approached the table I left a beer. After about 45 minutes the beer began to pile up. A friend of King Doucherbottom tried to take one that I put down, but I grabbed it and said, “Sorry sir, this is your friends beer I would be happy to get one for you if you like.” Long story short he ended up buying 25 beers at 8 dollars a pop with a 20% mandatory auto-grat on the table. He maybe drank 4. I have never felt so good in my life. It doesn’t pay to be an arrogant ass folks!
About a week ago, I (20F) had a two-top come in for some burgers. They barely touched the food, but every time I asked if everything was okay with their food, they said yes. When they left, they tipped me $0. A few days after, we got a one-star review from these people complaining about the food, and the fact that we charged them full-price. Why couldn’t they have spoken up? I would’ve fixed it and gotten them something else — it was just so frustrating.
No matter what restaurant or cafe you work at, sooner or later you’ll have to handle a rude or entitled customer. Dealing with problems and miscommunication is part and parcel of the job description!
However, these sorts of emotionally unpleasant situations can make new employees feel incredibly awkward. It’s not a lot of fun when you have to talk to someone who’s disappointed, angry, or actively trying to embarrass you.
This is why having the right training and mentorship at work can make such a huge difference. If your managers and coworkers can walk you through some common situations with rude customers, you’ll be better prepared when they happen. Roleplay is invaluable in keeping servers’ skills sharp.
I’m f**king livid. We close at 8pm on sundays. 7:45pm Phone call: “hey I see it says you guys close at 8 but if we have 10-12 people could you stay open for us” Me: “I’ll have to ask the chef for you one second” I know I should have just said F**K NO but I have to run everything by the chef (owner) and he tells me to tell them yes (F**K). Me: Yeah no problem A**holes: okay we should be there around 8:30 Me: ..okay” So I put a bunch of f**king tables together and pour all their waters and put menus on their tables. 8:45 They call back and tell us they aren’t coming. FIRST OFF, WHO THE F**K CALLS A RESTAURANT AND ASKS THEM TO STAY OPEN FOE THEM. THEN YOU HAVE THE F**KING AUDACITY TO CANCEL???????!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL F**KING CUT YOU
A woman asked me: ‘Did a dog roll your silverware?’ and demanded an answer. I asked what she was talking about, and she pointed to her linen. It had one or two fuzzies on them due to the wash, and she thought one was a hair (I think she was trying to get a free meal). So, I did what anyone else would do and got her a new roll-up, but that wasn’t good enough. ‘I asked you a question’ — I made her repeat the question so she could hear how weird she sounded. I said: ‘I don’t know any dogs who can roll silverware’ and just walked away. She said she was never coming back, but three hours later, she came back in with her daughter and was assigned to my section. You can’t make this s**t up.
Warning: Jokes not to tell your table.
2-top. Husband and wife. Both wearing camouflage.
I walk by the table, pass them, come back and say, “Whoa. Barely even saw you two!”
I was not tipped.
As ‘360 Training’ points out, being a server is far more than just about serving food. It’s all about providing a positive experience for the customers. Aside from knowing the menu back to front and working quickly on your feet, you’re also expected to have a good memory and work well in a team.
But perhaps most importantly, servers ought to be empathetic. They should be graceful and friendly and be able to put themselves in their customers’ shoes. Ideally, servers should be able to connect with their rude or entitled customers in such a way that they’re able to create a positive experience out of a negative one.
A group of customers left me no tip tonight and told me why. I’ve been a server for various points throughout my life since I was 16, and I am 29 now. Usually I would serve or host as a part time job, but currently my only job is being a server. I had 3 guys come in that looked about my age. When they sat down, I greeted them and then asked them how many shots they were going to be buying tonight. They were fairly loud and seemed in a good mood, and I said that mostly to be funny. The first couple of guys told me they didn’t want shots, but they would be ordering beers. Then the last guy told me he would need a few shots if I was going to be his server. I chuckled, I thought we were joking and went and got their drinks. They ordered their food, a few more beers, there weren’t any major issues, and they said it would all be one check tonight. I went to pick up their credit card receipt, and there was 0 in the tip line. Ok, maybe they’ll leave cash-no big deal. But as I am thanking them for coming in, one of the guys interrupts me. He tells me that I probably noticed he didn’t tip me. I am honestly kind of embarrassed to be having this conversation, and I was flustered, so I just replied with something like “oh, that’s okay, have a nice night.” He then proceeded to tell me; “I didn’t really feel like shelling out an extra 20 bucks for you, because no offense, but you could step it up a bit. All the other waitresses in here are very cute and earn their tips, try putting on more make up, or going to a gym. I am just being honest with you, if a guy wanted to f**ck you-he’d tip you better.” I was so mortified I didn’t even say anything. I could feel my face turning red, while every guy at that table stared at me. Nobody said anything. I work very hard, and I take so much pride in my work. I try to look nice and put together every night, because it can speak to how much pride you do take in it. I am friendly and outgoing, because I love working with people and I love my job. I wish I would’ve had something to say back to him, but I just walked away instead. I’ve worked double shifts all week, and closed each night. I’ve been stiffed a couple times almost every day this week- but I don’t take it personal and I try to still always hold my head up-but that really hurt. Sorry for the wall of text. Needed to get this rant out.
My wife and I were out to eat last night, and overheard customers at the next table harassing their server about whether he knew Jesus, and tried to get him to agree to go to church. He was non-committal, and said he never found much ‘connection’ with religion. But, they kept at him for a long time — inside, I bet he was screaming that he had other tables to get to. I loved his parting words, though: ‘If your soup is cold by now, let me know if you’d like to order a fresh one!’
“Sit me with your hottest WHITE server!” *Sits him with our only male server, a tall, black, bodybuilder*
It was a group of middle aged guys. They’re regulars, but they’re annoying as hell, and they always ask for the hottest server. As a host, i usually just sit them with whoever. The last time they came in, I sat them with D, a really sweet black girl who’s one of our best servers. They were FURIOUS. They never said anything to me or a manager, but they claimed everything was wrong. The food was too cold. The drinks were flat. She was way too slow. She was rude. They left a 25¢ tip and left not long after.
This time, they specified they wanted a hot WHITE server. I said “okay!” and with a smile, I walked them over to their table. I specifically sat them with the only male server, a tall, black, bodybuilder who towered over all of them. He’s a really cool guy, but he can be slightly intimidating to people that don’t know him just due to his stature.
They never said a word.
Tl;dr: Buncha pervs asked for a hot white girl, got a big black guy.
All of that being said, empathy is incredibly hard to cultivate if you feel that you’re treated unfairly and you have nobody to turn to for help. However, when servers know for a fact that their managers and coworkers have their backs no matter what, it’s easier to weather the storm.
If at any point you feel out of your depth, ask your direct supervisor or a senior colleague to step in. Meanwhile, watch how they handle the situation. They might take the time to actively listen to the customer’s complaints. They might decide to replace a dish, comp the meal, or send over a free drink. Or they might see the customer stepping over the line and ask them to calm down.
Karen tries to customize her own dish, doesn’t like it, chef comes out, rips her a new one, and forces her to pay for it. (not my story, paraphrased with permission from a coworker) Karen and her family come into a family-owned local seafood eatery, and she’s immediately disappointed that they don’t carry her favorite seasonal dish (mango-papaya mahi mahi), which needs to be explained to her. She says it’s the only reason she came and insists they make something as close to it as possible. After much haranguing and cross-communication, the chef settles on a tilapia with mango salsa as the closest compromise. After the food is delivered, Karen takes one bite and decides, “No, it just doesn’t taste the same. I think I’ll just have pasta instead.” The server brings the plate back to the kitchen, and the chef is f**kin livid. He storms out and slams the plate back in front of her and goes off, “We bent over backwards in the kitchen to accommodate you! This is the only dish you’re getting tonight, and you’re paying for it!” It must have done the trick, because she just accepted her fate. She and the husband switched plates, and apparently he thought it tasted awesome. They paid out and that was that. On their way out, Karen asked when they would have the mango-papaya mahi mahi again, to which it had to be explained a third time what “seasonal” means.
There was a man who made a reservation for two people, but wrote in the notes the reservation was actually for six people and a baby. I contacted him and let him know that wasn’t possible during the evening, and offered alternative times for the party of six. He never responded. Cut to an hour before service, and this man called the restaurant to let me know his party was now going to be eight people and that they were 10 minutes away. I nicely explained we weren’t opened yet and couldn’t accommodate his party. He kept asking if I could ‘do’ anything for him, but he wouldn’t accept no for an answer. Now, it’s 20 minutes before we open, and he showed up with his entourage and demanded that I sit them upstairs (I had already said NO). He kept saying: ‘Can’t you do anything for me? It’s my nephew’s baptism’ or whatever the F. Then, he tried to threaten me they’d go somewhere else to eat, so I politely advised them where to go nearby. This didn’t work, and he tried again to get me to ‘do something’ for him. I explained that seating his party would require that I cancel other reservations, and I wasn’t willing to do that. So, we went back and forth like this a few times, and he eventually left in a huff. I don’t understand why people behave this way. Why the hell would you make a reservation for two because that’s ‘the only party size that was available?!’
“Please, no mayo. I’m allergic to mayonnaise.”
Between my husband and a woman at his table last night—
“Okay, ma’am, now is it the egg or the oil we need to be worried about?”
“…it’s the combination.”
“…okay. I’ll alert the kitchen.”
I love this industry so much.
Working in the food service industry means constantly balancing between being professional in the face of criticism and (politely) demanding to be treated with respect. Knowing when to do what comes down to experience and each unique situation.
Have you ever worked as a server, dear Pandas? What’s the strangest work story you can remember? What was your go-to approach to handling entitled customers? Share your thoughts in the comments.
“We don’t care about reservations. We’re hungry and we’re going to eat.” So last night was probably the busiest night we’ve had for last week (I’m a waitress at an upscale steakhouse restaurant). The hostesses up front put us at an hour-long wait for walk-ins because of so many booked reservations, which is usual protocol from the GM. Well, this particular couple had me FUMING beyond belief during our peak hour of the night. The front lobby is packed with guests waiting for a table while reservations are seated as soon as possible. The hostesses have a system on an iPad to let all managers know which guest is seated where, how long they’ve stayed, etc. I’m bussing a table at my section when I overhear one of the hostesses try to speak to a pair at my section a booth over. This couple walked in to the restaurant, saw the amount of people waiting for a table, and decided to seat themselves with NO reservation. They also sat at a dirty f**king table, and here I’m thinking “are these people for real?” This is what I got between hostess and the older man sitting down with his wife(?): “Excuse me sir? You didn’t come up to the host stand in order for us to found out what reservation you had?” “We don’t have reservations. Someone needs to clean this s**t up.” pointing at the messy table “I’m sorry sir, but if you don’t have a reservation the wait is going to be an hour long. Someone has already requested this booth by the fireplace and they need to be seated.” “We don’t care about reservations. We’re hungry and we’re going to eat. Get someone to clean our damn table! I’m not asking a third time!” After that failure, the hostess looked at me pretty shaken up. She never dealt with any guests THAT rude and upfront before so it was understandable. With my Latina blood boiling, I went over to the a**holes. “This is my section, and after hearing that conversation, you both have no right to be served. There’s a family waiting for this table, and I’m going to ask you to leave. Unless you want me to get a manager to escort you out.” The couple squaked at me demanding I get them drinks while I went straight to my GM who saw what had already happened with the hostess. They were escorted out and were told they weren’t welcome back. This is the type of s**t I don’t think I’ll ever get used to. If you have to wait an hour long for a table like everyone else, then you f**king do it. If not, go to another restaurant.
Nightmare customer tries to build their own off-menu pasta dish then gets upset when charged full price. Being a picky eater is fine, but at minimum you have to work within the confines of what’s actually available. Enter one stubborn a**hole who took the menu items not as a suggestion, but as a point of negotiation. “I’m looking at the pastas. Do you have any rotini?” “Uhh, no. Just spaghetti, rigatoni, fettucine, penne, and bowtie pasta, I believe. That page has all the available pasta dishes we serve.” “Hmm, well you should carry rotini. But I’ll start with fettucine base, and I’d like to add bolognese… mushrooms… basil… bell p–” “I’m sorry to cut you off sir, but we don’t offer build-your-own pastas. We only offer what’s listed on the menu, and I can make a couple modifications.” “Well that’s ridiculous. If you have the items, you should be able to make it.” “It’s restaurant policy. It helps the kitchen flow.” He stares angrily at me. “Well then I’m gonna need a minute.” (No problem, bud. I hadn’t even asked if your table was ready to order before you started firing away anyway.) I talk to the kitchen manager to give him a heads up, and he doubles down on not allowing grand modifications. I return after a few, and this guy’s body language tells me he’s already prepared an opening statement for the courtroom. “Okay so I’m gonna start with the chicken alfredo, but instead of the cream sauce, I want bolognese, no tomatoes, I want extra mushrooms, add basil, bell peppers, no parmigiono, and instead of chicken I want the fresh cod.” “Uhh sir, I can only do a couple substitutions, and our fresh cod is a separate dish entirely.” “Look, please talk to your kitchen, it’s what I want.” This guy seemed like he was just trying to really impress his friends, who all looked pretty mortified. I find the kitchen manager again. He shakes his head and goes, “Alright, well ring in both a pasta bolognese and fresh fish of the day.” $42 pasta. Bravo, buddy. The table gets their food, and this guy flashes me the most idiotic smirk like he just got one over on us. “See? That wasn’t so hard. And by the way, it’s delicious! You should think about adding it to your menu!” This self-satisfied piece of work… They finally get the bill, and this dude’s face is priceless — well, there definitely was a price to his expression — about $42. “Did you really charge me for two entrees?” “Yes, I told you the cod was a separate dish.” He didn’t have much room to argue there. Thankfully his friend paid and left a fat tip, probably out of vicarious embarrassment.
This took place a few years ago in the heat of the pandemic. I worked at a popular pub in a big town, and we were careful to space out everything, sanitize heavily, and wear masks. Enter the guests: It was a man, his wife, and his daughter. They took their seats, and I approached them with my typical greetings. They ordered some drinks, and I asked the daughter for her ID — she sank a little and said: ‘I forgot it at home’ (which was code for ‘I’m a minor’). I apologized and said that I couldn’t serve her, and the parents were aghast. ‘Really?! She’s with her parents! She can’t have a drink? I can vouch that she’s of age.’ ‘I’m sorry, folks — I legally can’t serve her without proof.’ The man scoffed and smirked at me while reaching for his wallet. He asked: ‘This mean anything to you?’ while flashing his cop badge.
This guy really tried to extort me for a beer for his underage daughter. ‘No, that doesn’t mean anything to me,’ I replied. ‘Really? Nothing? Pull down that mask and let me see your face.’ ‘I’m sorry, sir — we’re in a pandemic with a mask mandate, and we take that seriously here.’ ‘Jesus, you got a manager I can talk to?’
I walked away and told my boss what happened. I watched from afar as the man waved his hands around, his wife sat in disbelief, and the daughter was red of embarrassment.
The rest of the meal was awkward — the parents were fuming, and the daughter seemed like she wanted nothing more than to leave. The cop asked me questions like what my name was, who my parents were, and what part of town I lived in — but I avoided answering anything personal. As expected, no tip.
Them: ‘We’ll have a bottle of rosé.’ The server: ‘I’m sorry, but we just sold the last chilled bottle.’ Them: ‘I see some on the counter.’ The server: ‘Yes, but it’s not chilled — it’s the display bottle, and it won’t taste great. May I suggest this chilled macerated white wine that’ll give you a similar flavor profile, but taste much better?’ Them: ‘Ugh, orange wine?!? Gross. Just bring that display bottle of rosé and a bucket of ice, and it’ll cool down fast enough.’ The server coming to me, the owner: ‘That bottle won’t cool down like they think.’ Me, to the server: ‘You’re right, but give it to them anyway…’ [An hour later]: Them: ‘You don’t have to take it off the bill, but this rosé is terrible. It tastes like a wine cooler, and it’s warm.’ The server, screaming on the inside but smiling on the outside: ‘I understand.’ The server to me: ‘I F**KING TOLD THEM.’ Me to the server: ‘Leave that s**t on the bill.’
The owner of the restaurant kicked out one of my tables for yelling at me about a receipt. It was my first day at a pizza restaurant. This place was always SLAMMED… it’s really where I learned how to be a good server, before that I worked at over staffed burger joints or Italian restaurants. Things were moving pretty fast but I was doing surprisingly well. I had about 10 tables and I was used to 3-4 table sections. I will never forget this couple that came in and sat down at table 24. They were an old couple. I’m talking both gray haired and over dressed to be at a pizza restaurant. I will say I did give them excellent service despite my frazzledness of starting a new job. I was feelin it, and felt great about handling all of my tables…until I did mess up. The man at table 24 handed me his card to close out. I’m BUSY.. like didn’t even have time to pick a wedgie if I had one, busy. I go to the computer and swipe his card. Admittedly I forgot to print out the itemized receipt, which I get can be very frustrating. Man at table 24 had every right to be upset. But instead of asking me to grab the itemized receipt, he began to LOUDLY, in a small room, with a deep and firm tone tell me how horrible I am at my job. That no wonder I only got as far in life as working at a pizza shop. He kept going on with these TERRIBLE comments and wouldn’t let me walk away when I tried. So now all of my other tables just saw me get ripped a new a**hole, and I’m in the weeds after wasting time getting yelled at by this guy. The owner of the restaurant must have come in at some point. He saw this man yelling at me, came up to the table and did the most bad ass thing I’ve ever seen. Owner: “Excuse me sir,” he says to the man at table 24, “I am the owner of this establishment. I’m not sure what the problem is here and frankly, I don’t care. What I do care about is you belittling my waitress. So I’m going to ask you and your wife to leave and not come back to my restaurant.” Man at table 24: “Fine but you’ll be losing our business.” Owner: “I really don’t care, and don’t want people like you in my restaurant anyway.” It was the coolest s**t I had ever seen. The owner STOOD THERE AND WAITED for these people to leave. It was f**king bad ass. After they left the owner came up to me and said: “F**k those people. You’re doing a great job and I wouldn’t have hired you if you didn’t show potential. If anyone else talks to you like that I want you to tell them to f**k off and get out. I don’t want their money.” Coolest. Boss. Ever.
Do people even listen to what comes out of their mouths?
A guest walks into brunch and orders our smoked salmon plate. The only dairy in this particular dish is a ramekin of cream cheese that is served on the side.
A couple minutes later I’m in the kitchen getting coffee for another table. I turn around and smoked salmon lady has followed me to the kitchen.
When I turn around and see her, I ask “Is there something you need?”
She says, “I forgot I’m not eating dairy, so can I change my order to the buttermilk pancakes?”
Confused at what I just heard, I ask “The buttermilk pancakes? There is dairy in the pancakes…”
“Well as long as it’s not a lot it’s ok.”
Lady….. it’s like the main ingredient. It’s in the name. BUTTERMILK pancakes. Do people really listen to the stupidity that comes out of their face holes??? I can’t.
A husband divorced his wife at my table.
This was in 2018, but I still think about it often and just had to share.
Had a couple come in who seemed really happy, they were having their first date night since they had a baby and wife was really excited to finally have a reason to get a sitter.
They ordered drinks, an app, and their meals. Things seemed to be going well at first but as the night progressed things seemed to take a turn. Subtle things like started off holding hands across the table but stopped by the time drinks were out. Weren’t as chatty by the time the salads were out.
By the time I brought their meals out, there was an orange envelope on the table next to the guy with his wedding ring on it. She was sobbing. He said he’d take his in a to-go box and the checks would be separate.
He left as soon as his tab was paid, and she ended up telling me he apparently had been having an affair since she got pregnant and just told her he was leaving to start a life with his new family. The envelope had the divorce paperwork in it. She said he completely blindsided her, she had no idea this was coming.
My manager ended up comping her ticket and paying for an Uber to take her home. Never saw her again, but I always think about that situation and hope her and the kid are alright.
I’m making children suffer. This isn’t your traditional server story, as I make pizzas, but it’s still a frustrating story from the food industry. I work at a chain pizza place, and like most pizza places our busiest day is Friday during the dinner rush. Almost all the staff is on hand and everything is on fire. It really didn’t help that we had a 40 pizza order that day due at 6:00 pm. This all happened last Friday. A lady calls in (by the way please order from the web) and orders 4 pizzas for delivery. 3 of them were double pepperoni pizzas which take way longer than you would think. I tell her that it will take about 1 1/2 – 2 hours for delivery. This lady starts asking what the f**k is up with that wait time, and I explain what I said before about dinner rush. She goes into a rampage telling me that she’s been at work all day and she does not want to cook, “My family is starving, my kids are crying, and you’re just making them suffer more with that f**king wait time!” Being the shy timid college girl I am, all I could do is apologize and apologize as this lady is grilling me. Also, the wait time is only getting longer as orders are coming in, she hasn’t put in her order, and I can’t help make anything as I’m on the phone. My manager knows this. He comes over to the phone, takes it from me. Asks the problem and says “Here, your wait time will be nothing and you won’t have to spend any more money!” Slams the phone down, ignores her order, and continues on with his work. Thank you, manager!
I had my restaurant booked out for a private sports event for 150 people. This didn’t happen often, and it’s only the second private event I’ve worked (I was hoping it’d be smoother this time around). We were working with the info the organizers gave us, which we were led to believe had been communicated to the guests. If guests had a pink lanyard, they were paying for drinks as they went — and if they had a gray lanyard, it meant they had a pre-paid package and got free refills on beer, wine, and soft drinks. What’s important to note is that they did NOT get spirits included. The organizers told us to stop serving drinks at 1:15 p.m., get their checks paid, and get everyone ready to depart to the game. This is where things started getting interesting… A table with gray lanyards got confused when I brought over their bill. One guy asked: ‘What the f**k is this?’ The refills of beer they’d had were included in their package, so they only had to pay for the double vodkas they ordered. ‘Since when?’ and I told him that was the original plan. He yelled at me about how he ordered the premium package, wasn’t supposed to have to pay, and that this was a f**king disgrace. After gently explaining to him we followed the organizers’ orders, he demanded I go get someone in charge. I got the main organizer — he spoke to them, then spoke to my manager. I have no idea what happened, but somehow, the guy didn’t end up paying for the spirits, and they were put on the organizers’ tab instead. I understand if the guy thought he was getting everything included, but bro: I am not the person to yell at. And, in my opinion, it’s a lack of organization and clarity on the organizers’ part — not ours.
I had a pair come in, and I was on register, so I had the pleasure of serving them. They grabbed a menu and sat down — all was well. ‘I want Eggs Benedict with sausage’ she said. On our menu, we have bacon and eggs, a classic breakfast that has eggs and sausages, and an on-theme meal called Eggs Benedict. So, I asked her some questions, figured out she’s talking about the on-theme meal Eggs Benedict, so we do that and add some sausage to it. She asked me to make sure it had hollandaise, so I did that. Then, she asked for another Eggs Benedict meal — awesome! I rang her up, and all was well until… The food came out, and there were two Eggs Benedict meals — apparently, she ‘didn’t want hollandaise on one of them,’ but f**k me for not reading her mind, right? We started remaking them, but halfway through, they decided that no: They just wanted a refund because I ‘specifically f**ked it up too much.’ Because they couldn’t be bothered reading the menu or at the very least telling me what they wanted! Anyway, at least I got a free Eggs Bene out of it, so that’s cool (and they even promised they wouldn’t come back — I hope they stick to it)!
I work in a brewery, and the sign above the door states the name of the brewery. The sign on the glass part of the doors states the name of the brewery, and the giant metal sign that hangs behind the bar? Name of the brewery. We open at noon on Sundays, which is usually my shift, and I leave the door open when I get there. Allow me to set the scene: The lights are all off, the music is realllllly loud, and I’m counting the drawer. A woman walks in 30 minutes before we open with two small kids who are about 4 years old, and she. is. furious.
Her: ‘This music is entirely too loud and not appropriate for my girls!’
Me: ‘I agree — it’ll be at an appropriate level and on a different station when we open at noon.’
Her: ‘Can’t you do that now?’ You know what, fine — I can. So, I did and went back to counting the drawer.
Her: ‘Excuse me? Where should we sit?’
Me: ‘Anywhere you’d like, ma’am. But, I’m afraid I still have to finish opening and won’t be able to get to y’all for at least 15 to 20 minutes.’
Her: ‘IS THERE NO ONE ELSE HERE?’ At this point, I made a snarky look around before I answered: ‘It doesn’t look like it.’
Her: ‘Fine — just give me a coffee and two milks.’
Me: ‘Ma’am, this is a brewery. I don’t have any of that.’
Her: ‘Fine — just let me see the menu, and I’ll decide.’
I point to the draft board and tell her those are the draft selections, the chalkboard next to it with our wine selections and snacks, and tell her we have certain soft drinks in cans.
Her: ‘MY KIDS AREN’T ALLOWED SUGARY SOFT DRINKS! WHERE IS THE KIDS MENU? WE WANT BREAKFAST!’
Me: ‘Ma’am, this is a brewery. We don’t have kids menus, milk, juice, or breakfast foods.’
The whole damn time she ignored every obvious clue and sign, and thought she was at the breakfast spot around the corner (which wasn’t even open on Sundays).
I had my first-ever dine and dash today! It was the last table of the night (a family of four — two adults and two kids). The kids spilled two drinks, and I told them I’d be sure to leave the second one off the bill because accidents happen. But then, two drinks and an entire bowl of popcorn spilled (not to mention the fries, broccoli, and mashed potatoes were left ALL over the floor, booth, and table). They knew they were leaving me with a huge mess, and that they weren’t going to pay for their meal.
The kicker is, they did hand me $28 in cash for being ‘the best waitress ever’ — but I had a feeling they would dine and dash. I asked my manager to go to their car with the bill because I had closing duties, but my manager said no — ‘It would be rude.’ They got away, and I kept the $28 — but my manager said I had to cover the whole $83 meal. I reminded him I asked him to get them and he said no, so it wasn’t on me that they got away. Unfortunately, our security cameras didn’t record any of it — it just goes to show you they truly got away with it, but at least I got a nice tip?
This past Sunday morning we were slammed. I had a party of 12 that was running me into the ground, as well as a table of four, a table of three, one other small party, and then a new party of 16. I greeted the 16-top, and they wanted to put in EVERYTHING at once (they’re regulars and tip 30% every time, so I know they’re worth the extra effort). The whole order took 10 minutes max. On my way to grab their drinks, I stopped by my 12-top, and they wanted water refills. Gathering drinks for my 16-top took a few minutes, so when I returned, a woman at my 12-top was FURIOUS. She said I wasn’t moving fast enough, and my service was ‘unacceptable.’ This word was the final straw for me — she was a jerk the whole time, and even grabbed my attention twice by actually entering the f**king kitchen. I don’t keep my phone on me at work, I don’t take breaks, and I rarely sit during my 12+-hour days — I wasn’t going to let this comment slide. I was so calm and just said: ‘You know, we’re very busy, and I’m one person. I have other tables to serve, and frankly, accommodating you has been difficult since you decided to change your order four separate times. I’m not taking the fall on your bad experience.’ I dropped the 12-top’s check on their table, offered no boxes, and treated the table like lava until they left.
To start off I’m not a server at the moment but this happened to one of ours. The other day we had a customer go OFF on a cashier because they asked if they replaced something due to an allergy or if it was just a preference (Corporate mandates that we ask). She substituted some pasta for our gluten free rice noodles and because it’s a lot more f**king work for us to deal with an allergy and a lot of people just honestly like the taste of rice noodles we want to know if we strictly need to do it as an allergy order. This lady (I’d say 50 or 60) got real close and in that Pissed Off Mom WhisperTM started lecturing him on how rude it is that he asked, how it’s none of his business, how she has Never Been So InsultedTM , how we should just treat everything that COULD POSSIBLY BE GLUTEN FREE as if it was an allergy, etc, etc, etc. He replied: “okay that’s great but is it an allergy or a preference” therefore cementing him in my heart as one of my favorites. As expected it was a preference.
My a**hole table accidentally tipped me 130%. I was serving on July 4th in a vacation town in California at an upscale German beer and brat place. Everyone was drunk mid-day, we were wildly understaffed, and absolutely slammed. I’m a really fast and sweet server even when I’m busy, but I had 10 tables and I was pretty frazzled. One of my tables was a middle-aged couple and their adult son. I can’t remember the specifics, but they were really condescending, high-maintenance, and impatient. When it came time for them to pay, I was pretty relieved for them to leave. The man payed with card, signed the receipt, crumpled the customer copy, and put away his card. We were trying to turn tables as fast as possible because we were so busy, so I picked up his signed receipt and thanked them. Then, they sat there for what felt like forever. I didn’t think much of it because I was wildly busy. When I went to clear their table after they left, I was really confused. The original itemized receipt was still on the table with a stack of cash, enough to cover the whole bill and an ok tip—BUT THEY ALREADY PAID AND TIPPED ME WITH CARD. I guess the guy was drunker than I thought, completely forgot he had already paid, and then paid again in cash and just left. It was definitely not on purpose, because the “tip” on the credit card receipt and cash “tip” on the cash payment were almost the same, and they were complete a**holes. In the middle of a hellish shift, I almost started crying with joy. It came out to a $100 “tip” for a $75 bill. A little blessing from the server gods on a hard day. Wishing drunk, accidentally generous customers on you all.
Walk in 75 top. That’s right. 75 top. This happened a couple weeks ago at the very busy restaurant I work at. A woman came in saying she had some people from a jujitsu club wanting to come in for dinner and drinks and do we take reservations. My manager asked for how many, and she said about 75, but maybe up to 100. My manager started laughing, but was soon stricken by horror as she realized the woman was serious. We have a large restaurant, but a very small kitchen, and have a strict 20 top cut off. When told about this, the woman still insisted that they were already here and pretty much refused no for an answer. We ended up allowing them to come in as it was around 8pm and things were slowing down. They sat outside in our big patio area, and we had two servers split the group. People were ordering at different times and many were just drinking, so the kitchen managed to do okay. The worst part was that about 30 of the people never went to their designated area, and instead crowded the bar and stood there. Us servers use this area to walk through and obviously get our drinks. After several attempts at pushing our way through the crowd, we eventually gave up and accepted it as our reality. To get our bar drinks, we would go around to the bar side, every. damn. time. We have a long bar and only entry on each side, so this is huge out of our way. This group came in around 8pm and stayed almost all night. The people were nice, but damn how clueless are you!!! EDIT: A lot of people are wanting to know if they tipped. I wasn’t the one serving them, just another server trying to keep the rest of the place under control. I heard MOST of them tipped, although they did all pay separate and we ran out of check presenters obviously. Also, a few of them walked out on their tabs. Not on purpose, I’m sure, they probably just wandered to meet their friends at the bar and forgot to close out. I find this very rude no matter who it is, if you aren’t sure how to pay, ask the server or let them know you are leaving, moving, etc. Most of all, treat everyone with compassion! Server, customer, whatever. Treat cranky old people like they are your parents, because one day, they could be. Remember rude customers are A**HOLES, but also probably have a worse life than you do. Know that some people don’t understand “restaurant etiquette” like we do, and if they did, maybe they would act differently. Remember your server is just a human being, not a servant, and being nice goes a long way.
Shot down a guy’s machismo with a pithy comment. A group of riders strolled into our establishment carrying helmets and seemed to be all about themselves. They were loud and obnoxious, but overall friendly, and they immediately started with a round of coffees. This Axl Rose-looking bandana dude looks at the half-and-half on the table and goes, “Do you guys have any hazelnut or caramel-flavored creamer?” “No, just plain half-and-half, but we do have almond milk or soy milk.” His face scrunches up and he gives his friends a sarcastic look, “Do I look like someone who drinks soy?” Without missing a beat, I go, “Dude, you literally just asked me if we have frou-frou creamer.” The table absolutely f**kin lost it and keeled over in laughter. Axl Rose just smiled big and said, “…you got me.” They ended up being really fun and tipped fat. I know everyone prefers trainwreck stories, but sometimes the good moments are just as entertaining.
Cafes aren’t your personal library, or even a public library.
Customer posted on her Instagram, tagging my workplace and identifying me by name (whom she asked for from my coworker). Was upset because I had said she needed to give up her table for other customers. She had been sitting there for 2 hours, only ordered a single cup of coffee, which she requested to “top up” hot milk for.
Said she was undergoing an “urgent job interview” and that i had interrupted her, causing her to have to exit the interview abruptly.
Ain’t my fault you don’t know how to manage your life, lady. Cafes aren’t your home, and we DO have the right to ask you to leave (why are customers always surprised that we can do that?)
She got mad because I gave her incorrect change, so I corrected the situation.
I waited tables and tended bar for years before switching to my current career.
Table comes in, eats, drinks, pays cash. Tell them to have a great day and walk away. Taking a drink order at a new table and notice the lady standing there angrily, and I make eye contact with her husband and he looks really embarrassed.
Finish taking drink order and go over to them. “Yes? Is there a problem?”
She tells me I gave her the wrong change and was really nasty about it. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but I had intended to round up to avoid pennies…you heard me right…pennies. Like their change was supposed to be $3.78 and I intended to give them $3.80. Well, I guess I made a mistake this time and gave them $3.75. Either way, she was really rude.
She showed me the receipt, and I apologized and admitted my error. Then, I pointed out I had forgotten to ring up her coffee, and that I would be right back with an updated check.
She was pissed that she ended up paying more than if she’d kept her mouth shut.
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Table tried to dine and dash but I came out and did their birthday shout out right in time. My manager was a server on the floor tonight and had a large group that swallowed two of our tables. They brought their OWN cake and OWN ice cream and we kept it cool for them in our fridge. They sent her to retrieve it and she does. I grabbed our saddle and dragged it over and they were suddenly ALL standing up some people had left. It was definitely sus as s**t but whatevs. Doesn't matter. The show must go on, of course birthday person doesn't want to sit on the saddle so I do it and do the birthday song and dance. Call him out by name and just draw a large amount of attention to him. It was awkward of course. THEY STILL TRY TO LEAVE. and my manager luckily notices and gives the mom her check and doesn't leave her side. Not only were they using the cake and ice cream as a diversion to escape but the MOTHER was in on it. She tried to stall her payment hoping my manager would get busy and leave her with the bill as if we are not all aware of their intent by now. Safe to say we will probably not be seeing them again.
Jerk gets exactly what he asked for. Last night I worked a 14 top. They were all terrible people, douchiest people I have ever come in contact with. The royal family of Douchland. One guy sits down and orders a beer. He says, “Every time you come to the table I want you to have a beer for me.” I thought he was probably just joking, so I leave and come back and he says, “Where is my beer? Did you really forget what I told you like 2 minutes ago? Wow.” So I said, “OH! I am so sorry it won’t happen again.” So, for the next 2 hours, no matter what. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I approached the table I left a beer. After about 45 minutes the beer began to pile up. A friend of King Doucherbottom tried to take one that I put down, but I grabbed it and said, “Sorry sir, this is your friends beer I would be happy to get one for you if you like.” Long story short he ended up buying 25 beers at 8 dollars a pop with a 20% mandatory auto-grat on the table. He maybe drank 4. I have never felt so good in my life. It doesn’t pay to be an arrogant ass folks!
About a week ago, I (20F) had a two-top come in for some burgers. They barely touched the food, but every time I asked if everything was okay with their food, they said yes. When they left, they tipped me $0. A few days after, we got a one-star review from these people complaining about the food, and the fact that we charged them full-price. Why couldn’t they have spoken up? I would’ve fixed it and gotten them something else — it was just so frustrating.
No matter what restaurant or cafe you work at, sooner or later you’ll have to handle a rude or entitled customer. Dealing with problems and miscommunication is part and parcel of the job description!
However, these sorts of emotionally unpleasant situations can make new employees feel incredibly awkward. It’s not a lot of fun when you have to talk to someone who’s disappointed, angry, or actively trying to embarrass you.
This is why having the right training and mentorship at work can make such a huge difference. If your managers and coworkers can walk you through some common situations with rude customers, you’ll be better prepared when they happen. Roleplay is invaluable in keeping servers’ skills sharp.
I’m f**king livid. We close at 8pm on sundays. 7:45pm Phone call: “hey I see it says you guys close at 8 but if we have 10-12 people could you stay open for us” Me: “I’ll have to ask the chef for you one second” I know I should have just said F**K NO but I have to run everything by the chef (owner) and he tells me to tell them yes (F**K). Me: Yeah no problem A**holes: okay we should be there around 8:30 Me: ..okay” So I put a bunch of f**king tables together and pour all their waters and put menus on their tables. 8:45 They call back and tell us they aren’t coming. FIRST OFF, WHO THE F**K CALLS A RESTAURANT AND ASKS THEM TO STAY OPEN FOE THEM. THEN YOU HAVE THE F**KING AUDACITY TO CANCEL???????!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL F**KING CUT YOU
A woman asked me: 'Did a dog roll your silverware?' and demanded an answer. I asked what she was talking about, and she pointed to her linen. It had one or two fuzzies on them due to the wash, and she thought one was a hair (I think she was trying to get a free meal). So, I did what anyone else would do and got her a new roll-up, but that wasn’t good enough. 'I asked you a question' — I made her repeat the question so she could hear how weird she sounded. I said: 'I don’t know any dogs who can roll silverware' and just walked away. She said she was never coming back, but three hours later, she came back in with her daughter and was assigned to my section. You can’t make this s**t up.
Warning: Jokes not to tell your table.
2-top. Husband and wife. Both wearing camouflage.
I walk by the table, pass them, come back and say, “Whoa. Barely even saw you two!”
I was not tipped.
As ‘360 Training’ points out, being a server is far more than just about serving food. It’s all about providing a positive experience for the customers. Aside from knowing the menu back to front and working quickly on your feet, you’re also expected to have a good memory and work well in a team.
But perhaps most importantly, servers ought to be empathetic. They should be graceful and friendly and be able to put themselves in their customers’ shoes. Ideally, servers should be able to connect with their rude or entitled customers in such a way that they’re able to create a positive experience out of a negative one.
A group of customers left me no tip tonight and told me why. I’ve been a server for various points throughout my life since I was 16, and I am 29 now. Usually I would serve or host as a part time job, but currently my only job is being a server. I had 3 guys come in that looked about my age. When they sat down, I greeted them and then asked them how many shots they were going to be buying tonight. They were fairly loud and seemed in a good mood, and I said that mostly to be funny. The first couple of guys told me they didn’t want shots, but they would be ordering beers. Then the last guy told me he would need a few shots if I was going to be his server. I chuckled, I thought we were joking and went and got their drinks. They ordered their food, a few more beers, there weren’t any major issues, and they said it would all be one check tonight. I went to pick up their credit card receipt, and there was 0 in the tip line. Ok, maybe they’ll leave cash-no big deal. But as I am thanking them for coming in, one of the guys interrupts me. He tells me that I probably noticed he didn’t tip me. I am honestly kind of embarrassed to be having this conversation, and I was flustered, so I just replied with something like “oh, that’s okay, have a nice night.” He then proceeded to tell me; “I didn’t really feel like shelling out an extra 20 bucks for you, because no offense, but you could step it up a bit. All the other waitresses in here are very cute and earn their tips, try putting on more make up, or going to a gym. I am just being honest with you, if a guy wanted to f**ck you-he’d tip you better.” I was so mortified I didn’t even say anything. I could feel my face turning red, while every guy at that table stared at me. Nobody said anything. I work very hard, and I take so much pride in my work. I try to look nice and put together every night, because it can speak to how much pride you do take in it. I am friendly and outgoing, because I love working with people and I love my job. I wish I would’ve had something to say back to him, but I just walked away instead. I’ve worked double shifts all week, and closed each night. I’ve been stiffed a couple times almost every day this week- but I don’t take it personal and I try to still always hold my head up-but that really hurt. Sorry for the wall of text. Needed to get this rant out.
My wife and I were out to eat last night, and overheard customers at the next table harassing their server about whether he knew Jesus, and tried to get him to agree to go to church. He was non-committal, and said he never found much 'connection' with religion. But, they kept at him for a long time — inside, I bet he was screaming that he had other tables to get to. I loved his parting words, though: 'If your soup is cold by now, let me know if you'd like to order a fresh one!'
“Sit me with your hottest WHITE server!” *Sits him with our only male server, a tall, black, bodybuilder*
It was a group of middle aged guys. They’re regulars, but they’re annoying as hell, and they always ask for the hottest server. As a host, i usually just sit them with whoever. The last time they came in, I sat them with D, a really sweet black girl who’s one of our best servers. They were FURIOUS. They never said anything to me or a manager, but they claimed everything was wrong. The food was too cold. The drinks were flat. She was way too slow. She was rude. They left a 25¢ tip and left not long after.
This time, they specified they wanted a hot WHITE server. I said “okay!” and with a smile, I walked them over to their table. I specifically sat them with the only male server, a tall, black, bodybuilder who towered over all of them. He’s a really cool guy, but he can be slightly intimidating to people that don’t know him just due to his stature.
They never said a word.
Tl;dr: Buncha pervs asked for a hot white girl, got a big black guy.
All of that being said, empathy is incredibly hard to cultivate if you feel that you’re treated unfairly and you have nobody to turn to for help. However, when servers know for a fact that their managers and coworkers have their backs no matter what, it’s easier to weather the storm.
If at any point you feel out of your depth, ask your direct supervisor or a senior colleague to step in. Meanwhile, watch how they handle the situation. They might take the time to actively listen to the customer's complaints. They might decide to replace a dish, comp the meal, or send over a free drink. Or they might see the customer stepping over the line and ask them to calm down.
Karen tries to customize her own dish, doesn't like it, chef comes out, rips her a new one, and forces her to pay for it. (not my story, paraphrased with permission from a coworker) Karen and her family come into a family-owned local seafood eatery, and she's immediately disappointed that they don't carry her favorite seasonal dish (mango-papaya mahi mahi), which needs to be explained to her. She says it's the only reason she came and insists they make something as close to it as possible. After much haranguing and cross-communication, the chef settles on a tilapia with mango salsa as the closest compromise. After the food is delivered, Karen takes one bite and decides, "No, it just doesn't taste the same. I think I'll just have pasta instead." The server brings the plate back to the kitchen, and the chef is f**kin livid. He storms out and slams the plate back in front of her and goes off, "We bent over backwards in the kitchen to accommodate you! This is the only dish you're getting tonight, and you're paying for it!" It must have done the trick, because she just accepted her fate. She and the husband switched plates, and apparently he thought it tasted awesome. They paid out and that was that. On their way out, Karen asked when they would have the mango-papaya mahi mahi again, to which it had to be explained a third time what "seasonal" means.
There was a man who made a reservation for two people, but wrote in the notes the reservation was actually for six people and a baby. I contacted him and let him know that wasn’t possible during the evening, and offered alternative times for the party of six. He never responded. Cut to an hour before service, and this man called the restaurant to let me know his party was now going to be eight people and that they were 10 minutes away. I nicely explained we weren’t opened yet and couldn’t accommodate his party. He kept asking if I could 'do' anything for him, but he wouldn’t accept no for an answer. Now, it's 20 minutes before we open, and he showed up with his entourage and demanded that I sit them upstairs (I had already said NO). He kept saying: 'Can’t you do anything for me? It’s my nephew's baptism' or whatever the F. Then, he tried to threaten me they'd go somewhere else to eat, so I politely advised them where to go nearby. This didn’t work, and he tried again to get me to 'do something' for him. I explained that seating his party would require that I cancel other reservations, and I wasn’t willing to do that. So, we went back and forth like this a few times, and he eventually left in a huff. I don't understand why people behave this way. Why the hell would you make a reservation for two because that’s 'the only party size that was available?!'
“Please, no mayo. I’m allergic to mayonnaise.”
Between my husband and a woman at his table last night—
“Okay, ma’am, now is it the egg or the oil we need to be worried about?”
“...it’s the combination.”
“...okay. I’ll alert the kitchen.”
I love this industry so much.
Working in the food service industry means constantly balancing between being professional in the face of criticism and (politely) demanding to be treated with respect. Knowing when to do what comes down to experience and each unique situation.
Have you ever worked as a server, dear Pandas? What's the strangest work story you can remember? What was your go-to approach to handling entitled customers? Share your thoughts in the comments.
“We don’t care about reservations. We’re hungry and we’re going to eat.” So last night was probably the busiest night we’ve had for last week (I’m a waitress at an upscale steakhouse restaurant). The hostesses up front put us at an hour-long wait for walk-ins because of so many booked reservations, which is usual protocol from the GM. Well, this particular couple had me FUMING beyond belief during our peak hour of the night. The front lobby is packed with guests waiting for a table while reservations are seated as soon as possible. The hostesses have a system on an iPad to let all managers know which guest is seated where, how long they’ve stayed, etc. I’m bussing a table at my section when I overhear one of the hostesses try to speak to a pair at my section a booth over. This couple walked in to the restaurant, saw the amount of people waiting for a table, and decided to seat themselves with NO reservation. They also sat at a dirty f**king table, and here I’m thinking “are these people for real?” This is what I got between hostess and the older man sitting down with his wife(?): “Excuse me sir? You didn’t come up to the host stand in order for us to found out what reservation you had?” “We don’t have reservations. Someone needs to clean this s**t up.” pointing at the messy table “I’m sorry sir, but if you don’t have a reservation the wait is going to be an hour long. Someone has already requested this booth by the fireplace and they need to be seated.” “We don’t care about reservations. We’re hungry and we’re going to eat. Get someone to clean our damn table! I’m not asking a third time!” After that failure, the hostess looked at me pretty shaken up. She never dealt with any guests THAT rude and upfront before so it was understandable. With my Latina blood boiling, I went over to the a**holes. “This is my section, and after hearing that conversation, you both have no right to be served. There’s a family waiting for this table, and I’m going to ask you to leave. Unless you want me to get a manager to escort you out.” The couple squaked at me demanding I get them drinks while I went straight to my GM who saw what had already happened with the hostess. They were escorted out and were told they weren’t welcome back. This is the type of s**t I don’t think I’ll ever get used to. If you have to wait an hour long for a table like everyone else, then you f**king do it. If not, go to another restaurant.
Nightmare customer tries to build their own off-menu pasta dish then gets upset when charged full price. Being a picky eater is fine, but at minimum you have to work within the confines of what's actually available. Enter one stubborn a**hole who took the menu items not as a suggestion, but as a point of negotiation. "I'm looking at the pastas. Do you have any rotini?" "Uhh, no. Just spaghetti, rigatoni, fettucine, penne, and bowtie pasta, I believe. That page has all the available pasta dishes we serve." "Hmm, well you should carry rotini. But I'll start with fettucine base, and I'd like to add bolognese... mushrooms... basil... bell p--" "I'm sorry to cut you off sir, but we don't offer build-your-own pastas. We only offer what's listed on the menu, and I can make a couple modifications." "Well that's ridiculous. If you have the items, you should be able to make it." "It's restaurant policy. It helps the kitchen flow." He stares angrily at me. "Well then I'm gonna need a minute." (No problem, bud. I hadn't even asked if your table was ready to order before you started firing away anyway.) I talk to the kitchen manager to give him a heads up, and he doubles down on not allowing grand modifications. I return after a few, and this guy's body language tells me he's already prepared an opening statement for the courtroom. "Okay so I'm gonna start with the chicken alfredo, but instead of the cream sauce, I want bolognese, no tomatoes, I want extra mushrooms, add basil, bell peppers, no parmigiono, and instead of chicken I want the fresh cod." "Uhh sir, I can only do a couple substitutions, and our fresh cod is a separate dish entirely." "Look, please talk to your kitchen, it's what I want." This guy seemed like he was just trying to really impress his friends, who all looked pretty mortified. I find the kitchen manager again. He shakes his head and goes, "Alright, well ring in both a pasta bolognese and fresh fish of the day." $42 pasta. Bravo, buddy. The table gets their food, and this guy flashes me the most idiotic smirk like he just got one over on us. "See? That wasn't so hard. And by the way, it's delicious! You should think about adding it to your menu!" This self-satisfied piece of work... They finally get the bill, and this dude's face is priceless -- well, there definitely was a price to his expression -- about $42. "Did you really charge me for two entrees?" "Yes, I told you the cod was a separate dish." He didn't have much room to argue there. Thankfully his friend paid and left a fat tip, probably out of vicarious embarrassment.
This took place a few years ago in the heat of the pandemic. I worked at a popular pub in a big town, and we were careful to space out everything, sanitize heavily, and wear masks. Enter the guests: It was a man, his wife, and his daughter. They took their seats, and I approached them with my typical greetings. They ordered some drinks, and I asked the daughter for her ID — she sank a little and said: 'I forgot it at home' (which was code for 'I'm a minor'). I apologized and said that I couldn't serve her, and the parents were aghast. 'Really?! She’s with her parents! She can’t have a drink? I can vouch that she’s of age.' 'I’m sorry, folks — I legally can’t serve her without proof.' The man scoffed and smirked at me while reaching for his wallet. He asked: 'This mean anything to you?' while flashing his cop badge.
This guy really tried to extort me for a beer for his underage daughter. 'No, that doesn’t mean anything to me,' I replied. 'Really? Nothing? Pull down that mask and let me see your face.' 'I’m sorry, sir — we’re in a pandemic with a mask mandate, and we take that seriously here.' 'Jesus, you got a manager I can talk to?'
I walked away and told my boss what happened. I watched from afar as the man waved his hands around, his wife sat in disbelief, and the daughter was red of embarrassment.
The rest of the meal was awkward — the parents were fuming, and the daughter seemed like she wanted nothing more than to leave. The cop asked me questions like what my name was, who my parents were, and what part of town I lived in — but I avoided answering anything personal. As expected, no tip.
Them: 'We'll have a bottle of rosé.' The server: 'I'm sorry, but we just sold the last chilled bottle.' Them: 'I see some on the counter.' The server: 'Yes, but it's not chilled — it's the display bottle, and it won't taste great. May I suggest this chilled macerated white wine that'll give you a similar flavor profile, but taste much better?' Them: 'Ugh, orange wine?!? Gross. Just bring that display bottle of rosé and a bucket of ice, and it'll cool down fast enough.' The server coming to me, the owner: 'That bottle won't cool down like they think.' Me, to the server: 'You're right, but give it to them anyway...' [An hour later]: Them: 'You don't have to take it off the bill, but this rosé is terrible. It tastes like a wine cooler, and it's warm.' The server, screaming on the inside but smiling on the outside: 'I understand.' The server to me: 'I F**KING TOLD THEM.' Me to the server: 'Leave that s**t on the bill.'
The owner of the restaurant kicked out one of my tables for yelling at me about a receipt. It was my first day at a pizza restaurant. This place was always SLAMMED... it’s really where I learned how to be a good server, before that I worked at over staffed burger joints or Italian restaurants. Things were moving pretty fast but I was doing surprisingly well. I had about 10 tables and I was used to 3-4 table sections. I will never forget this couple that came in and sat down at table 24. They were an old couple. I’m talking both gray haired and over dressed to be at a pizza restaurant. I will say I did give them excellent service despite my frazzledness of starting a new job. I was feelin it, and felt great about handling all of my tables...until I did mess up. The man at table 24 handed me his card to close out. I’m BUSY.. like didn’t even have time to pick a wedgie if I had one, busy. I go to the computer and swipe his card. Admittedly I forgot to print out the itemized receipt, which I get can be very frustrating. Man at table 24 had every right to be upset. But instead of asking me to grab the itemized receipt, he began to LOUDLY, in a small room, with a deep and firm tone tell me how horrible I am at my job. That no wonder I only got as far in life as working at a pizza shop. He kept going on with these TERRIBLE comments and wouldn’t let me walk away when I tried. So now all of my other tables just saw me get ripped a new a**hole, and I’m in the weeds after wasting time getting yelled at by this guy. The owner of the restaurant must have come in at some point. He saw this man yelling at me, came up to the table and did the most bad ass thing I’ve ever seen. Owner: “Excuse me sir,” he says to the man at table 24, “I am the owner of this establishment. I’m not sure what the problem is here and frankly, I don’t care. What I do care about is you belittling my waitress. So I’m going to ask you and your wife to leave and not come back to my restaurant.” Man at table 24: “Fine but you’ll be losing our business.” Owner: “I really don’t care, and don’t want people like you in my restaurant anyway.” It was the coolest s**t I had ever seen. The owner STOOD THERE AND WAITED for these people to leave. It was f**king bad ass. After they left the owner came up to me and said: “F**k those people. You’re doing a great job and I wouldn’t have hired you if you didn’t show potential. If anyone else talks to you like that I want you to tell them to f**k off and get out. I don’t want their money.” Coolest. Boss. Ever.
Do people even listen to what comes out of their mouths?
A guest walks into brunch and orders our smoked salmon plate. The only dairy in this particular dish is a ramekin of cream cheese that is served on the side.
A couple minutes later I’m in the kitchen getting coffee for another table. I turn around and smoked salmon lady has followed me to the kitchen.
When I turn around and see her, I ask “Is there something you need?”
She says, “I forgot I’m not eating dairy, so can I change my order to the buttermilk pancakes?”
Confused at what I just heard, I ask “The buttermilk pancakes? There is dairy in the pancakes...”
“Well as long as it’s not a lot it’s ok.”
Lady..... it’s like the main ingredient. It’s in the name. BUTTERMILK pancakes. Do people really listen to the stupidity that comes out of their face holes??? I can’t.
A husband divorced his wife at my table.
This was in 2018, but I still think about it often and just had to share.
Had a couple come in who seemed really happy, they were having their first date night since they had a baby and wife was really excited to finally have a reason to get a sitter.
They ordered drinks, an app, and their meals. Things seemed to be going well at first but as the night progressed things seemed to take a turn. Subtle things like started off holding hands across the table but stopped by the time drinks were out. Weren’t as chatty by the time the salads were out.
By the time I brought their meals out, there was an orange envelope on the table next to the guy with his wedding ring on it. She was sobbing. He said he’d take his in a to-go box and the checks would be separate.
He left as soon as his tab was paid, and she ended up telling me he apparently had been having an affair since she got pregnant and just told her he was leaving to start a life with his new family. The envelope had the divorce paperwork in it. She said he completely blindsided her, she had no idea this was coming.
My manager ended up comping her ticket and paying for an Uber to take her home. Never saw her again, but I always think about that situation and hope her and the kid are alright.
I'm making children suffer. This isn't your traditional server story, as I make pizzas, but it's still a frustrating story from the food industry. I work at a chain pizza place, and like most pizza places our busiest day is Friday during the dinner rush. Almost all the staff is on hand and everything is on fire. It really didn't help that we had a 40 pizza order that day due at 6:00 pm. This all happened last Friday. A lady calls in (by the way please order from the web) and orders 4 pizzas for delivery. 3 of them were double pepperoni pizzas which take way longer than you would think. I tell her that it will take about 1 1/2 - 2 hours for delivery. This lady starts asking what the f**k is up with that wait time, and I explain what I said before about dinner rush. She goes into a rampage telling me that she's been at work all day and she does not want to cook, "My family is starving, my kids are crying, and you're just making them suffer more with that f**king wait time!" Being the shy timid college girl I am, all I could do is apologize and apologize as this lady is grilling me. Also, the wait time is only getting longer as orders are coming in, she hasn't put in her order, and I can't help make anything as I'm on the phone. My manager knows this. He comes over to the phone, takes it from me. Asks the problem and says "Here, your wait time will be nothing and you won't have to spend any more money!" Slams the phone down, ignores her order, and continues on with his work. Thank you, manager!
I had my restaurant booked out for a private sports event for 150 people. This didn't happen often, and it's only the second private event I've worked (I was hoping it'd be smoother this time around). We were working with the info the organizers gave us, which we were led to believe had been communicated to the guests. If guests had a pink lanyard, they were paying for drinks as they went — and if they had a gray lanyard, it meant they had a pre-paid package and got free refills on beer, wine, and soft drinks. What's important to note is that they did NOT get spirits included. The organizers told us to stop serving drinks at 1:15 p.m., get their checks paid, and get everyone ready to depart to the game. This is where things started getting interesting... A table with gray lanyards got confused when I brought over their bill. One guy asked: 'What the f**k is this?' The refills of beer they'd had were included in their package, so they only had to pay for the double vodkas they ordered. 'Since when?' and I told him that was the original plan. He yelled at me about how he ordered the premium package, wasn't supposed to have to pay, and that this was a f**king disgrace. After gently explaining to him we followed the organizers' orders, he demanded I go get someone in charge. I got the main organizer — he spoke to them, then spoke to my manager. I have no idea what happened, but somehow, the guy didn't end up paying for the spirits, and they were put on the organizers' tab instead. I understand if the guy thought he was getting everything included, but bro: I am not the person to yell at. And, in my opinion, it's a lack of organization and clarity on the organizers' part — not ours.
I had a pair come in, and I was on register, so I had the pleasure of serving them. They grabbed a menu and sat down — all was well. 'I want Eggs Benedict with sausage' she said. On our menu, we have bacon and eggs, a classic breakfast that has eggs and sausages, and an on-theme meal called Eggs Benedict. So, I asked her some questions, figured out she's talking about the on-theme meal Eggs Benedict, so we do that and add some sausage to it. She asked me to make sure it had hollandaise, so I did that. Then, she asked for another Eggs Benedict meal — awesome! I rang her up, and all was well until... The food came out, and there were two Eggs Benedict meals — apparently, she 'didn't want hollandaise on one of them,' but f**k me for not reading her mind, right? We started remaking them, but halfway through, they decided that no: They just wanted a refund because I 'specifically f**ked it up too much.' Because they couldn't be bothered reading the menu or at the very least telling me what they wanted! Anyway, at least I got a free Eggs Bene out of it, so that's cool (and they even promised they wouldn't come back — I hope they stick to it)!
I work in a brewery, and the sign above the door states the name of the brewery. The sign on the glass part of the doors states the name of the brewery, and the giant metal sign that hangs behind the bar? Name of the brewery. We open at noon on Sundays, which is usually my shift, and I leave the door open when I get there. Allow me to set the scene: The lights are all off, the music is realllllly loud, and I'm counting the drawer. A woman walks in 30 minutes before we open with two small kids who are about 4 years old, and she. is. furious.
Her: 'This music is entirely too loud and not appropriate for my girls!'
Me: 'I agree — it'll be at an appropriate level and on a different station when we open at noon.'
Her: 'Can't you do that now?' You know what, fine — I can. So, I did and went back to counting the drawer.
Her: 'Excuse me? Where should we sit?'
Me: 'Anywhere you'd like, ma'am. But, I'm afraid I still have to finish opening and won't be able to get to y'all for at least 15 to 20 minutes.'
Her: 'IS THERE NO ONE ELSE HERE?' At this point, I made a snarky look around before I answered: 'It doesn't look like it.'
Her: 'Fine — just give me a coffee and two milks.'
Me: 'Ma'am, this is a brewery. I don't have any of that.'
Her: 'Fine — just let me see the menu, and I'll decide.'
I point to the draft board and tell her those are the draft selections, the chalkboard next to it with our wine selections and snacks, and tell her we have certain soft drinks in cans.
Her: 'MY KIDS AREN'T ALLOWED SUGARY SOFT DRINKS! WHERE IS THE KIDS MENU? WE WANT BREAKFAST!'
Me: 'Ma'am, this is a brewery. We don't have kids menus, milk, juice, or breakfast foods.'
The whole damn time she ignored every obvious clue and sign, and thought she was at the breakfast spot around the corner (which wasn't even open on Sundays).
I had my first-ever dine and dash today! It was the last table of the night (a family of four — two adults and two kids). The kids spilled two drinks, and I told them I’d be sure to leave the second one off the bill because accidents happen. But then, two drinks and an entire bowl of popcorn spilled (not to mention the fries, broccoli, and mashed potatoes were left ALL over the floor, booth, and table). They knew they were leaving me with a huge mess, and that they weren’t going to pay for their meal.
The kicker is, they did hand me $28 in cash for being 'the best waitress ever' — but I had a feeling they would dine and dash. I asked my manager to go to their car with the bill because I had closing duties, but my manager said no — 'It would be rude.' They got away, and I kept the $28 — but my manager said I had to cover the whole $83 meal. I reminded him I asked him to get them and he said no, so it wasn’t on me that they got away. Unfortunately, our security cameras didn't record any of it — it just goes to show you they truly got away with it, but at least I got a nice tip?
This past Sunday morning we were slammed. I had a party of 12 that was running me into the ground, as well as a table of four, a table of three, one other small party, and then a new party of 16. I greeted the 16-top, and they wanted to put in EVERYTHING at once (they’re regulars and tip 30% every time, so I know they’re worth the extra effort). The whole order took 10 minutes max. On my way to grab their drinks, I stopped by my 12-top, and they wanted water refills. Gathering drinks for my 16-top took a few minutes, so when I returned, a woman at my 12-top was FURIOUS. She said I wasn’t moving fast enough, and my service was 'unacceptable.' This word was the final straw for me — she was a jerk the whole time, and even grabbed my attention twice by actually entering the f**king kitchen. I don’t keep my phone on me at work, I don’t take breaks, and I rarely sit during my 12+-hour days — I wasn’t going to let this comment slide. I was so calm and just said: 'You know, we’re very busy, and I’m one person. I have other tables to serve, and frankly, accommodating you has been difficult since you decided to change your order four separate times. I’m not taking the fall on your bad experience.' I dropped the 12-top's check on their table, offered no boxes, and treated the table like lava until they left.
To start off I'm not a server at the moment but this happened to one of ours. The other day we had a customer go OFF on a cashier because they asked if they replaced something due to an allergy or if it was just a preference (Corporate mandates that we ask). She substituted some pasta for our gluten free rice noodles and because it's a lot more f**king work for us to deal with an allergy and a lot of people just honestly like the taste of rice noodles we want to know if we strictly need to do it as an allergy order. This lady (I'd say 50 or 60) got real close and in that Pissed Off Mom WhisperTM started lecturing him on how rude it is that he asked, how it's none of his business, how she has Never Been So InsultedTM , how we should just treat everything that COULD POSSIBLY BE GLUTEN FREE as if it was an allergy, etc, etc, etc. He replied: "okay that's great but is it an allergy or a preference" therefore cementing him in my heart as one of my favorites. As expected it was a preference.
My a**hole table accidentally tipped me 130%. I was serving on July 4th in a vacation town in California at an upscale German beer and brat place. Everyone was drunk mid-day, we were wildly understaffed, and absolutely slammed. I’m a really fast and sweet server even when I’m busy, but I had 10 tables and I was pretty frazzled. One of my tables was a middle-aged couple and their adult son. I can’t remember the specifics, but they were really condescending, high-maintenance, and impatient. When it came time for them to pay, I was pretty relieved for them to leave. The man payed with card, signed the receipt, crumpled the customer copy, and put away his card. We were trying to turn tables as fast as possible because we were so busy, so I picked up his signed receipt and thanked them. Then, they sat there for what felt like forever. I didn’t think much of it because I was wildly busy. When I went to clear their table after they left, I was really confused. The original itemized receipt was still on the table with a stack of cash, enough to cover the whole bill and an ok tip—BUT THEY ALREADY PAID AND TIPPED ME WITH CARD. I guess the guy was drunker than I thought, completely forgot he had already paid, and then paid again in cash and just left. It was definitely not on purpose, because the “tip” on the credit card receipt and cash “tip” on the cash payment were almost the same, and they were complete a**holes. In the middle of a hellish shift, I almost started crying with joy. It came out to a $100 “tip” for a $75 bill. A little blessing from the server gods on a hard day. Wishing drunk, accidentally generous customers on you all.
Walk in 75 top. That’s right. 75 top. This happened a couple weeks ago at the very busy restaurant I work at. A woman came in saying she had some people from a jujitsu club wanting to come in for dinner and drinks and do we take reservations. My manager asked for how many, and she said about 75, but maybe up to 100. My manager started laughing, but was soon stricken by horror as she realized the woman was serious. We have a large restaurant, but a very small kitchen, and have a strict 20 top cut off. When told about this, the woman still insisted that they were already here and pretty much refused no for an answer. We ended up allowing them to come in as it was around 8pm and things were slowing down. They sat outside in our big patio area, and we had two servers split the group. People were ordering at different times and many were just drinking, so the kitchen managed to do okay. The worst part was that about 30 of the people never went to their designated area, and instead crowded the bar and stood there. Us servers use this area to walk through and obviously get our drinks. After several attempts at pushing our way through the crowd, we eventually gave up and accepted it as our reality. To get our bar drinks, we would go around to the bar side, every. damn. time. We have a long bar and only entry on each side, so this is huge out of our way. This group came in around 8pm and stayed almost all night. The people were nice, but damn how clueless are you!!! EDIT: A lot of people are wanting to know if they tipped. I wasn’t the one serving them, just another server trying to keep the rest of the place under control. I heard MOST of them tipped, although they did all pay separate and we ran out of check presenters obviously. Also, a few of them walked out on their tabs. Not on purpose, I’m sure, they probably just wandered to meet their friends at the bar and forgot to close out. I find this very rude no matter who it is, if you aren’t sure how to pay, ask the server or let them know you are leaving, moving, etc. Most of all, treat everyone with compassion! Server, customer, whatever. Treat cranky old people like they are your parents, because one day, they could be. Remember rude customers are A**HOLES, but also probably have a worse life than you do. Know that some people don’t understand “restaurant etiquette” like we do, and if they did, maybe they would act differently. Remember your server is just a human being, not a servant, and being nice goes a long way.
Shot down a guy's machismo with a pithy comment. A group of riders strolled into our establishment carrying helmets and seemed to be all about themselves. They were loud and obnoxious, but overall friendly, and they immediately started with a round of coffees. This Axl Rose-looking bandana dude looks at the half-and-half on the table and goes, "Do you guys have any hazelnut or caramel-flavored creamer?" "No, just plain half-and-half, but we do have almond milk or soy milk." His face scrunches up and he gives his friends a sarcastic look, "Do I look like someone who drinks soy?" Without missing a beat, I go, "Dude, you literally just asked me if we have frou-frou creamer." The table absolutely f**kin lost it and keeled over in laughter. Axl Rose just smiled big and said, "...you got me." They ended up being really fun and tipped fat. I know everyone prefers trainwreck stories, but sometimes the good moments are just as entertaining.
Cafes aren’t your personal library, or even a public library.
Customer posted on her Instagram, tagging my workplace and identifying me by name (whom she asked for from my coworker). Was upset because I had said she needed to give up her table for other customers. She had been sitting there for 2 hours, only ordered a single cup of coffee, which she requested to “top up” hot milk for.
Said she was undergoing an “urgent job interview” and that i had interrupted her, causing her to have to exit the interview abruptly.
Ain’t my fault you don’t know how to manage your life, lady. Cafes aren’t your home, and we DO have the right to ask you to leave (why are customers always surprised that we can do that?)
She got mad because I gave her incorrect change, so I corrected the situation.
I waited tables and tended bar for years before switching to my current career.
Table comes in, eats, drinks, pays cash. Tell them to have a great day and walk away. Taking a drink order at a new table and notice the lady standing there angrily, and I make eye contact with her husband and he looks really embarrassed.
Finish taking drink order and go over to them. "Yes? Is there a problem?"
She tells me I gave her the wrong change and was really nasty about it. I can't remember exactly what it was, but I had intended to round up to avoid pennies...you heard me right...pennies. Like their change was supposed to be $3.78 and I intended to give them $3.80. Well, I guess I made a mistake this time and gave them $3.75. Either way, she was really rude.
She showed me the receipt, and I apologized and admitted my error. Then, I pointed out I had forgotten to ring up her coffee, and that I would be right back with an updated check.
She was pissed that she ended up paying more than if she'd kept her mouth shut.
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