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You’ve got to give it to food and service industry professionals—many of them have the patience of saints! An unavoidable part of your job when you’re cooking and serving strangers food is having to deal with rude and entitled customers from time to time. It’s practically a rite of passage.
However, some people go beyond mere rudeness and go full delulu. In a thread on ‘Kitchen Confidential,’ the cooks and servers of Reddit spilled the tea about the dumbest things that customers have ever said or done. Whatever you think they did, we guarantee you, it’s much worse. Scroll down for some painfully relatable stories.
Bored Panda reached out to the author of the thread, u/BohemianJack, and they were kind enough to share their thoughts about interacting with nightmare customers. You'll find our interview with them below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
August, 1973. A woman comes into our restaurant, is seated at a booth and presented a menu. She waves away the menu and orders tomato beef chow yuk. The waitress explained that she needed to get that next door, as we served Italian American cuisine. She insists we're wrong and she wants her order right now.
The boss heard it, and sent me out the back to next door with a five to get her what she wants. I get the order to go and the boss hands it to her in the bag from the place next door, with the tag still attached and charges her double. She howls about the price and the boss told her the upcharge was because he had to send one of his staff to the Chinese take out next door that she was too stupid to note and too arrogant to acknowledge, then 86'd her.
Mabelbabel 4 months ago
Old American slang term used in the service industry for getting rid of her or refusing her service in the future.
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Forrest Hobbs 4 months ago
Kim Steffen: "86" is apparently 100% American. On top of that, cutting the whiskey down from 100 proof to 86 proof wouldn't sober anyone up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/86_(term)
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We were curious about what had inspired the author to start the thread in the first place. "I’d been reminiscing with friends about customer horror stories from our time in retail and restaurants. The stories were so wild, I wanted to hear more from others," u/BohemianJack shared with Bored Panda.
"I think the post resonated because so many people have worked in customer-facing roles. Most customers are fine, but the outrageous ones really stick with you. Sometimes you witness things so absurd, you can’t forget them. It’s a shared experience that a lot of people relate to."
RELATED:
#2
Her: Hi, can I take a look at the menu?
Me: I'm sorry, but unfortunately the kitchen is closed right now.
Her: Oh, okay. I'll just go sit in the bar and order then.
Me: The menu isn't available in the bar either, because the kitchen is closed.
Her: What?!? Well can I just look at the Grill menu then?
Me: No, as I mentioned, the KITCHEN is CLOSED, there is no menu service available right now.
Her: Fine. I'll just order for takeout then.
Me: Ma'am, as I've mentioned, THE KITCHEN IS CLOSED. THERE IS NO FOOD AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW. BECAUSE. THE. KITCHEN. IS. CLOSED.
Her: So I can't even order something to go?!??
Me: No. You cannot. The kitchen is closed.
Her: Whatever *storms out*.
Auntriarch 4 months ago
Does she not know what a kitchen is, or is she just a complete fückwit?
Paul C. 4 months ago
I worked in a pub for a short while and at the start of one evening the chef had a serious accident with hot oil, so the kitchen was closed. A group of people came in and proceeded to berate a young server about how inconvenient it all was. I politely informed them that I would pass on there grievance to the "bad chef" who at the time was probably having the serious blisters on his arm bandaged.
Michael Largey 4 months ago
And she's thinking "I agreed to main menu, bar, grill, take out. I was so flexible with those people, and what did it get me?"
#3
Customer claimed she was allergic to bell pepper and even a tiny bit could k**l her.
Made everything from scratch, cutting on clean boards with cleaned knives etc.
Then she ordered a dish which had some bell pepper, which we could’t quickly remake. She wanted it anyway, “a little bit is fine”.
I wanted to give her a high five. In the face, with a chair.
Fungus John 4 months ago
I used to have a friend who claimed she had a chilli allergy to save face from having to admit she couldn't handle the spice. She loved capsicum though...
Beak Hookage 4 months ago
My sister went on a cruise and decided to straight-up lie on the pre-cruise form that she had a seafood allergy because she knew that would be a lot simpler and more effective than the alternative of telling them she just hates seafood.
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Bill Swallow 4 months ago (edited)
Refuse the order. "No, Ma'am. You specifically stated that 'even a tiny bit could k!ll you'. Legally, I cannot serve you any, because of legal liability concerns." And hold to that come what may.
Bored Panda also wanted to get the author's perspective on working in the food and service industry. Specifically, we asked about the advice they'd give someone who's completely new to this career path.
"You’re going to deal with difficult people, some who are just rude and others who throw you completely unexpected curveballs. When that happens, take a breath and remember that most bad interactions only last a few minutes," u/BohemianJack said.
#4
'My rare steak is cold in the middle'
'This salmon tastes like it came out of the ocean
'Crab should taste like crabs, not shellfish'
'Whats the difference between duck and lamb?'
Just a few of the winners.
Ripley 4 months ago
I would expect a rare steak to be at least warmed through. A blue steak might still be cold in the middle, but not a rare one.
SCP 4666 4 months ago
The difference between duck and lamb is that duck has two legs especially the right one
Gregory Garcia 4 months ago
A Jumper is a sweater to Americans. I dont get why they jump 🤷 i understand the military application of jump as an accessory seat or missile rack, but why expect your cardigan to jump like a frog? 🐸
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SkippityBoppityBoo 4 months ago
"What's the difference between duck and lamb?" Isn't that daft a question. They probably meant the taste or is one cooked a different way? As in asking for advice. Game birds taste a lot different to lamb.
#5
Well, I used to work for an All you can eat Buffet, one night a server tells me there is a guest complaining the soup is cold; I go to the soup container and lift the lid and the steam almost burn my hand and half of my face. I tell the server there is no way that the soup is cold and ask him to show me the table where the guest is at. Once i reach the table I greet everyone and ask if there was a problem with the food, one of them tells me the Soup was extremely cold; at the same time i'm scaning the table for the soup but i can't find it, I ask the guest if he throw it away; and this guy replies !! Is right there !!, pointing at the "ITALIAN DRESSING"...
Craig Reynolds 4 months ago
Oh, I would have happily told him it was salad dressing and not soup, just to see the reaction of the other guests. If he said anything snarky after, I'd bring him a bowl of soup and exclaim, THIS IS THE SOUP...
#6
I was working at BJ’s for a bit and they have this cherry-chipotle salmon dish. A woman asked me if we could make the cherry sauce without chipotle. I informed her we could not because it’s a premade sauce. Then she asked if we have any sauces that “don’t come from a f*****g bag.” All I could say was, mam you’re at BJ’s. We use uncle Ben’s rice. You think we’re making the sauce? Her granddaughter got a good chuckle out of that .
Roxy222uk 4 months ago
I work in a petrol station overnight and one of our duties is baking off the cookies to put in bags to sell the next day. A young couple come in and smell the cookies that have recently come out of the oven, so we sell them a bag. They stand at the cafe table (it’s a small, tall, table for standing at) and scoff them, then ask my coworker, who I told them had baked them, for the recipe. Bless their pure little hearts for thinking that workers in a petrol station in the middle of the night are creaming butter and sugar, stirring in flour, etc from scratch.
The Abe 4 months ago
So - I managed a gas station/convenience store in VT, and one of the workers actually did bake from scratch behind the counter for our cakes and cookies. I don't know if it's common, but it does happen.
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Austzn 4 months ago
Also, BJ's "brewhouse" in their name but they don't brew any beer at the locations. This crappy microwave chain restaurant needs to go the way of Steak N Ale.
Marie BellaDonna 4 months ago (edited)
Premade doesn't necessarily mean out of a bag. Can also mean a batch is made ahead of time, by a prep person, and then put in a container in the walk-in to be used as needed.
David Bennett 3 months ago
Fast food place in a mall. Customer asked me if I could "scoop out the meat from the middle of a hot dog and stuff it with cheese." I told them that I had no idea how to do that, and I'd probably get in trouble if I tried...
"If it escalates into something more serious, that’s what managers are there for. And if your manager can’t handle it and throws you under the bus or tells you to handle it, that’s a red flag about the place you work and I’d consider moving to another job," they warned, adding that you shouldn't be expected to handle any verbally or physically violent customers.
"In general, stay calm, let it pass, and if nothing else, you’ll walk away with a story to tell," u/BohemianJack said.
"Everyone who works with customers has been through it. Keep your sense of humor, and don’t let one bad interaction ruin your shift."
#7
A woman entered our Mexican restaurant and proclaimed that she was deathly allergic to traces of legumes in the air, but wanted some quesadillas. She was deathly allergic to airborne bean particles, in a Mexican restaurant.
SheamusFanFrom1987 4 months ago (edited)
Them legume particles definitely caused her some issues alright, because she is making absurd requests like an absolute beanbag -_-"
panther 4 months ago
Was she also allergic to the bean airborne particles after eating Mexican food?
SkippityBoppityBoo 4 months ago
How come she didn't immediately go into Anaphylaxis and die just from entering the place? 😄
#8
Worked at a restaurant that cooked everything on charcoal grills. Part of the intro spiel was to tell them and brag on that fact. It was literally the entire point and theme of the restaurant.
“Do you have any pasta dishes?” Was entirely too common. I always answered by saying “No, we find that it always seems to fall through the grates on the grills”.
Beak Hookage 4 months ago
Now I'm thinking of the Discworld novel "Masquerade" where a chef who's never prepared pasta before cluelessly tries to grill it and complains that it just keeps getting harder instead of softening up like it's supposed to.
David Morgan 4 months ago
And Granny bails the poor guy out, like a champ. "He'll have dumplings like the rest of us".
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#9
I sold a girl a chicory coffee once. She asked “how do I drink it”
I was having a bad day and it almost broke me
She laughed and said “ sorry I mean do people take cream? I’ve never had one”
I giggled and said do whatever you want to it you bought it
We both got a good chuckle out of it.
Debby Keir 4 months ago
Back in the 50's UK, coffee was still pretty scarce (rationing etc) and most 'coffee' had chicory in it too.
Nea 4 months ago
The indigenous filter coffees here in South India have 30%-40% chicory blended with coffee. It adds taste at least for the milk coffee which is commonly had here but if you want black, it is not that good. For me.
Load More Replies... Judes 4 months ago
Why didn't you just tell her how people usually drink it? If she's never had one before, then it's not dumb to ask for a recommendation on how it's commonly drunk.
Auntriarch 4 months ago (edited)
It looks like the way she said it, it sounded like she was unsure how to drink (lips? straw?). Normally if you weren't sure if it needed cream or sugar, you'd say how to I take it. Which she acknowledged in her next sentence where she mentions take cream.
Load More Replies... Petra Peitsch 4 months ago
Back in the communist era of the eastern-european countries, chicory was a cheap alternative to the real coffee.
Huddo's sister 3 months ago
Australia used it a lot, from at least WWI. Now it's usually just 'coffee chicory essence', which I love.
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 3 months ago
Chicory is used instead of or as well as coffee beans.
Load More Replies...Food & Wine magazine stresses the fact that “the customer is always right” is an outdated mantra. It does not excuse rude or violent behavior.
In fact, setting “firm but polite boundaries” with customers who are disrespectful can, in fact, strengthen your brand as a restaurant. The reality is that not every guest is going to be a good fit for your establishment.
“True hospitality means mutual respect, not enduring mistreatment for the sake of service,” the magazine explains.
According to Food & Wine, you should do 4 things when dealing with the rude customers you encounter:
- Defuse the situation
- Keep calm, cool, and collected
- Get feedback
- Explain your side of things
#10
Had an elderly vegan customer at a restaurant that was uniquely ill-equipped to cater to vegans. After painstaking back-and-forth between customer and kitchen, we somehow make him super happy.
At the end of the meal he asks for a Bailey's. I pause and, as politely as I could, tell him that Bailey's has dairy and is unfortunately not vegan.
He absolutely loses. his. s**t. on me and screams "I'm dRINkiNg iT nOt EAtiNg iT!!!!!" Among other less amusing lines. I bring him his Bailey's, he pays and stiffs me.
Peter Bear 4 months ago
"I'm sorry, but we have nothing on our menu that will be up to your standards. Have a magical day."
David Morgan 4 months ago
Yes it is, if he's too stupid to even know what his diet allegedly is. If he actually WAS a vegan instead of just irritatingly fussy, he'd have welcomed the server's advice so he could avoid the dairy content.
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#11
Served a man a steak and he went ballistic saying it was covered in shards of glass and how did we not notice when serving it. It was coarse sea salt.
Sarah 4 months ago
Anyone else feel they will chip a tooth whenncraking into a bite of that salt?
Auntriarch 4 months ago
The photo looks a bit excessive though, are they dressing the steak up for Christmas?
Load More Replies... #12
Don’t know if this counts, but we were redoing the floor. Signs an all doors that we are closed, online hours all correctly showing closed. The floor was ripped up, glue down and only half tiled. Lady comes to the front door, it’s locked. She walks to the back door in the alley way, which was open for the tile workers. She walks into the empty dining room, walking 20 feet on wet glue, into an empty dining room with all chairs and tables gone. She walks back out, and calls, and I answer. “Hey are you guys open?”….
Gongalo Rice 4 months ago
I really had a woman this stupid one time drive past our warning cones onto the wet seal coat we had just put down on the parking lot and park, get her kids out of the car and headed for the playground (we were working at a elem. school) The whole crew and I were standing there in shock.
For one, even if you’re being perfectly reasonable, you shouldn’t go looking for a fight. Pushing back against entitled guests is one thing. However, if your restaurant regularly gets complaints, there might be bigger issues at work here. Moreover, some folks might not be rude or entitled, just awkward. Or there’s been some sort of miscommunication.
You mustn’t lose your temper or start talking in sarcastic, passive-aggressive ways. “Victory does not belong to the person who raises their voice the loudest or gets the nastiest,” Food & Wine magazine explains.
“This is equally true for the guest. It is never appropriate for a patron to raise their voice, curse, or invade personal space. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying, ‘I will not allow you to swear or raise your voice at me.’ If they are unwilling to comply with a request for human decency, sayonara, dude!”
#13
"Farmed fish don't have any bones"- guest.... with a straight face.
#14
Whats a quickie?
me turning around trying to hold back laughing, looking at the menu.... ohh you mean the quiche!
nottheactualphoto 4 months ago
As my dad said: "I don't want quiche! I want bacon and eggs!" Tongue firmly in cheek, of course.
Ms. Mack 4 months ago
Your dad is correct. I cannot abide quiche, but I love me some bacon and eggs.
Load More Replies... Fat Harry (Oi / You) 4 months ago
Lol, this is a running joke in our house in that we ALL pronounce quiche as quickie, to the point that the codeword to pick up my granddaughter from nursery is literally written in their book as "quiche (pronounced quickie)"
Huddo's sister 3 months ago
My brother pronounced it quish-y once, and when we corrected him he said 'no, I want a squishy quishy' and we were laughing for ages. Still one of my main memories of that day, even though we went to a historical museum/coal town after that.
Jerusalem Cat Syndrome 3 months ago
This is an old joke; I remember once it showed up in the 90s' series, "Designing Women".
SkippityBoppityBoo 4 months ago (edited)
I laughed way too hard at that but not in a mean way!!! I've had that said to me too over the years! But an elderly lady dining with her gentleman 💜 I bent down and quietly said "Do you mean the quiche?" She said yes with a rub of my hand 🙂
#15
"...How dare you serve me cold gazpacho?!".
Beak Hookage 4 months ago
I rushed into this article JUST so I could make that reference and I've already been beaten to the punch twice!
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Paul C. 4 months ago
You sure that wasn't Marjorie Taylor Greene? She famously called the Gestapo the Gazpacho! Not the brightest of the bright.
sbj 4 months ago
I'vs seen post like this many times, How do people still not know it's supposed to be cold
Andy 4 months ago
If only one time they said "gazpacho soup is served cold" I could have been an admiral by now
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BookFanatic 4 months ago
I pulled something similar at an aunt's house. "Why is the soup cold?!" In my defense, I was six and hadn't yet encountered a lot of soup in my life.
Mary Peace 4 months ago
Now I'm 10 times the age you were then, I've eaten lots of soup but no gazpacho in my UK life.
Load More Replies... Sabrina 4 months ago
I think people should know what they are ordering before they order the food. Just Google search to find what it is first.
Bill Swallow 4 months ago
"But then what would happen to Man's Search for Knowledge?" - Cyrano Jones
Load More Replies...You shouldn’t shy away from criticism if it’s valid. Embrace the customer feedback, take responsibility for your mistakes, and show that you’re willing to listen to your guests. Naturally, this doesn’t mean tolerating hateful or threatening behavior.
Meanwhile, make sure that the customer sees your side of things. There are a lot of things they might not be aware of. “Remember that you are a fully competent professional engaging in a respectful conversation. Get it out of your head that you are a groveling, humble servant. If you are forced to set the record straight, a cold, calculating delivery is much more effective.”
#16
Not as a chef but when I was a butcher. Had a customer buying shrimp.
Customer: How should I cook this?
Me: I suggest a frogmore stew or low country boil.
Customer: Sounds great. How?
Me: Get some water with seasonings, throw in some potatoes, sausage(preferably hot), and corn. Let it boil for a bit until taters start to get soft. Drop the shrimp in and bring back to a boil. Strain out the water and serve.
Customer: Sounds good. How do I do that?
Me: Uh, what?
Customer: How do I boil it?
Me: ... With heat?
Customer: Huh?
I walked away after that and asked my boss to handle the rest.
SheamusFanFrom1987 4 months ago
Had absolutely zilch idea what a Frogmore Stew was but now I have to try it. Note to self: Get seafood and corn-on-the-cob.
Papa 4 months ago
That sounds to a crawfish boil, but with shrimp instead of crawfish.
Load More Replies... Auntriarch 4 months ago
There's something about a particularly laconic description of a recipe that makes me want to trust the giver.
SkippityBoppityBoo 4 months ago
It does sound delicious! I'm the same as you, some things sound fantastic but it's "Wait... That will literally k**l me!" 🙂
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#17
Soup of the day was chicken noodle. Lots of dark meat in there. Customer was pissed because there was beef in the soup. Tried to explain dark and white meat to no avail.
#18
Guest at a Mexican bar complaining that the Salsa is too “saucy.” This was after she managed to complain about everything that was being brought to her. I informed her that salsa is a literal translation of sauce. She got quiet for a while before acting up again and got the boot for being a c**t.
SheamusFanFrom1987 4 months ago
I hope the bouncer told her to Salsa her way out of the bar in the process.
Michael Largey 4 months ago
The Salsa is too “saucy” ? Was it making off color jokes or telling ribald stories?
On the flip side, ‘Toast’ suggests making a sincere apology to your customer, even if you haven’t made a mistake. “The simple truth is that the customer doesn’t care whether you did something out of malice or not. They want to feel justified in being upset and know that their feedback is understood and valued.”
This can go a long way in maintaining your establishment’s reputation. Rudeness and anger, on the other hand, can only make things worse.
That being said, if your customer is behaving inappropriately, reach out for help. Get a hold of your manager so they can help you solve the issue. A good manager will be happy to support you.
#19
I own a bakery
-"So what's the difference between the apple pie slice and the flourless chocolate cake?"
-watched a kid pump simple syrup into his hand thinking it was hand sanitizer.
- "Ah I see you are sold out of the chicken salad and the BLT. Can I please just get the chicken salad on a croissant instead?" Ma'am we are sold out of those sandwiches regardless of the bread.
I wish I could remember more. I'm starting to block these from my memory.
Rafael 4 months ago
Th syrup one is a fair mistake if you never saw these dispensers used for syrup before
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 4 months ago
Could be worse, there's that video of the guy at an open-air festival who mistakes the urinal cake for soap...
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#20
Had a guest order a Mojito but we were out of mint so we told them we couldn’t do it. They insisted we make it sans mint. So we did. After delivering the drink and checking back they tell the server they don’t like it and would like something else. When asked what the issue was they say “idk, I just feel like something’s missing” 😑😑😑.
#21
"Do the fish & Chips come with fries?".
Roxy222uk 4 months ago
Oh no, did they think that Britain’s national dish is fish served with crisps?
nottheactualphoto 4 months ago
I think that even Americans know what "fish and chips" means. At this late date.
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sbj 4 months ago
As a Brit I can safely say that this is a very sad looking portion of Fish & Chips
Ace 4 months ago
As a fellow Brit, I can safely say that this is not, in fact, a portion of "Fish & Chips". There may be some fish involved, and the chips look OK, but slices of lemon? Next thing you'll be serving it with tartar sauce, FFS.
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Cindy Brick 4 months ago
Must have been an American. I had a tough time thinking of "chips" as fries, too.
Nota Robot 4 months ago
Nothing surprises me anymore... I recently went to a restaurant that served a pricey burger main course - but the fries were extra.
Gregory Garcia 4 months ago
Shake Shack and boutique BS places now sell $8 burgers and the fries are another $8 seperately. 🤦🤦🤦🤷🤷🤷
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Indi 4 months ago
I visited Ireland a month ago, and "Fish & chips" in MOST places were not with fries, but with potato chips. Reminded me Lays chips with tons of seasoning. Best potato chips I've ever tried.
Forrest Hobbs 4 months ago
Indi: I don't believe you. Fish and chips in Ireland is fish with chips (using American English, the Irish serve fried fish with "fries" not "potato chips"). You doubt me? Here: https://www.visitdublin.com/guides/best-fish-chips-dublin. If you'd rather the West coast, try this lot: https://www.galwaybeo.ie/culture/food-drink/award-winning-irish-fish-chips-6861795
Load More Replies...What you have to keep in mind is that there’s a pretty vast difference between nightmare customers and customers who are having a bad day. The former are spoiled, entitled, rude, disrespectful, and don’t see you as a human being. The latter, on the other hand, are perfectly normal folks who lash out when they’re beyond exhausted or have had a run of bad luck.
The thing is, you can fairly easily deal with customers who have had a bad day. You hear them out, you empathize with them, you make them feel seen. And it’s very likely that they’ll appreciate it. Heck, they might even apologize for snapping at you.
#22
I was FOH manager at an Italian owned restaurant and the guy ordered a chicken parm with meat sauce and no cheese. Idk. The owner was in the kitchen and he said wtf but just made made a fried chicken cutlet with meat sauce on side. I personally brought it out to customer cause he was already being difficult with the waiter.
Apparently not what he wanted and he asked me if the chef was “new to cooking”. Another back and forth try. Finally the Owner came out and put on his polite face and talked to him cause he was like the f**k does this idiot want.
When I walked back out to the table the guy goes “who was that Mexican dude that talked to me? He could barely speak English.”
The owner was from Florence Italy btw and spoke English very well albeit with an Italian accent. Also the food was always good. Lmao. People are wild.
Moana Manana 4 months ago
A a very young woman, I was once in Florence and ordered a Cappuccino.I don't like the foam, so I asked to put whipped cream instead.The waiter was not much amused, but took my order. A few minutes later a small bold chubby italian (owner) came out, and asked me why I want whipped cream. I told him that the foam feels like soap and has no taste. He then proceeded with the most charming italian english to explain, that it would be blaspheme to do such a thing and that he won't serve that beverage, which definitely is not a Cappuccino. I still don't want the foam and thanked him for explaining me, but I would then rather have a black coffee. He came back with a cappuccino and a black coffee and said:I don't know what coffee you had until now, but THIS is a cappuccino. Try it,on the house. I tried it even with the foam and it's way different than in Germany. It actually tasted good, and I told him so. He was the happiest guy on earth and his hand gestueres said so too. I paid both coffees
Ace 4 months ago
I like this guy, didn't take offence at the clueless foreigner, turned it into a learning moment for them.
Load More Replies... GalPalAl 4 months ago
PEOPLE can be stupid, racist, obtuse and have zero self awareness. That should be classified as a mental illness
patricia patricia 4 months ago
I don't agree. A mental illness is something unavoidable, it's not your responsibility and in many cases you can't control what you do, see or feel. Racist people don't have any chemical imbalance that prevents them from learning and becoming a better person, but they enjoy behaving like a******s. Instead of making the effort to get over whatever is making them miserable, they choose to make other people miserable to feel better.
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JL 4 months ago
So what did the guy really want? Did he want cheese but didn't know that's what 'parm' was?
Huddo's sister 3 months ago
I am not used to the dish chicken parm (though assumed parm was parmesan cheese) but it sounds similar to the word/s we use in Australia for parmigiana 'parma' or 'parmi', so I have to remind myself that's not what it means. A parmigiana usually has sauce, ham and cheese on top, so maybe they were expecting that with just the sauce, idk.
Load More Replies... Teutonic Disaster 4 months ago
The mind boggles as to how you can afford a trip overseas from the US (this side of it being a business trip or your trailertrash a*s winning the lottery) and still be so thickheaded to order a cheese dish with no cheese (plus expect the staff to read your mind) AND so ignorant/bigoted to think "every brown(ish) person with an accent = mexican" WHILE BEING IN A MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRY!!!
BarfyCat 4 months ago
I think the restaurant was not in Italy, but was owned by Italians.
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#23
When I worked at waffle house, people would be furious that we didn't have pancakes. My response was always "there is a restaurant called the international house of pancakes across the street, this is waffle house".
JL 4 months ago
Someone new to the place may not know that, they could have pancakes. Burger King has chicken and fish sandwiches.
Julia H 4 months ago
Yep. The Belgian Waffle House has pancakes, salads and burgers
Load More Replies... White Sauce Hot Sauce 4 months ago (edited)
IHOP also serves waffles, so it's not a stretch to imagine that a similar breakfast oriented restaurant would serve pancakes.
Hiram's Friend 4 months ago
Waffle House is noted for their limited menu. Also the Waffle House Index for degree of disasters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffle_House_Index
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#24
“What flavor is the vanilla cupcake?”.
Fire Singer 4 months ago
Ok not as bad, but I did ask once "what flavor is the birthday cake cake pops?" and the poor barista looked at me like an idiot, which I guess I was, but...don't birthday cakes come in all kinds of flavors? It wasn't labeled "vanilla birthday cake pop" or "chocolate birthday cake pop"...just "birthday cake". I didn't get argumentative or anything with her though and she was nice to me when I asked "if you open it what color is it" so we got there in the end and now I know "birthday cake" just means general cake flavor, like vanilla cake.
cj be like 4 months ago
I would have just answered immediately, while making full eye contact, with a straight face, "chocolate"
Alan Jay Weiner 4 months ago
I think you might mean water; vanilla is -uh- vanilla flavored. Which means good.
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Nightmare customers, though… well, they need to work on their emotional intelligence, self-awareness, gratitude, and humility. And that’s a long-term project. The best you can do is handle their problematic behavior. But it’s unlikely that you’ll make them rethink their whole life philosophy.
You can’t force someone to change. They need to want to change. What you can do, however, is set healthy boundaries and enforce them. When rude folks see that their actions have consequences, they might be more willing to change some of their behavior. Even if they adjust their actions out of pure selfishness.
#25
A review for my friend's restaurant that stated "I ordered the salmon but didn't like it as I hate fish and feel it wasn't properly explained to me that salmon is fish" Ma'am, this is a restaurant in the Bay Area every thing on the menu has an animal shape next it or a V for Vegan.
Michael Largey 4 months ago
It's part of that song from South Pacific - 🎶 "Salmon Chanted evening / You may see a stranger / ..." 🎶
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roddy 4 months ago
If you don't understand the words on the menu, please just ask the server. They'll be happy to explain what a salmon is.
Petra Peitsch 4 months ago
Yeah, they are obviously happier to explain to you, than giving false excuses, because you are an idiot. Wait staff is sometimes a "hostage" between guests and kitchen. They know, they can go back to the kitchen asking delulu things, but they have also try to please that idiot of guest.
Load More Replies... Stannous Flouride 4 months ago
In the 1950s there was a famous NY socialite who, when offered fish in a San Francisco restaurant said, "No thank you. I never order fish this far from the ocean."
#26
In the US. A wimpy looking American white guy & his Thai wife came in at dinner time. Ordered cocktails, appetizers, salad, sandwiches with fries. They ordered extras of a lot of things, including 2 sides of avocado. When the bill came, Wimpy was “shocked” he’d been charged for all the extras, & demanded to speak to the manager (me).
Cue apx 30 minutes of him trying different arguments to get out of paying the bill. He said they’d been living in Thailand, where this would never happen, and didn’t we want our customers to be happy? He didn’t raise his voice but tried to wear me down. His wife was embarrassed & kept her eyes down the whole time.
I reasoned right back. Said we produced a quality product & felt our prices were a good value, etc etc. Other tables around us listened in, & one actually wrote to corporate praising my professionalism. Wimpy eventually paid, wincing as he did so. But, um, yeah. We are a business that sells food, sir.
웅장한 거북이 🇰🇷🇰🇭 4 months ago
If he lived in thailand then he apparantly never ordered food there, maybe his wife did it every time. You want something extra, you pay for it in thailand too. Even the water is not free, idiot
Lorenzo 4 months ago
I live in Thailand. Just chiming in to say you're right. We have a name here for guys like this: Cheap Charlie.
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Lukas (he/him, it/its) 4 months ago
"One actually wrote to corporate praising my professionalism" is giving "And then everybody clapped"
Rebecca Jack 4 months ago
Congratulations to you for handling this customer with grace and professionalism. Also, what is wrong with people?!
Suzanne Crozier 4 months ago
I once had to explain that a restaurant is a business. We paid for product coming in the back door and customers paid for it going out the front door.
Brian Droste 4 months ago
Yes. The meal you ordered is the price for the meal and what comes with it. On America menus you have the price for extra items. Expect to pay for the extra items.
Michael Largey 4 months ago
Yes, we went our customers to be happy. They'd be very unhappy if we had to close up because we went broke due to moochers like you.
#27
After introducing myself at the table and asking if anyone had any questions about the menu, a customer asked, "These baby back ribs... Are they fish ribs?".
Beak Hookage 4 months ago
As an atheist I eat babies all the time, so sign me up!
Load More Replies... Bill Swallow 4 months ago
In the same vein as the classic "Do these Girl Scout Cookies have real Girl Scout in them?"
Phill Healey 4 months ago
Baby back, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Baby back, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Baby back!
If you’ve ever worked in the food and service industry, why not share your nightmare customer stories in the comments at the bottom of this post? Who are the worst, rudest guests you’ve ever had to deal with? On the flip side, do you think you’ve ever been an entitled customer?
Grab a snack and share your stories below!
#28
Customer: What’s a care-rot?
Me: Excuse me?
Customer: This right here..what’s this care-rot stuff?
Me: It’s pronounced carrot sir. It’s just carrots.
C Hendrix 4 months ago
I heard it in a pseudo-Charles Laughton voice as the king demanding "hassenpfeffer" from Bugs Bunny.
Load More Replies... SkippityBoppityBoo 4 months ago
Were they from a different country? I had customers who didn't know how to pronounce certain things on the menu... Heck! At the time? I couldn't pronounce half of the smaller towns outside of the city centre and I'd been here 10yrs!!!
#29
When I'm flipping omelets on the buffet line, I ask which toppings the customer would like, and 1 out of 20 people will say "eggs" dead serious response, no smile. I always respond, "yup, kinda hard to make an omelet without those, any toppings for you?".
Roxy222uk 4 months ago
Never tempted to give them a plain omelette with chopped hard boiled egg on top?
V 4 months ago
I make egg salad for sandwiches at work and I find it funny because it's just egg mixed with other egg.
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Nea 4 months ago
Some people (non native speakers) may not know what toppings mean. People get nervous when we Re asked choices. In many Global South countries, we order an omelette we get an omelette or in rare new places, ppl can ask and tell what kind of omelette they would like. Few of the questions in this thread are not annoying, they are less-informed and plmcan be kind to add a couple sentences to make customers’ experience easy.
#30
Worked at a popular burrito chain. Had a customer call extremely mad that there was “a leaf. From outside” in their burrito bowl. They had never seen a bay leaf.
Petra Peitsch 4 months ago
Sometimes you just don't observe one single bay leave in a 30 liter food. And it's also easy to miss at a lunch-rush, when giving out. At least, you know, they are using real spices in their own sauce, and not some pre.made, overprocessed one from a food factory.
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Roxy222uk 4 months ago
Someone I know was buying the ingredients for her son’s Food Tech lesson at school and went to look for ‘bay leaves’ in the fruit and vegetable section. Had literally never heard of them. I was astonished because I didn’t even know that was possible.
V 4 months ago
If you can get fresh bay leaves they are Devine. My MILs neighbour has a bay tree so we sometimes get fresh leaves to cook with, so good!
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Maartje 4 months ago
It doesn't have to be that rude, however, she has a point. Dried bayleaves have been known to cause injuries such as perforated bowels. For that reason and also because they tend to break up I always use powdered bay leaves.
Load More Replies... #31
"Could I order an Eggless Omelett?".
nottheactualphoto 4 months ago
You could, but you wouldn't get very far. Myself, I'll order the barbecued ice cream.
Teutonic Disaster 4 months ago
But it goes great with the vegan beef stew.
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The Other Guest 4 months ago
I once asked a server if they could do me up a farmhouse scramble without the eggs. She said they could do that, and would I like the eggs on the side for my dog? So I had yummy potatoes, ham & onions sauteed together & topped with cheese, and Halitosis had unseasoned scrambled eggs on a paper plate. We were both very happy with the customer service :-)
Lee Gilliland 4 months ago
This one's the writer's fault. "Sir, are you ordering Eggbeaters? We don't carry them here." is the correct reply.
Fire Singer 4 months ago
Isn't this a line from a sitcom about chefs? I don't doubt it's been said in real life before but I swear I remember seeing it on a show.
Gregory Garcia 4 months ago
Yes there is non egg substitute but not in Texas or any restaurant. Try SF
turk 4 months ago
Oh, shut it, tough guy. First, Texas has egg substitute like any other state. And second, stop trying to act like Texas is some state full of badasses when you people drop dead in sweater weather and 5" of snow.
Load More Replies... #32
Working a burger bar/buffet (action station cafe) where we had beef and turkey burgers, explained that. "Which one is the beef" fair. It's this one. "Which one is the turkey" the f*****g other one.
These were doctors, at a hospital!
Sarah 4 months ago
Let’s give them benefit of doubt if they had come Off a gruelling 15hr shift and too tired to thjnk
David Morgan 4 months ago
And doctors, especially surgeons, are (or d**n well should be) trained to check and double-check every step. Then get a second person to verify. Maybe they just got too wrapped up in that way of thinking.
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Gregory Garcia 4 months ago
Over specialized idiots are "doctors" in high tech too. Useful idiots cant tie their fkn shoes
#33
I used to work at Boston market and would get “is a quarter or a half chicken more?” ALL the time.
Kira Okah 4 months ago (edited)
I've overhead the "is 1/3 or 1/4 bigger" debate before, which usually ended with me telling them and either getting "of course you'd say 1/3, you get more money out of it" (I didn't get anything mate) or "the little nerdy Asian girl knows what's right", depending on the side of the argument. Can't win.
Lee Gilliland 4 months ago
Never forget America is the country where the Burger King 1/3pounder failed because people thought the quarter pounder was bigger.
Don Adams 4 months ago
It was the A&W 1/3 pounder, but the reasoning not to buy it was so sad....
Load More Replies... GalPalAl 4 months ago
Welcome to America where we don't understand our own system of measurements or fractions. I honestly believe that people hear 1/3 and 1/4 as 3 and 4 and that's their logic.
Kira Okah 4 months ago
Having heard the exact argument - not in America, I have never been there, it's not just America - that is the exact situation that creates the argument, about whether 1/3 or 1/4 is bigger because 4 is bigger than 3 so 1/4 must be bigger.
Load More Replies... Peter Bear 4 months ago
"That's how many pieces we cut it in, sir. If we cut it in two pieces, they will be bigger than if we cut it in three pieces." If they don't get it after that, give up.
Apatheist Account2 4 months ago
Give them a pizza, and they'll ask for it to be cut into 8 slices rather than 4, so they get more.
Load More Replies... Celtic Pirate Queen 4 months ago
I used to use "So, if you had two pies and 1 was cut into 3 pieces and 1 was cut into 4 pieces, which pie would have bigger pieces?" Sometimes the light would come on, but usually I got "I'm not good at math". No sh*t.
#34
Customer: My seared tuna is cold!
Me: yes, you ordered it rare.
Him: I wanted it hot.
Me: I can’t do hot & rare.
Him: you obviously don’t know how to cook fish.
Me: you obviously don’t understand physics. 🤷♂️.
Ace 4 months ago
You, OP, obviously don't understand either the physics or the basics of cooking. No. It is not supposed to be cold in the middle.
Petra Peitsch 4 months ago
A 150 gramm tuna steak is made 1-1 minutes on a 200 Celsius grad grill. Yes, it is a bit cold in the middle. Tuna is a fish, what give out it's flavours, when it is not warm. It has to be room-tempreture, at maximum. But better, when you feel the hot crust of it, then a bit of "coldness", reaching the middle of your tuna-steak. But, if you want it all warm, just say. Because, by default any good restauraant will make it a-little-cold-in-the-middle.
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Petra Peitsch 4 months ago (edited)
OP is right. Tuna is not beef. It gives out it's flavours the most, when it has a hot crispy crust, and a little bit colder, than room-temperature in it's middle. That's the standard. If you want, anyhow else, just say it, because, by default, you'll get this way in good restaurants.
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#35
Someone ordered a cold brew coffee and didn’t think it would be served cold. I guess she thought it was only brewed cold but we heated it up after or something.
Ace 4 months ago (edited)
TBF I wouldn't know what it was either. I mean, I might have made a guess, but... OK, I just googled it. Yukk.
amy lee 4 months ago
Cold brew is amazing. It brings out a natural sweetness that coffee loses when it's brewed the "normal" way. There's nothing better on a hot day.
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Puppy Dancing! 4 months ago (edited)
I cold brew my coffee concentrated, and use 1/3 cold brew 2/3 boiling water to make a great tasting hot coffee.
Panda Cat 3 months ago
How can you cold brew a concentrate? I make mine very strong but nothing I do can rival a concentrate.
Load More Replies... Midoribird Aoi 4 months ago
There was a time I may have thought this, because I was raised Mormon, so wtf do I know? Lol. I still don't drink coffee, but that is because I hate it.
GalPalAl 4 months ago
I ordered a cold brew from a place that specialized in latin pastries and the staff barely spoke English. Ordered iced coffee and got terrible tasting HOT coffee. Wasn't due to a lack of translation, they just don't know how to make coffee and should stick to what they know. It was not cuban coffee
#36
I was working in a deli at a grocery store, closing shift. We close at 8 (we close the meat slicing station at 7), it's 9:15 and all the hot cases are empty, lights to all cases are all off and I've taken the sliding glass doors off the hot cases and am cleaning them up front. Very obviously we are closed.
A man comes up to the deli and asks me to slice roast beef for him. "Sorry, we're closed, but we have some pre-sliced." I point to the pre-sliced deli meats. No, he wants me to slice some for him. I reiterate that we're closed. "So because I worked late I can't get what I want?!?."
I inform him that that is indeed what closed means, tell him that station closes at 7 pm and that I've already disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled the slicers, otherwise I'd make an exception for him. "I don't care."
I'm done being polite. I'm not going to be overly rude but I'm done with this j*****s so I refrain from asking if this is his first day as an adult and just tell him "That's very unfortunate for you." This obviously doesn't sit well with him so he says "What if I go tell your boss???" "Ok." Is my only reply. He is enraged by this. "Ok?! OK?!!?" I inform him the manager will only tell him what I've already told him.
He stomps off and goes to whine to the PIC. They are talking about 20 feet away. PIC of course just tells him politely that he's not going to get his way. Guy is fuming but accepts that the pre-sliced is the only option he has at 9:15 pm. PIC tells him to have a good night. Guy yells "DON'T BE A SMARTA*S!!!" then stomps away.
nottheactualphoto 4 months ago
I'm guessing that PIC means Person In Charge, an expression I haven't heard in decades.
Petra Peitsch 4 months ago
"So because I worked late I can't get what I want?!?." ... So because you worked late, you want me to work more late, than you, after my closing time? WE ARE CLOSED, is a perfect sentence.
#37
Served a Tofu Bahn Mi at my last place with a vegan peanut sauce. One of the customers sent a server back to ask if there was any dairy in the peanut sauce because they were vegan. Proceeded to order the sandwich subbed with pulled pork….
#38
This isn't food related.
Had an email come through that said someone had a aphylactic allergic reaction due to the wine she was drinking because.........
Dun Dun Dun.....
She was allergic to peaches.
A product made entirely from grapes (and some additives that they put into wine).
We had to explain that the peach notes in the wine aren't from actual peaches, but from the grapes. Similar to how a note of tobacco and leather isn't because of either of those items being in the wine.
Zoe Vokes 4 months ago
So she drank the wine, read it contained peach notes and either had a psychosomatic reaction or was just faking it and wanted to sue?
C Hendrix 4 months ago
I suspect all of the above, plus a sprinkling of stupidity.
Load More Replies... cnn57t8278 4 months ago
When working in a wine shop, a customer wanted wine that “just tasted like grapes. Not plums, not vanilla, *grapes*.” I found our wine-tasting guy and brought him in to the fun. Without missing a beat, the wine-tasting guy silently went to the Manisschewitz, handed it to the customer and said, “that’s the best I got.”
SkippityBoppityBoo 4 months ago
I'd have asked how long it was for her to go into Anaphylaxis, was she treated at hospital, if so, which one?... It's - How long did it take for them to email the place?
#39
"What's cheddar" was the question I was asked as a server that drove me out of the industry.
Roxy222uk 4 months ago
Correct answer would be ‘Cheddar is a small town in Somerset, in the UK, with a famous and beautiful gorge and also a fascinating cave network where ancient human remains have been found” - that would be very helpful, no?
Panda Cat 3 months ago
Um… I buy cheddar cheese that’s from Somerset but I won’t eat many things sold in my average King Soopers grocery store.
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#40
Someone once, sent back a salad because she was “deathly allergic” to cucumbers, “could not have food contact with” cucumbers (was the story)
…then, asked for multiple sides of pickles to eat with her burger.
Kira Okah 4 months ago (edited)
It is possible to be allergic to fresh cucumber but not to pickled ones, just as you can be allergic to raw fruits but not canned fruits, or raw onion but not cooked onion. Salt, vinegar, cooking, if they can break down the allergen it can be possible to eat them.
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 4 months ago
In my experience, anyone who claims to be "deathly allergic" to anything, isn't.
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Alan Jay Weiner 4 months ago
I'm going to give a shoutout about Purple Rooster Cafe in North Attleboro, MA (USA). It is *the* place to go if you have any food preferences or allergies. The owner can't have gluten, and she's super careful not to cross-contaminate at all. She makes her own *vegan* bacon, etc. They can do vegen, vegetarian, carnivore, gluten-free,, dairy-free, etc. Almost everything we've had there has been really good. The worst was just me "it's ok, I just don't like it". :) Some of the vegan fakemeatstuff was *really* good. Highly recommended by the bald guy with the big beard. (they'll know that's me :) And recommended by my wife, too!
Gg 4 months ago
Oooooo good to know! Just found out my niece is allergic to eggs so vegan works
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Oerff On Tour 4 months ago (edited)
Just for your information. Lot of people have problems with cilantro (coriander), as for them it tastes like soap. 1 out of 10 of these have the same problem with cucumber. 1 in a thousand of the latter are actually allergic to either one or both.
Jennifer Beckett 4 months ago
My Dad can't eat the skin of a cucumber but is fine with the rest of it
Rebecca McManus 4 months ago
TBF my daughter is allergic to fresh cucumber, but is fine with processed
#41
I've lost track of dumb s**t people have said but one that always sticks out and is kinda common is "can I get my steak well done but still juicy/not burnt?". Like dude, do you understand what it means to have a well done steak?
At my cooking job (pizza with dough made in house) we get a decent amount of people who want gluten free crust. It's just a bad idea to expect anything to be gluten free at a place where we make dough and bread, like there's flour and semolina in the air, brah. Use your brain and think about s**t.
Kira Okah 4 months ago
A well done steak is cooked through - still juicy, not overcooked to shoe leather, not burnt. Serve an overcooked or burnt steak to a pregnant woman following current advice (which is well done) and she absolutely will let you know about it.
Nadine Debard 4 months ago
Info : pregnant women can now eat rare steack if it has been frozen for at least a week (but I wouln't trust any restaurant to do that for me).
Load More Replies... Eastendbird 4 months ago
Celiac here. Yes, there's always the chance of cross-contamination, all of the restaurants I got to will tell you this, partly to warn you, partly to cover themselves, I understand this. However, most will still provide gluten-free dishes, for which I really thank them, as I know it's a PIA! Went to Sorrento last year and our favourite restaurant had an entire separate GF menu, complete with GF pizzas. The owner explained his wife had celiac disease and he had been inspired by her to go out of his way to ensure that people with the same condition could eat the food they wanted. Quite brought a tear to my eye!
Auntriarch 4 months ago
Some of the best fish and chips I've ever had was gf, the chap explained that his wife and daughter were coeliac and he didn't want people to miss out. All his stuff was gf, including the condiments
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quentariel 4 months ago
Most pizzerias offer gluten free crusts even if they make their doughs and breads themselves. I've never worked in a pizzeria so I don't know the logistics of juggling normal and gluten-free dough separately, but this isn't ridiculous question at all.
Brian Droste 4 months ago
I have had a well done steak before. They are always to dry and tough for me. I order medium well done anymore when having steak which isn't all that often. They might have a ever slight pink in the center but that is okay with me. They are at least juicey every time.
A completely normal chair. 4 months ago
It's not hard to make a well done juicy steak. Maybe learn how to cook?
#42
God so many.
I actually get asked this all the time where I work, but on our menu one appetizer option say “Toast or Biscuit, served with jam and ricotta” and people ALWAYS ASK TOTALLY DUMBFOUNDED “so…..do we choose between toast or biscuit?”
YES. TOAST ORRRRRR OR OR BISCUIT. Toast. OR. Biscuit.
I can’t 😭😭😭😭😭.
SkippityBoppityBoo 4 months ago
Um UK person here... Toast here means toasted bread and a biscuit is something such as a digestive biscuit. But I'd read that too as being ", Hey, whether it's Toast or a biscuit? It'll be served with jam and ricotta!"... Wording matters, especially if you're serving people who aren't from your country 👍
Dennis Bareis 4 months ago
Well you could also be served one or the other as a mystery surprise.
#43
Guest ordered a southwest style salad. Whole chicken breast, beans, corn, cheese, the works! Told the manager it was not hearty enough! All ingredients listed on the menu under the salad section. Husband was so frustrated with his wife's complaining he paid, took their two kids and left her sitting there.
Petra Peitsch 4 months ago
Okay, now I want to know, what exactly it is a southwest-style salad?
#44
Worked at a truck stop when I was a teenager in high school working the overnight shift on the grill. My man came in and ordered well done toast so standard operating procedure I ran it through the conveyor toaster twice sent it out he sent it back. So I ran it through twice more sent it out he sent it back. Third time I sent it through this thing was basically a black puck he sent it back. So I went and found some 151 sprinkled a little bit on top lit the b***h on fire and put it in the window. Server took it to his table he blew it out turned back and looked at me and gave me two thumbs up I do not know how people could eat something like that.
Tiggy Darling 4 months ago
Google "well fired rolls". A Scottish delicacy. Basically bread burnt on the top.
#45
I've had ice cream sent back.
For being....too cold. .
Brian Droste 4 months ago
My dad before he passed away last Dec. always wanted a little bit of ice cream in the evening. Always complained that the ice cream was to hard not sure if he complained about if it was to cold. Finally my sister whio was looking after y parents started buying ice cream bars for him. I believe it satisfy him.
#46
Customer asked if they could use my staff discount to pay for their bill. they got real pissy when i (obviously) said no.
#47
Customer asked if our milk came from female cows.
Kira Okah 4 months ago
Wouldn't want it from a male cow, you know how expensive that amount would be?
Cindy Brick 4 months ago
As a farmer's daughter, calling bovine herds "cows" bugs me -- so there aren't any males in there? (The proper term is cattle -- steers and bulls for male cattle, heifers and cows for female.)
#48
Worked at a brewery that was well known for chicken + waffles. Guy comes up to me and points at the brewery tanks that can be seen through the windows
'What are those tanks for?'
I told him we used the tanks to hold all the syrup, he nodded and went back to his table .
Robert T 4 months ago
I'd prefer a brewery that was known for it's beer! Reminds me a of an American company that held a conference in a brewery. There was no beer. They literally couldn't organise a pissup in a brewery!
Jonathan Gore 4 months ago
Reminds me of the old joke. The CEOs of Budwiser, Coors and Guinness met at a bar. The CEO of budwieser said "give me a Bud the Kkng of beers!", The CEO of coors said "give me a Coors, the only beer made with rocky mountain water, The CEO of Guiness says "give me a water." The other 2 look at the CEOs og Guiness said "Are you not ordering a Guinness?" The CEO of Guiness replies "Well since you 2 are not drinking real beer I thought I'd join you."
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#49
Had a customer look at the apple pie that was labeled "vegetarian friendly" then looked at me and said, "that must mean it doesn't taste good".
Had another customer when I worked for a sushi counter in a grocery store tell me that "real men don't eat sushi".
Just before they placed their sushi order then sat down to eat it.
Roxy222uk 4 months ago
I mean, the best short crust pastry is made with half butter and half lard, so arguably the pie isn’t as delicious as it could be . . .
Bartlet for world domination 4 months ago
Is this true. Now I have to try.
Load More Replies... 웅장한 거북이 🇰🇷🇰🇭 4 months ago
I am with him with the apple pie. Had a colleague once who had made vegan cupcakes for some occasion i do not remember. Since i eat anything that has a fair amount of sugar in it, i thought, how bad can it be and with the usual modesty when it comes to food o took only two. Those vegan cupcakes were most foul cake i ever had in my live. It tasted like a mix of engine oil and sand. Because i took two, i had to eat both of them because i did not have a valid reason to stop eating them. Nobody was really exired about them wich was somehow sad because i am sure she put a lot of effort into it. I am aware that vegan and vegetarian is not the same but i can not imagine that it is much better
The Other Guest 4 months ago
A lot of vegans don't eat processed sugar, as bone char is sometimes used as part of the processing. It's possible those cupcakes had zero sugar, with the baker relying on applesauce and/or fake sugar instead.
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#50
Pizza joint, customer walks in and remarks “it smells like Italian food in here.” Ya no s**t.
#51
Had a customer send back a California roll because it was too spicy. Me and the chef both tried a piece just to make sure there wasn’t a mistake made in the crab mix or something. Literally could not be more unspicy. There wasn’t even wasabi or ginger on the plate.
Kira Okah 4 months ago
Something tasting spicy but not being spicy to others can be the sign of an allergy to an ingredient. It's how I discovered that I have a mild allergy to basil, it feels hot like chilli in my mouth.
Nadine Debard 4 months ago
Customer maybe begins to be allergic to one of the ingredients or may have a tongue cancer.
Upstaged75 4 months ago
I'm super sensitive to spicy stuff. More so than the average person. To them it might not be spicy at all, but to me it's burning my mouth. 🤷♀️
#52
I’m a bowling alleys mechanic
Radio, headphones, safety glasses, anti dust mask, carrying a wrench. Shirt that reads MECHANIC.
Customer flags me down. I assume it’s to report an issue they noticed
“Hello; today for lunch: I would like a cheese pizza :)”
Dude thought he could order off anyone.
I have no idea where he has been that this is the case.
Oerff On Tour 4 months ago
"Wow! I'd like the same thing! Maybe a WAITER could bring us both one? "
#53
*I know meat and THAT ain't cooked* ... points to pink smoke ring on sliced brisket...
Geoffrey Scott 4 months ago
One of the reasons BBQ places have a tough time in Michigan. Had to explain to my wife that pink on the outside is ok, down near the bone? Not so much.
Petra Peitsch 4 months ago (edited)
"That's not medium, that's rare" .. sending back a 250 gr. filet-mignon, eaten already 70% .. at least. It was medium ... Tryimg to argue with the kitchen will never go right on your side. Edit: Because we know, when we are right, when are fcked up, and when are just a bit f,cked up, what can be still going on ...
#54
This has absolutely nothing to do with this subreddit, but I have to share. I used to work in furniture sales. This elderly gentleman comes in and is a little upset that most recliners are power operated now instead of manual. After a brief conversation of why and the times that we live in, he looks at me and, as serious as can be, asks, "Do you have any gas-powered recliners?".
Bill Swallow 4 months ago
Ah, memories of Jeff MacNelly's excellent comic strip, 'Shoe'! 'Shoe' (P. Martin Shoemaker, editor of the "Treetops Tattler-Tribune", was working on an editorial. "Because of our support for the environment, we here at the paper have no plans to switch to electric typewriters." (Last Panel) "We're sticking with the diesel-powered ones." (With a hilarious picture of a belching truck engine driving a belt running to Shoe's typewriter.)
Load More Replies... Alan Jay Weiner 4 months ago
We replaced our old manual recliners with new electric ones. They're great, but slower than the manual ones were.
Oerff On Tour 4 months ago
I'll call my grandpa. Maybe he knows where to get a steam powered recliner
#55
I had a lady try to return a piece of leftover pizza her neighbor had given her that he had ordered from us. It was also very clearly over a week old. Unsure if the neighbor gave her old pizza or she just kept it for a while 🤷♂️.
#56
Too many to name but a few jewels are:
1. Is it even legal to sell whale eggs? (she thought beluga caviar was beluga whale eggs, even though whales are mammals)
2. A customer asked for organic, wild caught salmon. She didn't believe me when I explained it wasn't possible to be organic and wild caught.
3. When I worked at a grocery store, a customer asked me and the meat manager for a 16 lb non-frozen turkey at 2pm on Thanksgiving. When the meat manger told them we were out of turkeys they said "how can you be out of turkeys, it's Thanksgiving?".
Ace 4 months ago
Of course organic, wild-caught is possible. Presumably this person is confusing organic with farmed, controlled and certified.
David Morgan 4 months ago
I disagree, only because the term 'organic' is usually used to specify that no artificial products have been used on/supplied to the thing while it was grown/raised. If a salmon is wild-caught, there is no possible way to know what it has eaten, or what contaminants it might have swum through. This is admittedly picky, but I bet someone somewhere would sue for misrepresentation.
Load More Replies... Learner Panda 4 months ago
In a way #1 is sort of right. The name beluga is also the name of a species of whale. I can see her confusion.
David Morgan 4 months ago
OP addresses that in their post, and points out that whales don't lay eggs.
Load More Replies... #57
“The hot Italian sub (salami, hot capicola, pepperoni, house made hot banana peppers and pickled fresnos, served hot) is it spicy?” Yeah a little. “Is it hot?” It’s in the name. “That sounds good I’ll get it.” Five minutes later “this is way too spicy!”.
Beth H 4 months ago
In fairness if I saw the word hot in a sandwich description I’d assume temperature first before spice level.
TiNaBoNiNa 4 months ago
But he asked if it was spicy and then he asked if it was hot.
Load More Replies... Learner Panda 4 months ago
I always choose the safe option when ordering spicy food. I know I don't like it, so I avoid it. My husband, on the other hand.....
Rali Meyer 4 months ago
I made one mistake: Chicken Vindaloo. Yes, indian hot... 5 out of 3 peppers on the menu!
Load More Replies... Oerff On Tour 4 months ago
In an Indian restaurant I always ask how hot it is. The next question is "Is that according to local standards or Indian standard?" If it's medium to local, then forget it, and order realy spicy food.
TiNaBoNiNa 4 months ago
I do that at Mexican restaurants. Is the hot salsa gringo hot, or is it actually hot?
Load More Replies... #58
Once had a customer come back to complain about a piece of a towel in her food. It was in fact a bay leaf..
Lee Gilliland 4 months ago
I once got a salad with paper in it. MYy son's comment was "I've heard of dinner napkins, but that's ridiculous. "
Upstaged75 4 months ago
In Quebec City I found a cigarette butt in my french fries. The restaurant was like 🤷♀️ oh well. And no I wasn't being obnoxious or rude. I was a teenager eating lunch with my family.
Load More Replies... Tiggy Darling 4 months ago
I had a shotgun pellet in a sun dried tomato once. Either a random stray shot near the field or a particularly aggressive tomato that needed taking out.
#59
This one guy wanted "Vegan Halibut". Chef sent the server back out to ask again, figuring the server messed up a request by a pescatarian vegetarian , ( and to be fair he was the stoner f**k up server), with some gentle worded questions about how the customer felt about the butter, used with both the veges and the beurre blanc.
Shortly after the server headed back out into the dining room we hear yelling..." I know what F*****G VEGAN means." We sent out a non-adjusted Halibut. Apparently the guy did say to the server, "see wasn't so hard was it?" on getting his "vegan" dish, which he then complimented as the best "vegan" dish he'd had in years...
Close second was being asked if the Tomato Basil soup contained WHOLE tomatoes, because customer was "very allergic" to WHOLE tomatoes, but not whole tomatoes were fine...I tried to ask if the customer knew what part of the whole tomato was a problem...got met with a blank stare...then the customer asked if the shrimp in the gumbo was cold or hot, because they were "extremely allergic" to cold shrimp...
David Morgan 4 months ago
People can be such cowards about simply saying "I don't LIKE something". That's cool, you are the one paying, you get to decide what you eat. Pretending you are allergic to an ingredient, so people can't try to convince you to try a dish containing it is stupid, because you will always get caught out by ordering something that contains an 'allergen'. It's doubly stupid to then argue about it instead of chagning your order, as a person with a real allergy would do.
Lady Eowyn 4 months ago
I have no trouble when declining a food because I don't like it. And saying that that's the reason.
Load More Replies... WindySwede 4 months ago
"Once I tried to swallow a whole tomato, it gut stuck in my throat. So now you understand why I'm allergic to whole tomatoes!" 🙃
Petra Peitsch 4 months ago
I really read Halibut and Vegan in the same sentence? This posz must have been coming from the USA, because, I assure you, in every european country "vegan fish" order will end for you for asking on different levels of polteness to GTFO of here. Like right now!
#60
I'm a server but the most routine dumb question is, after being told that our dining room tables are fully booked at a certain time, they ask "what if I walk in instead?" I'm sorry we are still fully booked regardless of how you ask the question.
Blue Bunny of Happiness 4 months ago
To be fair, some places do keep a certain number of tables for walk-in customers rather than fully pre-book.
ॐBoyGanesh 4 months ago
And if they did so, and still referred to it as “fully booked” then they’re idiots
Load More Replies... #61
Not a question, but sometimes people will tell me they have a gluten allergy so they can’t have noodles (we specifically sell noodles at my restaurant) but proceed to order a protein absolutely smothered in gluten, and their answer is always the same:
“Yeah I eat it all the time, it’s never made me sick but other gluten does.”
Idk who told you that you have an allergy but that’s not how that works.
Panda Cat 3 months ago
A read a Whole Foods review complaining about all the GMOs in their whipped cream.They said that science may claim GMOs are the same as regular cream but their body knows the difference and they had a stomach ache after eating it. There were no GMOs in the whipped cream but it didn’t matter to the reviewer. If I bought the whipped cream I’d probably have an upset stomach as well because I’d have eaten half of it with a spoon.
Roxy222uk 4 months ago
I can’t work out what a 'protein absolutely smothered in gluten’ could be. A meat pie?
WindySwede 4 months ago
@LE, see, everyone can make spelling errors. So please stop correcting others when not asked for? 😑
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#62
Best olives eva
You import them?
I know my olives, I’m from Italy
(Sysco budget olives).
StPaul9 4 months ago
An American passing as Italian where they're fifth generation American, I suppose?
Papa 4 months ago
I doubt it. A fifth generation American might say "I'm Italian," but not "I'm from Italy."
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#63
I want the steak tartare cooked well.
Kelly Scott 4 months ago
OMG! My mother, her sister, and her sister's daughter. I stayed with them once over Christmas and for a gift I got them filet mignon, something I knew they'd never buy for themselves. Well, they cooked it, all right. BUT...first they sliced it in half because "it was too thick". Then they cooked it till not a drop of pink remained and it was burnt to a crisp. "We like our meat cooked through!" I was told. I almost cried. The next time we went out to eat, I ordered a steak medium rare and they gagged through the whole meal while I ate it. Sucks to be them. D**n savages.
#64
Later that same summer..."What kind of fancy restaurant serves cold potato soup? In the summer!? I want to talk to the Chef.".
#65
Worked serving tables at an Irish restaurant, someone ordered the “Dublin Potroast” without the Dublin.
Ace 4 months ago
Well yes, go to England, order a muffin, that's what you'll get.
Load More Replies... #66
Was managing, dropped off the food order at the table. I set this ladies New York Strip down in front of her but could tell by the look on her face that she looked confused. I asked her if there was something wrong. She replied “I ordered the New York Shrimp”….
Petra Peitsch 4 months ago
Or her waiter understood wrong. Shítr happens .....
Load More Replies... #67
This was when I was a guest at a place. Daddy daughter day and going through the menu. Boomer lady goes they have shrimp. I thank the lady for the suggestion but tell her my daughter is deathly allergic to shrimp and would like to avoid using the epipen I had on me and the hospital visit. She goes well I'm sure they can make the shrimp allergy free.
GalPalAl 4 months ago
I honestly believe that if you work in the food industry, you should know things like this. If you don't know you should never offer any other information. Specific to younger generation readers. If you don't know, ask or look it up online . Talking out of your a*s because you don't have the facts makes you lose any credibility and people don't trust you.
BookFanatic 4 months ago
A friend's kid was honest-to-God deathly allergic to a bunch of foods including all dairy, seafood and shellfish, gluten, and like half the fruits and veggies that exist. They went to a local restaurant one day and as soon as the words "food allergy" left the kid's mouth the waiter got the manager, who sat down and explained every single ingredient in everything the kid thought she'd like to eat that day. Dude got like a 200% tip.
Nils Skirnir 4 months ago
No need to specify generation. Especially since you’re likely wrong. GenX is now in their 60s, Millennials in their 40s and even grandparents, and GenZ hitting 30s. Tempus fugit.
Chris Angleberger 4 months ago
Umm no, the oldest GenX are just turning 60 this year. GenX are mid 40s to 60 as of 2025
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#68
"Hello I just wanted to ask.. the house made fries with feta. Is that healthy and would it help my heart? No? Why not?".
Ace 4 months ago
Serve with gravy, like poutine? Or indeed like the apparently traditional Manx dish of "chips, cheese and gravy" that I experienced for the first time a couple of months ago. Really nice, although not made with feta but a crumbly mature cheddar.
Load More Replies... #69
This was way back when I served at a French restaurant. A couple came in on a date, cute folks. Being a hoity toity French spot, we had specials and that always included a foie gras appetizer. After doing the whole spiel about the menu, etc. this guy asks his date if she wanted to try the foie. She answered, a little hushed, “it sounds good… but I just can’t get over how they treat those baby cows.”.
Kira Okah 4 months ago
Side note: non-forced foie gras exists, expensive, but doesn't involve force feeding.
Ace 4 months ago (edited)
Technically (indeed legally, in France, now I check) it's not foie gras if it's not produced using the gavage feeding. I do feel it's more than a little misleading to call it "force-feeding" though, there's nothing forced about it. I love the stuff ,but it's much better in Alsace where it originated than in the SouthWest where they adopted it via Alsace refugees early in WW2. And it should be served with Gewurztraminer, not those sickly dessert wines they often pair it with in the SW.
Load More Replies... #70
“Got any fresh chicken?”
Asked as I’m pulling fresh chicken out of the customer facing fryers and the scent fills the entire block.
“Nope”.
#71
Had a guy order sunny side down and was very adamant about it.
Rali Meyer 4 months ago
in their defense, people with little english never heard "over easy". And it's not really in the name
highwaycrossingfrog 4 months ago
Over easy and sunny side up are not really used at all outside of America. I'm British and only became familiar with the terms from watching The Crow, and was very puzzled what they were talking about. We only really have what Americans would call sunny side up in the UK, and it's just called a fried egg
Load More Replies... Kira Okah 4 months ago
Over easy? I think that is right, very uncommon way of doing eggs here ime.
Ace 4 months ago
No. Sunny side up means the egg white on top of the yoke is still raw, i.e. it has not turned white. Over easy is just flipped for long enough to whiten it without cooking the joke, and it's serve flipped back over again, yoke upward.
Load More Replies... #72
How toothpastey is the lamb......
Kira Okah 4 months ago
If someone doesn't know what mint is called, they going to fill the gap with something that they do know. Toothaste is mint, mint sauce is mint, logical.
The Other Guest 4 months ago
Also if there's a LOT of mint in something, it does indeed taste like toothpaste.
Load More Replies... Learner Panda 4 months ago
Home made mint sauce. Mmm yes please. Can I lick the spoon? Can I have some more on my plate, please?
#73
A customer once asked me if the dog food was organic. I had the presence of mind (for once) to retort with "no, but it's definitely free range. It was running in the paddock only last week.".
#74
Open kitchen cafe. Customer asks barista/cashier “So what do you *think* is in the breakfast burrito?”
We also have Foccacia sandwiches, hearing folk attempt that is fun. Fachacha. Facaccio. Focatta.
Also, about 15 years ago I myself asked a server “What’s kwinn-o-uh?” (Quinoa) I still think about it and shudder.
I blame the Midwest and its lack of interesting ingredients. I ask what the heck things are all the time and I’m 38.
Kira Okah 4 months ago
Oh no! Someone who doesn't know what something is asks about it to the best of their current knowledge, what a nightmare! The first time that I saw it I called it kwinnoah too, and I don't wince at the memory because I didn't know what it was and was asking about it. I was calmly told the correct pronunciation, tol what it was, and offered some. I can't stand it, but that is personal taste, I don't judge myself or others for mispronouncing the name of a food that they've likely never heard of and wanted to know more about.
Sarah 4 months ago
Completely agree. In i970s ireland.. not a rich country , no fancy dishes. Dad born (1940) said .. laz-ag-nee for lasagne . We didn’t have exotic food like that back then so no one knew how to pronounce. Let alone quinoa , who had that in their cupboard until 10/20 years ago .. respect all ages etc. some people grew up on potatoes, veg and meat if lucky .
Load More Replies... nottheactualphoto 4 months ago
Nobody is born knowing how to pronounce kwin-o-uh.So, right back the focaccia.
Ace 4 months ago
Worse was that many people seeing it for the first time would mentally switch the letters round, so I heard it pronounced chip-olt-ay many times.
Load More Replies... BookFanatic 4 months ago
I had trouble with quinoa (quinn-oh-ah) and acai (ah-kye). Luckily I have a very kind culinary graduate friend who gently corrects me.
Kira Okah 4 months ago
Took a documentary for me to learn the actual pronunciation of acai, had never heard anyone say it before then.
Load More Replies... Maartje 4 months ago
OP should take a chill pill. Asking what something is and misprouncing it due to unfamiliarity with a foreign word is not embarrassing. Likewise, he should not be embarrassed about mispronouncing quinoa. What is embarassing is my friend who will consistently mispronounce words even after I told her how to pronounce, and it was not difficult.
#75
How many scallops are on the veal scallopini?
David Morgan 4 months ago
That's just unfamiliarity with a particular language. Answer politely, don't make the customer look stupid.
#76
I asked them if they wanted half & half for their coffee. They looked at me like I had 4 heads and said; “no one has ever asked me that before!” This was a typical breakfast place in America, and she was the whitest American woman you can think of. I think it was her first day on earth.
Jeremy James 4 months ago
Sometimes, when a customer asked for half-and-half, I would tell that we ran out and offer them some "thirds" instead.
#77
I was working at an American Italian joint for a spell, and we had a customer order the “rackatooni” pasta.
Rigatoni? Right. Wtf, lol.
Janissary35680 4 months ago
Riga Tony was a notorious Latvian racketeer. Maybe they were thinking of him.😄
Nadine Debard 4 months ago
So a posh Italian venue mocking people's mispronunciation. WTF indeed.
#78
I try to block that s**t out. Booze and weed help. But I tell you, I’d have some *REAL* doozies if I could remember them lol.
David Morgan 4 months ago
OP sounds like the kind of idiot that answers product questions on Amazon with "I don't know, I don't own one"...
Funhog 4 months ago (edited)
And gives one out of five stars on that review.
Load More Replies... What do you think ?
Sarah 4 months ago (edited)
I worked at a cafe (in Canada) that saw a lot of tourists. I cant tell you how many times people (usually Americans) would ask "Do you accept real money or just Canadian?" Sorry, REAL money? No actually, we also accept rubber ducks and bingo chips. LOL
Jeremy James 4 months ago
I've had customers ask for iced tea "NO WATER!" So... you just want some dried leaves in a cup?
Maartje 4 months ago (edited)
Worked in restaurant management for years. What irks me more than stupidity is entitlement. "I do not have to be put on the waiting list, I can sit right down at that table that just cleared." ( waiting list out the door) " I can let my 5 kids run wild while I eat" (they ended up in the kitchen and this woman was asked not to come back) " I do not need to wear shoes" ( Too d**n risky in a restaurant where someone may break a glass ) . If they abide afterwards, fine, but if they refuse, then I actually like it when they curse me out that way I can ban them.
Deanna Murphy 4 months ago
I worked in this restaurant as a chef in the UK where we served buffet food and this American woman asked "what's that?" I said its Shepherds Pie. She was like oh ill have a small amount. I was like seriously lady.
dan s 4 months ago
Clearly I'm in the right business, a bookstore. The customers are wonderful, pretty much without exception. Warm, friendly, kind, and blessedly quiet. I'd have been in jail for a*****t long ago if I had to deal with people like this. I did get my first flat-earther the other day but he was a nice, quiet flat-earther.
dan s 4 months ago (edited)
As a confirmed Trump hater, let me just say you sir are a f*cking idiot, and part of the reason he won. Congratulations, you annoyed people so badly they voted for a f*****t. That's not my line, that's famously left-wing comedian Marc Maron who said that.
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David Morgan 4 months ago
I don't think there WERE any vegans in this article. There WERE a bunch of picky morons trying to make their preferences into something they were not, and getting caught out because they don't even know what their diet was supposed to be. BTW, I'm not vegan, nor do I care if other people are genuine vegans.
Load More Replies... Sarah 4 months ago (edited)
I worked at a cafe (in Canada) that saw a lot of tourists. I cant tell you how many times people (usually Americans) would ask "Do you accept real money or just Canadian?" Sorry, REAL money? No actually, we also accept rubber ducks and bingo chips. LOL
Jeremy James 4 months ago
I've had customers ask for iced tea "NO WATER!" So... you just want some dried leaves in a cup?
Maartje 4 months ago (edited)
Worked in restaurant management for years. What irks me more than stupidity is entitlement. "I do not have to be put on the waiting list, I can sit right down at that table that just cleared." ( waiting list out the door) " I can let my 5 kids run wild while I eat" (they ended up in the kitchen and this woman was asked not to come back) " I do not need to wear shoes" ( Too d**n risky in a restaurant where someone may break a glass ) . If they abide afterwards, fine, but if they refuse, then I actually like it when they curse me out that way I can ban them.
Deanna Murphy 4 months ago
I worked in this restaurant as a chef in the UK where we served buffet food and this American woman asked "what's that?" I said its Shepherds Pie. She was like oh ill have a small amount. I was like seriously lady.
dan s 4 months ago
Clearly I'm in the right business, a bookstore. The customers are wonderful, pretty much without exception. Warm, friendly, kind, and blessedly quiet. I'd have been in jail for a*****t long ago if I had to deal with people like this. I did get my first flat-earther the other day but he was a nice, quiet flat-earther.
dan s 4 months ago (edited)
As a confirmed Trump hater, let me just say you sir are a f*cking idiot, and part of the reason he won. Congratulations, you annoyed people so badly they voted for a f*****t. That's not my line, that's famously left-wing comedian Marc Maron who said that.
Load More Replies... David Morgan 4 months ago
I don't think there WERE any vegans in this article. There WERE a bunch of picky morons trying to make their preferences into something they were not, and getting caught out because they don't even know what their diet was supposed to be. BTW, I'm not vegan, nor do I care if other people are genuine vegans.
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