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“The Look On Her Face Was Priceless”: 40 Of The Most Horrible Dates Witnessed By Restaurant Staff
When a date is going poorly, the number one thing we want is for it to end, not to play out the inevitable conclusion in front of spectators. But if the meeting is set to take place in public, certain obligations might not allow us to run away.
A Reddit user who goes by the nickname Common-Sprinkles9328 recently asked all the waiters on the platform to describe the tables they served where love went to die—and they delivered. Here are some of the most painfully awkward and hilariously disastrous dates they had to witness... because someone had to bring the bread while the night crumbled.
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#1
Not a waiter, but at the grocery store I worked at, we had a small dining area by the deli. 99.9% of the time it was only ever used by people coming in on their breaks; mostly construction workers and other retail folks.
Well one time I was put on deli duty during lunch, and this guy comes in and sits at one of the tables. Mind you, we were not a full service deli; if you wanted food, you had to order it at the counter and pick it up at the register, we did not serve or do anything table side. A few minutes later, this woman comes in and sits across from him. She looked really bewildered and confused. So I am just taking care of stuff at the deli when I hear snapping fingers. I look up, and this guy is snapping his fingers at me and is like, "Finally, can we get some menus?" I just look at him and gesture to the case in front of me and tell him that what he sees is what we have. And he looks at the lady like he's just been slapped in the face, then stands up and points at me and calls me a wiseass. I simply tell him that we are not a full service deli, so he will need to order from the case and I will ring him up at the register. The woman at this point is very red; I remember distinctly she was a redhead and her face matched her hair. He storms over to the case (I didn't feel threatened, it's a deli case, which meant there was plenty of barrier between him and I, plus it was like five feet tall so he wasn't gonna be jumping over it.
So he jabs his finger at the case and starts loudly telling me what he wants, and I am just following along, scooping and cutting and such. Then he turns around and goes, "Hey babe, what do you want?" And she just looks at him mortified and says, "I don't even know your name, WHY are you calling me babe!?"
I'm trying to keep a neutral face and just waiting for the next order, and he just shrugs and turns back to me and tells me to make her a sandwich.
Once again, this is a grocery store deli. We did not make sandwiches. And I told him as much. And he just goes off, saying I have the bread (no I didn't, the bakery did, which was on the opposite end of the store), the meat, the cheese, and the condiments. So I just lean around and look at the woman and ask her if she actually wants anything. She says she doesn't and picks up her purse. He notices this and immediately runs back to the table; the speed at which he did it made me toggle the switch on the phone by the register, which sent out a "Bagger needed at Register 20." Register 20 was code for the deli, and we didn't have baggers, it was the code for security. Luckily he didn't touch her, he was just panicking. But she just gets up and high tails it away through produce to the exit, and he starts to follow, but our security guy came around the corner and I pointed to the dude, so he stopped him and delayed him long enough for the lady to get clear of the store. Then he just stormed out.
She came back to the store like a month or two later and came through my checkout lane, asked if I remembered here, I said yes; I guess this guy was a total sweetheart at the office they worked at down the highway a ways, so she accepted the request for a lunch date, but didn't know he was gonna do it at a grocery store deli (she figured the address he gave her was wrong and was just as amazed that he was actually there), and of course didn't know how much of a complete j*****s he was. Turns out afterwards he hounded her at work so much she eventually complained and he was fired.
Johnnynatfan 7 months ago
SHe agreed to meet a guy who she worked with but didnt know his name? Hmm something seems off in this tale.
Catlady6000 7 months ago
It's possible, not very smart, but possible. I only know the names of about 25 of the two hundred I work with
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Sue 7 months ago
Waiting in line at Publix the other day. Guy who sounds like Joe Pesci orders a chicken cordon bleu sandwich. Kids asks else he wants on it. HOW DO I KNOW? I'VE NEVER HAD THIS! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO PUT ON IT! WHY WOULD I KNOW THAT? Then trying to look at me & the lady in front of me like AMIRITE? Kid had already started making the sandwich, but he made him start again.
Ivona 6 months ago
I find it strange when the deli associate asks what I want on a sub - the board above the counter describes exactly what goes in each kind of sub so such a question seems pointless. Maybe they're used to people making changes and adding extras?
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John Mosley 7 months ago
What sort of d****e canoe asks a girl out without asking her name and then goes straight to "babe"? Why do you have a problem with the poor girl in this scenario? Defending the villian a bit I think.
Load More Replies...The restaurant might not be an ideal place to meet someone you don't know yet. "The ideal first date gives both people a chance to talk and get a sense of each other's vibe without too much pressure," Holly Schiff, Psy.D., tells Bored Panda.
She is a licensed clinical psychologist in Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island, as well as a registered telehealth psychologist in Florida, and says that a casual coffee shop, taking a walk in a park, going to a museum, or even a cozy bookstore might all be better choices.
"They create space for conversation while offering something else to focus on if nerves kick in," Schiff explains. "Activities that spark natural conversation but don't require forced intimacy are usually the best. Of course, if you are leaning toward a meal, I would say lunch feels more casual and low-stakes than dinner, which carries a more romantic or formal vibe. But start with coffee or drinks first; if it goes well, you can always extend it into a meal organically."
RELATED:
#2
Had a customer who was meeting a guy for a blind date. I saw a man walk in the room, scan the room, and walk out. After a couple lonely glasses of wine, and constant checking of the phone, it became apparent that he bailed. I asked if she wanted to order a meal and she declined. I gave her a dessert and told her the bill had been taken care of.
Celtic Pirate Queen 6 months ago
Online dating 17 years ago (thankfully I went ahead with date #6, we've been together ever since). I agreed to meet two guys (separate dates) at a restaurant. Big mistake, girls - meet them for coffee or a drink, never for dinner. They were both complete @ssholes. They BOTH were condescending & rude to our waitperson. I grabbed my purse and left both times, blocked them in the car before I even left AND, back in the day - you could leave a "review" on their date site. Told the entire dating world what pr*cks they were.
Rebecca O’Donnell 7 months ago
Patrick H, my blind date checked me out in the parking lot of the restaurant to see if I met his standards (I had told him before what I’d be wearing) before deciding whether or not he was going to come in the restaurant. He came in and told me that. I guess that was his version of a compliment.
Load More Replies... #3
I was the female half of several dates where the guy just did an extensive monologue throughout the whole thing. You wonder if you are going to get lockjaw from trying to smile politely. This happened in my 20s and happened in my 70s - those kind of guys don’t change. 100 years from now it will still be the same.
MoBeLa 7 months ago
YES!!! If they could see a video of themselves, they’d be so embarrassed… Or maybe it would just remind them of more things to say 🙄
BrownEyedGrrl 7 months ago
I don't think these types are capable of embarrassment.
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Caitlin Davenport 7 months ago
I went on a walk for a date where the guy walked ahead of me telling me all about the birds. He always sped up if I tried to walk next to him. He never looked at me or asked my anything. He didn't notice that I was 100 meters behind him for most of it, enjoying my alone time!
Tom Brincefield 7 months ago
If possible, you should have turned down a different path and see how long it took him to notice.
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Nikki Sevven 7 months ago
Guys like this aren't on the date to get to know you, but to get validation from a stranger.
jasper 7 months ago
OMG, I had just the opposite happen. Had seen a cute guy with a cute dog at the park several times. One day he wandered over and introduced himself and let me pet his dog. Asked me out. I worked at a nice upscale but not too expensive bar so we met there one night. He could not carry a conversation. I even asked him about sports stuff! He didn't know movies, music or anything. Pretty much went to the gym and home. Did not repeat, even though he was really cute. Good heavens.
Crystalwitch60 6 months ago
We beauty really is only skin deep lol , point in case very nicely proven right there !
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JayhawkJoey 6 months ago
I went on so many blind dates where I'm certain the guts didn't even know what I did for a living because they didn't ask me ANYTHING! So weird that they just talked endlessly.
Tamara Kroonen 5 months ago
If nobody gives them feedback, no wonder they are still totally oblivious of themselves at 70.
Still Going 6 months ago
To be fair, some people talk a lot when they're nervous. But I would that majority of the guys guilty of this behavior aren't doing it because they're nervous.
But if you look at the results of this 2025 YouGov survey, then it becomes quite obvious why the discussion has received so many crazy stories.
Even though more Americans say they've gone on a wonderful date (80%), half—50%—claim they've had a horrible one.
The poll also asked respondents about 30 particular experiences and, with the help of an open-ended question from an earlier survey, determined that restaurants remain the preferred option for going out.
84% went to a restaurant on a date to have dinner, and 81% went there for lunch. Breakfast was a little less popular (67%).
#4
Not a waiter, just a barista.
the guy spent like 10 minutes explaining to her how monogamy was a trap, and she was like “oh, cool. then let me tell you about this other guy i’m kinda interested in” and then he proceeded to call her a w***e and ask how many men she slept with in cuba. loudly in my crowded cafe. at like 3pm. she denied ever visiting cuba.
Serena Myers 7 months ago
There is no "just" in being a barista. You are never a "just" anyone. You are you.
Kate Johnson 7 months ago
Typical red pill d****t. I want to screw around but YOU must be monogamous. They really are a plague upon the earth.
#5
Oh I might have been one of those long ago. Well, not _horribly_, but...
I took my then-GF to dinner at a kinda specialty restaurant for her birthday, and my coworker's wife is our server. I've only met the wife a couple times, and we don't really know each other that well. But she's nice and chats with us and makes it a really nice evening. We have a great date.
End of dinner rolls around and the bill comes. It's my GF's birthday so obviously I'm picking it up, so I grab my wallet...
...and get nothing but a handful of cheek and jeans...
I look around for my wallet and then realize that _I really have left it in my other pants_. I changed before we left for the date and didn't remember to move my wallet to the new pants.
My friend's wife is not successful at keeping her thoughts off her face. Clearly thinks this is some cheapskate schmuck b******t I'm pulling. I ask my GF to pick it up and I'll pay her back. She's a little worried that I lost my wallet but otherwise amused at the irony and my discomfort.
We get back to the house and sure enough, I left it in the pants that I took off. My GF laughs at me and then puts the pair I'm wearing next to the pair I left my wallet in.
So, she definitely wasn't mad.
It wasn't until months later that I saw my coworker's wife again and could explain what happened. I don't think she believed me until my GF assured her that no, I wasn't a cheapskate, just a dummy.
Brittania Kelli 7 months ago
It's about horrible, awkward dates witnessed by restaurant staff. That's the article, why are you criticising the article when it's doing what the title says?
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Sven Horlemann 7 months ago
Well, people tend to project, so... I definitely do not want to meet that coworker's wife, thank you very much.
Mark Hastings 6 months ago
I did the same thing with my GF, now wife. After she paid for dinner she had to drive me home in my car to get my wallet. That was 14 years ago, and she still reminds me of that evening.
Mark Hastings 6 months ago
I did the same thing. My then GF, now wife, had to drive me home in my car to get my wallet.
Lizabeth 6 months ago
My husband has done that a few times. Left his wallet on the table and forgotten it because it was covered over by something. Thankfully, we know the lady at the cafe very well and she has told him to bring the money in tomorrow. We go regularly so it's never a problem. It happens.
#6
Had a girl I went on with the night before come into the restaurant I was working at the next night on a different date & sat in my section 💀 She did not know I worked there. The look on her face was priceless when I said “Hey folks, my name is Ben & I’ll be taking care of you tonight.” 😂.
Pam Wilson-Walter 6 months ago
I'm sure it was awkward for both of them but they only had 1 date! Most likely their last.
There's no need to keep the date going when you don't feel like there's going to be a second one.
"It's totally okay to politely cut a date short if it's not going well. You don't need to be harsh, but being direct and respectful goes a long way," Dr. Schiff says.
"You might say something about the chemistry or it not being a good fit, but that it was nice to meet them. If you are uncomfortable doing that, you can discreetly settle the bill and say you have to head out."
Ghosting mid-meal, according to the psychologist, should be your last resort. "I think most people would rather hear a kind truth than be left guessing," she explains.
#7
Former waiter here. The sheer number of dates I saw that were just one person going on and on and on about themselves and not asking the other person there a *single* question was mind-blowing.
But I think the worst one I ever saw was when a guy asked the person he was with to quickly run lines with him for an audition he wanted to do. I think he thought it was some kind of flex, like he would be impressing his date by slipping in his amazing acting skills before their food arrived.
Not surprisingly, perhaps, his acting skills were not so amazing. And then he said "what did you think?!" and instead of waiting for the answer, started explaining the brilliance behind some of his acting choices while his date was forced to half-heartedly nod along and praise the performance. It was so painfully awkward.
Borg 7 months ago (edited)
Lol. I'm an opera singer. Maybe I should try and bring a duet and start prompting him in case he's boring - then it'll be over quickly.
Sven Horlemann 7 months ago
Ha! As an opera singer, you definitely will be heard.
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Still Going 6 months ago
That sounds about as much fun as a root canal. And with a root canal, at least you get the benefit of a healthier tooth after.
#8
I’ve witnessed two failed marriage proposals. One was uneventful, the proposal happened and she quietly said no. They both left looking dejected. As for the other one, he was an obnoxious jerk and she seemed over it. He proposed at dessert, she said no, he tried to argue and they ended up yelling at each other in the rain outside the restaurant. She was right to turn him down.
JB 7 months ago
They say don't ask questions you already know the answer to, but this is the exception. You should know this before you ask.
Michael Largey 7 months ago
Before I proposed to her, my now-wife very, very indirectly but unmistakably let me know what her answer would be.
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trixiefly11 7 months ago
Honestly you should never go into a proposal not knowing the results. If you have dated long enough you should have talked over marriage (if you are smart), and the proposal is just an outward expression of something you have already agreed on, if you need that.
somnomania (she/her, queer) 6 months ago
seriously people, don't propose in public, i don't care how solid your relationship is. it puts so much pressure on the person being proposed to to accept OR be terribly embarrassed, or possibly both.
#9
Not a waiter, but witnessed absolutely mind-bending "date". Guy brought his girlfriend and a couple of her girl friends to an Irish pub for St. Paddy's Day. They racked up a decent bill of $150. He makes an excuse of some sort and the table gets noticeably tense. The flustered GF paid cash on the table and went to the bathroom while the rest of the group collected their things to leave amid a pretty chaotic St. Paddy's celebration.
She came back and the money was missing. The wait staff came to collect the bill and she starts freaking out. The BF is loudly swearing he doesn't know what happened to the money. The staff is understandably concerned about how the check is being paid. The manager comes over.
The entire packed pub witnessed the commotion, her friends are super embarrassed, the GF is crying as it was a lot of money to her and the guy was freaking out about where the money was and why wasn't she paying the bill. The staff confronts him about the bill and he screams at her using her name over and over to not let them get away with harassing him. While he's restrained by a bar back, another waiter searches the BF's pants pockets and finds the $150.
They call the cops on the BF and drag him out while he is thrashing about. The girl is a trembling, crying mess and the friends are shell-shocked. But the staff switches. They console her, one of the waitresses sits with her and several of the patrons pitched in to cover her bill. Soon, other patrons are also consoling her and offering support.
Her remaining group stayed for another hour or so after the cops came, getting to experience the kindness of strangers. But she had an uncommon name and whenever I hear it now I still hear that s*****g yelling it out over the packed pub.
Funhog 7 months ago
A waiter finds the $150 on the BF, yet several other patrons pitched in to cover the $150 bill..?
Lyoness 7 months ago
Hopefully the restaurant let her keep the money or other patrons paid without being asked?
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Just another idiot 7 months ago
🤣 my s****d self thought it was sc#mbag... I like yours better.
visacrum 7 months ago (edited)
I gotta call (heh) shenanigans on this one. I'm assuming this is in the US due to use of $, and in the US, it's not legal for staff (store, restaurant, etc) to search a customer's pockets. Had this fiction said they asked the guy to empty his pockets (and the guy for some bizarre reason complied), that might have been believable. Or if he went to get something from his pocket and the money fell out (again, pretty far-fetched). I'm not sure about staff 'restraining' the customer, but I guess if theft was suspected they could maybe prevent him from leaving? Either way, calling Shenanigans (I wonder if that was the name of the pub and if they had all kinds of goofy stuff on the walls).
Crystalwitch60 6 months ago
It’s a bloody Irish br 🤦♀️you do not f u k around in one of those !! so yes I assure you it will have happened !
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Crystalwitch60 6 months ago
And that my Celtic friends is what the Irish are like !, they DO NOT suffer fools n s c u m bags at all ! N that bloke was the very epitome of a s c u m ba g ! N all round inhuman ,
Johanna Janssen 6 months ago
Story make’s no sense. Why did those friends leave, later they are shell shocked?
geezeronthehill 7 months ago
Go to Boston and say that out loud. Bring first aid supplies.
Load More Replies... #10
Funniest :
Guy was on his phone the entire meal name dropping like crazy. When dessert cane he finally hung up and said oh sorry I was just on a really important call with Mark Wahlberg. For the next 15ish mins, his date pretended not to know who that is while he became more and more desperate to make sure she knew he was a big deal. He named like 30 movies, he sang some marky mark, he even said his brother was a new kid on the block. This absolute queen just kept going yeah no sorry not ringing any bells. New kids on the what? Who is Martin Scorsese, is he new?
Saddest :
I worked for a while at a kosher restaurant that catered to a very ultra traditional crowd. I saw a lot of first meetings for arranged marriages. The one that stuck out the most was this guy who spent the whole date criticizing her while she sat silently and avoided eye contact. He ate a full meal but would only allow her to have water. Their families sat at the next table and nobody spoke up for her. I wanted to flip their table over, it was so horrible to watch. I hope they didn’t get married.
LongFang 7 months ago
Horrible.... I hope also they didn't get married....
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Rae North 7 months ago
Dont see how her parents would allow him to starve her, arranged or not.
AmyBcat 6 months ago
3 words-patriarchal, misogynistic, religiously entitled.
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#11
I remember this one time a couple were on their first date, the restaurant was empty, and the guy was a regular, so I made sure that they had a great experience. Hooked them up with a free app and some wine, let the lady play her music on the speakers. When I was bringing them dessert, she got a phone call and she was told that her father had died. It went from a near perfect evening to probably the worst night of her life.
David Houde 7 months ago
I had this happen (sort of). Went out for New Years Eve with a group of friends about 10 years ago. I drove because I had a 3 row suv where everyone could ride together. After paying, one of the women gets a call from her sister "Dad's in bad shape, get to the hospital now!". The hospital was about a 45 minute drive from where we were. I somehow made it in just over 30. We spent most of the New Years Eve at the hospital while her father passed. That night went from a really nice evening to absolutely terrible in seconds.
Jenni Howard 7 months ago
But without you racing against the clock she wouldn't have been able to say goodbye
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Christine Wild 6 months ago
Oh d**n. Poor lady. The only upside to that to see how the boyfriend reacts as a man or a w**s during that terrible time
#12
I was waiting tables at a mid-range Italian place that tried *really hard* to be upscale—dim lighting, wine pairings, Sinatra on repeat. One night, a couple in their late 20s comes in, and right away the vibes are *weird*. The woman looks uncomfortable; the guy’s wearing a *trilby* and calling her “milady” unironically.
They sit. He orders for her without asking, insists she try the Chianti “because it has notes of rebellion,” whatever that means. She clearly hates it. At one point he goes, “So… how many kids do you want?” I am not exaggerating, we are *maybe* 12 minutes into the date. She laughs awkwardly and says, “Wow, jumping ahead a bit?” and he deadass replies: "Well i just feel like we have something cosmic."
She spends most of the rest of the dinner either pretending to text or sipping water and making eye contact with me like, *please save me*. I check in with them and she says, “Actually, can I get this to go?” He looks crushed, and says, “But we haven’t even had the tiramisu. That’s when I was going to ask you out *officially.*”
She just grabs the bag and says, “I think I need to be somewhere that’s not here,” and tips me *$20* on a $30 bill.
He stayed and ate the tiramisu by himself, said “her aura was just too guarded,” and asked if he could leave his number in case she called the restaurant. She did not.
Michael Largey 7 months ago
“So… how many kids do you want?” "Thanks, but I'm not that hungry tonight."
Dragon mama 7 months ago
Oh man. Why do they think that "milady" thing is something woman like?
Catlady6000 7 months ago (edited)
Video games? GOT? Too many Renaissance fairs? Which would be the perfect place for him to find his soul mate, actually
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nicholas nolan 7 months ago
These mfs have ruined hats! We should all be wearing them again, because the sun is a b*****d.
StretcherBearer 7 months ago
This! I'm 50 and honestly I love hats. My thinning hair makes it suck to be in the sun. I gave my grandfather's hat to my daughter and she loves it. It's not the hat it's the garbled nonsense in the weird hipster head underneath that makes it cringe inducing.
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#13
I might accidentally be someone else’s story. My boyfriend and I went out to celebrate out first anniversary of dating. We thought it’d be fun to dress fancy, so we definitely stood out a bit.
While we’re waiting for the bill, the conversation turns to acting techniques. BF says that the best way to portray anger isn’t to make a stock “angry” face, but to let your face go completely slack.
I give it a try, and apparently give BF the most withering look - right as the waiter comes up behind him with the bill.
The poor guy did a complete 180 and basically hid behind the bar for several minutes while I died laughing.
Wild Cream 7 months ago
He’s right, letting your face go slack is a much better “angry face” than a traditional angry face like this: 😡 hahaha
Julia H 7 months ago
Pretty good. I'll try that next. Although i might be subconsciously doing it. When ppl get in my face, i keep my expression neutral. No wonder some go ballistic 😆 🤣 😂
Load More Replies... Jei Wal 6 months ago
Whenever I get pissy at my partner for whatever reason, I relax my facial muscles. It bothers him a lot more than when I look angry. He says it makes him feel afraid that I’m thinking of doing something really bad to him lol
Stan Chung 6 months ago
Describe my b resting face. It's slack... I only need to give eye contact I suppose.
#14
It was these 2 kids that I'd guess were 12-14. The boy's mom drove them to the restaurant. The mom planned on f*****g off to the bar so they could enjoy themselves.
The boy would not let her leave the table no matter how many hints her and the girl tried to throw. I saw that he was physically holding his mother under the table.
The boy was so nervous that he barely talked to the girl. He mostly talked to his mom...and the girl mostly talked to his mom. It was so painful to watch.
#15
I’m not a waiter, but the couple at the next table was on what was clearly a first date. I was facing the same direction as she was so i couldn’t see her face, but i could see his and could hear everything he said.
And when i say I could hear everything HE said, i mean i don’t even know what her voice sounded like because the guy literally wouldn’t shut up. I don’t think she said a single word the entire date. He just talked AT her nonstop for a solid hour. Didn’t ask her a single question. Didn’t pause to even eat his food, just talked while chewing. I cannot even imagine what was going through her brain while this was going on….
Lyoness 7 months ago
I would imagine she was thinking something along the lines of "How TF do I get out of here?"
Sally Moen 7 months ago
What wasn't going through her head was I love this guy! I could listen to him talk forever!
Aron Nicole 6 months ago
I would have left. Don’t talk to me while you’re chewing. The way dating is now is why I hope me and my old man never break up. So far it’s been nine and a half years.
Crystalwitch60 6 months ago
Beam me up Scottie I’m in the shite again is exactly what she was thinking lmao
#16
We had this one older lady come in every week. She wore a different wig every time. Should would ask to sit at the same exact table and ask that we would act like we’ve never met her before. Then, throughout the day, sometimes the entire day, she would have multiple dates. These men would just fawn all over her. If they did not bring her flowers, it was a wrap. She would ask that we help sneak her out of the restaurant until the guy left. Sometimes it got real awkward. She never paid. She also asked that we only address her as Tiger.
It was weird.
Wild Cream 7 months ago
She sounds kinda crazy. I’d love to have a sit and chat with her, just to hear about her life 😂
Maples Dad 7 months ago
Double standards. A guy doing that would be seen as a nutcase.
Load More Replies... Binny Tutera 7 months ago
Had a woman who would book “Couple’s” massages at our spa, and it was a different guy every time. Like every week. She expected them to pay. Then, one week, her date apparently tried to get a “quickie” after the massage ( they could stay in the room, privately, for up to 30 minutes) and she said no, she wasn’t in to him like that. So he stormed out- didn’t pay. She wouldn’t pay so management got involved. Finally she paid (after being threatened with police) but she- and her “friends” had to pay up front after that. And the spa manager had no problem explaining why when the guys asked. Eventually she stopped coming. Just as well, because the manager was going to ban her.
somnomania (she/her, queer) 6 months ago
why on earth did anyone let her continue doing this if she wasn't paying? that's just a bad customer.
Sly Schlang 5 months ago
Because the guys paid and the Restaurant did not care that they were used by the woman. Sounds like double standard to me.
Load More Replies... #17
I saw many good dates, bad dates and everything in between. The saddest was a couple that seemed like a good match. Lady was so excited but the guy was insecure but successful. Persian dude in early thirties. He got there early and it was a great date spot. I chatted with him while he nursed a drink to cool the nerves. He was a very down to earth guy and i felt like we genuinely connected.
She shows up and was so excited... until he talked about himself and his career for the next 90 minutes. I wanted to scream at the guy to ask a question but he was trying to impress her and was a totally different guy.
Amanda Fondaumiere 7 months ago
Aw, nervous chatter. Next time do an activity so you can enjoy without having to sit in each others faces.
Sally Moen 7 months ago
Yes! Many grocery stores offer cooking classes. An hour of your day and a good way to break the ice on a date. And you get to eat
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JinxBox 7 months ago
I can't stand nervous chatters even as friends, in finnish culture we prefer not to fill a comfortable silence with unnecessary small talk. Last week at a bar a woman was being really kind and tried to maybe befriend me but after 3 hours of monologue I literally almost started crying because she was draining all my energy 😬
Wild Cream 7 months ago
Yeah there’s something about small talk that is way more draining than a regular conversation
Load More Replies... #18
Busboy at a really nice restaurant. Middle aged couple sitting at a two top on an outside patio. Across from them was a boisterous group of 6, who were throwing money around. Bought a bottle of Dom Perignon for the couple to apologize for being so loud, as they left. Apparently, the husband brought his wife to the restaurant to be in a public place to tell her he’d had an affair. Telling her this over the champagne. She blows up, as you’d expect. Loudly berates him and starts asking about what occurred sexually between him and the other woman. All the wait staff walked by at 0.5 speed and convened in the bar to share what they heard.
Matt Blakeley 7 months ago
He was telling her in public so she wouldn't immediately k**l him. So, yeah, an idiot.
Load More Replies... somnomania (she/her, queer) 6 months ago
why the f**k would you go somewhere public for a discussion like that?
Panda Cat 5 months ago
Is it worse when they’re going to have se x and I realized he was still fuuking disgusting affair partner who had scammed him out of tens of thousands of dollars, if not more. Yes, she was objectively disgusting.
Load More Replies... #19
I've seen a bunch but the best was when a guy brought in a canned Pepsi and just asked for a glass with ice. He then offered one to his date.
It did not go well. .
Anthony Elmore 7 months ago
Go for the jugular. Finish the drink and then ask where you can go to get a free refill.
visacrum 7 months ago
I actually breathed a little forcefully through my nose at this!
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Wild Cream 7 months ago
I wouldn’t call this financially savvy, I’d call this cheap. Financially savvy would be packing a picnic and going somewhere nice, not bringing your own items to a restaurant and expecting glasses with ice 😂
Load More Replies... #20
Had a table where the guy ordered a ton of food, and when the bill came, he started making excuses about how he 'forgot his wallet' and couldn’t pay. The girl was mortified, especially since she had already paid for her own meal. She looked like she was ready to crawl under the table.
For The Horde 7 months ago
As she'd already paid for her own she should have just left him there
The Starsong Princess 7 months ago
He didn’t forget his wallet. It was a little test to see how she’d react. It happened to me, he later told me that he was testing me to see if I was a gold digger. There was very little gold to dig - I made twice what he did. He was not pleased when I told him that and I happily never saw him again.
Papa 7 months ago
It sounds like someone was a gold digger, and it wasn't you.
Load More Replies... Amanda Reinstatler 5 months ago
I'm sorry, but we are in the digital age - "forgetting your wallet" does NOT fly, when there are a thousand ways to pay cashless and instant
#21
I have 2 stories, both of which I've witnessed myself.
First off, sat in a Thai restaurant in the trafford centre with my wife, and there's a table with a young couple there. She was 18 or 19, he was about the same age. The conversation seemed somewhat forced as HIS MUM WAS WITH HIM, saying nothing with a face like thunder. And when he went to the toilet, she followed him. When they'd left her alone, she just sat there texting disconsolately.
Second, at a Chinese restaurant in Oxford. Again, a young couple sat next to us, but he spoke incessantly about how well traveled he was. I don't think I heard a single word out of her at all, it wasn't a conversation, he was just subjecting her to a monologue. He spoke at length about how he'd visited Third World Village and lived there for a month. (Didn't name the village or country, didn't say A third world village, he made it sound like a theme park. Said he'd eaten a dog while there. Said he had experience teaching underprivileged children as he'd taught in some of the worst schools on the isle of wight. For anyone unfamiliar with the isle of Wight it's very affluent, very pretty and rural. I imagine that the roughest schools there have slightly tatty wisteria, and serve inferior caviar at lunch.
Poor girls.
Luca 7 months ago
As someone from the isle of wight, theres a fairly big class divide. Half of the island is bougie and gorgeous (mostly for rich people and tourists) and the other half is very run down and poor. there is one private school which is good but tiny and expensive (certainly not a private school by the rest of the world's standards, only by the technicality that you have to pay for it), and the rest of the schools are very underfunded and rough. That guy definitely sounds like an a*****e BUT 90% of the schools on the IoW are awful. I went to one of the better ones and even at that school, universities gave us leeway when applying because it counts as an underprivileged area. it's not all caviar and wisteria, those are just the rich touristy areas. A lot of it is a shithole.
Min 7 months ago
Agreed. The wealthy people don't actually live there, for the most part. They just have holiday homes there. The kind of people who use "summer" as a verb.
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Rahb in Oz 7 months ago
Men need to learn to SHUT UP on a date, especially if they feel nervous. Just ask the occasional question!
Nikki Angulo 5 months ago
“Third World Village” seriously. Dude has probably never even left his hometown, seeing as he obviously doesn’t know a thing about the third world!
Eileen Heath 7 months ago
Melanie M Ayres & Campbell Leaper did "A meta-analytic review of gender variations in adults' language use: talkativeness, affiliative speech, and assertive speech" in 2007. Recently, ai was dragged into this. Several group conversations were recorded and feedback forms were sent out. In conversations where women spoke only 30% of time, the men insisted the women were the ones who "talked too much" and dominated the conversation. IRONY ALERT: On reddit, a poster drew my attention to this by saying "Cam Leaper has researched this topic for over 2 decades." At no point was Melanie's name mentioned in the comment. DOUBLE IRONY: the poster was female.
#22
So, not a waiter but am sure we’re some waiter’s story. OH and I are sitting in a restaurant after dropping our son off at university to start his first term. I’m feeling all the feelings - happy for him, of course but also so so sad. We order and I start crying. OH holds my hand but I just cry some more. He squeezes my hand and says ‘sweetheart, you need to stop crying because people are thinking it’s me.’ Sure enough, lots of angry eyes on OH who they likely presume is breaking up with me or admitting some peccadillo or other. We laugh about it often, ten years on. Still miss my baby boy. 😂.
Lizabeth 6 months ago
Husband and I love to read and we read when we go out to eat. I have my phone and he has his reader. We have been together for over 40 years so this is something that's common for us. Anyway, I am into those romances and get emotional and tear up. Husband is always telling me to read something else because everyone thinks it's him. lol.
Catherine Spencer-Mills 6 months ago
My oldest moving on was the hardest. He went off to the military and I cried for a week. The two younger? Not bad young men, I was just practiced at coping.
Marie Kusuma 5 months ago
On the first day of my holiday, while we were having breakfast, I got a call from home saying my little monkey had died. I cried while eating, tears rolling down my face — maybe people thought we were having a silent fight 😂😂. Another story, during dinner at our regular Japanese restaurant, I was in a hurry and accidentally clamped my toenail with the bathroom door at home. It stung a bit, but I still went out. However, it got worse, and when we sat down at the restaurant, I couldn’t stop my tears — it really hurt! I was crying a river, and my hubby went outside to buy some medicine. The waiters looked worried, and luckily they didn’t ask me anything, because I’d be so embarrassed to tell them I hit my toenail with a door 😂😂😂.
#23
Not date but breakup!!
I had a couple that would come in almost weekly, for like over a year , always mega nice and generous tippers and then one day they were both at the table, not saying much, with the young lady tears streaming down her face and the young man with an incredibly solemn thousand yard stare and inknew they were breaking up… but my question was like why would you do this at the restaurant of your nice memories?? Or in public at all?? .
ElfVibratorGlitter 7 months ago
Why would you have a break up in public? So many reasons, but safety can be a concern.
Kitty 🥀 7 months ago
I’ve only ever broken up with guys in public. It’s a matter of safety. They were all lovely gentlemen (except one), but a single woman can never be too safe.
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#24
When I was in college I was working in a bar where the man left his phone in his jacket, and left the jacket on the chair when he went to the bathroom. His girlfriend/wife immediately went for it, and within the minute and 45 seconds he was gone she apparently found what she was looking for and as he returned she started yelling and flipped the high top table over. She ran out with his phone and he ran after and we just comped the check because no one was interrupting that.
Edited to add: I hope it was a scam, they deserved every single bite for free, but they didn’t stay long enough to enjoy the fruits of their performance if so. Also I watched all the color drain from that man’s face and he looked like a fish swallowed a golf ball, so an epic performance if it was staged.
#25
Not a waiter, I was just eating with family when I was about 14 or something. The section of my table didn't have anyone opposite as my parents sat next to me and there was this couple 18-20ish who seemed to be on a date.
The guy seemed to be trying to talk to her, but she would not put down her phone. Just texting constantly, talking a picture of the dish. Every now and then, she'd wave her hand like "Sorry, just sending a quick message" set down her phone for all of 30 seconds before picking it back up and messaging again.
I remember she excused herself to the toilet, the guy looked around the place and saw me looking at him. He half-shrugged his shoulders like "can you believe this?" I could only shrug in agreement. I think he finished his food quickly and ended the date soon after that, she hadn't even touched her food yet.
Rahb in Oz 7 months ago
Better for her to simply say “Sorry, but I’m not interested” and leave.
iBlank 7 months ago
unfortunately some people really are more interested in their fake (social) life vs experiencing a real one
Load More Replies... Kerry Palmer 6 months ago
He should have used his phone, called her and said,"This date is over."
#26
Not a waiter but I managed a late night burger place right next to the biggest nightclub in 3 towns.
I was running orders and I look up and see this blinged out diamond necklace almost blinding me. Then I see the guy and it takes me all 10seconds to recognize him. It’s a legendary quarterback like top 10 ever
I bring him his order and him and his girl sit down. In about 2 minutes she just starts berating him about how broke he is, how he’s not the man he used to be and just going for like 5 minutes while dude just ate his burger and fries. This totally pissed her of and she throws her not so happy meal at him. He continued eating. She just explodes and walks out of the restaurant leaving him there to finish his food. Dude never batted an eye.
Tonyah Mcanelly 7 months ago
Incredibly smart person if you have a reputation you never want to give any attention to media.
Tom Brincefield 7 months ago
I imagine a few years of having the frontline of a NFL team doing their best to catch you and push you under the astroturf would inure you to a thrown burger.
#27
As one of the closers, if anyone came in between 9-930 no big deal but I’d make it obvious we were closing at 10pm.
Anyone in after 930pm I’d tell them kitchen closed in 15 mins and after 940 I’d just tell everyone it was to go only, the managers didn’t like this, but I’m the first to greet the people and I’m doing all the work and that last hour; I’m the Captain now vibes lol.
So a nicely dressed guy comes in at 845 asks for a table for two, declines anything but water til his date arrives. I did what I could to stay busy but after 45 mins and now it being 30 mins to close, I approached and warned him the kitchen closes in 15 and he said his person was walking in. A woman in yoga clothes, walks up and flips down opposite him; never looking up from her phone.
He ends up having to order for both of them because she’s not present beyond physically being at the table. I get the order in and as I’m passing to another table I hear him quietly pleading she give him a chance - at what idk I was pushing some old folks outta my party booth and didn’t hear. Their food comes up and as I’m dropping it off she says “it’s just not the way I thought it’d be, so I don’t want to do it anymore.” And his face was crushed, body language said he was flatlining.
I automatically bring boxes with the check, and as she hadn’t touched her food I wanted to save time. I pretty much knew, dessert wasn’t gonna happen but the manager was out front and I had to try that final upsell or be banished to the back section with the flickering lightbulb.
“Just ask if they want dessert, just ask if they want dessert!” I said it the whole way to their table and with a giant smile on my face I asked “so guys, you thinking about DIVORCE TONIGHT?!” cue my horrified gasp and the girl just looks up at me from her phone and says “see Justin? Even the waitress knows this isn’t working.” And poor Justin just looked at me as I literally tossed the checkbook and boxes and said “I’m so sorry.. Jesus!” The manager gave them a discount and I never again offered dessert.
brittany 7 months ago
nah its kind of like when you tell yourself not to think of something or not to say something and then suddenly its about the only thing you can focus on. like when my friend Booker had a bit of snot hanging out of his nose and i was trying to think of a way to tell him without embarrassing him. i was gonna whisper "Hey Booker, might wanna check yourself over in the bathroom real quick" instead what i said was "Hey Booger...." he took it in stride and it was his unofficial nickname for a while
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#28
Not a waiter, but I did once see a woman storm out of a date in a very nice restaurant. The couple was seated at an adjacent table to me. She got up abruptly and left, just before the food was served.
The waiters seemed to handle it very discreetly: they brought a cover to keep her meal warm in case she returned, and after a generous interval, quietly took her plate away. The guy waited for a while before forlornly eating his own meal and asking for the bill.
Nina Eckhoff 6 months ago
I've gotten up and abruptly left on several different dates. The last one took place at a very fine Italian restaurant. My date had insisted that we meet there even though we'd only texted and have not met or spoken yet. He was extremely intelligent and successful, but only talked about myself, was from an opposing political party and told me that my opinion on politics did not matter, yet he kept praising my looks (I am a former model). How superficial could he have been? We'd ordered our meal and I was halfway through my wine and I could not stand it anymore. I did not say a word but got up and left. As I was on my way out I saw our waiter carrying our food to our table. I left, and went to Popeye's and had a chicken sandwich, which was delish.
#29
A friend of mine had a really bad one while waiting tables at a small town restaurant.
Saw the dude get down on one knee and open a box. His date said “that isn’t the ring I wanted” and walked out.
Jac Carr 7 months ago
Depends; I actually broke up with a guy because he produced a solitaire diamond, knowing full well I hate solitaires. We are both knowledgable about diamonds and had had many many conversations in general about them. The fact he didn't know meant he didn't know me at all
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Kitty 🥀 7 months ago
I’ve heard about this from the opposite end. My dad and mom went out together to look for rings, and my mom picked out one she loved. He came back later to get it, with his mother, and he let her convince him to get a different one. That should’ve been a big huge red flag waving in her face.
Kiss Army 7 months ago
My engagement was a surprise and the ring was a solitaire that is 1/2 a carat and very pretty. Is it the ring I would have picked? Probably not... but I am sure the ring of my dreams would not have been in his budget at them time. We make quite a bit more money now... would I replace it with "the ring of my dreams"? NEVER!
Hugo 2 months ago
... and let her choose the ring: she's the one who'll be wearing it.
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#30
Girl was actively on a dating app during the date and I felt like she wasn’t being very discreet. A dude once tipped me $100 to give a drink to a woman at another table and he was there with his wife. Life is wild.
#31
While working at a little dessert shop, a regular brought her date in. Things seemed fine, but later that week he came in alone and tried to get my number. I, of course, told her as soon as I could and she was sad, but grateful.
The worst I've ever witnessed I was just another person eating next to a date. I was actually catching up with a friend and we wound up not talking most of the night and just listening to a woman become increasingly more erratic explaining how badly she wanted to m****r a bunch of different people in her life. Her date just sat there like a deer in headlights.
tl gmc 7 months ago
I wonder if she's was pressured into the date until finally she just gave up and said I'll freak him the fvck out. Cause I get it, and would do that too. I had to literally tell people I'd throw a baby in the dumpster multiple times for them to finally stop saying I'd want kids later.
Goover 6 months ago
Wow, biased much? Believe it or not, women can be bad dates. Matter of fact they can be absolutely nuts too just like men.
Load More Replies... #32
Not a waiter, but was working at Panera in high school. I was wiping down tables, and this guy and girl were having a seemingly normal conversation. She then starts playfully doing footsie with him, and he just explodes: “I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH MY SHOES! I CAN’T F*****G STAND YOU!” And then just stormed off. She just sat there stunned, and we made eye-contact and I did one of those 🤷🏽♂️ while breathing in through gritted teeth:.
nicholas nolan 7 months ago
Dude set boundries, woman kept crossing them. A little(a lot) bombastic with his reply to it, but I understand it.
Jac Carr 7 months ago
Nope. There's no excuse for "I can't f*****g stand you!" except the fact he's a manchild who can't control his emotions
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#33
Guy was in a metal band and spent the entire date blasting his music from his phone for her to listen to. It was bad. She did not look like the metalhead type (could’ve been, but it would’ve been a little unexpected the way she was dressed) and was just chuckling sort of awkwardly the entire time.
geezeronthehill 7 months ago
We've been devolving since the wolves don't eat the stupid ones anymore.
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StretcherBearer 7 months ago (edited)
I'm an indie musician and do a lot of home recording. I would not subject someone to my music Against their will. My stuff is lo fi and a bit avant garde and definitely an acquired taste. Blasting it on a phone in public is just bad form. Let them choose and play it on a decent sound system if you're trying to impress. Guaranteed even if it was decent metal music it sounded absolutely irritating on a phone.
#34
Man tried to order for his date, she didn’t like that but it was early in the date so she said nothing, he ordered an expensive appetizer that she didn’t want, only he ate it. She looked not impressed but still seemed to be trying to feign interest. Came time to order dinner and he tried to order for her, something expensive, surf and turf. She said no thank you, she was a vegetarian (something established before the date) and wanted the vegetarian dish. He didn’t back down and insisted she have the surf and turf. She again said no, she wouldn’t eat it. He countered with “he could afford it so why not?!”
She left.
Edit for more info: the vegetarian meal was written down but there wasn’t an opportunity to put the order in.
2nd edit: alright, fine; I was that woman on the date, I never said I wasn’t but maybe I sort of lied for internet points and to also relay to women it’s okay to say no and walk away, even if they pay for things or insist on it. Yes, at the time I was a bartender/server; and yes what happened to me is 100% accurate, I was just the woman and the waitress responded exactly how I described it. Also I left a tip just in case he didn’t and thanked her on my way out.
Bored Seagull 7 months ago
I guess the guy was too deep in his "I just need to order expensive food and she will fall for me!" fantasy to be able to remember and incorporate such details into his actions.
Load More Replies... #35
A woman was engaged/married with a ring on her finger and thought she was meeting someone for a networking HH but the guy thought they were on a date.
visacrum 7 months ago
Happy Hour. Which may sometimes turn into (giggity) head hunting...
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Felidae 7 months ago
Professional Networking: This refers to the general concept of building professional relationships for career advancement or business opportunities. Events like conferences, industry gatherings, and online platforms can facilitate professional networking. HH Level, as in "Heels and Handshakes," could refer to a specific level of professional development or networking focus. The goal of professional networking is to connect with others, share knowledge, and create opportunities
Ace 7 months ago
Happy Hour, it seems. No, I'd never heard it in that context either, but then I was always one who would run a mile from anything called "networking" anyway.
Load More Replies... #36
Not a waiter but the one that lives rent free in my head was from a table next to mine at a birthday dinner. Very romantic setting, man bends down on one knee, proposes, the woman accepts happily crying, the whole restaurant erupts into applause, and the couple sit down to continue their dinner aglow with happiness. About 30 minutes later the woman gets a call on her phone and she’s gone for another full 30 minutes or so, and when she comes back the two of them are super stony faced and don’t look at each other and don’t speak to each other at all for the rest of the meal. Their table was also positioned smack in the middle of the restaurant so they also spent the whole meal being side-eyed by the whole restaurant as we wondered what the f**k happened on that phone call. Turned me off the idea of public proposals forever.
Erik Biesemeier 7 months ago
I'm thinking it was her work, and they've already had arguments about her not being able to make him a priority. She ditched him at the proposal to take a work call that almost certainly could have waited.
#37
Rich, well-known, middle-aged business owner brought in a smoking hot young 20 something, and she only wanted to talk to me (also 20 something waiter).
Needless to say, he didn't leave me a good tip.
#38
I had a table of 4 on a double date. They looked... very religious. The two women were both overweight and homely. The two men were, looks wise, more attractive than their wives, and also very, very into each other. My gaydar is, well, fabulous and let's just say it was telling me the men were the ones actually on a date and their wives were just along for the ride.
I don't know if I'd say it was going horribly. Felt bad for the women.
I had another table that was a ton of teachers out for a school dinner. One of the teachers' boyfriend tagged along and told us he was going to propose... in f*****g Applebee's... in front of all of her coworkers. He was sweaty and nervous the whole time. She said yes.
I still f*****g laugh about that. Who the f**k does that? It was so f*****g cringey and I enjoyed every second of it.
Lyoness 7 months ago
How did being overweight and homely make you assume these women were religious? And why was it necessary to describe any of their looks at all?
Adreana Julander 7 months ago
The stereotype of closeted gay men is that they marry homely chubby girls
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#39
I was eating at a restaurant once and the guy at the next table over was breaking up with his GF. She was crying, but for some reason everyone thought he had proposed, so everyone kept walking by and saying “congratulations!” It was t*****e to even witness. .
Anthony Elmore 7 months ago (edited)
The age-old myth that it helps ensure the person being dumped will have a calmer reaction because it's in public. Spoiler: It never works. If you want to give them the benefit of the doubt, it could be an attempt to be formal and respect the gravity of said breakup, but any formality and respect gets thrown out the window when your date starts sobbing in a public restaurant.
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Susan Raskin 6 months ago
there may come a time when she realizes the breakup was a blessing in disguize . The people in the restaurant may have picked up on the breakup as being a"blessing" , could be they sensed a breakup was for her good , maybe he was not a nice person and she coulds do better. So congratulations were in order.
#40
Well i have seen a woman who was definitely in her late 20s have her parents secretly sit in the restaurant to watch her go on a date….very interesting to say the least. I have no idea if the date had any clue. The girl was sweet but allergic to everything under the sun.
LongFang 7 months ago
Or as back-up if he does something like the above : "he had a full meal but would only let her have water, critisizing her..."
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#41
It’s a long story, but I’ll try to make it short.
Worked at a Korean BBQ place in college (the kind where food is cooked on a grill at the table). Obvious first date comes in, guy immediately goes to hoarding the conversation. I give my spiel, he cuts me off, tells me he’s going to order and handle everything, and puts in a huge order. Go to the table to cook it up, and he insists he’ll do it. Notice he cooks the pork belly for all of 3 minutes- go ask him if he’s sure it’s done, he says “I like it this way”, and I say “yeah, but what about her?” And point to the date. She murmurs she likes it a little crispier, and he insists it’s better this way. I tell them it’s recommended to cook it longer to ensure it’s safe to eat. Leave to handle other tables.
Come back and he’s still yapping away, food literally spewing out of his mouth as he talks. Hands are covered with kimchi and meat juices. F*****g disgusting. Again, he goes to cook the chicken, and I notice it’s severely underdone. Tell my manager, who tells my owner (who is actually South Korean- I’m white, so I suppose I don’t look the part?)- he goes over and tell the customer he cannot let him eat the chicken that raw, it’s a hazard. They start arguing, and mid-argument, the girl just gets up and leaves. No goodbye or anything. The guy follows her out, and returns alone, looking sad/confused. But he sits down, and continues to house his entire order of severely undercooked Korean BBQ, before leaving in a hurry after he wrapped up. He tipped like the j*****s he was.
I can only assume his stomach immediately began to reject the undercooked meat, so he had to rush home to get sick. It was a spectacle, and I’m glad the girl got out of there without having ate any of the undercooked meat.
Deeelite 7 months ago
Umm. What restaurant lets customers cook thier own food on a hot grill???
Wild Cream 7 months ago
Korean BBQ :) and Chinese hot pot! It’s actually really fun, you order your ingredients and cook them in the middle of the table. Last hot pot restaurant I was in had these cute robot servers that would come out of the kitchen with our food - basically a shelf on wheels with a digital face singing happy Chinese music as it rolled up to our table and let us take our items. So cute!
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#42
I saw a woman stick a fork into a man's hand once. Loudly banging the table, all the way through his hand. Horrifying.
The man wailed. Everyone else gasped. I heard a couple of oh my gods, too
And, she threw food.
It was their anniversary, a special date.
Ambulance and police came.
He still had to pay the check, poor guy. Left a huge tip. We had to clean up a mess of blood, bread, wine. Luckily, their salads and entrees hadn't arrived yet!
A few weeks later, they were back at the restaurant, still together.
I moved on to another job, but, I bet they are still together if they haven't killed each other yet.
Tom Brincefield 7 months ago
If you miss the bones it wouldn't be too difficult.
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#43
Bartended for a long time. Well known bachelor in town shows up and sits at the bar. I greet him like normal, he says he’s waiting for his date, another local. Before she shows up, I notice he’s got two bud lights in front of him that I didn’t serve him. He’s got two more in his pockets. I said, “Jay, you can’t do that s**t here. You gotta go.” He shrugged it off and walked out. Pretty sure that was their first and last date… and the first time I realized how much of an alcoholic he was.
Wild Cream 7 months ago
I live in a very small town. Briefly worked in a pub last year, and one quiet day I started flipping through the notebook they used to log “incidents,” out of boredom. There’s one guy in our town who’s a massive alcoholic and it was hilarious to see how many times he showed up 😂 “may 3, 2023 - kicked James out for showing up with beer in his pockets” “July 16 2023, kicked James out for smuggling liquor into the bar” it was constant lmao. (Don’t feel bad for James btw, he’s a terrible person).
#44
There’s always a date where one person continuously talks about themselves non stop the entire time. Like 45 minutes straight of just talking about themselves & never lets the other person speak.
It’s usually a guy doing this, but I see women do this too sometimes.
#45
Was sitting at a bar with two friends, one female. A girl sits near us and tells us she's meeting a tinder date for the first time. She tells my female friend that if it's going terribly she might ask her to go to the bathroom which would be codr for get me out of here. The dude shows up and is as weird and unpleasant as can be. We are waiting for the signal like it could be any moment but no, she is eating it up. He even goes to the bathroom and she's gushing about him and we're like ok wtf.
#46
A place I worked had the “break-up” table. It was a half-booth for two and I guess because of that it was where blind dates and break-up dates always ended up. And it was true about 90% of the time.
“Yo LeprosyMan, you got two at table 11!”
Oof. Even the kitchen knew to hold on the entrees or desserts until I gave a thumbs up.
The other 10% were anniversaries or (I kid you not) failed proposals. It sucked.
#47
An older woman on her first date after being widowed, bursts into tears 5 minutes in, guy she's with tries to console her which only seems to upset her more so he stands up and loudly says, "Know what. f**k this" and walks out. The woman sat there for another hour drinking water and weeping. 3 or 4 more tables get sat near her and after a few minutes asked to move.
Woman never ordered anything, didn't tip must've had 10 water refills, left the table a mess.
Tom Brincefield 7 months ago
They let her sit there for an hour crying, giving her water, and she never ordered. That's a lot of slack.
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Bi.Felicia 7 months ago
Maybe she left a bunch of used tissues all around her or something?
Load More Replies... #48
I was somewhere in between 2 or 3 months bartending on the side at a new joint and this sweet girl sat and asked for me to chill a bottle of champagne to surprise her boyfriend who was meeting her to celebrate their three-year anniversary. He showed up and was the guy I had broken up with 6 months previous. We only dated for 4 months probably but holy s**t. I acknowledged that I knew him but just generically and was just minimal contact as possible but it was super weird. I still feel horrible I didn't know how to let her know somehow.
#49
Not my table, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. This pretty, well dressed woman was stumbling in my direction, so I moved forward to see if she needed directions to the bathroom. Before I could reach her, one of our attractive male managers walked out of the coat closet right as she was walking in front of it.
It all happened wicked fast. She kind of… stumbled into the closet and pulled him in with her, shutting the door. I didn’t know what to make of it so after a minute I went to investigate, opening the door at the same time as the bewildered manager was reaching for it, trying to show the now sniffling woman out.
She was pretty upset and intoxicated and he was trying to escape, but what he gathered was that she was on a date with her long term boyfriend. This was an expensive steakhouse and they were celebrating some kind of milestone so she was convinced he would propose. When it didn’t happen she stormed out, didn’t even tell the guy why she was upset. He was all kinds of confused too, until he went to go look for her when she didn’t come back to the table.
As a server you see a lot of bad dates, couples arguing, and instances of someone being stood up. This one stuck with me.
#50
Not a waiter, but ex-chef in an open kitchen. This one will probably get buried but…
Scene- Valentine’s Day…
Table- right next to the open pass, slap bang in the middle of the restaurant (so close we could hear the couple chatting), semi-circular booth around a round table, couple’s backs to the kitchen.
They both started off on the left hand side of the bench
During the dinner, man was unloading his feelings towards her- how amazing she was, blah, blah, blah.
She was constantly slowly edging around the booth, he followed.
By the time dessert rolled round woman was pretty much on the right hand side of the booth, he was still following her round.
His next words were, “and that’s why I’ve decided to ask you to marry me (shows the ring)”
Her, “are you f****n’ kidding me?!”
She immediately gets up, storms out the restaurant, he just sits there, not moving, not crying, literally sits there.
As soon as we as staff heard what she said and did, we dipped below the pass and gestured wtf?! To each other.
Anyway, he eventually got up and left, no one really acknowledged what had happened, he paid for everything and we never saw nor heard from him again!
The restaurant has been closed for a good few years now, but that one, that one was a night to remember for everyone involved.
#51
Not a waiter, but I once saw a guy try to impress his date by doing a magic trick with a bread roll… He accidentally flung it across the restaurant and it hit another couple’s wine glass. Pretty sure that was their last date.
#52
There’s a family on my son’s baseball team where the husband and wife were out to dinner for their anniversary and he choked to death on a piece of steak. She was a nurse and another restaurant patron was a doctor. Both tried desperately to help but he passed away - at dinner celebrating their anniversary. Had two young boys. Very, very sad and I still struggle with how traumatic it must have been.
#53
Mines just the amount of dudes that think it’s okay to propose on valentine’s day in an olive garden lmao.
Fabian Pereira 7 months ago
What if that was all he could afford at that time, yet had a big hard? It's easier to assume when you don't know the full story
Robert Beveridge 7 months ago
I think the word you're looking for there is "heart". Getting a big hard at Olive Garden would be much more embarrassing. But perhaps warranted for that salad dressing.
Load More Replies... #54
Couple came in arguing about whether they should break up or not — then ordered separate meals and didn’t speak the entire time. Paid separately, too.
#55
Fancy steak restaurant- guy takes his girlfriend for a date, complains about his table being too close to a family with young kids so we move him. She breaks up with him and storms out JUST AFTER ORDERING. He asks for the bill, their waiter didn't understand what was happening so brings the bill. He pays the bill then leaves crying. I still think he should have just stayed and tried to eat both meals, but then I'm a tight greedy b*****d!
#56
Quit my job like 4 months in because I worked at a real romantic like place with a lot of dates and my single a*s high school self could not handle that
but one time I was pouring some tea into this guys cup and he’s talking to her saying “your so pretty” and stuff I turn to the woman’s and then she’s like “you looked better in the picture” and I laughed then they both stared at me.
#57
Im a bartender not a waiter but an apparent couple last month sat on our patio, it wasn’t my table but I ended up clearing their first course before I dropped off their drinks and as I’m taking plates off the table from in front of the girl she lunges forward and loudly goes “are you f*****g someone else” I’m naturally kind of jumpy so I flinch a little and the guy says “wow you’re scaring her” to which the girl responds “are you F*****G anybody else?” I put the drinks down after clearing the table and very much tried not to overhear anything else.
#58
One time waiting tables at Olive Garden we had a couple that came in and the guy proposed to his girlfriend. The girlfriends response was along the lines of 'Are you kidding
me??? No!' She then promptly left. Unless the OG has a significant meaning to your partner it's not a good idea to do that.
Wild Cream 7 months ago
I’ve only eaten at Olive Garden once, and it was in the US when I was super young. Is it any good? 😅 I don’t even know where the nearest Olive Garden is lmao, do we have them in Canada?
Kalikima 7 months ago
I think it's pretty good.. fairly good pasta, great salad dressing.
Load More Replies... #59
Saw this one date at the bistro where the dude was full-on analyzing the menu, like he was hunting for typos instead of just picking a meal. Meanwhile, his date's doing the vanishing act, scrolling her phone, probably texting her escape route. Classic case of wrong priorities. Shoulda gone for simpler vibes!
#60
One patron asked me, the host, to tell his girlfriend that we had a rule that one person couldn’t eat all the loaded nachos. She called him out and ended it right there.
#61
Here’s a backwards situation for you. A weird assumption. My friend and I, both ladies, went to a buffet-style restaurant. They had a magician going around to all the tables, looked like fun. He was indeed stopping at the tables with no children so he wasn’t there only for kids. But he just wouldn’t come over to ours. Finally my friend goes to the restroom and I gave our waitress a tip for the magician specifically and asked her to have him come over. She said “does she want to see the magic or does she want to hit on him?” Like, wtf! Neither of us had ever been to this restaurant before so I don’t know if they thought she looked like “the type” of person to hit on him or what but really, we just wanted to see some magic tricks. He finally came by, did a few tricks, no one hit on anyone, and it was fun!
#62
My husband and I met while waiting tables and every year we go to the restaurant on our anniversary, so maybe this counts. A few anniversaries ago we were seated next to a couple on their first date, and the guy was so obnoxious that the girl handed me her phone when he left to use the restroom and told me to talk to guys on her Tinder for her because I obviously had better taste than she did.
Tom Brincefield 7 months ago
Because nobody ever uses the word talk as a generic substitute for other communication means. It never, ever means anything but actual, physical vocal communication.
Load More Replies... #63
I saw a girl show up for a date on who knows what pills, and the guy she was seeing came there a lot with other regulars who all happened to be there that night. Not only was she strung out she showed up with her dog and her boss drove her there and was sitting with her. They sat outside on the patio and he was inside with his friends at the bar. I kept having to ask if the boss and the girl wanted any food until the boss finally ordered some food. She ends up eating a salad inside with the regular, and that was about the end of their interactions. Now back outside on the patio food is nearly up and she goes back outside and is sitting with the boss while falling out of her chair, and I dont know what was said as I was watching on from inside. She swings to slap the boss misses finds his phone and just spikes it on the concrete. I mosey on outside and ask if I should just pack the food to go and hes just replies like yeah that would probably be best. I doubt anything will ever top that level of f*ckery while I work there.
Panda Cat 5 months ago
Impressive! I have no problem with dogs in outside dining areas, or really anywhere. Dogs feet and lips are much cleaner than the washed hands of young children an RFKs choice of swimming hole with his children, (feel free to contact me if you have questions about the US “health” secretary and his penchant for feces laden water.)
#64
It didn’t so much go horribly, but as their server, I just kinda felt bad. My first job was at Steak and Ale, which apparently was a fairly nice place in the 70’s and 80’s. I got a job there in 2004, and by that point the quality was more like an Applebee’s or TGIF but with a salad bar.
Not gonna lie, it was a really fun job, and I loved it there. But sometimes we would get people come back for their 20th anniversary or so because they had proposed at a Steak and Ale all those years before, and it was a really special event for them.
I didn’t have the heart to tell them that the stained glass window four feet away from their table had a bullet hole in it. Or that even at 18 years old, my boyfriend and I celebrated our anniversary at a nicer place.
Austzn 7 months ago
I went there once and it is still burned into my memory for some unknown reason.
Load More Replies... #65
Not a waiter but I worked a sushi bar. It's a short, simple, sweet story. He & she were coworkers. He thought it was a date. She thought they were going out as friends. He was absolute s**t at keeping a conversation going. She was straight up bored.
I tried to help, jumped in and tried to give them topics to talk about whenever there was a lull in my work. He couldn't do anything with what I gave him. I talked about Ghibli while he was in the bathroom. She was actually into it. We made plans to meet up at another bar at the end of my shift.
She didn't show. Came in a week later, apologized, something came up. I said that's cool, we should do something another time. I got laid off before I got her number. 😭.
#66
This was a lifetime ago, but the guy was being pretentious, condescending, and boring. The girl was eye f*****g me the whole time. I ran into her a week later on campus and found out that was a first date that never got a second. She and I ended up dating for quite some time and had a couple bonus moments over the years when we both were single at the same time.
#67
Dude came in with a woman, and any time I overheard any part of the conversation, the guy was excitedly talking about his sister. "Oh, and this one time, my sister......." "My sister has this great story......" "You would love my sister...", you get it. The woman he was with was very polite, and just nodded and listened to all the great stories about her date's sister. One of my colleagues had overheard some of the sister talk too, but they didn't realize I had also heard it. At one point, I went up to them, put my hands under my chin, smiled and said "tell me more about your sister". Making fun of customers made the job not suck, and I was very good at it. Colleagues loved me, and customers were indifferent.
Aileen Grist 7 months ago
I'm hoping she means that she went to the colleague who'd also heard the 'sister' talk, rather than the couple lol
Tom Brincefield 7 months ago
Pretty sure that's what she meant, although it's not phrased very clearly.
Load More Replies... #68
A couple and their daughter come sit at my table. Daughter was maybe 16ish, the dude was kinda fat and ugly tbh, but the wife was HOT. Normal table except the wife was staring at me the entire time. Anywhere I’m walking around the restaurant, she’s looking. My coworkers are coming up to me asking if I’m aware of it as if it wasn’t painfully obvious. I’m trying to play it cool and act like
I don’t even notice bc I don’t want to p**s off the dad, but he doesn’t even seem to notice. After they’ve paid and left I go to grab the check and they left me a fat tip plus the dude left me his wife’s number w/ a note to text her, which is weird but no biggie, people have their kinks. But you guys brought your kid along come on.
Never texted her bc that’s a can of worms I didn’t want to get involved with, but I did consider it bc the wife really was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen .
What do you think ?
Uncle Panda 7 months ago (edited)
I always eavesdrop in restaurants and was sitting next to an early 50s something couple. They ate in complete silence until she quietly said, "I want a divorce." "So do I," he quietly replied. They sat and finished the meal in complete silence.
Lizabeth 6 months ago
Well at least it was a mutual decision. That's good I think.
Load More Replies... Lyoness 7 months ago
After reading these I'm unbelievably happy to be an old bag in a 25+ year old relationship. Dating today sounds terrifying.
SaladSpinnerDeux 7 months ago
Same here. I plan on adopting more cats if my husband di.es before I do.
Load More Replies...
Peeka_Mimi 7 months ago
Years ago a man said he was in his early 30s (this was before the internet) met up with me (26F) at local brewery. He was easily in his mid 50s for one and not remotely charming. Still I thought free meal as I was a starving college student. After we ate, we had a couple of beers. But the last straw was him putting his hand on my upper thigh and saying, "You know you want me." I excused myself to the bathroom and went out the side door.
Robert Beveridge 7 months ago
Honestly I've never been on a date I'd consider terrible. But then I'm super quiet, so the people who just talk for 45 minutes straight are totally cool with me. If you're talking, I don't have to!
Wild Cream 7 months ago
Met a guy online when I was like 18 (he was 18 too). We met up for the first time ever and planned to walk to the beach about 15 mins away and grab some ice cream. He insisted on holding my hand, which gave me weird vibes because we didn’t even know each other yet, but I said sure. Didn’t like it very much though (nowadays I’d say no but back then I wasn’t great at standing up for myself). His hand was really wet. And he wouldn’t stop talking about how pretty he thought I was and how pretty our kids would be, and asking me how many kids I wanted etc. Got to the beach, found a nice log to sit on, and he asked if I wanted to practice kissing. I asked him what he meant by “practice” and he said “we could teach each other how to be better kissers.” I was like…….im sorry, what? 😂😂 I told him I suddenly had a friend with an emergency that I had to go help with, but I think it was pretty obvious that I just had the ick and was eager to leave. Neither of us messaged each other again 😂
somnomania (she/her, queer) 6 months ago
i've never dated, so i don't relate to most of these posts, but it's always fun seeing how stupid and self-centered people can be. i guess that's why reality tv is so popular (although i genuinely find all of that garbage pointless and dumb). these posts also make me glad for my long-distance partner of 15+ years.
Hugo 2 months ago
You could try telling Greta, but I doubt anything will be done about it.
Load More Replies... Jude Laskowski 6 months ago
Years ago I sold cars in a nice dealership. One Sunday morning two women wanted to test drive a car, but both were obviously drunk. My manager said I had to take them on a test drive. The woman driving hit a speed bump and her friend in the back seat hit her head on the roof because she refused to wear a seatbelt. Fast forward and they sue. The manager wanted to have dinner to discuss the case. We ordered food and wine. I had taken a few sips of my wine, and the manager was finishing the bottle and ordering a second. I excused my self to find the ladies room, but stopped in the kitchen to ask if there was a back exit. One of the staff took me out and I caught a bus home. No way was I going to get in his car. Later I found out he showed up at court drunk.
Uncle Panda 7 months ago (edited)
I always eavesdrop in restaurants and was sitting next to an early 50s something couple. They ate in complete silence until she quietly said, "I want a divorce." "So do I," he quietly replied. They sat and finished the meal in complete silence.
Lizabeth 6 months ago
Well at least it was a mutual decision. That's good I think.
Load More Replies... Lyoness 7 months ago
After reading these I'm unbelievably happy to be an old bag in a 25+ year old relationship. Dating today sounds terrifying.
SaladSpinnerDeux 7 months ago
Same here. I plan on adopting more cats if my husband di.es before I do.
Load More Replies... Peeka_Mimi 7 months ago
Years ago a man said he was in his early 30s (this was before the internet) met up with me (26F) at local brewery. He was easily in his mid 50s for one and not remotely charming. Still I thought free meal as I was a starving college student. After we ate, we had a couple of beers. But the last straw was him putting his hand on my upper thigh and saying, "You know you want me." I excused myself to the bathroom and went out the side door.
Robert Beveridge 7 months ago
Honestly I've never been on a date I'd consider terrible. But then I'm super quiet, so the people who just talk for 45 minutes straight are totally cool with me. If you're talking, I don't have to!
Wild Cream 7 months ago
Met a guy online when I was like 18 (he was 18 too). We met up for the first time ever and planned to walk to the beach about 15 mins away and grab some ice cream. He insisted on holding my hand, which gave me weird vibes because we didn’t even know each other yet, but I said sure. Didn’t like it very much though (nowadays I’d say no but back then I wasn’t great at standing up for myself). His hand was really wet. And he wouldn’t stop talking about how pretty he thought I was and how pretty our kids would be, and asking me how many kids I wanted etc. Got to the beach, found a nice log to sit on, and he asked if I wanted to practice kissing. I asked him what he meant by “practice” and he said “we could teach each other how to be better kissers.” I was like…….im sorry, what? 😂😂 I told him I suddenly had a friend with an emergency that I had to go help with, but I think it was pretty obvious that I just had the ick and was eager to leave. Neither of us messaged each other again 😂
somnomania (she/her, queer) 6 months ago
i've never dated, so i don't relate to most of these posts, but it's always fun seeing how stupid and self-centered people can be. i guess that's why reality tv is so popular (although i genuinely find all of that garbage pointless and dumb). these posts also make me glad for my long-distance partner of 15+ years.
Hugo 2 months ago
You could try telling Greta, but I doubt anything will be done about it.
Load More Replies... Jude Laskowski 6 months ago
Years ago I sold cars in a nice dealership. One Sunday morning two women wanted to test drive a car, but both were obviously drunk. My manager said I had to take them on a test drive. The woman driving hit a speed bump and her friend in the back seat hit her head on the roof because she refused to wear a seatbelt. Fast forward and they sue. The manager wanted to have dinner to discuss the case. We ordered food and wine. I had taken a few sips of my wine, and the manager was finishing the bottle and ordering a second. I excused my self to find the ladies room, but stopped in the kitchen to ask if there was a back exit. One of the staff took me out and I caught a bus home. No way was I going to get in his car. Later I found out he showed up at court drunk.
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