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Ah, Valentine’s Day! Supposedly the most romantic day of the year. However, it dumps a whole bunch of stress on our shoulders. Even if we pretend we’re above all the consumerism, hype, and cheesiness. It’s also one the most disaster-prone days of the year, as plenty waiters who have seen these disasters firsthand can attest to.
Reddit user Hamsternoir turned to the online community and asked waiters to share these stories firsthand. We bring you some of the very best responses that will make you chuckle, cringe, and might even help you avoid a pitfall or two. Scroll down, enjoy Bored Panda’s interview with Hamsternoir, upvote your fave Valentine’s Day disaster stories, and share your own if you have any.
Oh, and check out Bored Panda’s other Valentine’s Day-related posts about design fails, honest cards for unconventional romantics, and what happened when women asked out their crushes.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This was relayed to me by a close friend Older Woman, probably in her upper 90's with her teen-aged grandson at a semi classy restaurant. She was dressed to the nines and the grandson was in a nice button up and dress slacks. As they got seated at their table the grandson placed a framed photo of what my friend assumed was the boys grandfather and husband of the older women. Found out it would have been their 70th wedding anniversary but he had passed suddenly but peacefully a few months back. The grandfather had always wanted to take her to a nice restaurant but never had the time or money to do it. So the grandson saved up his pay from the last couple of months and even got some donations from other relatives and took her to the restaurant. They ate dinner remembering all the good times with the man. They had my friend to take a picture and she did. They tipped my friend very well. By happenstance my friend ran into the young man some weeks later to find out the grandmother passed away a few days after that night, peacefully in her sleep holding a photo of her beloved husband. He was so happy he could make that night special to her. Said it was the only day he saw her smile since his grandfather passed away. He got the picture they took at the restaurant printed in wallet sized and carried it around with him in his wallet.
Ryo Bakura 5 years ago
This is a really touching story, and it should not be included in a list of DISASTERS. Someone make a list of nice Valentine's Day meals, and put this one on that. Leave this list for the middle-aged dude who was caught on a date with his 20-year-old assistant by his wife's best friend who he forgot worked at the restaurant he was eating at.
RELATED:
#2
I was the manager of a wings-and-pizza place with a full bar - definitely not the kind of place you'd take someone for a "romantic" Valentine's Day dinner, but it was still busy because some people aren't very tactful. We had a guy who had called ahead and asked if we could put a ring in a dessert for him and of course, we obliged. He dropped the ring off the day ahead and I put it in the safe in our office to keep it secure. Fast forward to Valentine's Day. The couple shows up, and they're so obviously in love that she didn't seem to notice or care about the fact that he had brought her to a middle-of-the road place with a sports-bar atmosphere on the most romantic day of the year. They ordered champagne (well, the local winery's best sparkling white), entrees, and it was almost time for dessert. I had used my Chef skills to whip up a special chocolate strawberry tart that wasn't on the menu, just for this occasion (because why not try to make their night at least a little fancy?) I went to the safe to get the ring, and... It wasn't there. I was freaking out big time. I asked everyone there if they knew what the f*** had happened to it. My assistant manager on-site had no idea, so I called my other assistant (who also had the safe code) and they didn't know, either. Finally, my bar manager mentioned that one of the owners had been in earlier, and spent a little time in the office. So, at my wit's end, I called the owner. It turns out that he had seen the ring in the safe, and thought it was something a customer had left behind. Figuring that he had come into an extremely lucky situation, he decided (like the scumbag he was) that he'd take it for himself and save money on a gift for his wife on Valentine's. So, I asked the server and bar manager to help stall the couple. The server told them that we were going to do something special for their big date, and to hold tight. I ran out, hopped in my car, and rushed to get the ring from the owner's house (because he was - as I had mentioned - a scumbag, and didn't want to be bothered with bringing the ring to the restaurant himself). The bar manager went over to the table, and did some complicated, table-side cocktail mix that had a bunch of flair bartending tricks and ended with a flaming shot that, once dropped into the rest, made it smoke (I was really disappointed when I heard about all of this because I would have loved to see it instead of breaking a ton of traffic laws on my quest to get the ring). Finally, I rushed back in after about 15 minutes of being on the brink of a heart attack, placed the ring on the dessert, and had their server take it out. At that point, just about the entire staff was watching the table, and when we saw the look on her face, my heart finally started beating again. She said "Yes." And, I started looking for someone else to work for the very next day.
Clavelle 5 years ago
This is a cute story. Having to go somewhere "fancy" on Valentines day is not necessary in my opinion. As long as both parties enjoy each others company, the food, etc, anywhere can be a special for Valentine's day. Wow, that owner IS a scumbag. Kudos to that awesome server for going above and beyond to make that a truly special night for the couple.
RaroaRaroa 5 years ago
Yup, the writer makes him/herself sound like a bit of a snob - "definitely not the kind of place you'd take someone for a "romantic" Valentine's Day dinner". Why the heck not, if that's what you both like? It's about the other person's company, not how much money you spend.
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Bill 5 years ago
Romantic is in the eye of the beholder. I know a couple who go to Taco Bell every Valentine's because that's where they met
Stevie B 5 years ago
I've read way too many stories recently where people are way too judgey about where others spend their romantic moments. There are many reasons why someone picks a particular location for their proposal, special date, etc. Just because you wouldn't propose in a bar/pizza place, doesn't mean someone else can't. Maybe that's where they met, or had their first date or they went there weekly or monthly for their favorite team's games, etc. It was a riveting story without the condescension.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
Imagine if the scumbag owner had already given the stolen ring to his wife—-now that would’ve been a story!
Kasey Earls 5 years ago
I love how the staff (aside from the Owner) went all out to make this work. I think the couple needs to what was happening behind the scenes though, that would make a great story for them!
Lululoohoo 5 years ago
you are definitely nicer than me. that is robbery/theft & that person needed the police called on them. What a douchebag
#3
I blew my cars tire and my friend came in to bail me out. Were both straight dudes and forgot it was valentines. Decided to have dinner and both were coming from important meeting so had suits on. We didnt catch on until the end on how the entire wait staff thought we were just the cutest gay couple.
Laugh Fan 5 years ago
That happened to my husband with his boss many years ago. They were staying at a hotel for business and had dinner there that night... valentine's night. Roses and candles everywhere - though they declined the waiter's invitation to light the candle on their table.
elfin 5 years ago
I'd have definitely gone with the candle. Also any freebies offered.
Load More Replies... LoL.alpaca 5 years ago
lollllllllllllllllllllllll this happened to me and my best girl friend once and apparently there was supposed to be a proposal later that night and thought it was us lmao
Tim Douglass 5 years ago
Lo, these many years ago, I once went out on V-day with a gay friend of mine. We were both dateless so figured it would be a reasonable way to have a good night out. We went to a gay club and had a pretty good time but his friends thought I was a total Richard for "faking" a date with him.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
I've read so many stories of same sex couples being treated poorly, this is really wonderful!
deanna woods 5 years ago
This story is super cute. You probably did come off as a really cute couple.
According to Hamsternoir, they’d been talking to their other half about some bad Valentine’s day experiences in the past and this inspired them to turn to Reddit and hear everyone else’s stories. “Never thought it would take off the way it did, but clearly there's a lot of stories needing to be told.”
According to the redditor, “Valentine’s Day has always put couples under pressure, especially if the relationship is young.”
“Now, with social media, the pressure to perform seems even higher with people watching,” they added, highlighting that the pressure to do romantic things on Valentine’s day and to share them with everyone on the internet is bigger now than before. In other words, when we see _everybody_ going nuts about Valentine’s Day on social media, we can’t help but want to follow the crowd. It’s a very human instinct.
#4
There was a note in our reservations that it was an engagement, they wanted champagne, a specific seat, bunch of other stuff. The server comes up to the table with something like "so I read we're celebrating an engagement, congratulations". Confusion from the woman; glaring from the guy. He hadn't proposed yet. She ruined it.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
Open mouth, insert foot. If you don’t see the ring on her finger and big smiles on both their faces, just dummy TF up until you do.
NMN 5 years ago
Marnie is right. Also, she could have rings or no rings at all. Rings or lack of don't say someone is engaged or not
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Lululoohoo 5 years ago
well.....not really the servers fault? when someone tells me "engagement celebration" i think they have already become engaged. the guy should have specified it was a "proposal"
Florencia Renedo 5 years ago
Hopefully she was not too surprised. Marriage should be a decision between two people, not one deciding and the other waiting and hoping.
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
Absolutely agreed. This whole idea that a man should propose out of the blue is just stressful for everyone involved.
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deanna woods 5 years ago
The guy should have said that he planned to propose and not that they were engaged.
Lauren Misek 5 years ago
In fairness it should've said proposal. It's not an engagement until the proposal is accepted.
#5
It was like a movie. I was bartending at an italian restaurant (not a fancy one, but still) and it's pretty much full of valentines dates. A guy walks in and sits at the bar by himself, looking pretty down. He asked for a whiskey, so I poured it, told him it was on the house because he looked like he needed it. He proceeds to tell me his story: he had come to the city to surprise his girlfriend for Valentines (about a 5 hr bus trip between cities) and he sure surprised her. She was in her dorm room f***ing one of his friends from high school. He didn't know what to do, so he just walked into the first place that sold alcohol. I spilled as much whiskey as he wanted and watched the raptors with him. Never saw him again. It's cliche, but it happened.
Atlas 5 years ago
Poor guy, no one deserves to have their hopes crushed like that. Kudos to you for being a friend in such dark hour! :D
elfin 5 years ago
In a way he was a lucky guy. He hadn't married her yet.
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Jane Alexander 5 years ago
Ouch, but still better to know. I surprised someone once, well she could have the cheater, she deserved him.
deanna woods 5 years ago
That sucks for the guy, but at least you helped him feel better. That guy wasn't a friend, he was an a*****e. She didn't deserve someone who would travel that far to see her.
Ottmar Straub 5 years ago
well we know that so well - my girlfriends were all liars - what a journey
#6
I was working as a waitress in a Sushi restaurant and Valentine's Day was an all-hands-on-deck shift. This guy I had just started seeing wanted to go out, but I told him that working in food service, you never get Valentine's Day off and we'd just have to celebrate the day after or the weekend after. Nope. He got so upset that he went and asked a different girl out, came to the restaurant I worked at on V-Day and sat in MY SECTION. He then proceeded to spend the entire evening making a fool out of himself and making his date uncomfortable as he tried to make me jealous. Needless to say we didn't go out again. Ever.
Johnny 5 years ago
When I read the first paragraph, I thought this was going to go another way -- I figured that he booked a table for himself in her section so he could still spend time with her on Valentine's Day.
Dynein 5 years ago
Yeah, that would have been the correct move, if he wanted to insist on valentine's dinner.
Load More Replies... Martha Meyer 5 years ago
It's a good thing this dude revealed his true colors early. That kind of behavior seems immature even for a teenager, let alone an adult.
deanna woods 5 years ago
You didn't dodge a bullet, you dodged a freaking bomb. This dude sounds like a complete nutcase. I'll bet the other girl didn't talk to him again either.
RaroaRaroa 5 years ago
Argh, this reminds me of a guy I was seeing. We were out on our lunch break and he said he needed to go into the travel agent where his ex worked to talk to her about something (long time ago, can't remember details). I waited outside when he walked in. He was pissed at me when he came out that I'd stayed outside! Clearly just wanted me there to make her jealous.
Dre Mosley 5 years ago
Looks like he went out of his way of making dumping him as easy as possible. Sounds like one of those needy, clingy men.
Hamsternoir told Bored Panda that there are some things that couples going on their first date on Valentine’s Day can do to reduce the pressure and to manage their expectations. “Don't take things too seriously or expect the date to go as it was planned in your head.”
“It’s probably better just getting pizza and a bottle of something and then go out for a date that has personal meaning like your wedding anniversary, it'll be cheaper unless you got married on February 14th!” Those are some words of wisdom! It’s always better to have lower expectations and ending up pleasantly surprised than being hyped up and crashing down.
#7
I worked at a pretty high end Mediterranean Bistro, my second Valentine's there it was probably the busiest night I've ever worked as a server. We had reservations that booked basically the entire restaurant including the bar and patio from 4 P.M to 11:00 P.M. No walk-ins were to be seated unless a reservation was cancelled, or someone with a reservation didn't show up. Most of the customers were pretty understanding and either waited or simply left. One dude however kept pushing and pushing asking every 10 minutes how much longer until he is seated, constantly saying how he is a regular customer; and how his date is going to be there at 7 (he got there at 6). We insisted that once a table was available, and all the customers before him we're seated, he would get a table, but because the amount of reservations we couldn't guarantee he would even get a table at all. At about 6:50 the guy loses it, fast-walks up to the hostess stand where the reservation book is, grabs the reservation book and practically runs out the front door. Now everything is going to complete s**t because the only copy of the reservations for the night that is barely half over is gone. Two of the owners ran outside to follow the guy and try and get the book back, but by the time they got out he had already left the parking lot. Even better is, two hours later, chaos is still running rampant and the dude shows back up saying he has a reservation for two. Three of the five of the owners (all brothers) escorted the dude and his date out to the parking lot and banned him from the restaurant permanently. They even took a picture of him and posted it in the window saying "Do Not Serve This Man"
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
What a piece of work. Bet his date didn’t stick around him after that either. Also bet he pencilled his name in the reservation book while he had it too.
deanna woods 5 years ago
That guy deserved to be banned. There was absolutely no reason for him to behave that way. What did he expect to happen when he took the reservation book and came back two hours later? I wonder if the date stayed with him.
Stevie B 5 years ago
That guy was ridiculous! But why does the restaurant only have one copy of the reservations?
Viviane 5 years ago
Maybe their computer was down. Maybe it happened a while back, before online reservations were common. I doubt they expected someone to steal reservations.
Load More Replies... #8
Bus boy on Las Vegas Strip, An attempted proposal. Dude tries to set up sign with gf's friends for her to show up and see the ring near a fountain. Duck stole the ring, they found it 2 hours later as he dropped in the fountain. She still said yes. Free drinks where given.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
Which end of the duck “dropped” it in the fountain? I mean, let’s be honest...
deanna woods 5 years ago
Folks, don't propose near animals. They are so sneaky and this always happens.
#9
I walked up to a table and was about to drop off the bill, caught the end of "it's over." Guy looked at me dead in the eye and said to "split that f***in check, right now."
Keli Murray 5 years ago
Is it cursing at the waiter? I would interpret that as cursing at the check and the situation.
Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
I want to know who said, "It's over..." Depending on which one makes a whole different story.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
I worked at a seafood restaurant and a couple came in before we were even open, but they had theater tickets and we were the nearest place. Our manager said to accommodate them. The guy ordered to children's portions of fish-n-chips. I told him they were fish sticks. He persisted. When they arrived, he said they were CHEAP fish sticks (???) and turned the plates upside down on the table. He opened his wallet and threw down a few bills, grabbed her hand and stormed out. I picked up the money, four $1s, a $5 and a $100 bill. Later that night he walked up to me and asked if he'd thrown down $100. I looked at him and asked, "Who are you?"
Carol Emory 5 years ago
I would have replied.."Nah..you go on dude. She can cover the check. It's the least she can do for dumping you on Valentine's Day."
Meanwhile, PsychCentral has some extra bits of advice for Valentine’s Day. It’s vital that both partners have similar expectations for this day: if one of you’s madly in love while the other is just starting to open up, you’re both at different stages of the relationship.
What’s more, you shouldn’t expect your partner to be a completely different person just because it’s Valentine’s Day. Oh, and if you plan to propose on February the 14th, make _absolutely_ sure that they’ll say “yes.” Otherwise, you’ll ruin all Valentine’s Days to come for yourself.
#10
Back when I served food at one of those super touristy seafood restaurants, I worked a Valentine’s Day double shift. For lunch, this younger couple came in celebrating their one year anniversary. I offer my congratulations and proceed to do my usual spiel before taking orders. The girl is looking more and more dismayed the longer I talk. Finally I get to the end and ask if there are any allergies. She looks directly at her boyfriend and states, “yes I’m allergic to fish and shellfish.” Then looks over at me very sad. I made sure every aspect of her meal was fine for her. But It was that look of “we’ve been dating a year and he still takes me to a restaurant that could kill me” that really did it for me.
Rabbit Carrot 5 years ago
A selfish man who endangers your life isn’t worth sticking around for. I hope she saw sense and dumped him.
Bob Beltcher 5 years ago
I don't think he did it intentionally. He's just a dumb a*s that forgot. However, you could argue she may have only told him once 10 months ago when they first started dating and it never came up again until now.
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tuzdayschild 5 years ago
Maybe I'm just blunt but I certainly would have told him that before even entering the restaurant.
miten sasmita 5 years ago
If he couldn't remember such important detail about you, he doesn't really care about your wellbeing. Red alert.
deanna woods 5 years ago
I am kind of split here: it could have been selfishness on his part, he forgot, she never told him, or she didn't say anything on the way in. Whatever it is, it seemed to work out in the end.
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
I absolutely don't get why so many Americans seem to think the guy has to plan the entire date without any input from her. Can't the couple just talk about it and agree on a place to go to beforehand?
Sly Cooper 5 years ago
well, sometimes you wanna surprise your other half - that's why, I suppose. In that case, it ended up being a very bad one for sure
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Ronel du Plessis 5 years ago
I am also allergic to shell fish. My husband loves seafood. Whenever we go to any seafood restaurant they are really not funny when I order some thing from another restaurant and eat it there.
Katinka Min 5 years ago
Why the hell does she agree to that?? Why is she even with that douche??
#11
In college I waited tables and Valentine’s Day was always a good one in terms of tips. I once saw a couple come in to eat, halfway through the dinner the mans wife shows up to surprise the couple. The wife took the wine bottle and poured the remnants on the husbands head, took off her ring and told the girlfriend she could have him. He tipped me a $100
Ian Osmond 5 years ago
If you're going to Valentine's Day with your girlfriend, and you're wife doesn't know, that's a problem. Even if you're polyamorous, that's a problem. Even if you're totally cool with dating other people while married, you don't go on a date with not-your-spouse on Valentine's Day unless you've actually talked about this ahead of time.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
Most "polyamorous" men seem to have wives who haven't got a clue about it.
Load More Replies... Dre Mosley 5 years ago
It's Valentine's day and he's out with his side chick? I don't condone side chicks at all, but if you're gonna have one, she needs to be on standby on Valentine's Day.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
She should have pulled up a chair and joined them, so she could tell the other woman all about him.
Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
I pictured him wearing a white suit, just to make it an even more enjoyable visual image.
#12
I have one from a different perspective. I was serving at The Melting Pot and a 4 top came in, two M/F couples that were sat in the section next to mine. About 10 minutes after them sitting down, I notice that they don’t have drinks yet, not even waters. We were backed up but they at least should’ve had water. I checked in with their server and he said he was totally backed up, so I offered to get their drink orders. I took them, put them in, and ran them for the server. By this point they should’ve been on their second course (salad), but hadn’t even had their cheese yet (first course), so I check in with their server again and end up offering to take the table because they’re so behind. They say sure and thank me. The table finishes drinks and dinner and give me a huge verbal tip, even asking me to get my manager so they can tell him how well I did. I was bracing for a 0%-10% tip... the one dude who paid left me a 400% tip ($1,000.00).
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
I’ll bet the regular server for that table was kicking themself for handing it over to someone else.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
This is a nice story, but having worked for Rocky Mountain Bankcard (processing for MC, VISA, Discover and AMEX), a tip of that amount would not be processed/paid in order to avoid scams where someone was drunk and didn't total out the check. It happens a lot in bars and crooked staffers think they're getting away with something.
#13
Happened to my poor co-worker; A guy and his date came in for Valentines Day. They had a great time, ate a lot of food, drank a lot of wine, and got along really well with my co-worker who was their server. About two months later they come back in and request my co-worker again, who happily says yes to serving them. He goes up and greets them, the guy introduces his wife to him, and my co-worker mentions something about how much he enjoyed serving them on Valentines Day. They go quiet. Wife gets up and leaves, guy just lowers his head. Turns out he had brought his mistress in on Valentines Day, but my co-worker didn’t realize he was with a different woman this time around so didn’t think anything of it. We never saw the guy again.
Francis 5 years ago
why would you ask for the same waiter from the date you had with your affair?!
Stille20 5 years ago
Also, if I was the wife, unless I knew there was something fishy (which i'm sure she did) I would assume the waiter was mixing people up.
Night Owl 5 years ago (edited)
She probably suspected it before and that was just a confirmation for her. It's also possible he was a bad liar and it was obvious because of the expression the guy made and because he didn't manage to make up something fast enough after he was busted
Load More Replies... deanna woods 5 years ago
I don't support cheating, but if you are going to do it don't take your mistress and wife to the same restaurant. To the people who say the waiter shouldn't have said anything: the guy shouldn't have been cheating and he shouldn't have asked for the waiter who served him and someone else.
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
How dumb could this guy be to take his mistress and wife to the same place.
Dutch VanZandt 5 years ago
Passive aggressive option for cowards who are afraid to ask for the divorce?
#14
I used to be a waiter in a 5 star restaurant it was my first week. One guy was about to propose it was obvious by how much he was sweating he was drenched. I tried to make them both relax. They went on to finish up their meal. As soon as the cake arrived he then went on one knee, she stood up suddenly he vomited right on her high heels. After the shock of what just happened she still ended up saying yes
Dynein 5 years ago
Uh, yuck. But then again, you can probably safely assume that strong feelings are involved if a guy is THAT anxious.
Jess-a-men 5 years ago
You can also safely assume that strong feelings are involved if a woman says yes after that.
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#15
Not a TOTAL disaster, but still not good. Had a table of two people, probably in their mid 40s last year. Took 45 minutes for this couple to get their entrees due to our kitchen being way too slammed. When they were dropped at the table, they immediately asked for to-go boxes because they told their babysitter they’d be home by a certain time. I overheard the wife say “well I guess this is why we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day”. The worst part was that they weren’t angry, just... very sad. My personal feelings about dining out on Valentine’s Day aside, I felt so horrible that this couple clearly had put in an effort to have a nice night with each other only to have it go that way. (We comp’d their meals, btw).
Carol Emory 5 years ago
To be honest, my husband and I stopped going out for Valentine's day because it was such a hassle, too expensive and so busy/crowded. I'd rather spend the evening making a romantic dinner and then curling up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and action/comedy or sci-fi flick. That's romance for me.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
Why couldn’t they just have called the babysitter and see if they could stay for another hour?
Barbara Vandewalle 5 years ago
This is why I do not eat out the day of; day before, day after, but never the day of.
L McN 5 years ago
I hope that they were offered a dinner date in the future, with kids if need be, all covered. Sorry, it may be excessive of a comp, but considering that they took time on a holiday, didn't get mad, and didn't get served in time....the parents DESERVE a date night. Put the kids at another table, serve the kids and parents separately.....my opinion. (age of kids also a factor, i know)
#16
I was eating in a fine dining establishment (Chili's) several years ago. In the next booth was a really young guy who had a big bunch of roses on the seat next to him. He kept looking at his watch, looking at the roses, and popping open a ring box for a peek at the ring. He did this for a half hour or so, then began calling and texting someone (presumably his girlfriend) over and over. As we were waiting for our check, he hands my wife the roses, mumbled something, and walked out. Poor guy.
tuzdayschild 5 years ago
Why can't we just be nice to each other? She could have told him long before then that she didn't want to go.
Richard Kellie 5 years ago
This happened to me a few years back. I was on a layover for about 8 hours so I hopped a cab into town and decided to treat myself to a nice steak in a fancy restaurant. As I was killing time, I decided not to order right away, and back then I drank, so I ordered a half bottle of wine. Had a couple of glasses and busied my self reading the menu, not quite knowing what to order. Kept checking my watch for the time so I wouldn't miss my flight. Ordered an appetizer first after about 30 minutes. Every time the door opened, I looked to see who was coming in. Anyway, The server came over and asked if someone was joining me (She'd brought two menus). For some reason I sighed and said "No, I guess not" kind of as a joke. When I called for the check, she said, "It's on the House!" and I realized that as it was Valentines they must have thought I'd got stood up on a date. I said I would pay but they said no twice, and I finally gave in with a large tip.
#17
Depends on who you ask as to wether or not this is a disaster. Place I worked at in college was a pretty nice establishment and a romantic destination because our view overlooked the entire city. It was also located at the top of a five star hotel that had several projectors cycling through what was going on around the hotel in the lobby. There was no footage from the gym or pool so it was relatively tame and never a privacy issue. Best you’d ever get were people eating, walking around the lobby or drinking at the bar. Anyway guy walks in with his wife and asked to be seated in a secluded area. Well you can imagine since it’s busy and Valentine’s Day we didn’t have those, so he basically waited an extra hour to make sure he was seated in the back corner. It’s my section, I take their drink order and take care of them though the husband was gone when I returned and I didn’t see him go to the bathroom. Thinking nothing of it I go to the bar to get the drink and see ALL of my coworkers huddled around the monitor above the bar along with everyone else in there. Sure enough I found the husband as he was underneath the table going down on his wife. Only problem was the camera above their table had a clear view because it was situated in the corner. So now the entire hotel lobby can see as it cycles between us in the bar laughing, people checking in and our romantic couple dining on each other. More and more people start to notice and the bar fills up. This includes back of the house staff like dishwashers and the line cooks. Eventually it also brings out my manager who runs over to their table, tells them what happened and they both run out mortified. But before they do the husband tries to stand up too quickly and flips the table, ruining all the plates while also exposing that his fly was down and his d*** is out. He’s yelling at my manager, the hotel manager (who came up when he saw it in the lobby) and security unzipped as he’s escorted out. So yes disaster for them but man they made a lot of people laugh that night
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
What a weird thing to have cameras in a restaurant that constantly show what's happening in the restaurant to all and sundry!
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
If they waited a course or two later, they'd have had a free half-meal... now, nothing.
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Analyn Lahr 5 years ago
For a second I thought the dude was gonna get caught having dinner with another woman on the other side of the restaurant.
Bill Taylor 5 years ago
"Only problem was the camera above their table had a clear view because it was situated in the corner. " No table cloth to hide under? Sounds like a fake story.
Pretty Pangolin 5 years ago
I imagine they could see her expression and could infer what was going on down below.
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#18
Not waitstaff, but I used to work Front Desk at a hotel. One Valentine’s Day I was working the night shift, and this woman comes down with a cut above her eye looking like she just went a few rounds in the ring with a boxer. Woman starts sobbing and asks us to call the coos which we do immediately. Turns out this girl’s boyfriend just beat the s**t out of her during a fight, and from what I could tell this probably wasn’t the first time. So after the cops show up and haul the dude off, my manager offers her a different room on comp as we need to leave the guy’s stuff where it is for him to pick up the next day. She accepts, and I go up with the woman to help her collect her stuff and move to the new room. There were a bunch of bottles of alcohol in the room, and she donated them to the front desk staff. I got a bottle of Hypnotiq, and some vodka. Manager got a bottle of Patron. Cherry on top of everything, the dude’s wife called later that night saying someone had stolen his card as he was out of town on a business trip. Never one to defend an abuser, I told her where she could find her husband. Fun times.
AzKhaleesi 5 years ago
Oh I would've loved to pick up that phone call. No Ma'am he's not out on business he's actually in jail for domestic violence. No ma'am not you... his girlfriend. And you're welcome."
Tiari 5 years ago
Ana, did it ever occur to you, that a man lying to his wife could also be a man lying to his girlfriend? But no, victim blaming comes easier to you.
Load More Replies... Kathy Baylis 5 years ago (edited)
He deserved to drown in an ocean of legal trouble. Hope he had fun trying to keep his job—-and get another one once fired from it—-with a record of domestic abuse following him. Hope he had fun trying to afford his single life after the wife cleaned him out in the divorce. Hope he had fun selling a kidney to pay rent.
Pippa Runs 5 years ago
I had a similar situation working front desk. Got a phone call from the wife about charges to her card. The husband was staying in a room with his mistress. It was so awkward.
#19
A nice lady brought her kid in for dinner. Got seated at a table next to her husband and his mistress.
How Terribly Unfortunate 5 years ago
Well, this is a list of Valentine's Day disasters...
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Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
Probably kid knows the other lady, like his babysitter.
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#20
I was working for a higher end chain steakhouse in the North West corner of greater Los Angeles (in the valley). Valentines is obviously one of the top 5 busiest days of the year for us, we did about 500 covers between 5 and 10 PM. It’s also a restaurant with a very open concept floor plan. Booths along the 4 walls of the restaurant and an array of tables in the middle with no partitions or anything between them. A younger couple (maybe mid 20’s) dressed to the nines came in shortly after we opened and were seated in a table basically in the dead center of the dining room. They were very friendly and pleasant and I could tell that for them, dining at our restaurant was a really special treat so I did everything in my power to make it special for them. When they’re done, probably around 7, I brought their check which was around $300. When I came back to pick it up the guy had a super embarrassed look on his face and he said he thinks he left his wallet in the car and the woman, who is embarrassed for him, doesn’t have anything with her because her dress had no pockets and she didn’t bring a purse. So he goes out and 5 minutes later comes back in looking pale as a ghost. He has left his wallet at home and asks if he can call back later with payment info. My GM won’t let this fly because there’s no collateral of any sort he can leave, so the guy has to drive home TO BURBANK to get his wallet while the woman waits, with her hair done and her red lipstick and her pretty dress, In The middle of the dining room on Valentine’s Day. Now, on the best day with no traffic (never happens) it’s at least 40 minutes each way from our restaurant to Burbank. She was there for almost 2 hours waiting for this guy. We were all so embarrassed for her that the staff kept discreetly slipping her drinks and little amuse bouche bites from the kitchen. It was one of the most awkward things I’ve ever seen in a restaurant. When he finally got back he was super apologetic to us and to her, he paid the check and tipped like 30% and they left. It was pretty obvious it was an honest mistake but I still think about that couple from time to time and wonder how things worked out for them.
Ian Osmond 5 years ago
GM was a moron. The amount of money they lost by not turning the table was at least as much as they would have lost on a walkout.
Maureen McDermott 5 years ago
She would've been moved to the bar/lounge. A good restaurant won't hold up seating. Plus at the bar she'd have some company (bartender and patrons) as opposed to sitting at the table bored.
Load More Replies... Katinka Min 5 years ago
And that'S why dresses should have pockets. Women should have a gorram purse on them! And what did she do with her phone and keys?? Anything can happen -- at least, bring a credit card.
Giraffes Inc. 5 years ago
Something very similar actually happened to me with my ex ... he left me sitting at a table in a swanky place while he left to find an ATM to cover the check as his credit card was declined. He wasn't embarrassed but I was mortified.
Marlene Ricker 5 years ago
All I can think reading this is that the guy was super honest. He did come back!
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
Well, they'll never be back again... and as others have pointed out: that table could have been turned a couple more times. If they were actually scamming, they could have planned a getaway -- or the guy could have walked out and left the woman, until she walked out and he picked her up somewhere.
Uno che Passa 5 years ago
This is not something you expect to see in a developed country. This is kind of kidnapping. They should have called the police...
#21
Not a waiter, but in my strip club bouncer days we had one of our regulars get suited up and bring flowers in one V-day to try and woo one of the dancers. It did not work. Pro-tip: If every time y'all hang out it involves you giving her money, she is not in to you.
Viviane 5 years ago
Years back, I read of a man who spent thousands of dollars on phone sex, then finally persuaded the woman to go on a date. To his utter shock, she told him off. "Then why did she say all those things to me?" he asked.
Dutch VanZandt 5 years ago (edited)
I understand fine... A person you pay to have sexual interactions/relations with you (in RL or via phone/webcam) has no intent on becoming your love interest. Surely not difficult to understand, RJ?
Load More Replies... Dre Mosley 5 years ago
Sigh. . .those women that work in those places are doing a job and providing a service; no judgement from me. They are not there to date clientele(though, it happens once in a while, I suppose). They often have boyfriends. They rub against you and make you feel important long enough to get paid. It is what it is, and as a man, you should go into those places knowing this or else you'll make a fool out of yourself like this guy did. He was a regular, so that means he probably dropped a bunch of money on the same girl and thought there was something there. Nah bro, you were just a reliable source of income.
deanna woods 5 years ago
To the guys and gals(they have things for us now) who go to strip clubs or shows: they are paid to flirt with you and are not interested in a relationship. That may be different for some though.
#22
Ex Barista here, hope that is close enough. Some guy on Valentine Day came in and asked us to write on the cup "will you marry me?". It did not go well. She looked at the cup while he went down on one knee. She said nothing, put the cup back down and just walked away shaking her head. He, on the other hand, got pissed and started to rant about how she should have gotten over him sleeping with her sister already. . . . we had to ask him to leave.
Laugh or not 5 years ago
Yes, and that she agreed to talk to him in the first place.
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deanna woods 5 years ago
He's an idiot to think that proposing over coffee will make her get over him sleeping with her sister.
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
Maybe practical agreements, like getting one off the lease and retrieving stuff etc.
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Dynein 5 years ago
Maybe he'd put on a good act of showing remorse and wanting to save the relationship? A fancy dinner with giving her all the attention would at least have been a start in rebuilding the relationship (followed by many further steps over the course of years). And then she realized that he didn't expect to put in any actual work, but considered all the troubles over and her still ready to marry him because he mumbled something like "sorry".
Load More Replies... #23
A few years ago, I had finished my shift at a pub I was working at, and sat at the bar with a drink. There were still a few couples sat in the restaurant, but the boss let me clock off early. I had a pint before leaving, and at a table near by, it sounded like a proposal was about to happen, a few people went quiet listening in. Then, it happened. Guy: "Hannah, will you marry me?" He was kneeled in front of his girlfriend, her sat down. Girl: "Hannah? Who the **** is Hannah?" She yelled, threw her drink at him and walked out. Guy paid and walked out, looking very red.
#24
A guy did a backflip and asked a girl to be his valentine... she declined. I walked up to him and asked if he was fine, he said it took him a week to perfect.
D H 5 years ago
While he nailed the landing, his form was off -- that'll be at least .20 off his score from the judges and will cost him the gold medal
glowworm2 5 years ago
It was that darn Russian judge. Those guys are unimpressed and super strict.
Load More Replies... #25
Two failed marriage proposals on the same Valentine's Day. The first one simply said "no I can't do this," and walked out. The second one stared like a deer frozen in the headlights for an excruciating 30 seconds before muttering "let's talk about this later." They stayed for the rest of their 6-course V-day special dinner, eating and making painful small talk.
Kasey Earls 5 years ago
May I also suggest not proposing to your girlfriend or boyfriend without having several conversations about it first so you know that they actually want to be married to you. Especially if you are proposing in public.
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Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
And this is why you either a) do not do the public proposal thing at all, or b) if you insist on a public proposal, you better be 1000% damn sure of your potential fiancée’s feelings for you in particular and for marriage in general. Otherwise, your public proposal will turn into public humiliation. Besides, why would you want to put someone you supposedly love on the spot where everyone and their brother can see it?
Parmeisan 5 years ago
In both cases, especially the second one, the answer may have been Yes But Not In Public. Lots of women don't like being put on the spot and some of those women won't answer if you do that to them. That was the case with a really good friend of mine, he asked in front of their whole family and she refused to answer. Later, after he apologized (he should have known better), she answered yes. They're happily married with 2 kids now. But for god's sake don't go for a public proposal unless you know she'll be into it.
Miraculous Ladybug Fan Ladyblog lover 5 years ago
I think it is romantic-pubic declaration of love! Better them being ashamed. But first discuss.
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Poopy Pants 5 years ago
Don't couples discuss important thinks like this before ACTUALLY proposing? Like, at least ask if there's any interest in marriage before popping the question? My husband and I discussed marriage long before he actually asked!
Marlene Ricker 5 years ago
I guess the moral of this story is make sure you are both on the same page before proposing!
#26
While working at a sushi bar in college I witnessed a blind Valentine's day date where the guy who showed up was already the girls ex-boyfriend.
April Simnel 5 years ago
"If you like Piña coladas, getting caught in the rain. If you're not into yoga, if you have half a brain..."
Koalamonster 5 years ago
This makes me think of that episode of Frasier where a woman sets up Frasier and Lilith on a blind date. Can't be too mad because at one point they thought they made sense together, why wouldn't someone else?
#27
I set my hair on fire and spilled a full Stella on a lady. I work in a causal fine dinning steak house. Luckily for me, the lady I spilled the Stella on was super understanding and her husband said from across the table “well now she has to take her pants off”. Sooo that could have gone worse for me.
Ryo Bakura 5 years ago
It was one of those restaurants with a silly gimmick, like Dave & Buster's, but instead of an arcade, your server sets their hair on fire, and you have to order your meal before it gets extinguished.
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Bobby's Girl 5 years ago
Is this in that book about funny stories that are worded so badly that nobody laughs? Because it should be.
#28
Old man proposed to old woman. He tried to get off the chair to kneel, tripped and fell and I assume broke something since he couldnt get back up and we had to call an ambulance. My manager had to drive her teeth to the hospital separately because she had taken them out to eat her soup (lord knows why) and left them on the table in the confusion.
Bobby's Girl 5 years ago
It is so wrong to laugh at the misfortune of others. So, so wrong! Bwahaha!
Marlene Ricker 5 years ago
The moral of this story is if you are old, you are excused from kneeling to propose! But it was a lovely gesture, even if it went horribly wrong.
Carol Emory 5 years ago
My MIL aunt was married to an abusive man for many years. After he died and she regained her freedom, she met at 70 years old and married him. He's rich, treats her like a queen. They spent their honeymoon taking a 6 month trip around the world. I tell ya..these old folks are inspirational to the rest of us.
#29
A 16 year old boy proposed to a 15 year old girl with a cheap ring in the whipped cream of her dessert. She said yes.
Elizabeth Mellisa 5 years ago
omg, they're so young... they have no idea what they want at that age >:-(
Dianna Siever 5 years ago
I got engaged at 17, he was 16. We've been together for 19 years. This line of thought is bull****. How many marriages also fail for people much older than this?
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Miranda Panda 5 years ago
wow, a 16yr old could only afford "cheap".... key words here smarty pants:16 yr old.... let's think about that.
Katherine Boag 5 years ago
Can't get married without parental permission here until they're 18, hope they dont mind a long engagement. Also who cares if it doesn't last, plenty of marriages that start later don't last.
Charlotte Sandoval 5 years ago
Proposing doesn't mean they got married right away. It's a really sweet gesture, and I hope they're together many years
#30
Not my story, but a co-worker (which happens to be my cousin) told me this story. One day a guy enters the taco restaurant were we worked at, he was a waiter so he goes on to bring the menu to the table. The guy (20 ish) says he's waiting for someone, so he's gonna wait to order a full meal, but as waiters we are taught to insist a little more and sell something. So the guy finally orders the cheapest item on the menu (a small carne asada taco, just one). A few hours went by, the dude's date still hadn't arrived, and every 20 or so minutes he would order another one of those small tacos. Eventually the owner of the place, who is a really cool dude and has been a friend of my family for years, tells the waiters "look at this poor sucker, if the girl never arrives, I'll pay for everything he has ordered myself" So another hour and a half goes by and this dude finally gives up and asks for the check. He looked pretty sad so as a waiter of his age, my cousin told him everything he consumed was on the house. He smiled and left good tips anyway. Stay strong guys (or gals) if she/he has you waiting that long, she/he's probably not worth it anyways.
deanna woods 5 years ago
I hate that this guy got stood up, but at least the owner was a cool guy and gave him a break. If you don't want to go out with someone, just tell them so. Leaving them hanging is not cool.
Carol Emory 5 years ago
Not always. I had a guy I knew in high school that had a real crush on this cheerleader girl. He asked her out for Valentine's Day and she said yes. He went to the restaurant and waited for her. She never showed. He was frustrated when he came to school on Monday...until he'd found out that her father had gotten in a car accident on his way to drop her off at the restaurant. Both were fine, but had spent the evening in the ER. And since this was before cell phones, he never knew until her friends explained what happened. Not every person who doesn't make it is a jerk and not worth the effort. Sometimes life gets in the way.
#31
Small, fine dining restaurant: Man from my table goes to the restroom and is gone for a while (probably 10 minutes? Which for a restaurant is a while). As I’m passing by the restroom he’s all “PSSSS!” Ushering me to the side and hurriedly whispering that he needs to leave through the kitchen because his wife’s best friend was sat near he and his date, who of course as I learn then and there is not his wife. We box the remaining courses up and do a walk of shame through the kitchen. He’s pissed, she’s crying, all while the rest of us are stifling our laughter. He ended up tipping well on the prix-fixe, which was nice.
Francis 5 years ago
why risking this sh*t? just go on a date with your wife on v-day? don't have a f*cking affai in the first place ofc. what do these man think? (i guess nothing...)
Atlas 5 years ago
I'll never understand cheaters. If you're not happy in your current relationship, why keep it going and hurt the person's feelings with an affair? Jesus, the things people do out of selfish reasons...
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Riz Leslie 5 years ago (edited)
Should have told the jerk that the kitchen is closed to patrons.
deanna woods 5 years ago
Why are so many damn cheaters going out with someone else for Valentine's Day? More importantly, why are they cheating at all?
#32
A Girl that I worked with went to lunch on Valentines day at an expensive restaurant her boyfriend had gotten a reservation for, she got dressed up nice was was going on about how sure she was that he was going to propose. He broke up with her.
Dynein 5 years ago
Why the hell would you plan a fancy valentine's dinner just to break up with someone? Break-ups are uncomfortable enough by nature, so why would you deliberately do something that sets the expectations for the future of the relationship extra high?
Atlas 5 years ago
That's what I think! This is straight up mean and highly unnecessary. Even if you're breaking up because you caught them cheating, you're not "taking revenge". You're wasting your own time.
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glowworm2 5 years ago
Ah, so it happened in the movie too. I've only seen the musical version and wasn't sure if it went the same way.
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Trash Panda 5 years ago
Who the f**k takes a date to an expensive dinner, Valentines Day or not, only to break up with them? This guy is a miserable piece of s**t and his karma must be in the toilet.
#33
These two were on a date and the guy went to go use the bathroom, The girl just up and leaves after he went to the restroom. When the guy came back he sat around for awhile until asking his waitress where she went. She replied with saying that she left. The guy then asked the waitress if she would go on a date with him. The waitress said no.
Trash Panda 5 years ago
SEE! Now if he had simply handcuffed her to the chair, she would have been there when he returned. She would ALWAYS be there when he returned. Handcuffs folks. /s
Conservative_And_Proud 5 years ago
Jesus you people. Blame the man, instantly, without knowing the story. He was just ghosted, and left with a check god knows how much. Stop blaming men for everything.
#34
Had a man and woman sharing dessert and the man playfully put a bit of the ice cream on her nose she then did the same and he did it back once more but with a different flavour of ice cream. She the flipped out at him because “you know I like chocolate the most why would you waste it you idiot”. In the end she stormed out cause the man couldn’t comprehend how much she was blowing up the situation.
#35
My first day of work on the floor at a country club was the weekend after Valentine’s Day. There was a lot of buzz in the back about this adorable family, where every year the mom brought the son out to a nice dinner at the club and the father brought the daughter to the men’s section for a dinner (which shows how much pull the guy had, since women weren’t allowed in that part of the club). It was their Valentine’s Day tradition. The kids are both ~14 or 15. I’d also been filled in on the gossip that the waitress I replaced had left to have a baby. She was really young and there was blanket disapproval from the staff and a lot of the members. I’m serving the mom and son in the more upscale dining room, but getting drinks from the bar where the dad and daughter are, so I’m around both groups. I’m bringing a bottle of wine to the mom when a woman walks in with a baby in a carrier and starts handing personalized golf balls out to people as a birth announcement sort of thing. She hands one to the mom at the table and one to the son and walks off when the mom knocked her wine glass to the floor and starts whisper-shouting at the son. People are congratulating the new mom, and pretending to be friendly, and then each table seems to go perfectly quiet one after another. I go to the bar to get a new wine glass and see a man duck over to the dad’s table and say something to him. The man gets up without saying a word, (even to his daughter) and dashes into the men’s locker room, leaving her sitting at the table. The whole room goes quiet, but nobody intervenes as the old waitress goes over to the table, hands the girl a golf ball, says a few words I can’t hear then walks out of the club. The girl starts sobbing. Eventually, the mom seems to have remembered the daughter, because the brother comes and leads her out, and they all leave together. When I was clearing the table, I read the golf ball, which says: Waitress +Member(dad) present Baby first name and member’s last name And the date.
Naomi Armitage 5 years ago
Pretty Pangolin--close, but it was actually DAD who got the waitress pregnant. Son wouldn't be a member. "Waitress +Member(dad) present"
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Prince Maroochy 5 years ago (edited)
For clarity: the father knocked up the waitress who he had an affair with and the waitress publicly announced it via the golf balls.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
I take it that the presumably rich club member-cum-father was refusing to recognize the fact that he was the father. Sweet revenge.
E Menendez 5 years ago
I can't stand women that go out with guys that they KNOW are married (and this is a country club, so you know who is who). Why shame his poor wife and kids too? She was the idiot for running around with a cheater. If he will cheat on his wife, he will cheat on you too.
AzKhaleesi 5 years ago
wait, this is horribly written, so super young girl basically .... the waitress gone to have a baby. Comes in on VDay to hand out birth announcements and dad / daughter date, dad is the father of said baby? Wow. I would've chucked that golf ball at his face.
sam 5 years ago
How horrifying is it that the club had a section of a restaurant where no women are allowed...I shudder to think about the kinds of things said in that sort of environment. Not surprised that the type of man who would attend a place like that would have an affair and impregnate a very young woman. Shameful.
#36
Soho, NYC, V Day 2009. Mid service, guy in a cheesy jacket comes in with a full mariachi band, takes a knee in the middle of the restaurant, and proposes to one of the servers with a ring..the entire restaurant is watching, staff and guests alike. She instantly says no, mortified, and leaves the floor sobbing. The band continues to play while he half-hearted pursues her, but is stopped by the manager as he tries to enter the kitchen after her. He exits shamefully while the band plays him off. Band sticks around for beers at the bar. Turns out he was her ex, they hadn't spoken in over a year and this was his attempt to win her back. We got drinks and laughed about it after service, and she banged the bartender later.
Belinda_Vikingheart_🇧🇻 5 years ago
At least she bangs someone she wanted to bang!
Load More Replies... Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
One common way people deal with death is to have sex and that ex- was definitely toast.
Tiny Dynamine 5 years ago
Probably for the best that they didn't get back together. Not a good match.
#37
Not my table, but back in my Olive Garden days, we had a man who looked to be in his mid-20s tap his empty wine glass with a fork to call for attention of the surrounding strangers, then get down on one knee with silver band in hand , and ask his girlfriend/date to “accept this promise ring.” She looked horrified start to finish.
Ruth Mayfly 5 years ago
I had to look up what a promise ring was. It's basically an engagement to an engagement, is that right?
Elizabeth Mellisa 5 years ago
yes, but it's usually 15-18 year old kids that give out promise rings... not 20-somethings :D
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#38
Worked at a chain bbq restaurant, was a line cook but could see in the dinning room. Had a lady and her kids(early teens) come in turn to be seated. She started to freak out, crying, yelling and left. Turns out the table in the corner was her husband and another lady in a date.
Kjorn 5 years ago
people are dumb. if you have a mistress Don't get in a public place with them! or at least go in another city.
Pretty Pangolin 5 years ago
Yes - ideally just don't do that at all, but at least be discreet.
Load More Replies... #39
Younger couple came in for what I can only assume was a first date. Ordered a pizza but never ate, caught up in conversation I guess? Guy must’ve been feeling confident bc about 2 hours in he gets up, goes to the bathroom, and then decides to sit next to her in the booth rather than across from her where he was before. I swear to you she then got up and used the restroom about 10 minutes later, and when she came back, decided it would best if they didn’t sit next to each other and sat in his original place. Please refrain from doing this.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
Guys, hear this: Do. NOT. Rush. Things. Especially on a first date, ffs! There’s an old saying “Impatient boys miss dessert.” Impatient boys also risk not getting a second date.
Tiny Dynamine 5 years ago
Look, when you're young, you have to go through all this to work out what's good and what isn't. We aren't programmed with all the correct behaviours.
Gwinevere von Ludwig 5 years ago
It always amazes me how unaware men can be of a woman's personal space.
Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
Being clever and playful is great when you're a couple. On a first date? Not so much.
#40
I was a hosting at a really busy brunch place and Valentine's Day was one of our busiest days. We had a full waitlist with tons of people in the lobby when this dude walks on with this huge teddy bear and a bouquet of roses. He said he wanted to drop them off for my coworker so I let her know he was there but understandably she was running around so it took a bit. While waiting, a bunch of folks waiting for tables complimented him on how sweet he was to do that for his girlfriend and how jealous they were. It was kind of cute. When my coworker finally was able to come up front there was a lot of "awww" and such. Again, we were slammed so she ran back after taking the items and it was back to work for all of us. When it died down, I asked her how long she was dating her boyfriend for and she replied. "He's not my boyfriend. He was the salesman where I just bought my car and I think he got my workplace from the paperwork." That was pretty f***ing disturbing.
Donna Leske 5 years ago
Creeper. Run girl, run! In fact call his manager or the owner of the car lot.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
That means he had access to her home address and all her contact and banking info, too.
#41
mid1980s: A couple enjoyed a meal at a 2 top that I waited on. All was well, but midway through dinner the area began to smell like someone farted. It did not go away. The man complained, and I apologized, noting that it wasn't the restaurant and there was little I could do. The woman tried to calm the man down, but he asked for the check early, demanded a discount [which we gave him] and stiffed me on the tip. They left. The woman left a skid mark of s**t on her chair.
Donna Leske 5 years ago
I feel compelled to add (as my friend does not use the internet) I took an elderly male friend to dinner as a treat. Very nice person, seemingly cognizant and capable. Toward the end of dinner he went to use the restroom. Then we left and the car reeked of c**p 30 minutes ALL THE WAY HOME.
Load More Replies... Riz Leslie 5 years ago (edited)
He must have smelled it in the car unless she washed up in the bathroom before they left
Dav Carro-Ripalda 5 years ago (edited)
Was she seated directly on the chair? No underwear? No pants? No skirt? Sounds dodgy
#42
Not a waiter but I was a pastry chef at this big resort in cape cod. We got a special order from this guy who was coming in for his anniversary ( Valentine's day). He wanted his desert to have "Will you marry me?" written on it so he could pop the question when it came out. He called ahead to the front and back kitchen, even came in himself that morning to make sure it was good to go. The whole crew was behind him. We had cooks all night coming in the ask if it had happened yet. I wrote the inscription on the plate and dressed it to the nines with gold leaf and expensive chocolate. I'm taking a picture of the plate just before it's set to go out and notice our head waiter come in with a weird look on his face. He says plainly "They don't need it" She broke up with him before the entrees hit the table.
Walkus-Andrew Andrea 5 years ago
I hope they got paid for doing all that for the man...even if it didn't turn out like he wanted it to.
Jeffrey Teston 5 years ago
Maybe he knew something was wrong in the relationship and thought maybe it was his lack of commitment?
Riz Leslie 5 years ago
All these dinner breakups p**s me off. You’re going to break up with me AND spoil my appetite at the place I’ve been excited to eat at all day? Heartless.
Pretty Pangolin 5 years ago
I can understand a public space if you're concerned the other person is going to take it badly, but a super fancy restaurant just seems gratuitous.
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#43
I saw a couple have a full blown argument in the middle of the restaurant. The woman stood up, took her ring off, threw it at him and walked out. The man continued his meal, had dessert and then paid the bill, left a pretty big tip for the inconvenience and left!
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
He got the ring back, dodged a bullet, and was realistic about having a meal.
Tim Douglass 5 years ago
Somehow I get the feeling it wasn't the first time he'd been through that - which has several implications, some good, some less so.
#44
A guy proposed to his girlfriend and she said "no". The guy threw his arms up and ran out of the building.. Later, while waiting for someone to pick her up, she told us it was completely out of the blue, because they'd only been dating for a few months... Another V-Day, a guy raised a HUGE fuss over the fact that we wouldn't serve liquor to his under-aged girlfriend.
Dave P 5 years ago
Underage means under 21, the drinking age, not what you were thinking
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#45
They came in at lunch the day after, so it was pretty empty but it was still for a Valentine’s Day date. They were both pretty nice at the beginning, the guy asked for a picture and whatnot. As the meal went on, the dude got progressively drunker and by the time I brought the check out, the woman was gone. When the dude gave me his card, he said “I’ll give you a bit of advice. If you’re taking a girl out to break up with her, do it at a McDonald’s and not an expensive restaurant”.
Atlas 5 years ago
Or maybe don't take her out at all. Why put up a whole show just to break up with someone? Unless you're both willing to become friends after that. :S
LuckyL 5 years ago
then first break up privately and go out some time after that when you're still friends
Load More Replies... Kjorn 5 years ago
or don,t go at a restaurant… what's up with that? you can't do that in a park? at home?
Serbob 5 years ago
People do this to avoid a scene. Most of the time they'll get a scene.
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Steve Cruz 5 years ago
Who takes someone out to break up with them? If it's not working out, but you really like them, send a card with that info and best wishes.
Tim Douglass 5 years ago
A lot of the time people attribute very negative motivations to those who break up in public places, and while there is frequently some truth to those, there is also a much more complex thing going on and it actually comes from a much more positive place. Often, when someone decides they want to end a relationship, they have long-since lost the emotional investment, the break-up isn't going to hurt them. This means that they don't have the real empathy toward the other to understand how they may be hurt, although they know it will be "unpleasant" or "difficult". The idea of going to a nice restaurant and having a pleasant meal is an attempt to do something good to offset the bad - that they are doing it in what is really a pretty insensitive way escapes them, they don't have enough emotional involvement anymore to get that. It is a rather inept way of saying "I don't hate you and want you to go away feeling OK about this." Yeah, it doesn't work like that most of the time, but...
#46
I'm not a server, but I work in the kitchen and see what happens in the dinning area plus I speak to the servers every few minutes as they take out food etc. Had a couple come in on valentine's Day, our restaurant sits about 50 people and we were booked for the night, so much so that we had tables capped at 1 hour before asking them to leave. About 2 and a half hours before closing the couple comes in. Everything seems normal and they act like any other customers, they order food have their starters and then mains. However, half way through their main they start having an argument and causing a scene, one of the waiters asked them if they could be a little bit more respectful towards other customers. They relax for a bit and honestly seemed embarrassed about the whole situation. This is where it gets interesting. About 5 minutes later the guy just gets up and in complete silence walks out the front entrance. The woman stays there and completes her meal. This is about 1:45 minutes before closing time. After about 20 minutes of staring at an empty chair the woman asks for the bill. The guy who left never came back. The problem was, the woman didn't have her wallet or her phone and the guy drove her there so no car either. After not being able to pay, she asked us to wait until her partner returns, we waited about 30 minutes before we had no other choice but to call the police. The police came and after about 10 minutes they escorted her out of the restaurant. Our manager felt awful about the situation and told the woman that she could return and pay the next day. I assume the police drove her home. And as promised she returned the next day, paid the bill, apologised about the situation and left. Honestly, don't really know what happened between the two or why they were arguing but that guy pulled a really scumbag move and absolutely humiliated the poor woman.
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
Err... she may not financially be able to.
Load More Replies... kathryn stretton 5 years ago
Never go out without enough money to pay for yourself, and taxi home. Stuff happens.
Dilly Millandry 5 years ago
As a safety move a person should always have some way of paying for things on them when going out for a meal or similar. He did a horrible thing but you never know what might go wrong.
Trash Panda 5 years ago
If the owner was ok with her coming back the next day to pay, why call the police?
#47
Not a waitress, but my family and I witnessed a couple argue with one another in a "Carrabbas" some years ago when Valentines was on a weekend day. When the waiter asked for their order, the woman snaps at him "Go away mf!" The husband apologizes quickly and demanded that his wife apologize, but she refuses. The argument was over the wife's gambling debts or something of that nature. My father went over to them, yells at them for being "idiotic and disturbing everyone else." Now, you do not want to irritate my father when he wants a nice dinner with his family. Needless to say, we heard the husband say "I want a divorce." The wife again goes berserk and the husband pulls her outside and the argument continues. Once the wife is gone, the husband goes back in, apologizes to everyone and says that his wife is a lunatic and that they will separate, although he wants a divorce because she is draining their bank account. Some people told him, "You deserve better." Some others pitched in for the bill and the waiter got a nice tip. It was the talk of the restaurant for quite some time.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
When an addiction is adversely affecting your life, on all the bio-psycho-social levels, you are no longer in control of it; it’s in control of you. It’s definitely time to seek outside professional help.
Panda C. Bear 5 years ago
Wikipedia: "Carrabba's Italian Grill is an American restaurant chain featuring Italian-American cuisine."
Trash Panda 5 years ago
Who walks back into the restaurant they just embarrassed themselves in to announce what just happened? So many of the "stories" reek of b******t.
#48
I used to be a waitress in a small hotel. A couple were eating in the restaurant and they had quite a lot to drink. The guy was really nice and funny when they had initially arrived. However, I could tell their conversation had soured by the time I was bringing out their desserts. They then went up to their room and had a massive bust up. He was screaming at her, she was wailing and I could hear him knocking her around. I was an 18 year old girl at the time, I was bloody terrified. I ran and got the spare key and screamed for the owner (only male member of staff) to come and help me. I immediately unlocked the door and she was on the floor with her head bleeding. I reached for her and he grabbed her out of my arms and chucked her across the bedroom, her head hitting the side table. He then threatened to kill both of us. He barged passed me and ran out of the hotel. It certainly wasn’t my best Valentines shift.
Marlene Ricker 5 years ago
It is horrifying but kudos to that young waitress and the owner for their intervention. I hope she called the cops!
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Donna Leske 5 years ago
No romance in the air that night. Let's hope she didn't get back with him.
Walkus-Andrew Andrea 5 years ago
Brave girl with a big heart. She did what was right even though she was scared.
#49
A couple came in to my hibachi restaurant since it was the "fanciest" place in town. Young woman was all decked out in a spangly, light blue satin cocktail gown, he was in a suit and tie. They wanted to sit at the grill for the show but still ordered a ton of sushi and drinks so their section of table was extremely full of dishes. I'm talking multiple mixed drinks and waters for both of them, soup and salad bowls for both of them, appetizer plates, sushi plates, soy sauce trays, and their entree plates. The hibachi seats 12 and it's basically a bar ledge around the grill for a table, and we were slammed so there was no extra room. I barely managed to talk them into letting me take the empty dishes as they finished with them, but it hardly helped. The chef starts his show and dude is super into it, demanding to be included. So the chef flicks a shrimp at him. In his effort to show off and catch it in his mouth, he manages to miss it completely and crashes into the table sending food, drinks, and a full bottle of soy sauce on a plate right into his date's pale blue satin covered lap and everywhere else. It was a complete s**t show. She was screaming and crying, the other couples that had their meals ruined were all upset, he's blaming me(?!) The bus boys and I were just trying to clean up and salvage what we could of the service... it was awful.
Carol Emory 5 years ago
Some people treat going out as a "we should be able to do as we please and they should be grateful for the business." I just witnessed a couple today that left 4 full plates of salad at a table from an all you can eat salad bar. There was food all over the table and the floor. You'd have thought they'd had a food fight right there. And, on top of it, they didn't tip the waiter. Some people should just stick to their troughs at home. SMH.
#50
16 years in hospitality gives you some good stories. The most awkward: My first job as a waitress a guy wanted to propose to his girlfriend. He came in 2 months before to book and had everything figured out. He planned to pop the question during dessert. We had champagne, balloons and sparklers prepped for the big moment. The time comes, he drops to one knee gives a speech about his love for her. He asks, she says no, puts the ring in her bag, finishes her dessert and leaves. Quite possibly the most awkward thing I have had to witness (alongside around 200 other people.) The manager gave him everything for free he felt that bad for him. Cringed inside every time I saw him after that. The most f***ed up: I was working as a duty manager and one of the tills kept dropping off the network. As I was trying to fix it I could clearly hear the conversation of the table by the waiters station. It started out sweet enough with her excitedly telling him she was pregnant. He went quiet and didn't say anything for a bit and then asked her what the plan was. She said she was keeping the baby. He said he didn't want kids and had told her this. She got upset and said she thought he'd be happy and change his mind when he found out. (By this point I've fixed the till, but am unable to step away from this car crash.) Turns out she stopped taking the pill without telling him thinking she could turn him around. He said he knew she could be a little nuts sometimes but this was next level. He told her it was over and she could send someone to collect her things as he wanted nothing more to do with her. He called me over to pay the bill and just left. The guy never even shouted, he just calmly went f*** this and noped out of there. I couldn't even look her in the eye, just left her to leave in her own time. The funniest: Managing hotel room service where there was a valentines package that included getting each course of the special menu delivered to your room. More than a few couples thought it was a good idea to call for the next course and then start having sex. Having to help with deliveries as reception f***ed up the bookings; I had the 'privilege' of people answering the door naked, seeing sex toys strewn around and one where the other members of the threesome were carrying on in the background. After complaints of similar instances from my team I had to take action. I ended up having to call the offending guests and tell them if they could not respect my team by answering the door in at least a closed dressing gown they could come down and collect the rest of their meal from the restaurant. Bonus from the same night: had to call an ambulance for a woman with a dislocated shoulder. The guy admitted that they were trying to recreate a bukkake type scene in the shower using conditioner as the 'cum.' He slipped in the conditioner and fell on her.
Ian Osmond 5 years ago
WHY WOULD YOU TELL SOMEONE THAT YOU DISLOCATED YOUR SHOULDER THAT WAY? "Slipped in the shower" is PLENTY of information. Also, there are few d**k moves more d**k move than keeping the ring after a rejected proposal. There are cases when you keep the right, sure -- if you're breaking off an engagement because the other person did something REALLY bad, there's an argument that the ring remains yours; same with wedding rings. If the other person is at fault, some people claim that you keep the ring as a consolation prize. I don't know if I agree or not, but I respect the position. But NOBODY says it's okay to keep the ring WITHOUT the engagement.
Ripley 5 years ago
While I agree in principle, I actually think that deliberately getting pregnant to someone who adamantly doesn't want kids is actually more of a d**k move.
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Laugh or not 5 years ago
You don't get pregnant when the guy tells you he doesn't want kids; it is disrespectful of him, it is playing with that kid's life. Seriously, what is wrong with people? You can't take big life-changing decisions in your own and just expect other people to be happy.
Random Panda 5 years ago (edited)
I would say the baby-crazy woman pretty much committed rape by deception - the man consented to having sex with her under the impression that she was taking contraception. She lied to him and he didn't consent to unprotected sex.
Trash Panda 5 years ago
I can't imagine, even the most inappropriate person, detailing what they were doing when they dislocated their shoulder. Slipped in shower - end of story.
#51
Someone showing up for a date and you both realize about 30 minutes in she ain’t coming. “Drinks on me buddy”.
#52
not really a disaster but this guy came in and said he was waiting for his date, he stayed for 5 hours waiting and she never showed, he eventually ordered for for himself and asked that I remove the other glass of water from the table, he said it was their first date
ƒιѕн 5 years ago
Took 5 hours to figure out she's a no show, I would have figured it out after 30 minutes.
Tiny Dynamine 5 years ago
It indicates that he was probably shy and couldn't give up hoping. Maybe he hadn't had many dates before.
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Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
Was this before cellphones? I can see a long wait (not 5 hours, but still) if it was long enough ago. Otherwise, you call them on their cell, give them a reasonable amount of time to reply, then leave if they don’t.
#53
I had a section one V-day that had a marriage proposal, a 40th anniversary, and a break up all at the same time. The break up was the worst. The guy brought his high class date a gift; a mini ceramic bear holding balloons. He presented it when I was at the table and she looked at it like it was a hot turd. I just knew this was not going to end well. She left at the end of the meal and must have said something because he stayed at the table for another 40 minutes, head down and crying. I felt bad, he saw the celebrations going on at the other tables.
Tiny Dynamine 5 years ago
What the hell is this with people going out for a meal to break up? It's the most illogical idea for this purpose!
Laugh or not 5 years ago
I don't think he went there to break up. He brought a gift he thought was cute - bear and balloon - she thought it was sh*t and broke up with him. He cried.
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Carol Emory 5 years ago
Buy that dude a drink...and by drink...I mean leave the bottle and the shot glass.
#54
A couple sitting at the bar were enjoying their night out. The man got up from his barstool and left for the bathroom. As his girlfriend was alone (and absolutely wasted) at the bar, a random woman approached and revealed that she recently matched with the woman’s boyfriend on Tinder and had hooked up a week earlier. The drunk girlfriend refused to believe this story, so the woman showed her his Tinder profile and their conversation. The boyfriend returned to a drunk, sobbing and screaming girlfriend. I felt like I was watching a reality tv show, it was incredible. The poor girl was basically carried out of the bar by her boyfriend of 3 years whom she just discovered has been cheating on her for who knows how long. It was the most dramatic moment I have ever experienced and it was absolutely none of my business. EDIT: I was a bar-back at the time and this couple sat directly in front of the place I spend most of my time, the glass washing station.
#55
This story is my wife's, not my own, but I've heard it so many times I feel like I was there. We both waited tables in college and she happened to work for a very nice, romantic Asian/Southern fusion place in town. Valentine's day was overbooked, of course, and one table, a guy and his date, had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated. He's b***hing already as they are seated so she knows this will be extra fun on one of the busiest evenings of the year. They order and he insists he wants his filet mignon WELL DONE. Person of good taste, right? Anyway, she places the order as asked and continues on her way. Food comes out. Guy is very upset that filet is still slightly pink in the middle. My wife pulls the plate and assures him the kitchen will correct the error. She takes it back and Chef says, ok, we can handle that. Hands it off to grill who re-fires it. Plate comes back out 5 minutes later. Guy is even more irate. HE CAN STILL SEE PINK!!! Sends it back once more. Chef is done with this guy and has grill turn the damn thing into a charcoal briquette. Expo runs plate out to the table ASAP. As it's being dropped, my wife is talking to another table on the other side of the room, reviewing the wine list. Guy takes burnt steak in his hand, stands up, and THROWS IT ACROSS THE ROOM at my wife while yelling about how terrible the service and the chefs are. Dead silence in the room. All eyes are on guy. Guy's date is starting to tear up. He yells again about not paying, grabs his date's arm and leads her out of the building. I hope the date made it home safely. Guy had serious issues.
Clavelle 5 years ago
Geez. I don't know how people in the restaurant keep their composure during moments like this.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
If you were paid two bucks an hour and your real earnings—-tips—-depended on the kindness of a******s like this, you’d learn to have the patience of Job in order to afford your rent. Luckily a******s like this guy are the exception rather than the rule. Most people are very nice and tip well. Thankfully.
Load More Replies... Johnny 5 years ago
I don't know why waitstaff and restaurant chefs have such a problem with well-done steak. I love it medium-rare myself, but my dad needs it well done, no pink and he says that when he orders and you can often hear the disdaim in the waiter's voice..... and sometimes it still comes out pink inside so it needs to be sent back. It's possible to cook a steak well-done without burning it.
Random Panda 5 years ago
Customer wants well-done meat. Cook has the food returned to him THREE times, because they can't be bothered to cook it properly and ends up burning it on purpose. Somehow the paying customer is the a*****e here?
Helen Haley 5 years ago
Any man that behaves that way on a night out deserves an immediate breakup/divorce. That's a scary red flag right there.
Carol Emory 5 years ago
My husband used to work for a computer repair shop. A man, who was not well known for having a bubbly personality, dropped off his computer for repair. When he returns, the owner of the shop tells him that the estimate will be more than just replacing the computer and gives him a laundry list of what is wrong with it (broken ports, cracked motherboard, broken fan and damaged casing.) He gets red in the face, says he will be back the next day, walks out to his car and starts kicking and punching his car while screaming. Dude never did come back for the computer. Probably just as well.
Mark Kelly 5 years ago
A man who does not want a steak with some pink in the the middle isn't the one to be with.
Trash Panda 5 years ago
While any server worth their weight would try to talk the guy out of ruining a nice cut of beef, the chef would surely know to butterfly the filet so it cooks through without making it a briquette.
#56
Probably not the kind of story you're looking for, but one Valentine's day at my restaurant we got totally slammed and the kitchen started melting down. In the middle of dinner service the head Chef freaked out, threw a side of salmon at one of the line cooks and walked out.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago (edited)
Good chefs are highly creative artists (artists whose medium is food) who work around heat and open flames. In that kind of heated situation, emotions can run high, so there’s always the risk of becoming a diva hanging over them.
#57
Was a server at a popular seafood chain that isn’t very fancy- but when you live in a town like the one I worked in, that sort of place is the nicest place to go for Valentines Day. Well, the night was incredibly busy when a couple came in. They were upset after waiting 45 minutes for a table, and they were complaining quite a lot. The woman was decked out in a super nice dress and faux fur coat that was actually very realistic. Well, she was sat and served her frozen drink. She goes to lift the glass to her mouth, and inexplicably, the bottom of the cup simply breaks and the drink is spilled ALL OVER her dress and nice coat. Was unfortunate.
Alyssa D 5 years ago
Probably a hot glass straight from dish because it was a busy night. Then putting a frozen drink it can split the glass for whatever reason. It used to happen a lot when I waited tables and bartended. We would have to put ice in the glass to cool it down before adding the drink.
KombatBunni 5 years ago
I was in a bar once when one of the wine glasses in the rack overhead just exploded for no apparent reason..no glass on me but the poor lass behind the bar freaked the hell out and had to clean out the ice container, the sink, the floor and wipe the bar down! Asked if she was okay, she was but just a bit spooked. Offered to help clean (I'm weird I know) but it was all good..offered to buy her a drink as a way to cheer her up..
Load More Replies... #58
Saw a couple have a full on argument at a restaurant. I wasn’t their server but the table was directly in the center of the restaurant and they were certainly loud enough for everyone to hear. My manager kindly asked them to leave and the guys response was to yell “I’ve been wanting to do that s**t for 2 years now” and stormed out
Bored Phoenix 5 years ago
Your username made your comment ten times funnier
Load More Replies... #59
I was working at a corporate sports bar that specialized in chicken wings. V-day (like most days) was INSANELY busy! As the evening winds down, someone calls in saying they're a professional food critic and demanded to speak to the manager. After a 15-minute call, the manager tells us the "critic" rated us a B- and said the food was good, but the service sucked. He said he would leave that last part out of his review if we comped his meal and gave him vouchers for free meals in the future...but he refused over and over to say where he worked. Confused, the manager talked to the server...who confirmed that the guy ate alone, ran her around ragged while shamelessly hitting on her, and left zero tip (he wrote his phone number on the tip line). Thirsty b***h wanted free food because the server didn't call him immediately for a date.
Trash Panda 5 years ago
Food critics DON"T call ahead and certainly don't let on as to who they are. I know a food critic in Atlanta and he has said that if the establishment were to know who he is, it would skew how they present the meal. A food critic wants to know how the experience would be for anyone who walked in. The easiest way to recognize a critic is that they will order way more food than they can consume in one meal and will taste bites of everything. If someone was to call in and state they were a food critic, they first thing I would do is call him on his b******t. The critic is NOT going to offer a rating on the spot. He will write about it and when published, may reach out to the restaurant to let them know they have a review.
Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
No professional food or restaurant critic would EVER reveal their identity or ask for a comp.
Carol Emory 5 years ago
And my response would have been "Sir, we have cameras in our restaurant and your handwriting on a bill in which you clearly made unwanted advances towards our waitstaff. Should you be who you say you are, I will be more than happy to forward all of this information to every public news group as well as the police. You are no longer welcome to this establishment and, if you even step foot in the parking lot, I will have no choice but to have you arrested for trespassing. Have a great evening!"
#60
I was a waitress many moons ago, and two couples spring to mind. The first were an older couple who were dressed nicely. They were polite and cordial to me, but not overly enthusiastic or friendly. They were at the table for a little over an hour and a half, and we didn’t see them say one word to each other during that time. Every time I went over to their table, the atmosphere felt like I’d walked straight into an argument, but they weren’t speaking, or looking at each other or anything. It very quickly became awkward as f***. The second couple was meant to be having a proposal dinner. The guy had rung to book a table, and had let us know he was going to propose during dessert. He’d given the ring to kitchen staff so we could bring it out with a cake, and he’d got some balloons and streamers too. Anyway, he walks in a couple of steps behind his partner - everyone has big grins for them both - but he grits his teeth and shakes his head, surreptitiously dragging his finger across his throat pantomime style. Great. Oh, and lucky me, they’re seated in my section. It’s obvious she was bloody furious with him about something; she spends the first half of the meal seething quietly, and the second having a constant pop at him. While she was in the loo, the manager made me double check he didn’t want us to bring the ring out or anything. “F***, no!” was his response. I felt really bad for him, she really was mean!
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
Don't judge until you know why she was angry -- she could very well have just found out he was having an affair, had just bought himself a luxury sports car they couldn't afford without talking with her about it, or had lost their house in a gambling bet or something!
Walkus-Andrew Andrea 5 years ago
Hopefully, he never married her! If she was like that to him, in public, she is probably a thousand times worse in private.
Sheenagh Murphy 5 years ago
well, what was she angry about to begin with? Perhaps she had found something out about the guy!
#61
Was the Chef at a pretty fancy place. We did 4 course tasting prix fixe, and were always booked to the brim for Valentines. The owner was out of town and the place was packed during our first seating when the pipes to the apartment above the restaurant burst. Nasty, cold water rained on everyone and everything. Fire department came. Owner said to give everyone champagne, clean the place up and keep going. As if anyone wanted to continue their meal soaked through on a cold ass night in ceiling water.
#62
It was my first week serving and I was trying to do everything by the books. This normal seeming couple is satisfied throughout the meal, I ask if the check would be together or separate, big mistake. I figured it would be together and go to the gentleman but not wanting to assume I asked. They say together, nbd I go get the check and drop it off. Come back and she's writing a paragraph about how I shouldn't have asked, I grab my manager and she stops by the table and crazy lady complains. They leave, the gentleman tips me well and seems embarrassed at the situation. Crazy lady fills out our survey complaining and calls the store 3 times after to complain. I brushed it off because she obviously had insecurity issues but damn what a wild ride.
Trash Panda 5 years ago
That lady definitely has issues. She probably wouldn't have been happy if everything had been absolutely perfect.
Carol Emory 5 years ago
She had no idea what kind of couple they were. They could have been boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, brother/sister, good friends, or cousins. I've been out with my son and husband before and been asked several times if it's one or separate checks. It's never been a problem and we never take it personal. The server did nothing wrong. The complaining woman has a screw loose, end of story.
Load More Replies... #63
He proposed, she said no. He cried and tried to change her mind for 20 minutes while she sat there stony-faced. She finally got up and walked out. He paid and left in tears.
NaeNae Van de Loo 5 years ago
That is just sad. I feel bad for him, I mean, he clearly loved her and she didn’t feel the same way.
Alexandrea Cummins 5 years ago
You dunce how could it be free if she paid before she left??
Load More Replies... #64
A couple came in to the restaurant I work in last year. They split a meal and looked happy enough. Half way through theyre meal I notice the guy seems upset. He's speaking louder and faster and the girl seams a little shocked. The guy start screaming ABOUT SUGAR! And how its the biggest problem of the 21century. How her not caring is gonna get all of us killed and it's her fault. There was a waiter trying to get involved at this point and asking him to stop screaming, the girl was so embarrassed she just left in a hurry, the guy ran out after her with out paying the bill. He came early next day, really embarrassed. Paid the bill, said sorry under his breath and left. Never seen either of them again.
Donna Leske 5 years ago
At least he paid. At least she got full notice of what he's really like. Maybe he was high on sugar.
*sigh*, The Yellow Teletubby 5 years ago
**cough** nose "sugar" **cough**
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Trash Panda 5 years ago
I was on a second date with a woman who I knew to be passionate about climate change, clean water, and over population issues. During our date, I apparently didn't show the same passion about these topics, specifically clean water, and she lost her ever-loving mind. She ramped up slowly but steadily until she really had a full froth going. I tried to tell her these issues mattered to me but that wasn't enough. I simply paid the bill and retreated. We didn't go out again.
#65
Worked at this Japanese restaurant and had one guy comes and orders a bunch of sushi to go, says he's going to surprise his girlfriend. He comes back like 30 minutes later and asks us if he could return some of the sushi. Apparently his girlfriend has a seafood allergy and couldn't eat anything he ordered and she was mad he spent so much money, so she made him come and try to get some of it back. Obviously we couldn't really give him a refund on the food, but we made him a chicken hibachi on the house so he could have something to take back to her because we felt bad for the guy.
SBW71 5 years ago
If this was truly his girlfriend how in the hell could he not know she was allergic???
sav 5 years ago
Well, it doesn't say how long they were together. Fairly new couples don't know EVERYTHING about each other.
Load More Replies... Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
*20min later* "Also, she's a vegetarian" *50min later* "... with a(n imagined) gluten allergy" ...
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
Good rule of thumb: Always be sure you find out about food allergies and likes/dislikes before planning to surprise someone with food. Always.
#66
One night at Applebee's, a lovely couple came In and ordered a few drinks at the bar. They were a really cute couple and tipped well. They came back every friday and always tipped well. The day before Valentine's day, the man came in alone and said he was going to propose tomorrow to his girlfriend. It was a very large ring. Easily $10,000. When he came back the next day, the girlfriend appeared distracted and the man was oblivious. When he went to propose she declined and said that she was having an affair. He looked so heartbroken and just instantly dead inside. The rest of the night, the entire restaurant was kinda silent. When they left, I didn't expect him to come back. Found out a week later that he committed suicide outside her house so that she would see what she had done to him.
elfin 5 years ago
She may be to blame for other things, but she is not to blame for his suicide. That was his choice and he also chose to use it to hurt her. This has to be the ultimate passive-aggressive act.
Steve 5 years ago
None of the information in this story confirms what you've stated is the case. This is just your uninformed opinion.
Load More Replies... Martha Meyer 5 years ago
I'm sorry, but this dude had SERIOUS problems before the breakup. She was lucky he wasn't one of those guys who kill their ex girlfriends over stuff like this.
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
I'm sorry, who spends $10K on an engagement ring but goes to freaking Applebees? And anyone who commits suicide outside someone's house in revenge is seriously disturbed. If you find out someone had an affair, you break up, get divorced, whatever, but revenge suicide? No.
#67
I served at a Japanese hibachi restaurant and once had a couple come and the dude dumps her after the meal. She then gets up and throws up a trail probably a good 20 feet as she runs to the bathroom. The dude got up and left the girl and I was left to clean the mess.
#68
It wasn’t disastrous for the couple as much as it was the restaurant. I used to work at a small southeastern franchise restaurant, it wasn’t anything you could mistake for upscale. We had someone call in and ask if we could fry the ring he was planning to propose with in a hush puppy. Extremely weird request, but we said sure. They come in to eat with their families, she gets her order of hush puppies, doesn’t choke on the ring and seems excited enough. Stayed at the table for about two hours total and chatted. They dined and dashed. Edit: Had no idea there would be a ton of confusion over what a hush puppy was. In America (or at least the south) a hush puppy is a fried ball of corn meal. I promise it tastes better than what it sounds like. Also, for all those asking, it was a place called the Shrimp Basket. It’s a pretty small franchise. Sorry to break the hearts of all those that were guessing Waffle House or Captain D’s.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
Hush Puppies are little fried pieces of cornmeal heaven right here on earth. Especially when served alongside barbecue (not barbecued something, just barbecue), slaw, corn on the cob, collards, and pecan pie for dessert.
Olivia Masterson 5 years ago
Waffle house don't have hush puppies. I worked with them many years back.
Trash Panda 5 years ago
I think it sounds better if you describe it as deep fried cornbread. Shrimp Basket is a lovely restaurant. No frills but lots of great food.
#69
Worked at a high end restaurant in podunk Louisiana. This was the spot for LSU alumni and etc. We have a Valentine's day private party after closing hours. I am bussing the room around 1 am and rich people are THROWING down. Dozens of wine glasses, bottles, food etc. Well this one lady was f***ed up to the gills and thought it would be smart to pull a tablecloth off a table to look for her "insert drunken mutter". Before i could stop her she rips it off, it hits the ground, and glass and s**t flys everywhere. She gets on her hands and knees and started frantically looking for her phone she lost in the process while wearing a little white dress. I looked on in horror and amazement. We immediately rounded her up and ended the party.
#70
Not a waiter, but a chef at a small(ish) restaurant. We were really busy (duh) last year and I was out helping bus some tables real quick. I saw a guy and gal sit down, they asked for water so I got it for them. I came back and the I heard the guy say “So why the f*** do you have Tinder on your phone?” Went back to the kitchen. My FoH manager asked me what happened and I said “What are you talking about?” I guess the girl left quickly while crying and the guy followed shortly after. They left $2 for the water, so that was nice.
#71
This couple was double dating, and waiting for the other couple. We were running 1 lb lobster tail special, and we ran out. The wife went ape s**t on me, furious about the whole situation. Their friends wind up bailing on them, and the wife gets more angry. Husband takes my GM to the side to apologize for her and they decide to leave and gives my GM 40 bucks to give to me.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
Poorly directed anger. Wife should’ve been pissed off at the friends whose lateness, then bailing, wasted time and made her miss out on the lobster tail—-which she probably had been really looking forward to.
Dianna Siever 5 years ago
IDK, I find myself being mad at the husband for tipping $40 for a poorly run promotion. I'd have been furious too. The least they could have done is offer a rain check, unless it said something like "supplied are limited so come early" which some do.
Carol Emory 5 years ago
Given the wife's attitude, I can't imagine why the other couple didn't show. She sounds like loads of fun....
Load More Replies...
#72
I weighted tables at a mexican restaurant while I was in college. A couple sitting at a table not in my section, the guy gets down on one knee and proposes with an unopened black box. The girl said "can I see the ring first" he opened the box and she hesitated and then said "ok". A couple I was waiting on could not stop talking about it. They were both mortified for the guy. Then we all kind of wondered if they would actually get married or how long the marriage would last.
AzKhaleesi 5 years ago
Wow.... Just Wow. I can't wrap my head around these entitled little twits. I get it big flashy rings are pretty. But I'd take true love and loyalty and bread twist tie over a flashy ring and a loveless crappy marriage. If you can get both great. But just because someone can't afford a multi thousand dollar ring doesn't mean they aren't worthy. smh
Carol Emory 5 years ago
I love the guy that bought his girlfriend a ring and "accidentally" left the receipt in the bag. He bought it from a p**n shop for $1200 bucks. She was pissed saying he makes six figures a year, he could have bought her a better ring..and not one that used to be owned by someone else. They broke up over it. I think more guys should do this to filter out the materialistic gold diggers from the honestly good women.
Deborah Brett 5 years ago
Could be more than the obvious... She wanted to check to make sure he wasn't recycling the ring she saw on his last fiancee.... She hated diamonds, or was allergic to some metals, and wanted to know that he had the sensitivity to take that into account when buying the ring... she was autistic, and expected to see the ring before responding, with out the response being conditional on the type of ring.
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
It could have just been a huge cubic zirconia worth $50 for all she could have told from looking at it.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
If she really loved him, it wouldn’t have mattered if the box was empty. Each of us deserve to love, and be loved by, someone who actually wants to be with us. Regardless of the size of our wallet, our looks, or whether we’re good for their career.
#73
Had a couple sign divorce papers and cry a bunch.
RacconLifeGirlie 5 years ago
on my cousin's birthday, his wife handed him divorce papers. they were all wrapped up with a bow on top, in one of those boxes that usually hold clothes.
Ronel du Plessis 5 years ago
My twin sister's divorce was finalised on valentine's day 2008. She said it was the best v-day present ever.
Trash Panda 5 years ago
When my ex-wife and I finalized our divorce, went out and grabbed a beer to celebrate. We didn't hate each other, we had just grown apart.
#74
my friend and her husband would fake a proposal every year on valentines day for free food. turns out one of the people working that day, also worked LAST valentines day. she shut down the shenanigans and they got kicked out. they moved to a new restaurant and continued the tradition the next year
Trash Panda 5 years ago
Restaurants DON"T give away food on V-day. A comp here and there but no restaurant is just giving away meals for all the cute couples coming in proposing.
#75
I worked at a sports bar Every couple there on valentines day was a divorce waiting to happen
#76
I waited on one of the owners of the restaurant I was working at with his girlfriend and her tween kids (kinda weird, but probably didn't get a babysitter). He had been dating this woman for a number of months, but it was his first Valentine's Day on a date that wasn't his wife in decades. I don't think he was ready, but he was there to support the business. He broke down crying during dinner and it was heartbreaking. They left early.
Prince Maroochy 5 years ago
I think we're missing some info here... is he a widower? Divorced?
#77
Nothing too scandalous, but I'd say "Happy Valentine's Day" pretty much to any couple that sat at my tables, occasionally one of them would say something like "we're not dating". Some of the times, the other person would give a look that pretty much confirmed that they both had very different interpretations of what was going on. There's an episode of 30 Rock where they mention that "going to IKEA" is a big stress test in relationships. That has nothing on going to a restaurant on the busiest days of the year, particularly Mother's Day, and Valentine's (especially when it's on a weekend). I'd say 99% of the "disasters" I've seen have just been normal run of the mill issues where couples realize they have different levels of patience, and one person undoubtedly gets aggravated with the packed restaurant, and their time is ruined.
Carol Emory 5 years ago
I will get angry and frustrated when there is no reason for bad service or long wait times. If we go out on a holiday, like Valentine's Day, I don't get upset because the waitstaff are already overwhelmed and frantic. Those are the times I'm calm to keep them calm. I've been in the service industry. I recognize when a situation is bad service from being overwhelmed and when it's bad service from staff that have just given up on trying. And know that if I see a server or hostess that is overwhelmed and you're being nasty to them...I will call you out and ruin your day further.
Valentine's Day can often be a day filled with unexpected relationship revelations, as numerous servers have interesting stories to share from their experiences.
If you're curious about how restaurant interactions can drastically change the dynamic between couples, you may want to learn about how differing attitudes towards service staff on this day can actually make or break a relationship.
What do you think ?
slackjack 5 years ago
Proposals are an interesting custom. My wife and I talked about it for months before deciding it would be a good idea. We've been happily married for 40yrs!!
Carrot dude 5 years ago
A lot of these are pretty funny, but some of them make me feel really bad for those that had to deal with such horrible people.
ADHORTATOR 5 years ago
My father in law passed away two years ago, so I will take out my mother in law today... perhaps we will see similar stories
Clavelle 5 years ago
Aww, that's awesome!!! We need more stories like this one.
Load More Replies... Dianna Siever 5 years ago
I'm just so disgusted by the people on here judging others because of their choice of a "classless" restaurant to propose in. It's just hateful. Thank God for people who cherish love more than money. It's the same as criticizing a man for the ring for not having a big enough diamond. THAT attitude is what is classless.
Cheryl Wilcox 5 years ago
I think a nice home cooked dinner is best for a proposal. At least it's private, if things go wrong. The whole fancy proposal thing seems really dated to me. Why haven't the couple discussed it before? I wouldn't say yes to a surprise proposal. It would make me feel we didn't have good communication. Although I guess I'm weird.
Walkus-Andrew Andrea 5 years ago
It is hard to upvote, especially bad stories. I have struggled with this immensely.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
I worked at a nice bakery that served sandwiches at lunch. A couple came in, dressed very nicely, ordered well, and when they left, she walked out the door and he came to the bakery counter. "Sounds like that went well." He looked up, smiled, and said, "We're good friends, but weren't good spouses. We're going back to being friends and just agreed upon the terms of our divorce." He bought himself a cheesecake and chocolate eclairs for her.
slackjack 5 years ago
Proposals are an interesting custom. My wife and I talked about it for months before deciding it would be a good idea. We've been happily married for 40yrs!!
Carrot dude 5 years ago
A lot of these are pretty funny, but some of them make me feel really bad for those that had to deal with such horrible people.
ADHORTATOR 5 years ago
My father in law passed away two years ago, so I will take out my mother in law today... perhaps we will see similar stories
Clavelle 5 years ago
Aww, that's awesome!!! We need more stories like this one.
Load More Replies... Dianna Siever 5 years ago
I'm just so disgusted by the people on here judging others because of their choice of a "classless" restaurant to propose in. It's just hateful. Thank God for people who cherish love more than money. It's the same as criticizing a man for the ring for not having a big enough diamond. THAT attitude is what is classless.
Cheryl Wilcox 5 years ago
I think a nice home cooked dinner is best for a proposal. At least it's private, if things go wrong. The whole fancy proposal thing seems really dated to me. Why haven't the couple discussed it before? I wouldn't say yes to a surprise proposal. It would make me feel we didn't have good communication. Although I guess I'm weird.
Walkus-Andrew Andrea 5 years ago
It is hard to upvote, especially bad stories. I have struggled with this immensely.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
I worked at a nice bakery that served sandwiches at lunch. A couple came in, dressed very nicely, ordered well, and when they left, she walked out the door and he came to the bakery counter. "Sounds like that went well." He looked up, smiled, and said, "We're good friends, but weren't good spouses. We're going back to being friends and just agreed upon the terms of our divorce." He bought himself a cheesecake and chocolate eclairs for her.
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