Article created by: Saulė Tolstych

Sometimes folks say and do questionable things that make you wonder why their mind functions the way it does. More often than not, those things are of a negative undertone – hence why their behavior puzzles everyone around them. That entitled attitude mainly occurs with folks who, at that moment, are in the role of consumers and affects those who are in the customer service industry.

However, not everything has to be so gloomy in the business. Every once in a while, people encounter customers who say and do very inoffensive but confusing things. Whether it's them asking you if the fish is grass-fed or requesting that you something that is totally out of your control – it will surely amuse a staff member or two. 

For instance, a member of this online community wondered whether food industry folks have any odd stories to tell regarding their guests. The post received over 2.3K comments worth of strange yet entertaining stories. 

More info: Reddit

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#1

Close-up of fresh salmon fish steaks displaying vibrant orange flesh in a market, illustrating customer encounters with seafood buyers. Lady mad that we didn't have grass-fed salmon. What-

elsieburgers , Andrea Pokrzywinski Report

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mike_loux avatar
Bacon Tentacles
Bacon Tentacles
Community Member
4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tell her to smoke the grass, then eat the salmon. Even better.

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    #2

    Fresh garden salad served with creamy dressing, illustrating a typical customer encounter food presentation. Lady asked for her salad with the dressing on the side. After taking a few bites, she went up to the GM and said "this salad tastes quite bland. Could this be because I haven't put in the dressing?" Yes. Yes it could be.

    Qweritiop , stu_spivack Report

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    #3

    Close-up of red HSBC Advance Visa debit card with another Visa card partially visible, illustrating customer encounters. So many, but one that sticks out is a couple I was waiting on had two credit cards out when they were paying so I asked “splitting 50/50?” and the customer VERY angrily said “NO we want it split in half!”

    JohnnyBananasFoster , Images Money Report

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    mike_loux avatar
    Bacon Tentacles
    Bacon Tentacles
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    At least one of those customers is not gonna tip well.

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    #4

    Plates of tapas and glasses of white wine on a table illustrating funny or bizarre customer encounters in a dining setting. I had a family of 6 try to get their entire meal for free because we were out of the (non-edible) decorative garnish on their 4-year-old's dessert. Literally yelled and screamed and called me racist. So I took $0.05 off of their bill and i personally tipped the server out of my own pocket.

    captainp42 , Mike Mirano Report

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    #5

    Piles of cooked lobsters displayed at a seafood market showcasing a buzzworthy customer encounter scene. A woman complained that there was too much lobster in the lobster bisque. I had no words.

    not_a_ham_sandwich , Chloe Media Report

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    #6

    Buffalo chicken wings coated in sauce served in a white paper tray, illustrating funny or bizarre customer encounters. A customer sent back a dozen wings because "these wings are too big. There's too much meat on these wings". During the same shift, a guy sent his ribs back for being too tough. He demonstrated their toughness by showing me that he couldn't cut through them. He has been trying to cut them longways, through the bone

    confused_connection , Michael Ocampo Report

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    #7

    Close-up of a shrimp taco with bell peppers and lime wedges on a white plate, illustrating bizarre customer encounters. I once had a lady freak out about her child inhaling secondhand smoke in the restaurant. It was from the fajitas being delivered to the next table over. No smoke reached her table.

    EnjoyWolfCola , A Healthier Michigan Report

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    mike_loux avatar
    Bacon Tentacles
    Bacon Tentacles
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Unless her child has asthma, that's just silly.

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    #8

    Cozy living room fireplace with fire burning and tools nearby, illustrating funny or bizarre customer encounters theme. Had a guy ask me how we got such realistic looking fake fire. In our (real) fireplaces. That he watched me add wood to. Oh, and the woman who’d insisted that we’d changed our crabcake recipe from fresh to canned crab and that she could taste the difference and refused to pay. Yeah, we’d always been using canned crab. She did not get out of paying.

    stupidgoddamnwebsite , Joanna Bourne Report

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    mike_loux avatar
    Bacon Tentacles
    Bacon Tentacles
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes, yes, now it's even...canned-er.

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    #9

    Basket of fresh purple eggplants on a blue checkered cloth, illustrating funny or bizarre customer encounters. "What is eggplant? Chicken?" I got an A+ that day for keeping a straight face. It was 100% a serious question, and it took everything in me not to burst out laughing.

    Spare-Source-1030 , Green Mountain Girls Farm Report

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    mike_loux avatar
    Bacon Tentacles
    Bacon Tentacles
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    George Carlin: "Is it an egg, or is it a plant?"

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    #10

    Candlelit restaurant table with butter knives on napkins and a menu, perfect for sharing funny or bizarre customer encounters. Lady wanted us to blow out all the candles in the restaurant because "they were using too much oxygen"

    acinonyc , WineCountry Media Report

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    #11

    Fresh salad bowl with lettuce, croutons, and dressing, illustrating funny or bizarre customer encounters concept. Had a guest order a chicken Caesar salad. I rang it in. A few minutes later she pulls me over and complains that I never asked what dressing she wanted.

    Alecsgyo , Ernesto Andrade Report

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    mike_loux avatar
    Bacon Tentacles
    Bacon Tentacles
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    OK, to be fair, I probably would have asked, "Standard Caesar dressing OK?" Because, well...paranoia.

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    #12

    Glass of amber cocktail with a green-stirrer on a wooden surface among liquor bottles, illustrating funny customer encounters. Last week I had a woman who was convinced I was lying to her when I said there was no way to make a virgin Sazerac. After ten infuriating minutes of back and forth she finally gave up and said, "Fine, make me a virgin Old Fashioned." Upside, I got to use my fancy hit the bricks line of "I'm sorry ma'am it seems as though I won't be able to meet your expectations tonight. Take care!"

    IUsedTheRandomizer , Willrad von Doomenstein Report

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    mike_loux avatar
    Bacon Tentacles
    Bacon Tentacles
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Unfortunately, we do not have what it takes to serve you. Ever."

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    #13

    Grilled shrimp skewers in a foil tray representing a funny or bizarre customer encounter shared online. Lady came in and ordered our fried shrimp appetizer. She kept talking about how good the breading was and asked me if I could get her an extra side of the “sauce they fry it in”. I tried to explain to her it was just cajun seasoned flour but she didn’t get it. Finally got her a side of the flour and watched her dip her shrimp in flour and ate the entire thing. It was strange to say the least.

    ladz42791 , wEnDy Report

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    #14

    Hand holding a small portable fan with a cute bear figure, illustrating funny or bizarre customer encounters. A woman smoking with her own fan blowing the smoke away from her. "Sorry, but I can't stand smoke."

    [deleted] , HS You Report

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    See Also on Bored Panda
    #15

    Plate of stir-fried shrimp and vegetables with a glass of Tsingtao beer on a red patterned table, customer encounters theme. A group sent their food back because their portions were so big that they were "overfaced". They requested a complete refund (rather than smaller portions, or ordering something else from the "light" menu). Apparently just the sight of such large portions made them feel ill and so they didn't want to eat at our establishment any more. I can't even fathom their game plan?

    kjs98 , Terry Kearney Report

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    #16

    Plain cheesecake on a white plate in a kitchen setting, related to funny customer encounters in viral threads. Had a bar guest walk into the kitchen and take an entire cheesecake out of our dessert fridge. No one saw him do it in the kitchen and the bartender was to shocked to say anything

    Krankhaus1221 , Tony Alter Report

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    #17

    Colorful stacks of Monopoly money arranged in a box representing fun and bizarre customer encounters shared online. I have a few: 1. Lady tried to pay me with Monopoly money and didn’t understand why I couldn’t take it. She’s a regular 2. Lady asked me for “a bundle” of sugar packets. I brought her 6. She needed more. I ended up bringing her 20 sugar packets that she proceeded to dump into her salad. 3. Lady asked me to peel her breadsticks. 4. Lady didn’t understand why I couldn’t connect two 4 seater booths together to make an 8 seater booth. She couldn’t understand that they are glued into the wall. 5. Lady who choked out her kid in the middle of the dining room to prove a point to another table

    tinamolinaa , Anil Mohabir Report

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    #18

    Homemade vegetable pizza fresh from the oven, linked to funny and bizarre customer encounters shared online. Is the boar pizza vegetarian? (No, it has boar) Is this pasta vegan? (No, it has egg, cheese, and bacon) Oh, that's fine. Being unable to understand that a well done steak takes longer to cook than a rare steak. Nothing too crazy, I've been lucky!

    PurpleMatt , Martin Monroe Report

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    #19

    Box of ripe pineapples with tags, illustrating a bizarre customer encounter shared in a viral thread about fruit shopping. Me:"We have a pineapple cider on tap currently." Cust:"Can you describe that in detail for me?" Me:".....it is a cider.....that tastes like pineapple."

    kilted44 , Michael Lehet Report

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    #20

    Grilled fish with garlic, herbs, lemon, boiled potatoes, and roasted tomato on a white plate served outdoors. A fish dish consisting of all fish components (clearly described on the menu) being too ‘fishy’ tasting or a blind woman complaining about her dessert. For the way it looks. Yea that was tough

    Mememememeyouyou , Lisa Risager Report

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    #21

    Uncooked savory pie with mixed ingredients baking in an oven, illustrating a funny or bizarre customer encounter story. Had a woman ask me what the catch of the day was while pointing at the menu where it said quiche of the day.....

    inuangledemon , Sean MacEntee Report

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    #22

    Bowl of soba noodles with sliced cucumber, crab sticks, and seasoning on wooden table with soba sauce and bundled noodles nearby. Had a lady tell me her chilled salad plate was too cold. I had to fight the urge to tell her to just wait a couple minutes and it wouldn't be and just go get her a room temp plate

    cam52391 , Richard Masoner Report

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    #23

    Bowl of homemade soup on a table, perfect for sharing funny or bizarre customer encounters with food service. Demanded a soup option. In the top fast food pizza restaurant.

    richyyoung , Rool Paap Report

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    #24

    Glass of iced drink with lime wedge on wooden table, illustrating customer encounters shared in a viral thread. Lady came in and ordered a vodka soda no ice, then proceeded to pour it into her feeding tube. I mean, who am I to judge, right? The next drink she ordered was the house chard.

    imeuru , Sara J. Report

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    See Also on Bored Panda
    #25

    Plate of Mexican food with tortillas and spicy toppings, illustrating a funny or bizarre customer encounter story context. I'll have the huevos rancheros with no egg please. Or, I'll have the prime rib, well done please.

    crusttysack , jeffreyw Report

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