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Serving fajitas hot is not a walk in the park. It’s rather like walking on eggshells, ‘cause an encounter with a customer can go sour anytime. And forget the mantra “The Customer Is Always Right.” Reality is a teeny tiny bit different.

The truth is, some customers are just too much. From ordering something that’s virtually non-existent and coming up with their own takes on the menu to plain yelling and calling corporate, this is the daily bread of food industry workers.

Thus, fed up with entitled customers, people on Twitter got together for this viral thread and shared their stories of working as food servers. Nobody said that accommodating serial a-holes for a living was meant to be easy, but nobody warned them it’s that damn hard, either.

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is it me or has anyone else noticed that common courtesy isn't common anymore?

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Bored Panda reached out to a college student named Palmer, better known by his Twitter handle Decent Pigeon, whose tweet on delivering Grubhub to a problematic customer went viral with 374.2K likes as well as 58.7K retweets and comments. In addition to creating content for Twitter, Palmer has also worked for DoorDash and Grubhub for the past three years and he agreed to share what it was like.

“The funniest part of the industry is that when a customer is mad, they have (a couple of times) tried to degrade me based on my job title, the ‘service industry worker,’” Palmer told us. “It’s almost like I only do it on the side while I study in college to get another job.”

Palmer can’t wrap his head around the customers that degrade the industry they rely so heavily on. “I’ve encountered tons of amazing people in the industry, so why chalk it down to just their job title?” he continued. “Cliche, but people just need to learn to respect one another.”

This viral thread has shown Palmer that he is not alone, “and that I am not cursed with all the psychos of the industry.” He also said that none of the stories truly surprised him because “many customers in the service industry are extremely entitled and rude.”

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Oskar vanZandt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just nod your head and give them what you were going to give them... no sense talking to some people.

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It’s not the first, and let’s be real—probably not the last time we hear about entitled customers. Just take a look at our previous post on people sharing ridiculous demands from customers from hell or this post on customers acting like total jerks and getting shamed for it online. Such incidents are all too common, but there may be an underlying reason for it.

In fact, American consumer culture focuses a lot on making people feel special and people come to expect it. This article suggests that “They feel like they have a right to act however they want towards others until they’re appeased—which winds up isolating the consumer and shaping their view of the world as 'me against them.'”

This type of rude behavior is related to the entitlement mentality which basically screams “Me!” in most daily-life scenarios. Psychiatrists say it is manifested in an over-exaggerated sense of self-importance, lack of understanding of others, and unwillingness to compromise.

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never argue with stupid. Just humor them and let them pay champagne prizes if they want Sprite in a champagne glass.

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have heard similar variations of this so many times, it is really concerning how many people do not grasp the concept.

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When it comes to the food service industry, bad customer behavior is usually associated with attitude problems and plain rudeness. But this research showed it’s much more sinister than that: “behaviors of entitled customers negatively impacted waitstaff employees.”

Moreover, “the participants in the study have reported 'physiological arousal, negative affect, burnout, and feelings of dehumanization as a result of dealing with these patrons.'” In these cases, sticking to the age-old mantra “the customer is always right” may make matters even worse.

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Kevin Wayne
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Quote by Albert Einstein: "two things are infinite - the universe and human stupidity and i'm not sure about the universe"

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Pseudo Puppy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

laughing at stupid customers, while out back, is the ONLY thing that keeps customer-service staff sane. Retail, hospitality, corporate..... we all laugh at stupid customers while out the back. Only way to survive.

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Mama Panda
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are the a******s that make those of us with real food allergies look bad

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Mama Panda
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Must have been the same dipshit that didn't want cheese on his cheeseburger!

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Bill Taylor
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Should have called it a "special order" and charged him triple for the one pound container...

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Tabitha L
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really really don't understand the cheeseburger, no cheese thing. What do they think a hamburger is? Do they think hamburgers are made of ham?

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Troux
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

With all the cameras at fast food places, I would think you could catch who this was by their license plate, and yes it's absolutely worth it to press charges against harassment of any sort.

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can kinda understand this coz cold hot chocolate tastes different to chocolate milk.

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Perfumista Perfumista
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Chocolate milk typically uses chocolate syrup (though not always). I would never make hot chocolate with chocolate syrup. Heck if a menu says hot fudge and my sundae comes wtih chocolate syrup I get ticked.

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Monday
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah I get this one....Chocolate milk and cold hot chocolate are two very different drinks.

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First Last
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd seriously like to partially blame Dunkin' for this one with their stupid frozen hot chocolate. Not sure if it's still on their menu but I hated it the minute I saw the name.

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Lisa
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We really need to lose the "customer is always right" mentality in the States, and workers to be treated respectfully or GTFO.

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Mike Pittman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In all fairness, hot chocolate isn't just hot chocolate milk, these are two difference things.

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Oskar vanZandt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd serve her a hot chocolate and tell her to wait a while or go home and throw some ice cubes in it... good idea to have set menu offerings that cannot be altered since some people 'take the p*ss' wherever they go...

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James Mills
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

there is such a thing called a "hot and cold chocolate", its basically a hot chocolate, but you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, its amazing, because one second it'll be hot, the other it'll be cold and sometimes in-between.

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Elizabeth Bullard
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean, maybe I'm weird, but I make my hot chocolate with water, so I would think that a cold hot chocolate wouldn't be as thick as chocolate milk, but idk

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Tabitha L
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do love a Frozen Hot Chocolate. One of my favorite guilty pleasures.

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Lisa
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is such a thing as a frozen hot chocolate. Besides they have cold coffees.

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Callie Ge
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Like my nan always said, most people are basically stupid

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K
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh I remember when Dairy Queen had frozen hot chocolates. They were so good. Hot Chocolate definitely tastes different than chocolate milk.

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Melanie Ladouceur
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hmm this one I kind of get cause hot chocolate is made with water where as chocolate milk is well “milk” . Being Lactose intolerant, a “cold hot chocolate” is as close to chocolate milk as I’ll get!

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Nathan Neustaedter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

whenever that lady asks for a hot chocolate just warm up chocolate milk in a microwave

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Charlene Ivy Attard
Community Member
3 years ago

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Anna Witt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate to say this, but I understand what the lady wanted. It makes sense to me.

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Mike Pittman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one is kind of on them, hot chocolate isn't generally heated chocolate milk, chocolate milk is thicker.

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Mike Pittman
Community Member
3 years ago

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Brian Beets
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hot chocolate is usually made with water, not milk. Too easy to scorch milk when made in a fast food restaurant. So I kinda get what she was wanting.

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christofulai
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Very simply: "can I get a cup of hot chocolate poured into a cup of ice?" Sadly, some brains don't work.

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Stille20
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can say we don't have that on the menu. But Frozen hot chocolate is a thing. You can make the $ and pour a hot chocolate over ice and get on with your life.

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Elaine Mattingly
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Twelve minutes later hand her the milk and appolagize for it taking so long to seperate the chocklet from the milk.

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ZET P.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

well depending on the country you are from hot chocolate is made really dense almost like a pudding-like consistency. orrr it's made out of real chocolate like you put the chocolate cubes in steaming hot milk and melt it down...... and cold chocolate milk is a more "watery" beverage because you mix the sweetened chocolate powder with cold milk and do not put real chocolate in it since real chocolate can't melt in cold milk... if that makes any sense to you? ---- in Switzerland we have about 4 or 5 different kinds of ways to mix chocolate to milk.... depends on your creativity ;D..

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Anna Repp
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've asked for an "iced hot chocolate" a few times in my life and got it, although had to explain once what I actually meant. I do not know how else is to name it, especially if a cafe has iced tea on the menu and hot chocolate, but no iced chocolate...

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J R
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depending on where this was, the lady might have a valid point. Dunkin Donuts actually makes frozen hot chocolate (not cold hot chocolate, but she could have gotten confused). There was a period where it was discontinued, though, so if the lady didn't know it was discontinued and the server didn't know Dunkin Donuts used to sell it, then that could explain the confusion.

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Jean-francois Desbiens
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here in Canada, Second Cup sells chilled hot chocolate. Which is indeed different from their chocolate milk. So maybe that was it.

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Charlene Ivy Attard
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A cold hot chocolate is a hot chocolate with a scoop of white chocolate vanilla ice cream in it. It existed on the original San Churro menu.

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Mama Panda
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, I have never had them charge my credit card either when checking in. They give me the option at check out to pay with the card, with another card, or with cash. When I am checking in, there shouldn't be a charge at all since I just got to the hotel and haven't even walked into the room yet let alone stay in it.

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Andris Valdmanis
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is cheese with lactose and there is cheese nearly without lactose - depends on the manufacturing process. You cannot know, you have to read the product analysis if you are lucky enough, that there is one. I know it, because I am lactose intolerant and had to learn it. And then there are people that are lactose-intolerant, and there are people with an milk allergy, also two seperated issues. So it is not allways a dumb question, even if it feels like it for someone who has no idea, because he has not to deal with it.

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Without any other context I am presuming the customer didn’t really speak english, had an intellectual disability, had a stroke or a neurological disorder etc.

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BluEyedSeoulite
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love to torture my Italian friends with our fake Italian foods! So yummy but so wrong

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Mama Panda
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because her kid would have had a full blown temper tantrum right there in the restaurant so she tried to make the best of it by ordering what the kid wanted and expected Jay to understand. sheesh!

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Ksenia M
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It seems like Subways work differently here because you can definitely get all the vegetables without paying extra. Is that different in the US, you only get like tomatoes and onions but you pay more for pickles?

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Amanda Sherland
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

God, I have a friend who does this and it drives me bonkers to listen to him talk on the phone, ordering something or getting customer service. He always talks over the person and misses all their questions and then gets mad at them.

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Should have rung it up as a cheese pretzel wo cheese. That's one dollar extra...

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Queen Jackson.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's stealing tell her to get the f**k out. I feel like I'd be fired the first time this happened to me, cause I don't like entertaining b******t.

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