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
#1
Lady mad that we didn’t have grass-fed salmon. What-
Image source: elsieburgers, Andrea Pokrzywinski
#2
Had a lady order an egg sandwich. I told her she had her option between one or two eggs on the sandwich. She kept saying she didn’t understand and I was running out of ways to explain “one or two eggs”. I even explained that we cook eggs in egg rings on the flat top grill so they fit the sandwich perfectly. She then sighed like I was dragging out an unfunny joke and went “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ONE OR TWO EGGS?” “I mean you get to choose how much egg you want on the sandwich.” “scoffs again How big are they?” “….egg. Sized?” “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT”. I ended up going to the kitchen and taking a raw egg out of the carton and bringing it to her. “This is an egg. This is the standard size. We will cook one or two of these and put it on your sandwich depending on which option you order.” “This makes absolutely no sense. I want to talk to the manager”.
Apparently she ended up telling my manager that the way I pronounce egg was what was throwing her off. It should be said as eh-g and never as aig. She would be dining elsewhere from now on
Image source: Baphometaphor, Mo Barger
#3
It was a saturday night and the restaurant is full windows, on a busy corner. A car didn’t make the turn and drove into a house, but there was a drop so you couldn’t see the car. The police/firetruck/ambulance all came. They were there for at least over a hour trying to figure out how to get the car out, and the police cruisers kept on their lights. So a saturday night dinner with red and blue lights covering the whole restaurant. Most guests found it entertaining except one table called me over.
“Could you do something about the those lights?”
I thought she was kidding and laughed but her face was dead serious. I’m also clearly the only server on, also making all the drinks, with a full room. “That’s police ma’am, i’m not going across the street to tell them to turn off their lights. You can go ahead, though.” The rest of the table giggled but she wasn’t amused lol.
Image source: lilnutxlilnut, Scott Davidson
#4
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.
Image source: Qweritiop, stu_spivack
#5
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!”
Image source: JohnnyBananasFoster, Images Money
#6
I worked room service at a hotel on the water in San Diego. Very upscale and we provided excellent service. Had a woman order breakfast and then start to complain that she had not seen the sun the whole time she had been at our hotel.( June in CA no suprise.) She then proceeded to ask how I planned to fix it. “Ma’am if I could fix the weather I wouldn’t be working here but I am happy to include a bloody mary to drown your sorrows” she did not understand and honestly thought I could fix it. Once she realized I couldn’t she started asking us to comp her room………… due to the weather not being to her liking.
Image source: chefrikrock, Bruno Caimi
#7
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.
Image source: captainp42, Mike Mirano
#8
A woman complained that there was too much lobster in the lobster bisque.
I had no words.
Image source: not_a_ham_sandwich, Chloe Media
#9
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
Image source: confused_connection, Michael Ocampo
#10
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.
Image source: EnjoyWolfCola, A Healthier Michigan
#11
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.
Image source: stupidgoddamnwebsite, Joanna Bourne
#12
“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.
Image source: Spare-Source-1030, Green Mountain Girls Farm
#13
Lady wanted us to blow out all the candles in the restaurant because “they were using too much oxygen”
Image source: acinonyc, WineCountry Media
#14
I worked at Red Lobster and had a repeat lady come in and insist I take all of the crab meat out of her crabs legs for her and just bring it on a plate. Every damn time she came in. And the shi**y manager made me do it.
Image source: CountryDaisyCutter, Mike Mozart
#15
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.
Image source: Alecsgyo, Ernesto Andrade
#16
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!”
Image source: IUsedTheRandomizer, Willrad von Doomenstein
#17
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
Image source: tinamolinaa, Anil Mohabir
#18
Back when you could smoke in bars ~ I Had just opened my bar, guy sits and orders a burger and fries. When I brought it out I Also set down a bottle of ketchup. He grabbed a empty ashtray and put ketchup in it to dip his fries into. Said I could get him a side plate. He said What’s the big deal? It’s clean. I then showed him the black rag used to wipe them out. He just shrugged. Yuck!!
Image source: blackdogreddog, Isaac Wedin
#19
I had a lady order soda water with olive and a lime. I wasn’t sure I heard her right so I asked her to repeat. She gets a little angry and repeats “soda with olive and lime” so I bring her that. She death glares at me when I set it on the table and says she asked for a sprite. I’m still not sure if she was just f**king with me. She had to be f**king with me, right?
Image source: ilwisied, Nelo Hotsuma
#20
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!
Image source: PurpleMatt, Martin Monroe
#21
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.”
Image source: kilted44, Michael Lehet
#22
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.
Image source: ladz42791, wEnDy
#23
A woman smoking with her own fan blowing the smoke away from her. “Sorry, but I can’t stand smoke.”
Image source: [deleted], HS You
#24
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?
Image source: kjs98, Terry Kearney
#25
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
Image source: Krankhaus1221, Tony Alter
#26
I had someone order a chicken platter. I asked them if they wanted it with one chicken breast or two. They dead looked me in the face and asked what’s the difference. I just tilted my head and said one comes with one breast, the other with two.
Image source: mr_ryno27, Mark Krynsky
#27
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
Image source: Mememememeyouyou, Lisa Risager
#28
Had a woman ask me what the catch of the day was while pointing at the menu where it said quiche of the day…..
Image source: inuangledemon, Sean MacEntee
#29
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
Image source: cam52391, Richard Masoner
#30
Demanded a soup option. In the top fast food pizza restaurant.
Image source: richyyoung, Rool Paap
#31
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.
#32
I’ll have the huevos rancheros with no egg please. Or, I’ll have the prime rib, well done please.
Image source: crusttysack, jeffreyw
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