Food Workers From Around The World Share Idiot Customer Stories
Waiters and waitresses have an incredibly demanding job, one for which most of them go unappreciated.
Remembering the menu and all the orders, staying friendly even in the face of screaming children (and adults), and everything else they have to deal with adds up to a job that can be downright nightmarish.
Not that there aren't occasional benefits: meeting new people, maybe making good tips, etc. But by and large waiters and waitresses have a difficult and not greatly rewarding job.
Some servers have even dealt with customers that were absolute monsters in their level of rudeness, the kind of people most of us would probably just walk away from.
But, these servers continued to be polite and professional.
Here are stories from waiters and waitresses about the worst customer they ever had to deal with, so we can all sympathize with them and (some of us) can learn how to treat wait staff better.
1. Nice Try, Dumb Guy
Early 2000's.
Working in an Italian restaurant, this one cat insists he needs lime juice for his meal. As we're an Italian restaurant, we don't have any on hand for our menu items, but the bar should have some.
Thinking out loud I mention that the kitchen doesn't have any, but the bar throws those into bottles of Corona, so I might be able to get some there.
Customer: Are you going to charge me for that?
Me: No, I think I can get a garnish for you.
So I come back with the lime and he looks confused.
Customer: Where's the Corona?
Me: I'm sorry - you said you wanted the lime? Did you want to order a Carona as well?
Customer: Yeah I want one, you said you wouldn't charge me.
Leading into a back-and-forth wherein he's upset I didn't bring him a free Corona with his free lime because he misunderstood me.
2. My Three Cents
We had one regular who was a horrible gross old man. He would constantly request to be changed into the section of a particular waitress (who hated him) so he could make inappropriate comments to her.
I would never honor these requests (screw you, gross old dude) but my manager also wouldn't let me kick him out (screw you, crappy manager).
One day he offered to pay me three cents to change tables. Three. Cents. Uh... no?
3. You Don't Give Away Free Food?
Some old woman got mad at me because I told her that I wouldn't substitute the side on her meal for ANOTHER MEAL.
Like she wanted $16 Meal A, and for her free side, she wanted $18 Meal B, but with absolutely no upcharge.
She was like "Wow really, you're not going to do that for me? Are you serious?!" I was busy and didn't have time to play stupid games so I just said, "
No, I'm not going to do that for the price of one meal. You can order both meals if you'd like." She started up again until her daughter was like, "
Mom KNOCK IT OFF."
Bonus story about requesting only female servers: Another guy always refused a male server and requested a female one.
If all of them were busy he would demand the female manager wait on him. He was always creepy and he'd try to play word games with us, presumably because he was lonely and miserable.
He'd make up his own names for the dishes we served and refused to tell us what he actually wanted.
One time I had him, he kept telling me he wanted a "large bistro-style salad", something that's not on our menu.
I was sick of his nonsense, so I said, "Sure thing, Frank, I'll go get it right now" and walked away. He was like "wait!"
because he obviously knew we didn't have such a thing. I just kept walking and told my manager I wasn't serving him anymore.
She went over and chewed him out in front of a full dining room, so that was cool.
4. The World Is Your Oyster
"I want oysters!"
I explained we are a burger joint, no oysters. He takes off his coat, talks to his date, then stares at me for a second.
"Oysters!"
I explain again, no oysters.
"Two dozen! Oysters!"
After a third and fourth time where he barks an order at me, then acts all busy so he 'can't hear' my response, I stop and stare at him.
He asks again, I just stare, he asks again, I just stare. He finally makes eye contact with me. "Sir, we are a burger joint, no oysters."
He is finally forced to acknowledge me.
"So go get some!"
We were in a casino, we were the only restaurant open at 2 AM. He knew this but expected me to run around to some closed restaurant and grab raw shellfish them just happen to be hosting during closed hours.
