I wish these employees could all get medals for dealing with such stuck up and nasty people! Seriously, a person walking into a restaurant with that nasty of an attitude will not be good news! Content has been edited for clarity.
Going To War Just For A Latte
“I worked in a little neighborhood cafe for about four years, and there’s one entitled customer I’ll never forget. Every day she showed up angry, antsy, and perpetually running late for work. If there was a line of people in front of her, she would try to cut in on the side and demand that I make her a latte, right now! When I said no, and she chose to wait for a latte in line, she blamed me for being late to work. I always let her attitude slide right off until one winter morning. She arrived at the cafe twenty minutes before opening. She was shivering and not dressed appropriately for the snow outside. I felt bad for her and worried about her getting frostbite, so I let her in. She told me she lost her house key and wanted to wait somewhere warm for a friend to pick her up. She looked so cold and anxious that I offered her a free coffee. She told me that she wanted a latte. I told her I couldn’t give her a free latte as it’s too expensive, but a free large coffee is okay. She started to cry. She tells me that her wallet is locked in her house too. I told her I’m sorry, but all I can give her is a free coffee. She hit the counter and called me heartless. She exclaimed, ‘You’re making my day even worse! I really need a free latte! I’ll pay you back eventually!”
I said, I’m sorry, but it’s the policy of our cafe. We’ve had too many people ask for free things and never pay us back. I told her she could stay as long as she needed while she sorted out her house key problem. She stomped all around the cafe. I ignored her raging and went to the back room. I needed to prep food and put baked goods into the oven. Suddenly, the staff door opened. The lady marched right into the back area and said she wants me to make her a latte, for free! I told her she wasn’t allowed back here and walked her to a table. She replied that I would be hearing from her. She even threatened to write us a terrible google review and then finally left. Later, my boss pulled me aside and showed me an email she received from Latte Lady. It was over 800 words long. In it, she lied. The summary of her version of events was that I didn’t want to let her inside. And that when she ordered a coffee, I wouldn’t give it to her because she was five cents short. And when she cried because she was upset, I called her some rude names. Luckily, my boss knew me well and could see how exaggerated and over the top it was. She called the lady and told her she is no longer a welcome customer.
Every Servers Worst Nightmare
“Two hours before close last night, we had a group of nine people walk in for a table. Slightly annoying, but the host found a couple tables to clean off for them and seated them. While their server was getting their drinks, a large group of people came in and said they were joining the 9 top. Their group then became 25, and we had to clean off more tables to put together for them. Their server started getting more drink orders, while some of the people who got there first loudly complained about how long the service was taking. The server frantically put in their food orders (lots of steaks and large dishes that take a while to cook) while the rest of us helped take care of his other tables and our own. While he was putting in food, another group of people walked in to join the big group, putting them at a grand total of 36. We had to clean off more tables, which was hindered by a couple of the joiners grabbing the tables and pulling them away from us while we were trying to clean them. People started complaining they didn’t have drinks yet, while our one bartender was doing her best pumping out big flavored margaritas and preparing their multiple drink towers. Another server jumped behind the bar to help while the rest of us ran the drinks as they came out. Since we were nearing the end of the night when they ordered their food, the kitchen and our two chefs were in no way prepared. Most of the prepped food and veggies had been gone through, and the dishwasher had to step into overdrive to clean enough plates for all that food. The chefs got the food out as quick as they could, and all the servers ran dishes as soon as they hit the counter. Getting the right meals out was a challenge, because all the people apparently immediately forgot what they ordered and would just stare at me when I loudly called out whatever meals I had.
Within all the chaos, the chefs had forgotten to make a few meals. By this point, most of the people who were eating were already done and ready to leave. A few people started swarming the server at the computer, demanding comped drinks and free food, on top of their 20% military discounts, for having to wait so long. Because it’s definitely our fault you walked in with a group of over 30 people and apparently don’t have a concept of how long food takes to cook. People sitting at the table were loudly complaining about all of us and the restaurant itself, and they were threatening to leave bad reviews. Then, the kicker. They all wanted separate bills. Our computer cannot even separate that many bills at once, so all of us were telling their server to just give them one bill and let them know that restaurant policy doesn’t let us split that many bills. However, since they were complaining so much (and a few people kept mentioning that they’re all active military members), the server did his best to split the bills and put the drinks and food where he could. He tried asking his table for help, but clearly some people lied to him and he ended up with over $60 worth of unclaimed food and drinks after everyone had paid. The food was comped, but he had to pay out over $20 for the drinks that people had and nobody paid for. Some people tipped him nicely and others not at all, and they left large messes of chips and salsas and cheese all over the tables. Incredibly, while that 30 top threw the restaurant and servers into chaos, the rest of the tables we had were all amazingly patient and understanding. My last table had to wait almost an hour for their food to come out, and I didn’t hear a single complaint from them. I am very, very thankful that at least the other tables recognized that the problem was the large table and didn’t also try getting free stuff because they had to wait. Now the goal is to convince the boss to not allow big groups to walk in without a warning like that, and to forbid a group of over 30 people to pay separately.”
The Joke Was On Him
“While serving, we all meet people just dripping with entitlement, and most of the time I can laugh them off. But today, I met the worst offender yet. To give a little background, I work at a cafe located inside of my university’s main library. Since we are centrally located on campus, we accept real money and the university meal plan, despite being an independent and locally owned cafe. Enter Cold Brew Guy. This loser comes in daily, and every day we have the same conversation. Cold Brew Guy whines about how we don’t have cold brew coffee, and scolding us for not having it in stock. Then I sell him his iced coffee and the cycle repeats. Every time he is shockingly condescending, and at twenty something years old, pouts and whines like a toddler. The other shop is three minutes away if he wants cold brew, so he can get it easily. A few weeks ago, one of my coworkers brought in his homemade cold brew concentrate, made from a really great artisan roasted bean for us baristas to try. It was amazing and we were all raving about it, when Cold Brew Guy showed up. We went through the same back and forth, except this time he accused us of lying about the cold brew and had a total melt down. Now, the health department frowns upon selling outside food made in a home kitchen, and frankly all of us hate him, so we stonewalled and told him truthfully that we still don’t sell cold brew.
After this, he stepped up his cold brew campaign, but that wasn’t a problem until tonight. We can all deal with low level entitlement and whining. Tonight, Cold Brew Guy came in with the biggest smile on his face. He told me all about how he is a powerful chair in the student government, and that he has submitted a proposal to force us to sell cold brew. He is scheduling a meeting with campus dining later this week. This guy is so offended that we don’t serve cold brew he is trying to legislate and have the university make it policy that we sell this drink, that only he seems to want. I personally find this hilarious. The university has no control over what we sell, and our contract gives us control over what foods and beverages we offer. He doesn’t know this, which is also what makes it infuriating. His smug self thinks he won. The entitlement is strong with this one. I think I’m going to have our coworker teach me how to make my own cold brew.
I do want to clarify that cold brew is not popular here and is a bad investment for a high turnover coffee shop like ours. He is the only customer who asks for it. Making cold brew takes 12-36 hours depending on the recipe, and it has a very light, watery flavor despite using huge amounts of beans. It is an expensive product, and we wouldn’t want to make gallons of it for a handful of people to buy, who would undoubtedly complain about the $6 price tag (our regular iced coffee is $2) or complain should we run out of this, since we can’t just brew more to sell.”
One Brave Man Stands Up To Corporate Greed
“Breakfast in our restaurant consists of either a breakfast buffet, with everything one could possibly want for breakfast including drinks, or an a la carte menu that usually ends up costing more. An old cowboy type is sitting cross-armed and frowning at one of my tables. I tried to tell him good morning, but he interrupted me to demand coffee. I told him I would be right back with the coffee, but he then interrupted me again to tell me not to run off. He also wanted to order three scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, white toast, and an orange juice. I replied, ‘Sure, I can have that right out for you;. Just so you are aware, our breakfast bar does have all of that for a little less. It has fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries and bread, all the breakfast meats, and a chef that will make you eggs and omelets to order.’
This must somehow offend him because, seething, he barks at me, ‘I AM NOT WAITING IN LINE FOR EGGS! THAT IS JUST CORPORATE GREED!’
I did not see fit to correct him that profit margins on the a la carte items are far higher, but instead happily rang in every item individually as he had requested, amounting to approximately $30, about twelve dollars more than he would have paid had he walked the twenty feet to the buffet.”
Beware The Warm Cheese Guy
“I used to work at a local Italian restaurant. It was a family-owned business, and I really enjoyed it. But the longer I was there, it felt like it just kept getting worse and worse. I have SO many funny stories. So often you hear about the awful customers, and I’ve had plenty of those. But some of my best days there were because of the customers. But this is not one of those days. This story is about Henry. Henry would come in a couple times a month with his two boys. The kids were always super polite (they looked to be about 11 and 13), but their dad could be very difficult. Every single time he came in, without fail, something would be wrong with his order. Us cashiers didn’t even know his name for the longest time. We just called him ‘Warm Cheese Guy’, because he would always ask for the cheese that came with his bread sticks to be warmed up. This wasn’t an unreasonable request, but it was difficult for us to carry out, because our cheese was in little plastic cups. To warm it up, we had to take the cheese from the cup, but it in a ceramic bowl, microwave it until it was steaming hot, then put it back in the cup and bring it out, and even then, he would come back a few minutes later and say that it wasn’t warm enough.
The thing that made this a difficult situation was that our cashiers and kitchen staff were mostly high-school students and weren’t always as on top of things as they should be. So whenever I saw Henry and his boys walk through the doors, I’d press pause on whatever I was doing and take over the cash register for their order. And afterwards, I’d go around to the kitchen staff and made sure they understood what the order was, because Henry’s orders ALWAYS included some kind of special instructions on how to prepare it. And then I would bring the food out to them myself and make sure it met their satisfaction. Although Henry never smiled, after a few times of doing this, he did become less hostile towards the staff. A few months later when I made a mistake on his order, he even went so far as apologizing for sending it back. I’m actually tearing up a little bit as I write this (which shocks me a little bit). It’s amazing how the people who irritate you the most can become some of your favorite people over time.”
Waiting For The Right Moment To Strike
This happened last night, and when I tell you my adrenaline was pumping, it was really pumping! So I work at a fast food chain based around sandwiches, with food that is rather on the expensive side (A medium sandwich is about $7-8), and that’s without drinks and chips. About fifteen minutes before closing, a woman and her children walk in and rush to the counter. I was sweeping at the time and had a few separate piles of dirt and old lettuce on the ground, because the church crowds are no joke. I walk up to the counter and begin to ring up her meal. She orders 3 sandwiches and 3 combos for a total of $35.07. When I ask for her name, she looks at me and says in a sarcastic tone, ‘Aren’t you a little salesman, huh?’
‘Excuse me?’ I asked in a polite tone.
‘The chili is more expensive with the combo compared to regular, I think that you should change that so people don’t get confused. I would like to see my receipt, please.’
At this point, I knew it was going to be trouble, so I printed the receipt and she snatched it out of my hand and threw on her glasses. ‘Yes, you charged me too much for this chili combo young man, do you know how frustrating this is to the public?’
I replied, ‘I’m sorry ma’am, I don’t make the prices. I just work the cash register.’
This woman exclaimed, ‘Well I want you to refund my purchase! I believe I’m entitled to this food now!’
When she said entitled, I just kind of looked at her in shock. Like it is not my fault I sold you something that costs more to make due to labor and ingredient costs. Regardless, I went to administer a refund, but she stopped me and said it was fine, don’t bother with it anymore. I stepped away suspiciously to finish my sweeping, then I heard this thud from the far side of the restaurant. It turned out that she wanted me to turn away, so she could tip over my mop bucket onto the floor. By this point, my manager had enough and decided to kick her out of the store, after she cleaned up her own mess. He demanded that this customer issue an apology to me. The customer screamed and tried to leave, but the manager was able to detain her while he called the police. The police showed up about six minutes later to take her out of the store. I don’t know what exactly happened after she was kicked out, but I still had a whole lot of mopping to do.”
He Asked For The One Thing The Server Refused
“While serving in my fourth year at a relatively high end seafood restaurant, I waited on this regular guy who came in with three others for some sort of fancy business dinner. He was a nightmare, the kind of guy who orders for everyone, whether they want him to or not. He would carry on and on about his own self-importance, and it was so difficult being around him.
Whatever, I’ve seen it all before, and I can handle it, or I thought. Midway through dinner, while I was checking in on everyone at the table, he tells me they would like some Stadium Mustard. I tell him that we don’t carry that, but I do have some nice whole grain mustard or brown mustard if he would like. He demanded this sort of stadium mustard for the table. I was speechless. This man seriously wanted me to go to the store and get him a bottle of mustard. I simply told him that I would ask my manager about it. Well my manager actually went to the store and bought the stadium mustard for him! Fifteen minutes later, my manager was back asking me to deliver the condiments to the man. When I brought it to the table, this customer could not stop gloating about it to his friends. After that, I never took the table again. He spent a decent amount of money and tipped fairly, but I could never get past him demanding that we get him a bottle of local mustard from the store. What a nightmare of a human being. I’m convinced he was attempting to show his ‘superiority’ to his potential business partners.”
Fooled At Their Own Game
“I used to be a waitress in a small Chinese and Thai restaurant. It was family owned, with the head chef as the owner and his wife as the manager and co-owner. There was this super entitled couple who were regulars at this restaurant, and they used to come in every week. They would always ask for specific tables, free drinks, and extra sides. It got very old fast. My coworker would always serve this couple, since I was still pretty new. One quiet evening, the couple waltzed in and I served them this time, since my coworker was in the kitchen. I seated the couple at a table with a lovely view of the waterfront, but apparently that was the absolute wrong thing to do. It wasn’t their specific table, which was currently in use by another couple. The couple had not booked this table, but they wanted us to keep it open just in case they decided to come in that night. They were also offended that I gave them the normal menu instead of the early-bird special, even though it was too late for that. My coworker and our manager rushed over to the shouting couple, who demanded that I be fired for such terrible service. The manager tried to offer the couple ten percent off of the normal menu, but that wasn’t enough for them. The couple told us how they were friends with the owner. The manager told them how she didn’t recognize them. The couple laughed at her, until she mentioned how she was an owner of this restaurant. The couple immediately turned bright red and tried to calm themselves. All of the other nearby table started to chuckle. I had to leave with my coworker for a few minutes to have a good laugh. No tips of course. The couple came back in the very next week much earlier so they could have that special.”
They Made Absolutely No Sense
“I worked at a tea house for one summer about a year ago. It was a beautiful teahouse in Colorado, and it was a very nice downtown location. We attracted a lot of wealthy and entitled people. Us servers had to provide a very high level of service, and the Karens we encountered made that beyond difficult. This one table of eight people I was serving one time was absolutely horrible. They were demanding, rude, and continuously complained. I was starting to lose my mind, but kept my calm with them. Now, I have served for almost ten years, so when I take orders I always repeat them back, to be sure that I have them right, especially with tables that are running me around or have complicated orders. One of the women in this group found something wrong with whatever I brought to her. I tried to fix everything, but it was no use. When it was time to take care of the bill, everyone in this group had switched seats. I finally got them all rang out, but not before I was lectured by all of them about timeliness. The most annoying person at the table demanded to see my manager. I was furious on the inside, but I just kept smiling and went to go and get her. I literally started crying in the manager’s office because of this table, and I let her be the last to talk to them. She came back about five minutes later, and I’m still crying from frustration. She told me they told her I was the most amazing server they’d had and that they were impressed by my service and would definitely be coming back. They literally abused me during their whole meal, then demanded to speak to my manager to tell her I was great. I have no idea what was going through their minds!”
He Took Things Way Too Far
“I work in a fast-casual cafe-style restaurant. It is owned by a well known family in my area, but none of them actually work in the restaurants. Overall, it is this family’s most successful business venture (they have many, which is relevant later). I have worked for this family for almost seven years, at three different locations. So, I have heard my fair share of, ‘Well I know the owner(s) personally, do whatever unreasonable thing I ask you to do without question!’ in various situations. For background, we offer a lot of really great discounts, but they don’t apply to drinks, salmon, lamb, or turkey, which are our most expensive items. Even employees pay full price for these things. Even so, the aforementioned receivers of discounts have a ton to choose from, and they have no problem paying full price if they want more expensive meat and/or drinks. Except for the monster I dealt with today. I’ll refer to him as Phil. Phil comes in for lunch today. He strolls up to the counter and immediately says, ‘I’m a veteran. I want some lamb, but make sure you put my 50% discount on there. I’ll take a cold mug too.’
I proceed to tell him about our discount policy (which is posted on a sign right next to his face, I might add), and how he will have to pay full price if he wants those things. I then tell him that the biggest discount I can give him is 25%, but only if he chooses something else from the menu. He then says in a snarky tone, ‘Well I AM in uniform, SEE?’
He’s wearing a ball cap, plaid shirt, and jeans. He pulls out a photo of himself that must have been fifty years old, in full uniform. He legitimately thought that was a good substitute. He thought he was being hilarious, but I wasn’t having it. I’ve been nice up to this point, but I’m getting visibly irritated. In a firm but polite voice, I again tell him that he won’t be getting half off on his meal today, and that if he wanted his discount he would have to order something else. He then creepily winked at me and said, ‘I’m a big tipper when I get good discounts.’
I can’t help myself and reply, ‘Oh, so you’re only willing to tip if you don’t have to pay civilian prices?’
Then, he hits me with, ‘Well I know the owner, and he ALWAYS gives me 50% off no matter what I order. Is he here so I can tell him how you’re mistreating a man who fought for your freedom?’
He then proceeds to list off his entire military background, awards, and accolades, as if that would justify him getting 50% off. Unimpressed, I respond, ‘No, sir, the owner is not here, and he never is here. He’s likely working on one of the new restaurants the family is about to open.’
I told him that I didn’t recall what the name of this place was, so he proceed ed to put his hand right in my face and try to flip my beanie. He mentioned something about how this was a pun on me not knowing the name off the top of my head. My face said it all. I was beyond upset. He told me to calm down, and he ended up ordering close to $40 worth of food. He only left ,e a $5 tip and acted as though he was doing me a favor. I don’t mind giving discounts to other veterans and military, but sometimes I hate waiting on them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the sacrifices they have made. But that doesn’t mean they should be able to walk into a place of business and demand free stuff. It definitely doesn’t mean they can put their hands on people they don’t know.”