Working as a waitress or waiter in a restaurant can be really interesting. While there are plenty of downsides to the job, there are also plenty of perks. Servers get to walk out each night with a wad of tip money; they get to eat a lot of free (or kind of stolen) food. And they join a work environment that creates a natural breeding ground for friendships (you can’t help but become friends after surviving a Saturday night shift with someone).
The negatives aren’t inconsequential, though. Workers often smell like the food they serve; things get stressful, and of course, we can’t forget the awkward interactions with customers.
So many restaurant patrons are rude and entitled. But servers typically have to abide by the rule that customers are always right. Oh, and then there are the awkward interactions with customers who are just plain weird.
There’s really no escape from the uncomfortable sexual advances, the cringe-worthy first dates, or the customer fights. Servers just have to take it all in stride. Here are some of their most outrageous stories.
1. These old ladies had some very interesting expectations.
Servers get hit on a lot. But they don’t expect romantic advances from a group of old women. Redditor sweetwaterblue learned the hard way, though.
“I (21-years-old) was waiting the lunch shift for a group of older (70-80 year-old) women.”
“It’s maybe 1 PM and they are all visibly hammered off the margaritas they have been drinking for an hour. They finally are ready to eat, so I begin taking their order.”
“One of them ordered catfish.”
“I asked if she would like it fried, grilled or blackened. The woman sitting next to her needles her elbow into her side and says [something slightly inappropriate]. They all start laughing. I play it off and laugh a little too.”
“I then ask her what two sides she would like with it.”
“She focuses her eyes and stares at me very seriously. “I’ll take you and that one over there with the beard,” while motioning towards my waiter bud, Chris.”
“I had been hit on occasionally while working there, but never so blatantly.”
“And never by anyone who was the same age as my grandmother. Suffice to say, every time I returned to the table, there was loud talk going on, almost exclusively about sex, sex toys and who in the restaurant they would f*ck.”
2. This server witnessed a bad fight.
Servers often get front row seats to some very personal drama. A user who has since deleted their account witnessed an intense fight that lasted throughout the meal.
“I was at a restaurant where as soon as this couple sat down they started arguing.”
“Not just any argument either, it was some mean, personal sh*t. They snarled at each other through appetizers, ordered entrees pleasantly from the waiter, then accused each other of cheating, lying, drug use, and [even worse things.]”
“But they ate their meals in between more hatred, and even got dessert together.”
Finally, on post-dessert drinks, the woman had enough and threw her drink in his face. It was something.
3. A proposal didn’t go quite as planned.
It’s adorable to watch a successful proposal go down.But to watch one totally fail? Yeah, that’s not so cute. Redditor Philobus had that experience.
“A guy came in with two girls.”
“I’m assuming it was his girlfriend’s two friends. I guess they got there about 30 minutes earlier than the dude’s girlfriend because she comes strolling in and the hostess leads her to the table.”
“She is expecting to only be dining with her two friends but see’s her boyfriend there.”
“I witnessed this thing and the whole “Uhh, what are you doing here?” exchange was awkward.”
“This dude doesn’t even hesitate.”
“He busts out the ring, drops to one knee in front of her friends and an entire dining room, applause break out and some cheering. She grabs him, stands him and tells him to have a seat. The ENTIRE dining room felt awkward but they still stayed, spent $250 on dinner and talked it out.”
4. This server made a very big mistake.
This one actually sounds like a scene out of a movie. Redditor bitchsaidwhuttt‘s first day on the job was nothing short of memorable, thanks to a mistake they made.
“This was my first day at my first job as a server at a sushi restaurant.”
“[I was] 17 at the time with minimal people skills. I had just checked in an older woman possibly in her early 60s/late 50s with a young man who couldn’t have been older than 25.
“Midway [through] their meal I went to check up on them.”
[And then I asked] “Aw, are you taking Mom out today?” They both turned with straight faces and the young man answered, “She’s my girlfriend.” I whispered an apology and just peeled myself away.
Yikes!
5. His date bailed.
You never want to watch someone be stood up or ditched. But Redditor cmach86 had to witness the whole thing.
“Oh god, I feel bad just remembering this.”
“A couple were seated in a booth all lovey-dovey. They shared a dish of whatever. A bit after I look over, and they are gone. I walked to their table and I notice he forgot his coat and on the table, there is a note that read: I had a really good time but I have to go, I’m sorry!”
“Didn’t understand at first but five seconds later the dude walks out of the washroom.”
“I’m standing there, note in left hand, his jacket in my right hand and fully understanding that she ditched the dude as he went for a wiz. I look at him and said, “I’m sorry man.” His face changed instantly.”
“I should have given him a hug.”
“As he left he still wished me a good day.”
6. These family members belong on Jerry Springer.
Watching couples fight is awkward.Watching an entire family fight? Yeah, that’s not much better at least according to Redditor Incultis.
“While working as a server at a rather nice local restaurant, there was a table of about 10 people eating their lunch.”
“The restaurant was large and it was the slower part of the day so they had the room all to themselves. About three-quarters of the way through their meal, their conversation devolves into an episode of Jerry Springer.”
“They all started shouting at each other across the table.”
“[They are] hurling accusations at one another until finally one woman gets up from the table screaming, “You’re doing this to mom, all of you. This is your fault” while storming away.”
“All of it lasted about 10 more minutes.”
“[Meanwhile the] woman’s presumed husband was consoling her and the others were running out of insults and accusation to throw at each other. After the argument was over and the check paid the people left as if nothing at all had happened and I didn’t see any of them again in the five years that I worked there.”
7. This server helped someone escape a bad date.
Servers witness bad dates all the time. And sometimes they even have to get involved. Reddit user TheDoubtfulGuest told their story:
“To preface, I work in a restaurant where we make our own ketchup and some people just don’t like it.”
“Fine, whatever, if you’re nice I’ll bring you the secret Heinz ketchup as long as you don’t tell anyone. Anyway, a woman is seated at my table looking super excited and tells me she’s on a blind date. She orders a glass of wine and waits anxiously, how cute right?”
“So this dude shows up on his phone, ignores my hostess, and eventually finds this beautiful women waiting for him.”
“He continued to talk on his phone for like, 15 minutes, and when he finally hung up I went to the table. He tried to order for her which obviously embarrassed her, and for himself ordered a well done steak and fries.
“When I brought it to him he asked for A1 and REAL ketchup.”
When I informed him we had neither he grunted and said he had ketchup packets in his truck.”
“As soon as he walked out the door she asked for her half of the check and her food to go.”
I helped her leave out the side door before he could even come back. It was awkward serving him after that. He used seven ketchup packets.
8. Two people caught each other cheating.
Seeing someone get caught cheating is very awkward. But seeing both husband and wife get caught cheating is like witnessing a scene straight out of a movie. Redditor Offbeatnic explained this very true tale.
“I once was a server at a very upscale French restaurant in NYC.”
“One evening a middle-aged man and a young woman are sat in my section, clearly on a date. You could tell this woman was his mistress by the way they interacted with each other.”
“They were high maintenance but pleasant enough.”
“Right after they had received their entrees, the man looks across the way to another table and loses all the color in his face. His date noticed and turned to see what he was looking at.”
“The mans wife was at another table, also on a date with her side piece, on the other side of the restaurant.”
“The wife sees him and has the same expression on her face, which very quickly turns to rage. She briskly walks over to his table and starts whisper-yelling at him, pointing her finger right in his face. He starts to do the same back at her.”
“This isn’t a very big restaurant, everyone knows what’s going on and the atmosphere gets icy.”
“The man’s date is just staring at her plate, absolutely mortified. The wife’s date pretends nothing is happening and continues eating.”
“Eventually, the wife storms back over to her table.”
“[She then] wolfs down her dinner (no exaggeration, she was like rage-eating). He sits down and his mistress won’t speak to him for the rest of the meal. This is a fine dining restaurant and they ordered multiple courses. Having to clear, crumb, and reset their table two more times was less than fun. He left a very big tip and apologized on the way out.”
9. The first date went incredibly wrong.
Teenager first dates can be painfully uncomfortable. And this one seems like the absolute worst. Redditor hazejump recounted the horror tale they witnessed while working at a drive-thru coffee shop.
“My team and I saw this super awkward teenage couple on their first date.”
“We were right by a high school and movie theater so it wasn’t anything unusual. However, as he got ready to back mom’s minivan out of a parking spot, the poor kid hit the gas pedal by mistake.” Oh boy.
“Car goes straight into the marsh behind our parking lot.”
“Police, fire department, and mom show up a bit later to pick up the kid. Everyone was fine, just one case of severely wounded pride.”
10. They had a very uncomfortable first encounter.
Talking about money can be awkward. That conversation can turn especially icy during a first date. Redditor MrMcSwifty relayed an extreme example.
We are cringing.
“A pair in their mid-20s on what appeared to be a first date where the girl was clearly way out of the guy’s league and he was apparently completely broke. I mean like trying to make it work on literal pocket change broke. Every time she tried to order something he was like, ‘No no… Do you guys have anything cheaper?'”
“At one point, he had a pile of change on the table and they were counting it out together.”
“They ended up getting water and an order of french fries that they shared. She looked horrified but to her credit she stuck it out for the duration. Felt bad for the guy but at the same time I just have no idea what he was thinking.”
11. They witnessed an NFL player get a drink thrown in his face.
Why do cheaters seem to always get caught in restaurants? Isn’t part of cheating, you know, not getting caught? Redditor MahouHairdo recalls one cringe-inducing experience at an upscale bar.
“I used to work the bar at a restaurant that was walking distance from a very rich neighborhood.”
“One of my regulars was an NFL player who would bring his fiancé in a couple times a month. One day the fiancé came in alone and already very drunk. She sat on her usual barstool and started rapid-fire typing on her phone without ordering anything. I kept my mouth shut, because she was already wasted and she usually tipped me very well.”
And that’s when they heard it.
“I turned my back to type in someone else’s order, and I heard someone yell and then the sound of breaking glass. Turns out Mr. NFL player had walked into the restaurant with another woman. The fiancé had picked up someone else’s drink and threw it at his head.”
12. The baby just wouldn’t stop tickling.
Not all awkward encounters at restaurants are necessarily malicious in nature. Case in point? This tickle-happy baby that wouldn’t stop torturing Redditor Lowcal_calzone_z0n3_.
The baby wouldn’t leave them alone.
“Once when I was a server the people’s baby kept reaching out and touching my stomach and side when I would stand next to the high chair to serve them food. I am very ticklish in these areas and would giggle each time.”
“I would say, ‘Your baby is tickling me!!'”
“And the parents literally had no reaction. Didn’t say a word, didn’t even acknowledge that I had said anything with a nod or smile or anything. Very strange. Then after a few seconds they would ask for something.”
What was up with that family?!
13. They had a serious breakup meal.
If you thought watching a couple on a first date is awkward, imagine watching a couple literally break up in front of you.This happened to Redditor SolidVirginal.
“I started working at the current restaurant I’m at a little over a year and a half ago.”
“About six months into my job, this couple comes in, probably mid-20s. Their posture is rigid and they’re not looking at each other. They actively avoid touching each other (it’s a lunch counter-type place, so people often crowd around the counter to order if they’re in pairs/groups).”
“It takes a while for their food to come out.”
“So they decide to sit down and have a very serious conversation (with grave expressions, whispered tones, and everything).”
“I suddenly realize this is a breakup lunch meeting.”
“When I go to bring them their food, the woman is fidgeting with her phone and looking down at her lap. The man is crying. Not loudly, but his eyes are glassy and all the ice has melted in his drink. I just go, “Hi here’s your food” and leave as quickly as I can. The woman gets up a few minutes later and asks for a to-go box and leaves shortly thereafter.”
This is the saddest part.
“The man just sits there, staring at his food. He doesn’t touch it and eventually leaves without getting it to go.”
14. No one was prepared to pay the bill.
Again, it’s always kind of uncomfortable when it comes to finances. Just take this story from Redditor Theywerethereyouknow.
“Mid-twenties aged couple on a date.”
“First date I think but I’m not sure. Seem a bit awkward but make small talk throughout dinner. When it’s time to pay the guy asks for separate checks. Girl looks surprised. He pulls out his card and pay then goes to the washroom.”
“I run the girls card and it gets declined.”
“We try again, it is declined again. I ask her if she needs a moment to figure it out (check her online banking or w/e) and she says yes. Guy comes back. She runs her card again (declined) and he sits stone-faced while she is getting more and more anxious.”
“I walk away again and when I come back the guy ends up paying for it.”
“He wasn’t thrilled. It was super awkward for all of us, but I cringed so hard when it was obvious she had just EXPECTED him to pay for her.”
15. His comment was extremely uncalled for.
This one isn’t even that awkward; it’s just upsetting. Poor Redditor makeitwork1989.
“This man and a woman came in and it was obvious they were a newer couple.”
“She started to order fries, but he interrupted and said she didn’t need the fries and she should have a salad instead. She was super embarrassed because the way he said it he was clearly body shaming her. Pretty sure that was their last date (I hope at least for her sake).”
Have you ever witnessed something super embarrassing or awkward at a restaurant?
Are they worse than these instances of awkward customers?
