My dad once gave me some pretty solid parenting advice. When dining out, choose places where your kid can learn how to properly behave. For example, when a child is young, their tantrums might seem a little less obtrusive in a fast food drive-thru. Eventually, when the kid masters fast food, they’re probably ready for a diner. Then, you move on to fancier dining establishments. Taking a toddler to a black-tie location without a little practice is just asking for trouble, though. And some adult diners are just as risky.
These immature grownups have intense customer meltdowns. They vent at and complain to waitstaff, holding the adult-equivalent of massive tantrums. Those moments are rare, but they’re horrible to witness.
When customers are on the brink, even the smallest thing may set them off. Maybe their fries weren’t as salty as they hoped. Maybe their coupon didn’t take. Regardless of the situation, though, we should strive to eliminate these scenes as frequently as possible. After all, they set a bad example for new-to-dining toddlers. And waiters just don’t deserve the added stress. If you force their hand, though, they will get revenge on awful customers.
Here are some of the worst customer meltdowns of all time.
1. The Good Deed
Usually, when someone offers to pay, their gesture is a kind one.
This time, though, the gesture led to a public argument. See, certain credit cards have rewards. And this uncle wanted to pay for his own meal to qualify for said reward points. When he couldn’t get his way, he made a total scene in the restaurant. You have to wonder what movie would cause such a reaction.
2. The Ice Cream Meltdown
An employee would love to get you what’s on the menu — if it’s available.
There’s no shortage of ice cream in the world. If this woman was that upset, she could have easily found another place to stop. Alternatively, she could have visited the grocery store to stock up her freezer. Plus, the request for the fast-food place to pay for her ruined clothes is laughable. People should pay for their own mistakes.
3. The Restaurant Drunk
Now, this is something you probably assumed only happened in movies.
If you’re so intoxicated that you think it’s a good idea to ruin everyone’s meals, maybe you should reconsider your alcohol consumption. This is an embarrassing moment for the whole restaurant. Plus, the guilty party damaged restaurant property. It’d be a miracle if his friends let this huge meltdown slide. The Redditor clarified in a later comment and said, “Some people got their share back, others like me just didn’t want anymore to do with that [guy].”
4. Worst Mother’s Day Ever
Fussy babies are one thing, fussy fathers are another matter entirely.
Mother’s Day is a notoriously busy holiday; reservations are hard to come by. Even during the later hours of the day, a lot of waitstaff still juggle plenty of responsibilities at once. But this family just couldn’t understand that. They reacted so terribly, they more or less ruined the whole experience. The restaurant didn’t ruin the holiday — the rude diners did.
5. Bread Feud
When you’re at a bakery, you need to accept the fact that things do run out.
And in extenuating circumstances (say a town-wide power outage that puts every restaurant except a select few out of commission), menu items will run out even quicker than usual. This customer couldn’t wrap her mind around this idea, though. She made a scene, wasted food, and then felt confident enough to show her face in the same restaurant again. Did she forget what happened?
6. Taco Hell
This was probably an overreaction.
Taco Bell has a lot of crazy items on the menu, but many of the foods taste pretty similar. Let’s be honest here. Oftentimes, the same ingredients just get rearranged in crazy new ways. And it all tastes pretty good. Even still, it’s frustrating to get the wrong Taco Bell order. But to assault a fellow customer on the way out is completely inappropriate.
7. Pepperoni Pandemonium
The restaurant quickly fixed the issue, though.
Restaurant mistakes happen sometimes, and servers are human. Why couldn’t this family understand that? The saddest part about all of this is that the woman’s son witnessed both of his adult role models act irrationally about a simple mistake. Fingers crossed that he breaks the cycle of entitlement and realizes that waiting an additional two minutes for the correct pizza isn’t a big deal.
8. The French Toast Fanatic
We all know how breakfast buffets work, right?
Most breakfast buffets put out food and then refill the stations when things run out. Sometimes, there’s a bit of a lag during busy periods. This customer needed to have things his way, though. But we have a feeling there were plenty of other incredible options to choose from.
9. The Sour Cream Meltdown
It’s good to pinch pennies, but this woman ended up paying a lot more than she bargained for.
Instead of just ponying up the 30 cents like every other customer, she ended up getting jail time after acting up in a Taco Bell. This just goes to show that you’ll never get your way by screaming and yelling. Instead, you’ll get an embarrassing story that haunts you for the rest of your life.
10. The Failed Baked Potato
If you want a baked potato at a fast-food establishment, Wendy’s is your best bet.
But sometimes, that potato may not be ready fast enough. Even though this angry granny got a very good explanation from a hardworking employee, she still took it to the next level and made a scene. And we thought wisdom came with age. Let’s all remember that there are far worse things in the world than unmelted cheese.
11. The Mis-Steak
One missing menu item led to a lot of harsh truths.
This story makes you wonder whether or not this man’s wife married for love or just for the opportunity to get a Porterhouse steak once a year. She had the right to be disappointed. But surely, there was something else on the menu that was equally good. Instead, she blamed her husband and his flaws when things didn’t go her way. Was he supposed to call ahead and try to reserve a steak?
12. The Groupon
Next time you buy a Groupon, try to look at the fine print.
You can get some incredible deals, but only when you know the terms. This angry customer must have gotten his way by threatening physical violence until someone finally put him in his place. The best part about this story is that he actually apologized and left a tip. That was probably a first.
13. The Salty Exchange
When you want salt, you get salt.
May this be a lesson to all customers out there who only want to complain. If you say your meal tastes horribly after you clean the plate, it’s obvious that you’re looking for free food. When something tastes off, make sure to tell an employee after the first or second bite. That’s just common knowledge.
14. The Knife Freakout
Sometimes restaurants run out of utensils.
And yes, it’s frustrating. However, a silverware shortage can usually be fixed pretty quickly. That said, going ballistic and yelling about a knife isn’t the best way to get what you want. In fact, that type of behavior could scare other customers and get you kicked out. Try to be kind to your server in the moment. And don’t go back to the dining establishment if you feel like the service is subpar.
15. Refill Rage
These days, we all expect free refills.
But back in the ’80s, Burger King had different policies. Even if those policies made no sense, they deserved to be recognized. Not only did this guy let everyone witness his adult tantrum over an iced tea, but he probably mortified his poor daughter who seemingly knew an outburst would occur the second she was told no.
16. The Chick-fil-A Catastrophe
If you’ve ever gone to Chick-fil-A, you know it can get pretty busy.
That didn’t stop this guy from protesting inside the store when his location ran out of his favorite sauce. Here’s the thing, buddy — if they’re out, they’re out. Sitting on the floor and making a scene won’t make sauce magically appear. Plus, it’s Chick-fil-A. They have a pretty delicious and expansive sauce collection. Why not pick another?
