As the years pass, less and less people agree that the customer is always right. In fact, certain customer requests are outright ridiculous. Yes, most waiters still want to make sure their customers have good dining experiences, but they don’t want to sacrifice their self-respect to do so. And they definitely shouldn’t have to jump through hoops just to secure a tip. After all, restaurant workers earn the bulk of their income from tips.
Some patrons realize their customer requests don’t need to be so outlandish and remember waiters and waitresses are people too. Other people, however, refuse to moderate their wants and needs. Even some celebrities aren’t as demanding. So if you’re hustling for a good tip, it’s hard not to grimace when these types of customers sit in your section.
Just think about how many restaurants exist in the world; that should give you an idea of how many truly ridiculous customer demands waiters deal with on a daily basis.
At least waiters can commiserate with each other on platforms like Reddit and Twitter. Maybe they can find the humor in some of their wackiest customer requests. Here’s a collection of the most interesting.
1. Free Beer
Unless a restaurant is doing a promotion, alcohol probably won’t be on the house.
But this customer twisted the server’s words so much that he finessed a free beer. We think he knew exactly what the server meant, though. Let’s just hope the customer isn’t taking this scam to restaurants all over town. The good news is that one Corona won’t totally break the restaurant’s bank. A free gin and tonic with top-shelf alcohol, however, might be a totally different story.
2. Just Smile
By now, we know it’s just not polite to ask anyone to smile.
Asking people, especially women, to smile can be an act of aggression. In fact, when men make the request, it often seems like they expect women’s’ behavior to benefit and validify them. This older customer may not have meant any harm, but the waitress certainly wasn’t expecting such a request.
3. Taxi Driver
You have to give this woman props for being safe.
And drunk driving is certainly dangerous. Still, the 17-year-old server in this situation probably felt a little awkward. Very few people place their trust in strangers the way this inebriated customer did. It’s nice the employee agreed to help, but why couldn’t they just call an Uber or taxi?
4. The Juice
Steak fans probably won’t be happy about this order. But, it’s hard not to fall in love with meat drippings. They take any gravy dish to the next level and go great with fries. Hopefully, this customer learned to order her meat medium rare after this memorable night out; she’d probably be a fan.
5. Dairy Free
most ridiculous customer moment of the day: "I can't have the sandwich with cream cheese on it since I don't eat dairy - is there any chance you could make me one with butter?"
— ✨️morgan✨️ (@mmorgaccino) June 16, 2018
Look, we all know cream cheese is dairy. But this customer was obviously confused. Does she know about some kind of magical butter tree? If so, it would make an amazing and frequently used addition to our gardens next year. In all seriousness, this customer should peak into the dairy aisle the next time she visits the grocery aisle.
6. A Product That Hardly Exists
We’ll give this woman just the slightest benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she wanted coffee ice cream but didn’t know if it contained caffeine or not. It does, for the record. But, the standard vanilla or strawberry ice cream is absolutely caffeine-free. Chocolate ice cream reportedly has a little, but it’s not quite enough to ruin your sleep.
7. The Hair Scam
Yesterday's most ridiculous customer complained about a hair in his food and for a full refund, but only after eating his entire meal..
— Dani McMillan (@ohheyitsdani_) September 11, 2013
Nobody wants to find a long strand of hair poking out of their food, especially if they’re really anticipating the dish in question. But unfortunately, chefs do occasionally drop hair strands while they cook. But if this customer was so disgusted, why didn’t he send the dish back before polishing off the entire plate?
8.The Worst Chicken Ever
We can’t imagine why a customer would want badly burnt food, but this person really seemed to enjoy it. To most people, though, overcooked chicken is nearly inedible. At least the customer wasn’t trying to scam the restaurant into giving him a free dinner. How many other chefs get these kinds of requests?
9. A Sub With A Side Of Cigarettes
Nicotine addiction is no joke.
But it seems like this customer was juggling a nicotine addiction and a newborn baby. Understandably, she may have felt a little stressed. That doesn’t excuse her outright lies, but at least the food delivery driver was able to help her out. Hopefully, she didn’t make a repeat order, though.
10. The Misunderstanding
Bay leaves and coffee don’t typically mix too well. But customers do order ridiculous items sometimes. No wonder the restaurant staff believed this woman wanted actual bay leaves in her drink. So what does it mean that nobody assumed she wanted Bailey’s? Customers are just too out of control.
11. Wordplay
We secretly like this one.
Sure, people ask for splashes of juice more often. But words evolve over time. Remember when “app” used to solely mean appetizer and not phone application? This might have seemed ridiculous at the time, but maybe we can turn a “whisper of juice” into a real term. Next time you’re at the bar, try to make it work.
12. The Starbucks Confusion
so a customer ordered a caramel frappe w no ice, more milk. And got mad at me when i clarify him 3 times that frappe is ice-blended and that w no ice i cant blend. Not literally but depicts the purpose ya get me??? God. Where are all these people from man... pic.twitter.com/jVGV6HzQwt
— az (@axzrule) September 17, 2018
Baristas definitely count when it comes to waitstaff.
They hear the orders; they usually make the orders. And they balance a lot of tasks at once. But, don’t challenge a barista when it comes to coffee. They are trained to know what they’re talking about. Plus, most baristas shut down customers who try to outsmart them all the time.
13. The Temp Check
A customer ordered a hot tea then got mad at me cause it was hot.... pic.twitter.com/sdPQlwcmRz
— Teresa (@hann_encounter) November 12, 2017
It can be hard to pick the right temperature for hot drinks.
Remember when that one lady sued McDonald’s for serving her boiling hot coffee? There has to be a balance. However, customers should test the temperature of their orders before they leave the restaurant. If something is too hot handle, they can either wait for it to cool down or politely ask for an exchange. Customers should never treat the server rudely, though.
14. The Very Specific Allergy
Yeah, allergies don’t work like that.
This story is pretty hilarious. But some people do have actual allergies. Hopefully, restaurants take it seriously when they get legitimate food modification requests. Food allergies can be pretty intense. That said, customers shouldn’t claim to have an allergy to something they simply don’t like. Just ask for a substitution; the waiter can make it happen.
15. Ocean Allergies
This is another one that’ll make you scratch your head.
Again, allergies can be particular. But since when do specific oceans cause allergies? Maybe this guy just had a bad lobster bisque experience, so he misattributed his negative reaction. Someone should suggest that he visit an allergist, though. But until a specialist confirms his fear, this customer should probably stay away from all seafood bisques.
16. The Organic Ketchup
It’s good to eat organically when you can.
But requests like this one just seem snobbish. When a waiter tells you something is organic, you should listen. The waiter actually wants to make your experience enjoyable. But, hand-crushing your tomatoes probably isn’t their top priority, especially if there’s pre-bottled organic ketchup in the back. At least the server received a tip, though.
17. The Hot Salad
This is even worse than lettuce-free salad.
On one hand, it’s easy to see where this woman is coming from. Melted cheese makes almost everything taste better. And hey, with melted cheese a salad might taste a bit like yummy nachos. The problem is, lettuce typically goes down better when it’s cool and crisp. So even though this customer seemed to enjoy her dish, it’s unlikely anyone else would.
18. The Fake Vegetarian
This pancake seems intriguing… for a meat eater.
It’s like a mini-pizza with pepperoni and sausage on top. Consequently, a meat feast pancake really is not appropriate for vegetarians. Did this customer just not realize what she ordered? Was she the kind of vegetarian who actually still eats meat? If so, we guess she’s on the right path.
19. The Not-A-Salad Salad
I thought I heard it all but today at work a customer ordered a salad with no lettuce....
— Rachael (@Rachael2700) December 19, 2017
Salads come in all shapes and sizes. But usually, they include lettuce or mixed greens of some. Perhaps this person wanted to order some kind of chicken salad or potato salad, though. Maybe they even craved a nice pasta salad. They probably should have asked if those options were available, though.
20. The Funny Burger
Hamburger buns have a specific purpose; they’re supposed to perfectly contain your burgers. We understand when people substitute the bread for lettuce to cut down on carbs. But this guy just traded one carb for another. It seems like he just wanted to make eating more difficult. If only all servers and chefs took photos of their ridiculous customer-ordered concoctions.
