One of the worst parts about working in the service industry or retail is “blackout” dates—where no one is able to take days off—these always line up with precisely the days you'd want to take off. Holidays, long weekends, and anytime between Christmas and New Years—pretty much any time you might want to see family or friends (who are all off work.) These have all been deemed as days where all hands are needed on deck due to high volumes of trade. But the worst part about blackout dates?.. Hypo…

This restaurant owner broke a cardinal rule of waiting tables, and it's wild that so many of his employees actually went along with his plan. It's a hallmark of American life that waiters and waitresses work mainly for tips. Over the years, tip prices keep rising higher as minimum wages have stagnated, and that has started frequent debates over tipping culture. In a story shared to r/AmItheA**hole, this desperate restaurant owner found a way to put some more cash in his own pocket. He shared th…

Everyone knows that person who treats their tolerance for spice like it's a personality trait. I used to work with a friend who was practically immune to spice and would always throw out taunting requests like this to wait-staff, insinuating that there was no way their chef could placate his lust for the fieriest of infernos. We had a Thai place near the office that we would frequent for lunch, the pair of us would always order the same dish (pad thai), and my friend would submit his usual requ…

This family brought their messy drama to a 25 year reunion party , and things quickly got awkward. Family life is different for everyone, and while many people have stellar relationships with their parents and siblings, others have a harder time getting along. In this story, the OP is still quite young, having just turned 18. But as they share in their post to r/AmItheA**hole, their parents don't really care about them. In fact, the OP was kicked out of their house on their 18th birthday ! Appa…

Customs and etiquette change over time, but this mom is pretty sure this party host is being super tacky. There are all types of parties, from simple to extravagant. For smaller events, it can be great to host your family and friends at your home for a backyard BBQ, which is casual and cost effective. Other people love to spend big money on their kids parties by renting entertainers or bouncy houses, or hosting the event at a restaurant or play zone. As a kid, you have a wonderful time regardle…

Power to all the workers who have had enough of lying customers getting their way. This guy is one of them. As a delivery guy, u/Motor-Corner4861 shared to the r/doordash_drivers subreddit, they had an encounter with a liar that was quite memorable. The OP writes that they got an order for a burger place, and drove the order to the customer. They actually remembered this dude, due to a name that was out of the ordinary. The OP thought the transaction went smoothly, which was reinforced by an ex…

No one ever wants to have these types of conversations. Getting fired is one of the worst feelings out there, and not everyone handles rejection well. While most people doing the firing probably don't want to, they still have to deal with the crazy aftermath. As these people shared in their stories below, some folks just loose their entire mind when they're let go from their job. One particularly glorious tale is a brother and sister who were both working at the same restaurant when the brother…

The nerve of this Karen!

Mini golfing is so superior to regular golf. In this essay I will… I'm so serious: mini golf is clearly the better game. Regular golf requires one to have some golfing skills already, since you have to hit the ball many yards away. You walk around a course filled with grass, sand, maybe a few lakes or whatever. Nature? Wow, how interesting. Mini golf on the other hand, requires no prior golfing skills. All you have to do is putt along the course , while enjoying windmills, rolling hills, and us…

You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but these folks have some surefire ways to tell if a restaurant is quality or not. I actually have a true story about this that you can totally judge me for. One time, I was in Harlem, volunteering to paint homes in an area I had never been before. I had to get lunch somewhere, so I stopped in a corner store and bought a BLT. I hung out in the store, and as the person behind the counter handed me the sandwich, I saw a cockroach crawling inside the glass…

Remember that your behavior on a first date is not just seen by the person with whom you are eating.

After a quick trip to a burger joint, this man freaked out at his wife… but was he justified in his annoyance? Two video creators shared a slice of life in their marriage, and it's really resonating with burger lovers and people who just want to eat their own dang food and not have to share! Patrick and Marwa share their life together on their account called marriedwithflaws . Patrick has clearly just arrived home with a fresh bag of burgers and fries . Marwa has apparently committed the sin of…

You'd probably be horrified at how common these types of requirements are within certain industries. The industries where manipulative employers tell you with a smile that you're a "family"… while simultaneously plotting how they can squeeze as much unpaid labor out of you as possible. Working in the service and retail industries is no walk in the park—that should not come as a great surprise to anybody. The frantic and inconsistent demands of these businesses place considerable strain on staff…

No one's perfect at their job, mistakes do happen. When you're a chef, however, any cooking mistake is going to effect a lot of dishes, and therefore a lot of customers! Chefs, bakers, and waiters gathered to share their funniest stories of food prep gone wrong, and the results are eye-opening and hilarious. It's a good look at the behind the scenes life of a restaurant. I never thought about what might happen if you had to make 40 pecan and pumpkin pies , and then burnt them all! It's a major…

It really is a shame that our society has turned into one where helping others is associated with being in a lower class. The number of stories where someone is rudely addressed by another customer and assumed to be a worker just because they went out of their way to help or be pleasant to someone is astounding. In each of these scenarios, even the most basic acknowledgment that the person working is a human being immediately marks them as a recipient of rude demands. This story, shared by Redd…

Not only have you not properly rested in 5 years, but even with your 75% tips on the iPad, you can barely make rent this month… again. So far, being a server has only trapped you in a lifestyle of fatigue and chasing your own bills with irregular cash flow, swollen ankles, and a ferocious Karen biting at your heels all the time.