It's easy to feel bad for servers and employees who have to deal with Karen customers on a regular basis, but not enough attention is given to the poor children of these unhinged people. They have to deal with that level of entitlement daily and overcome stomaching one embarrassing encounter after another. They probably feel sick every time they have to go anywhere with Mama Karen or Papa Kevin. Meanwhile, these kids are also spending every waking moment worried that one day, they might take on…

Working for a company really shows you the ugly underbelly of certain industries. While many of us were grossed out by our first job at ‘that one’ unclean restaurant– the one with the roaches– we all assumed that was just a one-off coincidence and other restaurants, especially high-end ones, would be MUCH cleaner… Oh, we have been so naïve.

As a parent, it's only natural to want your kids to be involved in your life. That's why things like “Bring your kid to work” day exist — so you can show your kiddo off to all your coworkers, and let them see what you're doing all day long while they're at school. This dad had a similar idea of sorts… but it majorly backfired on him. U/FlashyCow1 shared a story from their time working at a burger restaurant. This place had a pretty devastating recurring problem: a faulty fridge that was consist…

In every work environment, there tends to be a work mom, someone who isn't necessarily in charge but serves as an emotional support figure. However, apparently, not all work moms are universally supportive… In this instance, we have a work mom who may have started out that way but perhaps due to cultural differences or simply due to a false sense of superiority, she started to manipulate those around her with incessant insults and unkind comments. At first, the Redditor who shared this story th…

The most infuriating part of this story is how common this phenomenon seems to be among other servers. Several folks in the comments section of this Reddit thread pointed out that they too would be forced to pay up if any of their customers dined and dashed at a restaurant. Not only is this completely unfair, but this kind of policy is certainly not going to create a sense of loyalty among the restaurant staff. The underlying concept here is that it's the server's fault for allowing customers t…

On the most monotonous days as a server, sometimes a wholesome act of kindness can make one's entire shift infinitely better. People don't tend to extend those kindnesses enough in the cutthroat world of customer service. Instead, servers and bartenders often have to deal with a slew of Karen customers, loud children, and entitled parents. Some of these more wholesome moments were compiled from the top posts this week on Reddit's r/TalesFromYourServer subreddit. These anecdotes included an anno…

This waiter works at an upscale place where the customers are used to getting whatever they desire. As many waiters will tell you, working at high end restaurants can be intense, but it's worth it for the giant tips that some rich folks will leave. Part of the intensity is working with people who are used to snapping their fingers and immediately getting what they want. These customers aren't patient, and some of them view wait staff as beneath them. The customer u/grayson1228 served seems part…

Who actually orders food like this? In a prompt to r/AskReddit, u/Graceful_Swan_Ronson asked waitstaff about the most ridiculous things their customers have ever wanted to eat. The resulting answers are hilarious and strange — and some are even a little bit wholesome. I have a few friends who order weirdly at restaurants, and dining with them is a delight. Sometimes I'll order a burger and fries, while my friend orders a slice of ham, a fruit smoothie, and a bowl of tater tots. It's like food r…

This dad was humbled after placing an order he couldn't eat. U/ClassiestRobin shared a story from her time waitressing as a 16 year old. It was the OP's first job, and though she generally enjoyed it, there was one family that stuck out in her mind due to their quirky order. Burger joints that offer up dozens of free toppings to customize your sandwich have the right idea. Most places just give you the typical lettuce, tomato, onion, and maybe some ketchup. But this place has a cool array of ot…

Quite some time has passed since I've last been fired, but the mortifying memory remains carefully carved into my awkward brain, still causing me to shudder when I think about it. I'm sure I have told this story before, but for those of you who are new, I shall suck up the embarrassment and retell it. Back in my tyrannical teenage years, I was looking for a job. Sixteen at the time, I wasn't actually all that tyrannical. I liked to think I had the guts to do anything, but the truth is I was act…

There's a certain kind of satisfaction that comes with giving demanding customers a hard time, but there's also the satisfaction that comes with giving them exactly what they asked for. It takes a specific kind of person to order food at a restaurant and immediately threaten the server before they've done anything wrong yet. It's as if they're asking to be messed with in some way, which is exactly what happened with this demanding customer who we will refer to, unsurprisingly, as Karen. Karen i…

It doesn't matter how your employer feels about it. Getting sick is literally part of what it means to be human. It's part of life and it's completely out of our control. There is a reason why employees are given a number of mandated sick days, and it doesn't matter if your boss is the King of the World; you are entitled to taking those sick days whenever you need to take them. This boss shamed her employee for not giving enough advanced notice when they took their sick day. The employee shared…

'Ask and you shall receive'. These are certainly words to live by– but when we're talking about making modifications on a restaurant order, this phrase is more of a solemn warning.

Restaurant horror stories that are not for the squeamish

How many people working in customer service, retail, or the service industry have had to deal with this exact same scenario? The closing time was 6 pm—it's now ten after—and there are still customers in the store. You're not allowed to turn customers away—management has forbidden it—still, customers continue to pour in. This same thing happens often, and management insists that every last customer be able to order, forcing you to stay late well past scheduled closing… Yet, every time you try to…

People love tacos… and people love a deal. So, it stands to reason that people would be willing to go to extraordinary lengths in order to get a deal on some tacos. If this is a small operation, then you can't help but wonder about the ethics of this story. Restaurants and bars run these deals as “dine in only” in order to get butts in seats and mouths drinking alcoholic beverages. Restaurants don't really make much money off of food anyways. With slim margins and intensive labor requirements,…