If you’ve ever worked in the food service industry, prepare for a cathartic experience.
TikTok creator Grace (@looneytooneyyy) recently posted a comedic clip about restaurant life captioned, “most annoying thing customers can do.” It currently has 1.3 million likes and 5.8 million views, so you could say it’s hit a nerve.
@looneytooneyyy ♬ original sound – grace
In the video, two women act out various scenarios that make servers feel stabby, and they also include what servers wish they could say in response.
For example, sometimes customers butt in to ask about their own order while the server is bringing out someone else’s drink. “Wait your turn,” the server in the video hits back.
Or what does a server wish they could say when a customer says they don’t want anything on the menu and orders something the kitchen doesn’t have? Simply, “no.”
More things servers can’t stand, according to Grace: being flagged down with a wave and shout from across a room, being given a glut of dietary restrictions (“I could interest you in a really big glass of tap water”), saying their reservation phone numbers at the speed of light, holding onto their plates after they’ve already said they can be cleared, and trying to hand workers an item to bus when their hands are already full (“With my foot?”).
And whatever you do, according to the video, don’t show up demanding a drastic increase to your reserved party size, like from four to 28 people. “Totally fine,” the server in the skit says. “I’ll just pull 24 chairs from my ass.”
In the comments section, viewers shared their own customer pet peeves.
“‘I know I already placed my order and it’s probably being made but could I change it to a … ‘no, no you cannot,” one commenter wrote.
“[They] try to make up an item like babe there’s menu like come on!!!!” another commented.
“Also them asking if you can reheat food they brought from another place,” one viewer remarked.
“This should be on everyones fyp or like facebook cause they dont know how to act in restaurant,” another chimed in.
And it’s not just happening in restaurants, as one person noted: “was in the industry for 9 years. now in different customer service. I don’t know how some people live as long as they do.”
For those who want to avoid being the type of customer servers complain about online, Etiquette Scholar’s online guide to being a good restaurant patron is a great resource. It includes gems like, “If those in your group want separate checks, make the request of your server at the start, even before you order a drink or appetizer.”
Thrillist has a similar guide from 2018, and one tip sums it up pretty well: “Treat your server like a human being with a brain.”
Last year, a different server on TikTok shared a PSA to customers about being “fast.” Another spilled tea on the traits of restaurant employees that customers may encounter.
The Daily Dot contacted Grace for comment via TikTok direct message but did not receive an immediate response.
