A Cheesecake Factory customer thought it would be a simple matter to get her leftovers into takeaway boxes but says her server did not manage the simple request.
Brandy Huff (@inkmomma84) detailed what happened in a short TikTok video that received over 445,000 views.
Huff films the takeaway boxes once she arrives at her home and explains what went wrong.
“When the waitress takes your order to box it up to take home, doesn’t bring yours back, but you get somebody else’s,” she says, laughing at the mix-up as she opens up each box for the camera.
In the caption, she also summarizes the entire situation.
Huff writes, “Husband and I went to The Cheesecake Factory for his birthday dinner tonight. The waitress asked to box up our leftovers to take home and we agreed…she doesn’t bring them back. brings our ticket, then our desserts, then we ask for them. She brings the bag with the food boxed up and we don’t think to check it…get home and my husband opens these to see someone else’s leftover food.”
“Somebody’s going to be sad tonight,” she concludes at the end of the video.
Viewers react
Viewers of Huff’s video did not seem surprised at the mix-up. Several Cheesecake Factory regulars alleged that this was a common occurrence at the restaurant.
“My coworker boxed food up one time and instead of giving the customer their food back she accidentally gave them our staff donuts,” one said.
“One time I got my burger back and it was just the patty and 3 fries,” said a second.
“One time at Cheesecake Factory a waitress took my food to box it and I watched her give it to another table that already had their [to-go] order bagged up… I was too shy to say anything,” someone else wrote.
Many offered the Cheesecake Factory customer some quick solutions.
“I would’ve immediately contacted the restaurant and got refunded,” said one.
“This is why i always ask them if i can just box it myself,” another said.
“[I] would’ve been on my way back up there,” someone else claimed.
Many suggested that Huff get in touch with the restaurant so it could fix its mistake.
“This happened to us we called and they offered to replace our order,” one person said.
“That’s happened to me. I called and they comped me a meal for next time,” another claimed.
Is it safe to eat a stranger’s leftovers?
While such mistakes are common when dining out, several commenters expressed that it was a pity that the food had been eaten by someone else. They reasoned that food touched by a stranger was destined for the trash.
As one person wrote, “I mean that food looks good but I don’t know if I could get myself to eat food from a plate someone [else] was chowing down on.” But is there any merit to this?
Frankly, no, there is no problem with eating someone else’s leftovers. It’s simply seen as a social faux pas. In fact, it’s arguably better for the environment to not allow food to be thrown away.
Food waste is a huge problem in the United States, with over 92 billion pounds of food thrown away annually. That’s equal to 145 billion meals. At the same time, food security is a problem for many U.S. households, with around 18 million households reporting that they were food insecure at some point in 2023.
Redistributing unwanted food can help individuals save money (in 2024, the cost of food-away-from-home increased by 4.1 percent). It can also be beneficial for the environment as it prevents further waste from ending up in landfills.
@inkdmomma84 Husband and I went to The Cheesecake Factory for his birthday dinner tonight. The waitress asked to box up our leftovers to take home and we agreed…she doesn’t bring them back. brings our ticket, then our desserts, then we ask for them. She brings the bag with the food boxed up and we don’t think to check it…get home and my husband opens these to see someone else’s leftover food #happybirthdaytohim #grossonmanylevels #cheesecakefactorykcmo @The Cheesecake Factory ♬ original sound – Brandy Huff
How can you ensure leftover food is safe to eat?
If you have leftovers from a restaurant, you must make sure the food is safe to eat. First, store all leftover food at a safe temperature. This includes keeping it in sealed containers and cooling food rapidly to avoid bacterial growth.
Make sure to also heat any leftovers properly before eating them, and throw away any perishable items that have been left at room temperature for more than two hours. Finally, be sure to eat leftovers within three to four days.
The Daily Dot reached out to Huff via TikTok direct message and to Cheesecake Factory via email.
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