Servers have to deal with a lot: Customers can be rude, demanding, or careless, and wait staff are expected to accept it with a smile. Recently, a server took to TikTok to vent about customers who let their young children order for themselves.
TikToker Karl (@karli_constantino) garnered over 468,000 views with her short clip imitating taking an order while a child attempts to articulate what they want. A text overlay revealed why she needed to vent: “POV: your section is full and the family of 8 insists that their 4 year old orders for themselves,” it read.
Karl used audio of a child stumbling over their words from the popular “Have you ever had a dream?” meme to drive home her point.
Multiple servers chimed in and gave scenarios of their own.
“Me on Saturday when I had 8 tables and the 10 top with 6 kids all had to order by themselves,” one shared.
“Omg thisss and when they let them pick out the table so naturally they sit at the dirtiest one,” another added.
“Me with a 20 top today while my 9 top is inside waiting for me,” a third described.
@karli_constantino does my forehead soaked in sweat and my gittery demeanor tell you that this is a good time for a teaching moment?? #server #icanttakeitanymore ♬ original sound – Am_I_JD
Others argued that adults taking too long to order was worse.
“Or the old couple that forces you to stand there so they can read the menu and ask u a million questions even tho they go there everyday,” a viewer replied.
“Honestly some of these little kids are more efficient at ordering than most adults I serve,” a second agreed.
According to a BuzzFeed article, server pet peeves also include not clearing room for dishes when an order comes out, snapping your fingers to get a server’s attention, and letting your kids run wild around the restaurant. Though insisting a young child order for themselves doesn’t make the list, from the responses underneath Karl’s video, perhaps it needs to be added.
Customers and servers seem to be clashing more than usual since the pandemic. For customers, a major factor for dissatisfaction is tip fatigue. CNBC reports that two-thirds of Americans now have a negative view of tipping. Thankfully for servers, the outlet reports that it’s still standard to tip 20% when dining in a sit-down restaurant; however, tips for quick-service restaurants have dropped to a five-year low of 16.7%. In a survey conducted by USA Today, 63% of respondents stated that too many places are asking for tips.
For servers, a significant issue is the sharp rise in rude or abusive customers. In a 2021 Axios survey of 13,000 service workers, a third reported that difficult customers were a primary reason for wanting to quit their jobs. Some servers fight back. For example, a server demanded that some customers place a to-go order instead of dining in because they told her they wouldn’t tip beforehand. Another claimed to confront customers who don’t tip before they leave the restaurant.
Daily Dot reached out to Karli via TikTok comments for further information.
