One restaurant worker is applauding servers who avoid asking their chef “stupid” questions in a now-viral TikTok.
The clip capturing the celebrated interaction between service workers has been viewed over 798,000 times and racked up over 100,000 likes.
In the skit, TikToker Chris Paul (@inkd_owl) plays the role of both chef and server. As the chef, he stands in a kitchen wearing a baseball cap and an apron when the server enters holding a checkbook. The server stands there for a moment and then leaves the kitchen.
“Pov: The server who doesn’t ask dumb questions,” reads text overlaid on the clip.
When the chef notices the server enter the kitchen and stand there yet again, he is dumbfounded by the strange behavior and shakes his head. The server leaves the kitchen to return to work but then comes back another time.
“Dude, what are you doing?” the chef finally asks the server. “I see you coming in back and forth, back and forth, just standing by the ice machine.”
That’s when the server offers up an explanation for the odd behavior.
“The guests have some stupid requests,” he says. “And I’m not gonna bother you with the question.”
He adds that he kept coming in and out of the kitchen to trick customers into believing he was actually making the strange requests of the cook.
“I keep coming back here to pretend like I’m gonna ask you,” he continues. “I just really don’t ask you.”
“Cool, can’t get mad at that,” the chef concludes.
@inkd_owl He knows better #chef #cooks #kitchen #server #restaurant #backofhouse #food #frontofhouse #cooktok #cheftok ♬ original sound – Chris Paul
In the comments section, other service workers admitted to using similar tactics on demanding customers.
“I just walk into the kitchen and say: ‘Pretend I’m asking you something obvious and get mad at me for asking,’” one user wrote, followed by crying laughing emojis. “Works like a charm.”
“My favorite method is prefacing the question with ‘Hey Chef, do me a favor and say no to the next question I ask you,’” a second viewer added.
“Whenever a customer wants to speak to the manager, I always tell the manager ‘Hey can you tell this customer the same thing I just told them?’” another TikToker who works in the service industry said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Chris Paul via TikTok comment for more information.
