A bartender went viral on TikTok after explaining to a customer that the Brazilian restaurant he worked at didn’t serve tacos.
Tim, the bartender, posted a video detailing the predicament on Oct. 19. In it, he explained that the manager of his restaurant “ghosted.” As a result, Tim and his colleagues were left running things without sufficient leadership.
“It’s fine. We’re all functioning adults,” Tim said. “The only thing is that when someone’s like ‘let me speak to your manager’… I want to speak to her too. That’s not a service we provide right now.”
This came into play during a recent interaction Tim said he had with a customer, who asked why the restaurant didn’t serve tacos.
@_tvb11 the power the word ✨no✨ has … #bartendingstories ♬ Summertime Sadness (Wren Remix) – Wren
“‘This is a Brazilian restaurant, so we don’t serve tacos,’” Tim recalled telling the customer. The customer wasn’t deterred, though, asking Tim whether the restaurant could make an exception. “I was like, ‘Nah, bro. We have a menu. I’m happy to point you toward this appetizer, this appetizer, or this thing instead,’” Tim said.
Tim and this customer went back-and-forth a few more times, but the customer refused to take no for an answer.
“He goes, ‘OK… let me speak to your manager.’ I got to look him straight in the eye and say, ‘no,’” Tim said.
“It felt so good,” the worker added. His enjoyment doubled after the customer hailed one of Tim’s colleagues, who confirmed that the customer wouldn’t be able to speak to the manager because no one knew where she was.
“No drug has ever gotten me to the high that that has,” Tim said. “Absolutely fantastic feeling.”
So, how did the interaction end? According to Tim, the customer “basically just sat there in shock and awe because we wouldn’t let him speak to a manager.” After about 20 minutes, Tim said, the customer relented and ended up ordering an appetizer offered on the menu.
“What a great feeling,” Tim said. “To say ‘no.’ Love this honestly.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Tim’s video had amassed more than 343,000 views and 730 comments. Users offered empathy for Tim’s situation, as well as suggestions for how the staff might continue to benefit.
“Just alternate who plays the manager lol,” one user wrote.
“I’m so happy for you, you’re living the customer service dream,” another said. To this comment, Tim responded, “RIGHT.”
“LMFAOO he did all that and still ordered something [off] the menu,” a third viewer observed.
Indeed, tacos are a historically Mexican cuisine and are generally not found in Brazilian cooking.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Tim via TikTok direct message for comment.
