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‘The worst is chain ordering’: Server reveals the reason you shouldn’t order water after ordering a drink

‘My biggest pet peeve.’

Photo of Brooke Sjoberg

Brooke Sjoberg

A photo of a waiter holding a plate with a burger and fries next to a screenshot of @madimccambleyy from their Tiktok.
@madimccambleyy/Tiktok; Shutterstock (Licensed)

A server is calling out customers who order water after ordering a drink. And they’re doing it on TikTok.

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Social media is one of the first places people go to vent—especially about other people. Anyone can create an account and share their gripes with the world. Most of the time, they are pretty likely to find a like-minded audience.

In recent years, amid COVID-19 and post-pandemic reliance on service industry employees, a culture of rudeness has been on the rise among customers. This has led many in people-facing roles to take to social media to release their pent-up frustrations.

Chiefly among the types of frustrations that workers tend to share online are the things customers do that bother them or make their jobs more difficult. It might just convince customers to stop.

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Sweating the small things

One TikToker, in a video cataloging her least favorite things customers tend to do, says the first is when customers order an extra water they do not intend to drink.

In a video that has drawn over 171,000 views, user Madi (@madimccambleyy) says that one of her least favorite things a customer can do is order one beverage, then order a water on the side. They often allow it to just sweat condensation on the table, Madi says.

“When you order a drink, and you order a water, 98.9% of the time you are not touching that water,” she says in the video. “It just sits there and sweats on my table the whole entire time. Don’t order a [expletive] water from me if you are not going to drink it.”

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What else do they find frustrating?

In addition to water glasses left untouched, Madi shares guidelines for ordering burgers. She says she does not appreciate when customers order burgers and tell her what they would like to have on the burger. Rather, she suggests customers state what they would like to have removed.

Most of her complaints lie in extra things a customer may ask for, such as putting ketchup on a burger or asking for it to be cut in half. She says customers could do that for themselves instead of creating extra work for employees.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Madi via email regarding the video.

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Reflected in the industry

Asking for water, especially for a whole table, can be a big ask of a service industry worker. It’s especially grating if not everyone is going to drink theirs.

This can waste workers’ time, between filling the glasses and having to wash them if they are not really being used in the first place.

Viewers weigh in

Several viewers shared that they also dreaded customers who asked for an additional water, fearing it would be a wasted effort.

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“I haaaaate LOATHE the water thing bc why am i bringing 6 drinks for a 3 top??” one commenter wrote.

“The worst is chain ordering water,” another said. “‘I’ll have a water’ ‘yknow what I’ll have one too’ NO.”

“Water gets me so mad,” a third added. “When I get a 6 top and everyone wants a drink and water!??”

@madimccambleyy jk i love being a server &lt3 🤭🤭🤓🤓 #servingindustry #server #bartending #serverlife ♬ original sound – mad 🎰
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Others echoed several of the particular little behaviors pointed out by Madi, commenting on the video to elaborate on which ones drove them up the wall.

“The cutting the burger is so real. they don’t have rime to cut it,” one commented. “Same with yue extra sauces, all of our menus say additional dressings r an upcharge and they still get mad.”

“The burger thing!!!!” another commenter wrote. “‘Just lettuce pickles onions the sauce is fine oh and cheese’ so no tomato got it.”

“Or when it’s the same check but they’re fighting about who pays for it,” a third said. “Like they’re physically about to vault over each other to give me their card. it’s so awkward just figure it out before im there.”

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