A server was dismayed by the state of the table when three patrons left the restaurant at the end of the meal. But for people who weighed in on the video she created, the server suddenly became the main character in the worst way possible.
The video chronicling the complaint came from TikTok creator Aryanna (@ary.evanz), posting it on Saturday and getting more than 105,000 views as of Monday morning.
In it, she starts, “I’m sorry,” before stating, “But if you are a grown-a– adult, three grown-a– adults and you are leaving your table like this … who raised you?”
The video shows the table in question, which appears to be in some mild disarray, with plates still on the table and a napkin over a plate.
Commenters didn’t think it was so bad. They did, however, think that the server was so bad.
Viewers are not on her side
“You don’t understand the job,” one remarked.
Another noted, “When my tables left, hardly anything was on it because as a server, I picked up plates after they were finished. Who trained you?”
That led someone to remark, “This right here! Best response. If you are actively interacting, the mess is removed throughout the duration of the meal.”
Another chimed in with, “So if we stack dishes they complain, if we don’t stack dishes they complain. Makes me not want to dine out.”
Someone else added, “AND you want a 25% tip?”
@ary.evanz zillenials know what im talking about #restaurantlife #mannersmatter #amiwrongtho ♬ original sound – aryanna
Dining etiquette
A December 2023 article from Forbes gave the perspective of someone who waited tables in college, applying lessons from life as a server to the business world. The list of tips included, “You have to be adaptable,” with the writer noting, “being able to adapt to the different environments I was in, adhere to the varying rules that were set, and adjust my approach to the clientele for each helped me learn that no two companies, clients or projects are the same.”
It also advised, “Making yourself more amenable to others and adjusting your approach to their needs doesn’t take away from your strength. Rather, if done in the right way, it can give you more access, influence and compliance so that you can reach goals with more consistency.”
Aryanna created a follow-up video to her original one, responding to a commenter who said, “I did this job for a decade … it’s literally your job to clean up the table … get a clue.”
She replied, “I was not expecting to receive so much backlash on that last video. Obviously, I know it’s my job to clean the table.”
She went on to explain, “At my job, I am the only server on, and I’m actually the only person who speaks English because it is a little mom-and-pop shop Thai kitchen. And I answer the phone, I pack the takeout orders, and I wait all the tables, and I bus all my own tables,” she continues. “So when you see me running around, and you’re just rude on top of it and then you leave a mess, It just really speaks to a person’s character.”
Doubling down, she adds, “It’s really just about how you treat other people and entitlement.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message.
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