An exhausted server 12 hours into shift marveled that a table of customers stayed an hour past closing.
The server who created a TikTok video documenting her fatigue, @stellaleoniewebb6, drew more than 1.2 million views by Sunday morning for a video created on Thursday.
The short video communicates its narrative via an on-screen caption that reads, “We closed an hour ago. This is the 12th hour of my shift. My redbull has worn off. I have nothing left.”
In the short snippet she recorded, customers could be heard laughing and chatting—presumably the ones she was hoping would finish up.
Her caption accompanying the video added, “Someone please find me a backbone.”
@stellaleoniewebb6 Someone please find me a backbone x #hospitality #closingshift #help #nobackbone ♬ original sound – stellaleoniewebb
Commenters came in to react, including one shaming Americans for this apparently unique-to-them behavior.
“I guess it’s only in America??” one observed. “In europe we just tell guests ‘we are closing rn’ and they leave.”
Another agreed, saying, “Yeah in Portugal we do this all the time and people just leave. Same thing happens when I travel in Europe.”
But another claimed that in Poland, “They never leave when i say that we are closing,” leading to a spectrum of takes in both English and Polish.
One suggested, “Why doesn’t anybody, preferably the manager just tell them to leave?”
Someone else responded, “Unfortunately, it’s bad manners to kick out guests. An hour past closing is unacceptable.”
That led another to blame America, noting, “American customer service scares me.”
In an article for Restaurant Business titled, “How to kick guests out at close,” the author observed, “Many restaurateurs use a passive-aggressive approach of nonverbal cues to get guests up: wiping the table, sweeping and mopping other areas, removing the paid check, water glasses or coffee cups and so on. Smart guests and those who have worked in the industry will get it and encourage their party to leave. Unfortunately, not all guests are so savvy.”
The author then suggested, “My advice is to use a direct approach, maybe infused with a little humor. Like many problems in our industry, the situation may be overcomplicated by a lack of communication. If a guest doesn’t know what you want him to do, how can he properly respond?”
One answer referenced Semisonic’s “Closing Time,” but the one that sounded best suited for a server to use was, “I’m sorry to tell you we are closing but there are a few places nearby open late if you want to continue the conversation.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message.
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