Any business would presumably love to have such a loyal customer base that they continue to return to the store again and again, right? And certainly, they wouldn’t make a comment to a patron that would make them feel bad for frequenting their establishment so much, because, of course, that would just be bad business, right?
That’s what one would assume, at least. However, a TikToker named Mauricio (@333swae) said that this is exactly what happened to him when he decided to visit a Panda Express restaurant. It sounds like he visited the business twice in the same day (or goes there very often), and an employee thought it would be a good idea to bring up the fact that he loves himself some Panda Express.
He broke down how his interaction with the Panda Express worker went down in a TikTok he recorded from the interior of a parked car.
“I went to Panda Express, and the lady was like, ‘Oh my God. You’re here again, like, you don’t cook at home?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God. I’m embarrassed, so now I just drove … 30 minutes to another Panda Express because I can’t go to that one no more because they think I don’t cook. Well, I don’t,” he recalled.
@333swae Not to he dramatic or anything 🤣 #fyp #mauricioramosss #333swae #memes #storytime #southflorida #fypシ #iykyk #thoughts #pandaexpress ♬ original sound – MAURICIO
Mauricio’s TikTok has been viewed 266,000 times. Viewers, in the comments section, shared the times they caught workers talking about their eating habits either to their faces or behind their backs.
“Dominos did this to me but they were speaking to each other and thought I didn’t speak Spanish,” they shared.
“I used to work by a walmart & would go for lunch a lot until an employee said ‘ooh you here EVERY DAY’ i immediately stopped going,” another shared.
“I went to taco bell twice in one day first for me but then for someone else I died when the lady at the drivethru said weren’t u here earlier,” a third remarked.
In some instances, diners said it made them reevaluate their dining habits entirely. “The lady in the chic fil a drive thru greeted me like we were long time friends literally caused me to stop eating out for months,” one revealed.
“I knew I had a problem when the lady at taco bell started punching in my order before I started talking,” another shared.
Despite food expenses skyrocketing and some popular restaurant chains experiencing record levels of growth, Restaurant Business Magazine states that only 16% of all American restaurants are expected to rake in higher profits in 2023, “with 50% bracing to make less money than they did last year because of soaring expenses.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Panda Express via email and Mauricio via TikTok comment for further information.