Customers may enjoy pranking servers, but the employee may not always find it fun. These “pranks” can sometimes go too far. Parker Galen (@receipt.paper.man), a server, shared a very cruel prank that a bunch of young customers pulled on them at work in a viral TikTok.
Galen shared photos and videos of a table, most likely taken at their workplace. A few of the glasses were completely filled with water. The server is seen trying to pick them up in a TikTok shot from Galen's POV.
Comical music was playing in the background. “A group of teenage boys filled their cups up to the absolute brim right before leaving so that I can’t bus the table without spilling water,” is written on the screen alongside the video.
According to BroBible, this TikTok has had 1.5 million views. Galen adds, “All I can do is laugh,” in the description of the video. Some commenters suggested more practical fixes, such as using napkins or distributing water.
Some commenters had greater sympathy for the server. One viewer wrote, “Idk why people gotta be so disrespectful.” A viewer who was also a server commented, “A table of teenage boys will either be the easiest of the night or the most nightmarish.”
“See, this is why I have so much respect for service workers. And why I could never be one myself, I would genuinely start crying and then quit expeditiously. Yes, over the damn water. LOL,” wrote a non-server viewer.
“This is why everybody should work food service at least once in their life,” agreed a fourth viewer. Furthermore, a fifth viewer stated how these customers “went out of [their] way to do that just for your inconvenience.”
Pranking servers seems to have become somewhat of a trend among customers. A viral TikTok in which a server from Olive Garden was the victim of a prank for not saying “when” she grated cheese on their salad.
In another case, a Chilli’s customer describes leaving a "comically large tip" due to a server’s poor customer service. Additionally, they made an excessive X post to the restaurant praising how “great” this specific server was.
The server reportedly got a promotion as a result of the latter’s prank. Nevertheless, a server wrote an essay for Food & Wine explaining why pranking servers is usually not appreciated.
They stated, “A restaurant is a place to have a good time with friends and family, but there’s a limit to the hijinks when it comes to pranking servers.” They added, “Some customers might go beyond what is acceptable when it comes to playing a joke on the person who is serving their food.”
“Saying that the food was awful while your completely empty plate is being cleared is one thing, but there are a few pranks that go way beyond anything close to being OK,” they wrote.
The server continued by describing the worst pranks, some of which they had personally experienced. Tipping was one of them. In one prank, customers removed dollar bills for service faults after bringing out a stack of cash to tip.
Tipping with fake money was another. Tipping with coupons or remaining gift cards made up a third. A fourth, oddly enough, was leaving your tip in a glass of water. Loosening the paper and salt shakers on the table was the worst.
