Restaurant Calls Out Rude Customers With Sign About Its Young Staff — ‘They Are Someone’s Child’

A restaurant’s sign reminding customers to respect its employees is gaining attention online, with many commenters agreeing with its message.

Reddit user rotomato30 shared a photo of the sign on the r/MadeMeSmile thread, where it quickly gained attention and more than 109,000 votes within one day of being posted. Here’s what it said.

Restaurant Reminds Customers With Sign to Respect Employees

The sign making the rounds online reads, “PLEASE RESPECT OUR EMPLOYEES!” It goes on to say, “For many of them, this is their first job. They are teenagers. They are someone’s child. They could be your child. Please DO NOT BE RUDE!”

Because working in a restaurant certainly carries its challenges, and many people seem to forget that just because someone is positioned behind a counter serving them, they are entitled to act however they want toward them. But clearly, this restaurant isn’t having it.

While one person in the comments suggested that it was “insane” that a sign like this is even needed, many agreed that it probably is. Meanwhile, another admitted, “I know people that would read that sign and go somewhere else,” and others suggested that it was probably better if they did because, as one person put it, “Better that they leave before causing unnecessary issues.”

Others, however, used the comment section to reflect on their own experiences working in the industry, with one person calling the sign a “good” thing and adding, “I work in fast food and every day I want to tell several customers to go home and make their own goddamn sandwich.”

They also reminded others that “This service is a privilege not a right,” prompting someone else to quickly reply, “LOUDER, FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!”

 Meanwhile, another shared their own story, highlighting exactly why a sign like this might actually be needed. “I worked at McDonald’s very briefly in high school. Had someone get all high and mighty in the drive thru. I had enough and told them to get their fat ass in there and make it themselves. I then just left.”

Overall, people seemed to agree that the sign essential, with one person admitting, “It is sad the way people treat people just because they are paying for a service.” Another agreed, adding, “The way people treat customer service worker[s] is awful, absolutely disgusting.”

There was one person, however, who pointed out that in another version of the same post, people were suggesting that the kids just need to learn how to deal with difficult people. But they didn’t agree with that take, writing instead that “people need to learn to not be complete jerks.”

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the sign or confirm additional details about the restaurant. The story is based on the Reddit post and comments shared online.