Anyone who's ever worked in the food service industry is bound to have met one of these—an extremely rude customer who shouldn't be allowed back into the restaurant. Or to order food ever again! The sad part is, rude customers aren't even that rare.
They're pretty darn common and make the lives of waiters, restaurant employees, and baristas a waking nightmare. Bored Panda wanted to show you some of the things service industry personnel have been through with rude customers, so we collected some of the best posts by servers from all over the net. As you scroll down, upvote the posts that made you feel for these workers, and be sure to leave us a comment with your own experiences serving food in the comment section. Would you like fries with that?
Alexander Kjerulf, the founder and Chief Happiness Officer of ‘Woohoo inc.' told Bored Panda that if your workplace is causing you to forget that you're a human being who's worthy of care and humane treatment, you shouldn't work there anymore. "Quit, and find a better place to work, where they actually care about their staff," he told Bored Panda. "And quit sooner rather than later. The longer you stay, the more they will grind you down until you lose all the energy and optimism you need to move on and find a better job."
Alexander actually made an entire video about quitting a bad job. Meanwhile, you'll find the rest of the insights that he shared with us below. Anyone who's working in the service industry, whether you're a server, a cook, or a manager, should have a read.
#1 A Group Of Kids Filled It Up And The Parents Shouted At Customers Attempting To Complain
Image credits: ya-boi-445
#2 At Least He Used The Proper Form Of "You're"
Image credits: danasaurus_rexx
#3 Your Tip Is That Because Of Me, You Still Have Yuor Fredom™
Image credits: ALasagnaForOne
Alexander was upfront that employees should expect and demand support from their managers. "I know that it's common for restaurants to treat their customers like kings and their employees [badly], but that doesn't mean it's OK," he said.
"99% of people are nice, but the occasional rude client is unavoidable," Alexander from 'Woohoo inc.' said that there's no avoiding rudeness in the long run. "You can learn tricks to deal with them, and that's great, but no one should have to put up with mistreatment."
For Alexander, working in the service industry doesn't mean that others can walk all over you. "Having a service job does not mean that other people get to demean you or belittle you and managers must be willing to step in and protect employees' dignity and mental health."
#4 Trying To Justify Physical Violence By Saying “Tipping Is Completely Optional”
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#5 Latina Waitress Received Racist Note Instead Of Tip
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#6 This Was Posted In A Restaurant Group
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Tipping's either a sore subject or a complete non-problem depending on where you live. In the United States, for example, tipping at a restaurant or a cafe is nearly ubiquitous. You're bound to get some weird glances and questions if you refuse to tip or if you don't tip enough.
#7 Math Is Hard
Image credits: BruceInc
#8 My Aunt And Her Friend Took Me To Dinner. These 10 Lovely People Sat Next To Us, And Didn't Even Leave A Tip!
Image credits: MaryStarBlazer
#9 "Why I Have Not Tipped!!!"
Image credits: oblivionkiss
I'll be frank. The US tipping system… is a bit weird. It's on the same plane of existence as not posting the full price of a meal or a product with the tax included. However weird forced tipping might be (and how it essentially makes customers, not the employers, pay a large chunk of the workers' wages), it doesn't change the fact that it's a cultural thing in the States. You just do it.
#10 This Family Let Their Kid Crawl All Over The Restaurant Floor, Nearly Tripping Several Servers
Image credits: langleywaters
#11 Smoking In A Non-Smoking Restaurant Because You Do What You Have To
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#12 My Sister Got This While Waiting Tables
Image credits: RekNepZ
So not tipping someone or even poking fun at a server who expects a tip isn't the way to go. Sure, the entire system should be overhauled so that tipping isn't mandatory, but until that utopian moment, we're stuck with what we have.
#13 Worst Tip Ever
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#14 My Cousin Just Posted This On Facebook. She Is A Waitress At Outback And This Was Left Behind
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#15 Seen On A Facebook Post On How People Should Tip Their Servers 20%
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Rudeness, however, isn't just linked to tips. Customers from hell find all sorts of ways to belittle servers. From namecalling and ‘flirting' to acting like spoiled, entitled children (no offense to spoiled and entitled kids). However, employees shouldn't rise to the provocations while also protecting their own dignity.
#16 What My Coworker Was Given Tonight
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#17 Left On My Co-Workers Table
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#18 Customer Leaves Dirty Diaper On Restaurant Table For Waitress To Clean
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Earlier, I'd had a chat with Alexander from ‘Woohoo inc.' about what people should do when dealing with rude customers. “Keep your cool and remember that whatever abuse they're giving you is no reflection on you as a person,” he said.
#19 My Friend Waited On Two Underage Kids Who Tried To Order Drinks. Stiffing Servers Has Always Made Someone A Bad Person, But During A Pandemic When Benefits Have Run Out And Restaurant Employees Are Struggling More Than They Already Did? Despicable
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#20 Decades Of "The Customer Is Always Right" Has Created The Most Entitled Idiots In Human History
Image credits: CMCXCV
#21 The Way This Table Left A Tip For Me
Image credits: lukelovesu
“That customer doesn't even know you, so there's no way it could be you. But on the other hand, don't be subservient. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself and tell customers that abuse is not tolerated. And if it persists, hand them over to a manager as soon as you can and let them deal with it,” Alexander explained how we should deal with problematic people. It's all about striking a balance between being professional and having a spine.
However, Alexander pointed out that not all customers who behave badly are bad people in and of themselves. There's a bit of nuance there! “It can be a good person having a bad day and that's why they're acting out.”
#22 From My Friends’ Server Group. This Was Given By A 6 Top Instead Of A Tip
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#23 The “Tip” My Friend Got
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#24 Wouldn’t Let Him Underage Drink So He Didn’t Tip
Image credits: Xenologon
Though that doesn't change the fact that some customers really are rude because they thrive on it and know that being bullies works (sometimes). “The sad truth is that some customers act this way because they've learned that it works and will get them discounts or preferential treatment,” Alexander, the Chief Happiness Officer at ‘Woohoo inc.' said.
#25 Someone Keeps Stealing The Tip Jar At My Local Donut Shop
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#26 Displaying Your Bare Feet In A Restaurant
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#27 Pizza Delivery Driver Got Tipped With A Bag Of Coins Containing Loose Tobacco
Image credits: Skorpyon87
What's more, Alexander added that rather than thinking that the customer is always right, we should go for something more down-to-earth like “be nice.” Or at least avoiding being rude. Of course, this goes for customers and employees alike! “Whenever I'm a customer anywhere, I always try to be kind and positive to the staff—even when occasionally I have to complain about something. It's literally the least I can do.”
#28 A Customer Decided To Tip Their Server Like This
Image credits: RainbowDash118
#29 Tipping With An Iou
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#30 You Can Just Picture The Trashiness From This Customer
Image credits: IWriteForTheFunny
We'd love to hear your stories about the rude customers you've had to deal with, dear Pandas. What's your go-to strategy for somebody who's acting entitled and ruining your day? Do you stay professional and diplomatic all the time or do you confront them when they've overstepped your boundaries? Let us know what you think below.
#31 Learn English? How About Learn How To Write
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#32 Was Having A Conversation With My Waiter About How I Liked Her Hair, She Then Showed Us A "Tip" An Earlier Table Left. Apparently They Didn't Feel The Same Way
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#33 Using Having Kids As An Excuse Not To Tip Servers Who May Also Have Kids To Feed
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#34 This "$100" Tip I Received Tonight
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#35 I Work At An Asian Dessert Place And Some Customer Tips Us With 75% Of A Dollar
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#36 Thanks For The Tip, A-Hole!
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#37 When People Put Fake Tips With Religious Stuff Or Annoying Jokes In The Jar
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#38 I Was Tipped At Wisconsin State Fair, I Don’t Get Paid Enough To Deal With This
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#39 Stop Tipping And These Folks Will Land Better Jobs
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#40 I Can’t Believe People Can Be This Stupid
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#41 I'm A Server And I Wear A Mask At Work Every Day. Someone Left This Note On A Receipt Tonight
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#42 Please Don’t Leave Fake Tips I’m Trying To Go To College
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#43 I Shouldn't Have To Tip On This Premium Service Because I'm Poor
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#44 Not Tipping Their Server Because They Wore A Mask
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#45 Left A Meme For A Tip
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#46 Bragging On Facebook About Tipping $0.01 And Telling The Waiter/Waitress “Don’t Be So Miserable”
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#47 A Feeble Attempt To Get Out Of Tipping
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#48 No Tip Because He Needs To Buy Cigarettes... Cool
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#49 Guy Left A Negative Tip To Subtract From The Total After Calling The Restaurant While Inside To Rush His Order
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#50 So This Got Left As A Tip For My Friend. Real Classy
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#51 A Facebook Friend Proudly Posts Lack Of Tipping And Creating A Mess For The Server
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#52 If Your Server Doesn't Suck Tip Themmmm
Image credits: thecemeteryweeb
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