A restaurant server has been left fuming after an overbearing customer "treated [her] like a dog" after tipping her $20 at the start of the meal.
The server and original poster (OP), Reddit user crazylifecrisis, described how the man, dining alone, gave her $20 before even placing his order, telling her she was "lucky" to be serving him.
However, things quickly soured as he began making excessive requests, nitpicking over minor details, and growing increasingly rude when his expectations weren't met to his satisfaction.
After taking his order, which included specific additions like extra olives and dressing, the man scrutinized every detail of his meal. When the salad arrived, he complained about the number of olives and demanded more, despite already receiving extra.
He also asked for tomatoes he hadn't ordered: "I brought him like six more olives and five or six tomatoes," she wrote. "Apparently those weren't good enough since he asked the assistant manager for more olives, and even that wasn't good enough."
"I ran so hard for this man"
When his entrée arrived, this pattern continued. He demanded more sauce, but the restaurant had run out of larger cups, forcing staff to use smaller ones. Despite receiving multiple refills, he still wasn't satisfied.
The tension escalated when the customer began directing his requests to another server, tipping her $10 for a simple task while ignoring the OP's efforts. "I ran so hard for this man, and he gets one thing from someone else and thanks her but never thanked me once," the OP noted.
Eventually, the man stopped speaking to her altogether and told the other server, "Well, that [expletive] ain't serving me no more."
The OP was left baffled by his behavior, suggesting that it could have been racially motivated, as she is not white and the other server is.
Fellow Reddit users were quick to sympathize with the OP, with one remarking, "He sounds like a nut job."
"What a jerk! Some people shouldn't go out to eat since they don't know how to behave," another noted. "I'm sorry you had to deal with him. Hopefully he won't come back!"
According to Indeed, while working in food service offers flexibility and social interaction, it often comes with unpredictable hours and challenging interactions with patrons. Demanding customers, like the one described in the Reddit post, are part of the job.
Some businesses have taken drastic measures to protect their staff from rude customers. In 2022, a Massachusetts restaurant closed its doors early after a particularly difficult day dealing with disrespectful patrons.
The owner told Newsweek that the verbal abuse and unreasonable demands were taking a toll on staff morale and mental health.
For the OP, this incident serves as a reminder that tipping upfront doesn't give customers the right to mistreat staff. "You're not entitled to everything because you gave me $20 at the start and treated me like a dog the whole time," she wrote, concluding with, "Grow up."
Newsweek has contacted crazylifecrisis for comment via Reddit.
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