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Some people have a complete lack of basic manners.
For example, customers who place massive food orders just minutes before a restaurant closes. They seem to have no respect for the unwritten rules that make life easier for others. They leave behind unnecessary messes, respond rudely when told the kitchen is closing, and act incredibly entitled.
Then there are bosses who are completely out of touch with reality as well. These are the managers who ban employees from even bringing their phones into the workplace, or force them to work extra time.
To show just how bad it can get, Bored Panda has put together a list of the most infuriating experiences shared by those working in the hospitality industry.
Let it serve as a simple guide on how not to treat the people who cook, serve, and clean up after you.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Someone Decided To Have A Gender Reveal At The Table
The powder was like eyeshadow consistency and just spread EVERYWHERE. They left blue footprints all the way out the door and the upholstery is stained blue now.
RELATED:
#2
Customer Is Upset That A Mattress Store Won’t… Help Them Move…?
#3
Karen Leaves Misleading Review To Slander A Restaurant
In a society that has come to expect consumption on demand — whatever we want, whenever we want it — we have lost our patience for even the smallest inconveniences. A slightly cold meal, a minor mistake on an order, or a five-minute wait can now trigger extreme anger.
A 2021 union study revealed a shocking level of danger for California fast-food workers. Between 2017 and 2020, staff called 911 more than 77,000 times due to emergencies at these restaurants.
About 13% of those calls involved physical attacks. Some employees faced extreme violence, including being choked, stabbed, and beaten.
This growing hostility is not limited to restaurants. Across the entire service industry, including hotels, airlines, schools, and hospitals, studies show that customer aggression is rising rapidly.
#4
Boss Said We Can’t Close When We Are Literally Flooded
#5
Customers That Want To Inspect Cupcakes By Flipping Them Upside-Down
Happens to cakes as well. At least a few times a week someone will flip the package over (to inspect the bottom of the cake I guess?) and they typically put it right back on the table after ruining the icing and decorations. Not the end of the world, but mildly infuriating for me.
Elladine DesIsles 14 hours ago
Doesn't look like the case in this image, but as a shopper, I find it mildly infuriating when packages like this, that should not be flipped over, have labels with ingredient listings or cooking instructions that continue onto the bottom of the container. Happens all the time.
#6
Customer Was Adamant He “Found” This In His Cheese Omelet And Demanded A Free Meal. A Dry, No-Food-Debris, Rusty Roofing Nail. If You’re Gonna Run A Scam At Least Don’t Run A Stupid One. 🙄
Ali 4 hours ago
Wish there was a legitimate punishment for this type of scam. I can't remember the amount of times a customer 'found' a hair in their last bite of food. Still double down when I send the chef - completely bald and wearing a hairnet - to the customer. Moreover many years ago I worked in a jam factory for a few months. One of my jobs was to read complaints about objects found in the jam. Really sad job, almost all didn't require me to even look into. A handful, I did double check before moving into the scam pile. Not my job to follow up, but every week someone tried to claim a shard of glass nearly k****d their infant. The glass policy was so rigorously followed I never believed that. I'm serious. Brakeges did happen, but an alarm went off and everyone stood still untill every last bit was accounted for - and even then a number of before and after products were on hold for extra checks. The factory workers all were allowed decent share options and truly cared. One time I did get a
For many people, eating out is an escape. They do not just want to avoid cooking and doing the dishes — they want to forget that this kind of hard, physical labor even exists.
As the essayist Alicia Kennedy wrote, they want “to be served rather than to engage.” This creates a mindset in which customers expect to be pampered without having to think about the human beings doing the work.
This craving for escape has created a deep sense of customer entitlement, which was fueled by a famous tagline.
#7
15 Minutes After Close
#8
I Work Closing At Target, Every Single Night I Have To Push 3-5 Carts Of Full Shopping Trips Abandoned By Customers
All of these needs to be sorted and processed and put back onto the floor.
Julie S 6 hours ago
The whole trolleys/carts might not be from one customer. When I worked in a supermarket if a customer got to a till and decided they didn't want something or it was broken or it was left behind, then it would be given to a member of staff and if it wasn't frozen or chilled it was put in a trolley to put back later. I can imagine if it's a large very busy store you could end up with 3 or 4 trolleys like this of "put backs" as we called them.
#9
I'm A Waitress At A Restaurant In A Country Club
We had a change of management and I got in a heated argument with my supervisor when he went off at me for loosening my corset while I was on my break. I just got sent this and found that my hours have been cut in half. Is there anything I can do?
nottheactualphoto 13 hours ago
Find a less-bad job. Be sure to let uppermost management know why you quit.
At the turn of the 20th century, successful retailers created the slogan “the customer is always right.” Originally, this was just a clever business policy. At a time when retail fraud was common, it was meant to reassure shoppers that they wouldn’t be cheated. It was never intended to be taken literally.
However, over the decades, it gave customers a false sense of absolute authority. Instead of a fair exchange of money for food, people began to feel that their money bought them the right to be infallible. It taught generations that because they are paying, they are superior to the staff.
#10
Customer Wanted The Best Boards In The Pile
#11
Customer Just Left This Review Of The Place Where My GF Works. The "Main Dude" Says He's Never Seen Him Before LOL
#12
Ice Cream Next To Raw Salmon
Instead of going to the ice cream aisle, which is right near the entry, this customer decided they were going to put a pint of blue bell next to raw salmon around closing time last night.
Depression and burnout are serious concerns among restaurant workers.
Research published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management shows that over 80% of hospitality workers struggle with mental health issues.
Another study from Purdue University found highly elevated levels of clinical depressive symptoms and overextended burnout profiles among restaurant workers. These were heavily driven by workplace bullying and a lack of social support.
The reasons range from customer demands and long hours to emotional labor — basically, the effort required to maintain positive service in stressful situations.
#13
Haven’t Gotten One This Ridiculous In A While… 🙃
#14
These Customers Who Removed Bricks From A Pallet Like This
#15
I’m Building Custom Pcs For People On Fb Marketplace And I Get This Tool
nottheactualphoto 13 hours ago
Instead of "I'd be losing money," perhaps Blue should have replied "no."
Even though restaurant staff play a huge role in making your dining experience enjoyable, many of them, such as waiters and kitchen helpers, get paid very little.
This holds true especially for the US, where tipping is such a big part of the income.
Tipping is also never guaranteed. It can depend on everything from the quality of service to the diner’s mood, or even just a slow night. One miscommunication or a stingy table can mean the difference between a decent paycheck and barely scraping by.
On top of that, many people still see restaurant jobs as just entry-level work, overlooking the skills required, such as multitasking, effective communication, and food knowledge.
#16
Daily Life As A Digital Artist/ Designer. Clout Pages Constantly Reach Out To Ask If They Can Use My Work, For Free. This Guy Went A Step Further And Wants Me To Pay For It
#17
New Serving Job Charges 5% Of Net Sales And All Of It Goes To Kitchen
Hi! I live in Florida and recently got a new job. I’m used to tipout as I worked for a corporate chain before but I’m currently lost on this situation. I can’t find my receipt but last night I made only $138 from a 11-8 shift with a two hour break. Not the best I know but my sales were over $650 and from that I got taken around 30-35 leaving me with just a little over $100 in card. We don’t have a bartender, it’s not a full bar. The hostess seats but she doesn’t clean, bus, help flip tables…that’s just how it’s set up she focuses on her togo orders and taking calls/reservations. No foodrunner. I do absolutely everything for my tables. Where is this tipout going? When I asked my boss he says, oh to kitchen. Clearly confused I asked why and he said because they help to make food. This is a family owned business I forgot to mention. Is this just simply his way of shifting money to pay his cooks less? Why am I paying kitchen FIVEEEE percent of my salessssss? Am i overreacting? Misreading? Or plain stupid for even allowing that conversation to get brushed of. I don’t rlly know how to approach it if it’s worth approaching. Should I look for a new serving job lol. Help!!!!
#18
Eye Roll 🙄
When restaurants set clear rules and actually back up their staff, it makes a huge difference in helping those who struggle with stress or mental health problems.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst surveyed 183 frontline workers in the hospitality field.
Their findings show that when hospitality employers actively back their staff and refuse to tolerate rude customers, it makes a massive difference.
For employees struggling with mental health issues, this clear support helps lower their stress levels. When workers feel safe and protected by their management, their overall well-being improves, and they perform much better at work.
“We want to take care of the customer — that’s super important, but if a customer is being uncivil, rude and aggressive, you also really need to make sure that you have the employee’s back,” lead study author Melissa Baker, associate professor and chair of the UMass Amherst Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, said.
#19
Gm Told Me This Was Acceptable To Serve To Customers Pretty Sure I'm Quitting
David Paterson 10 hours ago
I'm glad some staff realise that customers are not the only bad people.
#20
How Trashy Some Customers Be
BookFanatic 3 hours ago
Our store put cameras in the spray paint and nail polish aisles. (sigh)
#21
The Time I Ruined This Woman’s Birthday. 😂
Social media has given restaurant workers a much-needed platform to expose what really happens behind the scenes.
Restaurant story TikToks have recently become popular, with servers posting viral videos that act out their most frustrating customer encounters. These short clips show everything from tables camping at their seats hours after paying, to customers making ridiculous demands.
The idea of “the customer is not always right” is a major theme in these TikTok communities.
#22
Customer Tried Forcing The Door Open When The Associate Was Busy With Another Customer An Aisle Away…
#23
Must Be So Difficult Being A Customer
BarkingSquirell 4 hours ago
In all fairness, those readers are impossible to detach and reattach.
Every tiny interaction has a ripple effect. Treating your server with basic patience and kindness directly reduces their daily burnout and helps create a healthier workplace.
Supporting businesses that stand up for their staff keeps the community's favorite spots alive and well-staffed.
When you scroll through these stories, ask yourself what kind of environment you want to support. Being a decent, thoughtful customer costs absolutely nothing… but it makes a world of difference.
#24
Why Do I Even Bother?
I straightened this aisle right before I went on my lunch. Came back 30 minutes later 🫠
DrBronxx 13 hours ago
Honestly, when I had a part time job in this sort of place, I liked tidying up / organising these aisles. It was something to pass the time when there was no stock to put out or customers to help. It was simple and always needed done. I got satisfaction from finishing it, then I got to do it again later. Never bothered me that people would mess it up, because that's just what happens. That said, the aisles were never as messed up as some of the examples that appear on this list.
#25
Customer Didn't Want To Purchase Three Separate 6 Packs So He Just Cut Two Plants Off Each
#26
Customer Upset I Cleared Her Beer Glass, Said She Wasnt Done With It
#28
Being Honest Is Not The Way To Go?
#29
Cancelled Order With iPad
Customer cancelled their order as soon as I pulled into their community. Costco only gives store credit cards as returns 🤦♂️ I hate looking sketch while returning these type of items.
#30
Group Of Four Older Ladies Left This At The Table Next To Me
#31
32 Separate Checks
Lazy Panda 2 10 hours ago
And? Time consuming but people may have economic reasons for not just splitting the bill.
#32
Managers Expect Us Not To: Because It’s Not Part Of Our Job Responsibilities: They Tell Us: To Basically Stay In Our Lane
Space Invader 6 hours ago
Go to the manager, put your feet on the table and ask for a massage. And if he replies "That's not my job"...
#33
My Coworker’s Shift Ended So I Took Over One Of Their Tables. Customer Did Not Like This And Left A Negative Tip
#34
These Damn Atheists
#35
Is Calling Costumers "Hun" Weird?
#36
What You Guys Think? Honestly
FranSinclair 15 hours ago
Its correct. Thats your job. Not too many people wanna wait there with dirty dishes cluttering their table, waiting to see the server to ask again for the condiment they already ordered but was forgotten bc youre on your phone. If i server isnt paying attention it negatively affects both customers and co workers
#37
Is This Even Legal? Servers Make $3 An Hour In This Area And You Can Take Their Tips?
#38
Small Tips Are Customers Scamming Servers
Герберт Майн 6 hours ago
"Small Tips Are Customers Scamming Servers" - no. That's the company who's scamming servers, not customers.
#40
Phone Ban At Work
I work at a fairly popular sports bar chain and this poster right here has started to cause a lot of tension among everyone. The thing that makes me uncomfortable aside from the fact that this is ridiculous is that no manager has made a record of it in our restaurant groupme. I love working here so it’s frustrating to see them go from 0 to 100 in regards to this policy. This is not actual store policy it is a personal policy because phone use has gotten out of hand. i wholeheartedly agree with that, however they never wrote anyone up for using their phone, they just went straight to taking all of the front of houses phones. what would you guys do if you were in my position? I'm very curious.
#41
It's Just A Dollar Or Two! LOL
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What do you think ?
Magnell 11 hours ago
it's not just tipping though is it.. Human worth in that particular country is obviously not in the top of any list...
Load More Replies...
StumblingThroughLife 10 hours ago
You need more Unions in the USA, and/or a Govt that makes a law that all employees have to get a liveable statutory minimum wage. :-(
nicholas nolan 5 hours ago
50 years of anti-union propaganga worked. And now I can't even get the Youths at my work to talk about a union...
Load More Replies...
Beth H 8 hours ago
So many misguided and wrong ideas about servers and how the restaurant industry works in the comments.
Magnell 11 hours ago
it's not just tipping though is it.. Human worth in that particular country is obviously not in the top of any list...
Load More Replies... StumblingThroughLife 10 hours ago
You need more Unions in the USA, and/or a Govt that makes a law that all employees have to get a liveable statutory minimum wage. :-(
nicholas nolan 5 hours ago
50 years of anti-union propaganga worked. And now I can't even get the Youths at my work to talk about a union...
Load More Replies... Beth H 8 hours ago
So many misguided and wrong ideas about servers and how the restaurant industry works in the comments.
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