Trashy Tea Drinkers Squabble with Server

August 27, 2016

in Diner Stories

Let’s start with this: Mother’s Day is THE busiest day at any restaurant. Everyone wants to treat their lady to a nice dinner out, which is great. As a server, the more tables the more money, right? This particular table stands out in my mind. 

I work for a small, Ma And Pa restaurant. Local, organic, sustainable. All that jazz. Nice place; a hot spot for locals and visitors alike. Mother’s Day we have extended hours and are open from 11-11.

I was working a double and closing that night. It had just started to die down, when I got sat with two very unpleasant women and their dates. I’m a great server. I have lots of personality. I very rarely screw up (servers are humans, right?). I could feel myself dragging though as the night drew to a close. Thankfully, it looked like this would be my last table as they sat 20 minutes before close. I greet them, and as I do so I get the “I’ll have a sweet tea” interruption. I may be a great server, but I’m not a dog, ya know? I don’t take well to rudeness. I can throw shade and make it sound like sunshine though.

So I turn her rude interruption into a joke. “No, but close. My name is Heather and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Are we all having a good one so far?” She just stares at me, flabbergasted I called her out I guess. Did I mention they were white trash? Very over weight couples. Adult acne hidden under caked makeup? “What’s craft beer? I’ll take a Bud.” types. Anyway, I eventually get their food and drink orders (the cheapest things on the menu, and they all want sweet tea). Now, I poured their tea from the same pitcher, but one guy and his girlfriend INSISTED their tea wasn’t as sweet and DEMANDED another glass EACH. Whatever. Done. Their food comes out, I check to make sure it all comes out okay. They tell me it’s great. Shoo me away. Okay. Cool.

Meanwhile, they down all of the sweet tea in the building, save the one pitcher at the back server station. I’m not about to make more, seeing as it was now almost midnight. So I use what is left in this back pitcher to refill their (hopefully last) glasses of sweet tea. I am promptly summoned back to their table, to be scorned for refilling their tea with watered down tea and Coke. Apparently, one of the other servers thought it was a Coke pitcher, not tea. And instead of tossing it, they left it… For me to use… On the worst people…

I tell them I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize it had any Coke in it. I explain what happened with the pitcher, and how it was Mother’s Day and things were crazy there for a minute, and that must be where the confusion happened. And this nasty lady half stands from her chair and dramatically looks around the now empty, partially closed down restaurant and exclaimed, “You were busy!? Really!?” I stood there for a minute, after having been serving for well over 12 hours, and stared at her. Crying babies, spilled drinks, demanding tables all day and all night. Of course this had to be the last table. They didn’t get more tea. And left no tip on a 60 dollar tab. They later wrote a Yelp review complaining that they had to pay for their tea, and saying their food was nasty and, “I hope she’s fired.” Yeahhhhhhhhhhh.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Stephanie August 29, 2016 at 12:39 am

The second she stood up I would have lost my job. People can only take so much and they sound like nightmares.

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Dot September 6, 2016 at 10:03 am

Overweight and acne. You're a classist snob.

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Heather September 12, 2016 at 6:56 am

Honestly I felt for the girl until I got to this line. I understand she wanted to insult these people after they were so rude but this wasn't the way to do it. Adult acne has NOTHING to do with their class status or personality. A lot of people have adult acne and it doesn't make them low class scum. And making fun of their weight? Classy. I bet you made jokes about their dinner order as well.

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Dana October 21, 2016 at 12:01 pm

This poster got on my nerves from the beginning of her story. I've been waitressing since college (too long ago) and a good server can judge whether or not a table wants to engage in chatter with him/her. It was rude for them to cut her off with their drink order – but her reply was rude and unnecessary. Seems to me she was looking to hate them right from the beginning. Sometimes not getting a tip is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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Tinu32 February 25, 2017 at 12:49 pm

Great post.

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